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Front Driver's Side Marker Light Broken

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by GaryM108, Sep 8, 2014.

  1. GaryM108

    GaryM108 New Member

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    V
    I have punched a snowbank and cracked a front side marker light as well as toasted a hubcap. I looked up the parts and ordered them from an online parts place. The hubcap was an easy fit and that is done. Now on to installing that marker light into the driver side front bumper in my 2012 Prius V III! On initial investigation I see coming at it from the top (under the hood) is almost impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the car it appears there is a removable maintenance panel just under it.

    Does anyone know if I am on the right track?
     
  2. Burna J

    Burna J Knot Right Performance....

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    Yes sir, you're on the right track... You need to come up from the bottom.

    Good luck. And welcome to Prius Chat.
     
  3. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Much easier to access if you have ramps. And if you don't like working on your back, it would be much easier removing the front bumper cover. That would give you easy access to the back side of the light.

    SCH-I535
     
  4. GaryM108

    GaryM108 New Member

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    I went to Wally World and picked up some 3 ton jack-stands and tire chalks. I have lights wrenches and a creeper. I have a set of ramps, but felt the angle was too steep for the style of ramps I have. I jacked it up and put the stand under the side I was on. Took out the two bolts the manual said I should for fog light work (no, I don't have any fog lights). Then I took out the three bolts from the splash guard. I reached up and pulled the bulb out of it with a quarter turn twist action. I popped the hood and looked down from the top and got one of the two Philips screws out from the top. I tried pulling it out at that point to realize there was another screw. I put my Philips head screwdriver on something that felt like a screw head from underneath and turned it. It was a screw! I puled it back and half turned it in place exposing the back to see what sort of wiring harness clips were there on the back of it. I chuckled thinking of some of the buggers I ran into back in my automotive repair training days. Don't get me wrong the clips were well engineered ... but they also came off with a lite pinching action. I dropped the light and chuckled again. Well, it was already broken so who cares! The new one was identical. I reversed the process.

    The only thing I caution is stay calm and look at your work. If it is not aligned pull it straight back and come straight in with it. It is sort of a mind bender, but it does not require any force. Putting it on the jack and opening it up took 20 minutes. Wrap up and putting tools away took 7. So it was about a half hour job.

    Be very careful working under a car! You can die. Jack stands are cheep, you are not. Place the stands in a way that you know it will not break the car. Hint: the place that you jack it is not a jack stand support, nor is anything around it. Big beefy metal near the middle of the car that looks like huge bolts go into it, now that is what I used (not on the bold, just behind it). Don't get crazy around electrical on Prius cars. There is 300 volts coming from the traction battery and 600 volts under the hood. There are also things that are designed to trip the air bags. So look, think then do. My wife felt I should pay the mechanic. Since I write software these past 25 years.

    Hey if that is what mechanics get a hundred bucks for I think it was well worth it.
     
  5. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    It was well worth it to you. Obviously you knew what you were doing and you bring up some very good precautionary points for someone who is more of an amateur than you about placing Jack stands and getting under a car. If a person does not know what they are doing, do not get under there. Getting killed is easy to do. I go to the Toyota garage as a safe course for me.
     
    robertmaria likes this.