Whether it’s for your personal safety, for roadworthiness testing or to avoid a fine, making sure your headlamp bulbs are always functional is very important. Indeed, bulbs are wearing parts that will inevitably burn out over time and therefore need to be replaced. You’re probably here because one of your parking lights is burnt out and you’re wondering how to change your car’s license plate bulb, we’ve written this article to help you do it on your own and not have to go to your mechanic. Firstly, we will look at changing the license plate bulb from the outside, secondly, how to change the license plate bulb without outside access, and thirdly, how to change the rear license plate bulb of your car.
How to change the license plate bulb on your car through the outside
This method is the simplest of the two, in fact, for this one you will simply need to remove the protective covers of the bulbs. Unfortunately on some years or packages of car these covers do not open from the outside and this is the case we will spend some time on in the second part of this article.
So let’s start with changing the number plate bulb by going through the outside of your vehicle. Whether it’s the front or the back of your vehicle the procedure will be the same.
Here are a few simple steps to follow to perform this maintenance:
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- With the engine off, unplug the battery terminals from your car
- Face your license plate and use a flat screwdriver or knife to insert the flat part into the notch provided for this purpose (usually on the transparent cover) and lever on the plastic window to open the license plate bulb slot of your car
- Use your screwdriver or knife to eject the bulb from its place, if you are afraid of damaging something, you can also do it with your fingers.
- Finally, position the new license plate light bulb
- Last step, before reassembling, reconnect your battery and test the light to validate the success of the procedure.
How to replace the number plate bulb on your car without outside access
Second part of our article, change this license plate bulb on your car without external access. Generally you will be able to access it, however some series (often at the rear does not allow this access).
How to change the front license plate bulb on my car
To change the one on the front plate, nothing could be simpler, you will have to position yourself under the vehicle (preferably positioned on candles to give you some space), and, going through the rear of the bumper, you will have to unclip the license plate bulb block, usually held by two soft plastic tabs by pressing on both simultaneously, then once you have your license plate bulb block in hand, Remove the plastic that acts as a seal, then with a thin screwdriver, on one side you will find a small notch, use a lever to open the plastic cover (be careful not to exert too much force otherwise you will break the plastic cover), and you will only have to remove the burnt-out license plate bulb and replace it with the new , then test and reassemble the assembly.
How to change the rear license plate bulb on my car
Finally last possibility, you must change the bulb on the backplate of your car, but you cannot open the cover from the outside of your vehicle. In this case, here is the method to perform this operation:
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- Unplug the battery from your car
- Locate the position of your light bulbs from the outside.
- From the inside of the trunk, you have to remove the lining of the trunk, held by clips, you will have to lever gently on all the frame of the trunk to remove it.
- Once located, before removing the bulb holders, unplug the holders for easier access.
- Using a screwdriver, lever the two plastic parts to remove the bulb holder
- Replace the burnt-out license plate bulb on your car, test it and reassemble it, paying attention to the clips on the trunk liner
There you have it, you have discovered the main techniques for changing license plate bulbs on your car, be aware that on some models the methodology may be a bit different but you should be able to realize it following the outline of this article. If you can’t do it, don’t hesitate to go to your garage it would be a shame to break a part of your car. If you want to change other bulbs like the position light bulbs on your car or the low beam bulbs, don’t hesitate to consult our articles which explain you the procedure to follow.
