Tail and license plate lights went out -- brake lights work

[dialwmd]

Rec'd a defective equipment ticket from my local law enforcement officer. It was OK -- I went by him with no lights in the rear; that's a safety issue. My brake lights came on when his blue lights entered my mirror.

Bottom line -- the tail light and license plate lights were dark. I tapped the light and slammed the hatch and each of the lights came on separately?

The dealer said he replaced two bulbs and its fixed. I think that is garbage. SOunds like a short or loose wire to me. Any ideas, service bulletins?? I could use help??? thanks

[galaxee]

edit:

first, we need a distinction.

were the bulbs dark as in NOT LIT, or dark as in DIMLY LIT?

[dialwmd]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 24 2006, 09:28 PM) [snapback]260660[/snapback]</div>

edit:

first, we need a distinction.

were the bulbs dark as in NOT LIT, or dark as in DIMLY LIT?
[/b]

NOT LIT -- the lights were completely out........then when I hit one of the license plate lights it came on followed by the other. Then I opened the hatch and slapped the inside right wall and the right tail light illuninated.....then a slap on the left side and the left taillight worked...........

I'm just so ticked off at the dealer that they blew me off and simply changed the bulbs.....brilliant. I realize they might not be able to find the problem, but I expected them to check the most likely connectors and check out the headlight switch......thanks

[GreenGene]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VAPrius04 @ May 25 2006, 07:24 AM) [snapback]260831[/snapback]</div>

NOT LIT -- the lights were completely out........then when I hit one of the license plate lights it came on followed by the other. Then I opened the hatch and slapped the inside right wall and the right tail light illuninated.....then a slap on the left side and the left taillight worked...........

I'm just so ticked off at the dealer that they blew me off and simply changed the bulbs.....brilliant. I realize they might not be able to find the problem, but I expected them to check the most likely connectors and check out the headlight switch......thanks[/b]

I could understand one light bulb connection being a little loose, but for all of your back lights to be out, and all of them "cured" by banging on/near them .... the dealer replacing the bulbs themselves doesn't sound right to me. I agree they should have investigated further. If you don't mind, could you give us the name of the dealer? I'm in northern VA as well.

And the logical follow-up question ... are the lights working properly now?

[unruhly]

Replacing the bulbs is the logical first step in this case. You could have gone over a bump and jarred the filiments within the bulbs, or they could have been corroding and making poor contact. Keep an eye on 'em, but don't fret. I bet you it's fixed.

[dialwmd]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenGene @ May 25 2006, 08:16 AM) [snapback]260839[/snapback]</div>

I could understand one light bulb connection being a little loose, but for all of your back lights to be out, and all of them "cured" by banging on/near them .... the dealer replacing the bulbs themselves doesn't sound right to me. I agree they should have investigated further. If you don't mind, could you give us the name of the dealer? I'm in northern VA as well.

And the logical follow-up question ... are the lights working properly now?
[/b]

Stafford Toyota. They have been pretty reliable for me previously. I talked to them 15 minutes ago and they are pulling the vehicle back in to look it over -- good. I asked them to specifically check any of the connections in the back....I have no idea where the wires run.

I still figure its a loose wire connection or a short. It seems to me that wherever the license plate lights and the tail lights come together -- wires or switch, that is where the problem is likely located. Any ideas???

[Marlin]

<deleted post that wasn't very relavent once I reread the original>

[GreenGene]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VAPrius04 @ May 25 2006, 03:27 PM) [snapback]261005[/snapback]</div>

Stafford Toyota. They have been pretty reliable for me previously. I talked to them 15 minutes ago and they are pulling the vehicle back in to look it over -- good. I asked them to specifically check any of the connections in the back....I have no idea where the wires run.

I still figure its a loose wire connection or a short. It seems to me that wherever the license plate lights and the tail lights come together -- wires or switch, that is where the problem is likely located. Any ideas???
[/b]

Thanks. I haven't had any dealings with Stafford Toyota - I'm in Woodbridge, so both Lustine and Miller are closer to me.

Did they find anything yesterday? What you say sounds logical to me - the left and right tail lights and the license plate lights probably all come together at some point.

[dialwmd]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenGene @ May 26 2006, 07:53 AM) [snapback]261255[/snapback]</div>

Thanks. I haven't had any dealings with Stafford Toyota - I'm in Woodbridge, so both Lustine and Miller are closer to me.

Did they find anything yesterday? What you say sounds logical to me - the left and right tail lights and the license plate lights probably all come together at some point.
[/b]

Well, I'm not confident but Stafford and I had a conversation with the service writer, service manager and the technician.

The technician believes it is the bulbs. He said he looked at the tail light bulbs and they were dark and you could see the filiment had problems. He claimed 98% of the time its the bulb.

I have little choice at this time. I think they did check the bulbs and looked for a bad fuse. I'm still not confident and my platinuim warranty doesn't cover bulbs -- I'm not surprised. However, I did have Stafford write up that they checked out the car and believe it was light bulbs. I made a copy and carry it with my registration. If I get stopped again, Toyota will hear the scream in Japan.

Otherwise, I love the car. I've had a couple single event quirks but I have 70 K and love the car. My confidence is just shaken right now......

[galaxee]

the license plate lights and tail lights wiring don't converge via a connector, it's internal to a wiring harness. so we can rule out that part. the only connector is at the light assembly itself. if it were a short, it would have blown a fuse and not the bulbs. and if there were something wrong with the wiring harness, there would be a lot more going out than just the license plate lights and tail lights. there are a ton of things on that circuit.

99% of the time a problem is caused by the simplest possible thing. that would be the bulbs in this case. the way techs work is to replace the most logical thing first, then if that doesn't work they go deeper.

let me explain why this is how they do it. you already said you know that light bulbs aren't covered by warranty. to yank out al WHOLE LOT of the interior of the car, inspect all relevant connections, test them, put everything back together would take a full day to do thoroughly. now if there's nothing wrong with any of this, not only are you paying for 8 hours of labor or more, but you're getting a bill for the rental car they give you- all because it's not covered by warranty. this would make for a whole lot of unhappy customers.

i hope this helps you understand how the repair process works a little better, and gives you a little more confidence in your car.