The following write up serves as a guide on how to remove your rear bumper and tail lights, should you ever get TYC's or any other aftermarket tail light that you wish to install on your Scion tC.

I take no responsibility whatsoever in the event that you damage your vehicle. Keep in mind that you are performing this at your own risk, while this write up simply serves as a guide on how to remove your bumper and tail lights.

You will need the following tools:

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00965.jpg
Phillips screwdriver, flat headed screwdriver, 10mm wrench or socket wrench.

Removing the rear bumper

Step 1: Disconnect your battery (picture not necessary).

Step 2: Open rear hatch and unscrew the 2 screws holding down the bumper (this will help to loosen the bumper).
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00966.jpg

Step 3: Remove the bolts on each side of the car using your 10mm wrench. These are located directly behind the rear wheels.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00968.jpg

Step 4: Remove the plastic retainers that are holding the rest of the bumper into place. There are 4 of them altogether; one on each side of the car under the bolts that you just removed and 2 more located near the muffler under the bumper. To remove these take the flat headed screwdriver and begin to wedge the bottom of the retainer apart. Once you have completed this simply wiggle it out by doing so in a back and forth motion. Be very careful as to not break these pieces (it can happen very easily). Should you break them you can always secure the bumper back the way it was with zip ties.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00969.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00977.jpg

Step 5: Now that you have removed all the screws, bolts, and retainers the next step is to remove your bumper. In order to do this start at the edge of the bumper where you first removed the bolts. Carefully begin pulling the bumper, while doing this you will hear a series of cracking sounds, don't have a heart attack just yet because this is a normal process when removing the rear bumper (and the front bumper for that matter). Continue pulling until you have worked your way past the tail light. Next do the same exact thing on the other side of the vehicle. Once you have done this to both sides the bumper should simply pull off...be careful as not to scratch it up when taking it off the car or when placing it aside to do the rest of your work.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00978.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00979.jpg



Removing the tail lights

Step 1: Remove the compartment in the rear by pushing away from you on the tab (picture not necessary).

Step 2: Release the wire harness mount by pulling straight back on the mount.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00986.jpg

Step 3: Disconnect the tail light harness by pushing down on the release tab and pulling away at the same time. OEM tail lights release tab is located on the top while the TYC release tab is located on the bottom.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00995.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00996.jpg

Step 4: Using your 10mm wrench, remove the 3 nuts holding the tail light in place. Simply loosen them a little with the wrench and remove them the rest of the way with your fingers. Also make sure you get a good grip on the nuts so they don't fall inside of the car.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01005.jpg

Step 5: Using both hands remove the tail light by pulling straight back (Unable to get a picture of this).


Installing tail lights

Step 1: Guide tail light into the empty housing area. Be sure to align the mounting studs through the 3 holes.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01001.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00999.jpg

Step 2: Use one hand to hold the tail light into the mounting holes while using the other hand to screw the nuts back on the mounting studs (put the nuts on finger tight at first and then tighten it down with a wrench later). This will ensure the tail lights are secure in their place and won't fall onto the ground.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01002.jpg

Step 3: After tightening the nuts with the 10mm wrench, be sure to plug the tail light harness back into the plug of your new tail lights.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC00996.jpg

Step 4: Connect the wire harness mount back onto the mounting stud. Be sure to install both tail lights before proceeding to the next step.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01006.jpg

Step 5: Connect the battery again. Right after you do this be sure to perform your function checks on the tail lights while the bumper is still off. Make sure the brake light, reverse light, turn signals, hazards, and parking lights illuminate. If everything checks out good then you are ready to move onto your final step, installing the rear bumper.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01007.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01010.jpg


Installing the rear bumper

Step 1: Carefully line up your bumper to your car. What I recommend is aligning the center of the bumper first. Push in a little until the bumper clicks into place. Next begin snapping the bumper back into place. Once again you will hear a series of cracking sounds when installing the bumper...this is normal. Continue snapping the bumper into place until you snap in the edge of the bumper that you first pulled off when you removed the bumper. Before snapping this part into place be sure that the fender lining is on the inside and the bumper is on the outside. Do the same exact thing to the other side of the car.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01014.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01015.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01016.jpg

Step 2: Install the bolts into the holes. Tighten them into position, but be sure not to overtighten them.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01017.jpg

Step 3: Install the 4 retainers back into their holes to completely secure the bumper into place. If for any reason you may have broken one of these then use the next best thing, zip ties.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01018.jpg

Step 4: Install the 2 screws back into their places. Once again be sure not to overtighten them.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/FLEA07/DSC01019.jpg


Lastly, be sure to pick up all of your tools so as not to lose them or run over them by accident and cause any damage to your car or tires.

:clap: nice write up and great pics!

^ x2, great job. Nice tails, too! :D

please make a note that ur pulling the bumper COVER only. that was our (me and my bro) bad when we installed the 08 tail lights

Yeah good job.

very nice diy! Sticky!

this is indeed a nice write up!

Thank you! I wish it would get stickied...I still know a lot of people have a hard time finding a DIY on here. That's the reason why I have it in my signature.

I must agree.. this is very nice... !!!! great work Ken..

Do you need to take the bumper off if you're just removing the tail lights?

Not completely, but you do have to loosen it, the bumper slots into brackets on the tails.

ah im so glad i found this thread, i just switched out my ugly 08 tails ( now for sale ) for some 07s, and i didnt know you had to take off the bumper. It went by a lot faster knowing exactly what to do. THANKS! :bow:

^ Welcome!

Thanks for the write up... I've been looking everywhere for this!

^Glad it helped.

nice writeup flea!

^ Thanks man.

good stuff but I sure am sad you have to take the freaking bumber off to install new tails :'(

Watching...

Thanks for the DIY =3!

can someone please explain in a little more detail on step 3, on how to disconnect the tail light harness ... Im pushing down on the tab as hard as I can and pulling at the same time, but it wont come out.

^Usually if that is the case then you might be pushing the right area but wrong part. Push down on the very end of the tab and then pull, it should disconnect. If that doesn't work trying pushing down, wiggling, and then pulling.

just what I was looking for....this weekend i'm changing my tails...thx.

Have fun...let me know how it goes!

I just used this post to install some aftermarket LED tail's today. It worked out great. Thanks for taking the time to post this DIY. It really is appreciated. "2 thumbs up" :clap:

:bow: VERY useful DIY... if it wasn't for his thread, I might have had a very difficult time installing these...

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/sciontistical_one/062108rearweb.jpg

I took a shortcut though... I only removed the screws in the wheelwells and the top of the bumper... I just tilted the top of the bumper back far enough to work on the lights.

Made the process just a little quicker...

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/sciontistical_one/062108reardriverquartercloseweb.jpg

interesting shortcut? never thought of that. was it hard to bend back?

No, not really hard, and you don't want to "bend" it, just tilt it back far enough to get the lights in and out. You still have to separate the bumper from the fenders, but since the top of the bumper slides into the bottom of the lights, it doesn't take much.

Anyone know what the part number for the screw is on the rear bumper? It's one of the two screws you see when you first open the hatch. I need to order a replacement for that. Thanks for the help.

this write up is perfect! i just used it and had absolutely no problems. just make sure that you arent an idiot like me and put the bulbs from your old tails in your new ones if they dont have them. hahaha

great write up thx ;) I might install my smoked out tail lights this weekend now A++

this was very useful since i had to replace one of my tail lights , anyways the only problem i ran into was i had mudflaps the bottom screw clip was a little hard to remove but i finally got it out lol . :P

I think it should be noted that those tails are a PITA to pull off. I had to pull both of them VERY hard to get them to pop off after everything had been removed. Some of you might have the same issue... so if they dont come right out, you gotta pull em HARD! I mean put some AZZ into it =D

Excellent write up!
I followed it step by step and it was perfect!

quick question - I have the mudflaps also and I am trying to install my TYCs today. Can someone explain to me where that clip under the wheel is located? I cant seem to find it - do I have to remove the mudflaps to see it?

Thanks in advance! Sorry if this is a very nooB question.

quick question - I have the mudflaps also and I am trying to install my TYCs today. Can someone explain to me where that clip under the wheel is located? I cant seem to find it - do I have to remove the mudflaps to see it?

Thanks in advance! Sorry if this is a very nooB question.

nm I got it. Thanks

i wanna make this note...
if you have a rear lip, you WILL need to unscrew the sides, or else itll hold on to the lining.

^True, but if you try to remove the bumper with the lip attached....that's just stupid. Pure common sense to remove the lip first.

OEM GFX lip doesn't need to be removed.

Hope this DIY helps.

I am done with these forums.

Any questions, email me at kennon7mills@gmail.com

Later!

Updated first page, later!

updated by removing it?

updated by removing it?

I know right, lol I needed this too I was going to switch out my tails this weekend.

pull your bumper by removing the screws and retainers where the hatch meets the bumper and the ones in the wheel wells and drop the bumper, then pull the bolts out of the tail lights and carefully remove, they will be a punk and not want to come out just take your time

pull your bumper by removing the screws and retainers where the hatch meets the bumper and the ones in the wheel wells and drop the bumper, then pull the bolts out of the tail lights and carefully remove, they will be a punk and not want to come out just take your time

Alright thanks I'll just take my time and look before I do anything.

pull your bumper by removing the screws and retainers where the hatch meets the bumper and the ones in the wheel wells and drop the bumper, then pull the bolts out of the tail lights and carefully remove, they will be a punk and not want to come out just take your time

About how many screws are there? and seriously damn why did he have to be a dick and remove the tutorial, I had it marked so i could use it next week

roughly 4 on the bumper where it meets the trunk and 2 in each fender wel

why was this tut removed? out of curiousity in case i ever needed to switch out my taillights :|

i dunno im going to pull my f tomorrow just for fun and do a tutorial for you guys

Swapped my tail lights today only took 20 mins extremly easy.

Wtf.

Too bad. We just accessed this thread multiple times this week so we could prepare for tail light tinting. Without this tutorial we wouldn't have known how simple it is to pull off the bumper.
I'm sure it would have helped out many many more tC owners.

Too bad. We just accessed this thread multiple times this week so we could prepare for tail light tinting. Without this tutorial we wouldn't have known how simple it is to pull off the bumper.
I'm sure it would have helped out many many more tC owners.

Give it time and someone will write up another one. I was going to do one this weekend when I did mine buy I was on short time.

Hope this helps:
http://www.trdsparks.com/install/00016-21550inst.pdf

why the F would they take a DIY off?

It was written by a member who apparently didn't want it up anymore.

Shame

FTL!!!

it was accidentally removed when it wasn't intended to.. it's back up now.

nice set up. wat kind tails are those? they ill.

nice set up. wat kind tails are those? they ill.

Those lights are TYC's that were custom tinted by himself.

nice write-up..i used this earlier to install my tails and it really helped alot!!

Great writeup! Made me taking off my bumper a snap.. Just one thing to consider, becareful with the top clips that clip into the body. They snap really easy!

Thanks now I know what to look forward to when I get my new tyc tails some day.

can the pics be fixed by any chance?

Hello, Guys i see small problem here :).All photos are missing, and i get now my new shine euro lights (i am living in europe/Poland).

Can any one help me uploading new photos ?


Sorry for my spelling.

I believe that the OP left the forum and took the photos with him... sorry

i will start cry like a baby :(

It's really straight forward, just take off the bumper, and there will be 3 bolts on the backside of the tail lights. Once those are off the light will slide right out.

I will give some new photos.
At beginnig i want say sorry for my english and my grammar ohh and for spelling, english isnt my national language.
At second sorry for dirty car (in Poland its middle of winter).


At the beginnig we need to take off rear bumper (4 bolts):
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FjvcFFQI/AAAAAAAAHs4/M_Hj9p3kxn8/s912/DSC06387.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50Fjzk-ZAI/AAAAAAAAHs8/cBZZXVOxEJU/s912/DSC06388.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FkFEVz0I/AAAAAAAAHtA/-TAqbw66Yhs/s912/DSC06389.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FknlTlGI/AAAAAAAAHtI/L_nOozdxBTU/s912/DSC06392.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50Fk_J66II/AAAAAAAAHtM/zGoTvqg7Of8/s912/DSC06393.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FljElAHI/AAAAAAAAHtQ/q-l_Bj8qJJo/s912/DSC06394.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50Fl103E5I/AAAAAAAAHtU/mtGC4VkSPbk/s912/DSC06395.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FoBBl6SI/AAAAAAAAHto/LDJMY6_VBt0/s912/DSC06401.JPG

Now we need to unscrew 3 bolts, its looks something like that:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FmGyml9I/AAAAAAAAHtY/dSSVclBPU60/s912/DSC06396.JPG
And now we can pull of our lights:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FnVtkPMI/AAAAAAAAHtg/DBIfJGJzzfs/s912/DSC06399.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50FoYXb1WI/AAAAAAAAHts/Apql-uyX9oU/s912/DSC06402.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S50Fo8ZlDyI/AAAAAAAAHtw/k_Qr4qmieNM/s912/DSC06405.JPG
That small blue/white wire is for my 3rd reverse gear light.

And now my scion looks like that:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1R72bIehz-g/S5z_AW0dUdI/AAAAAAAAHsI/MlnMiZP76G4/s1152/DSC06417.JPG

lets hope you all will understood me :) and know what i want to say. Maybe admin. will correct my mistakes :)

Do you have backup sensors on your bumper?

Yes

So there are only 4 screws for the back bumper?

http://www.scionlife.com/tech/manual/image.php?image=tc05/tc05_2368.gif

Yes there are 8 screws, but if you want change only taillights you need to unscrew only 4 of them.

Omg.

Ok I just got done installing my Anzo (eagle eyes). It was a _____ but easy at the same time. The pain was getting the bumper on and off without scratching up the car. In a hurry - will update with details later.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e303/wr200/photo-11.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e303/wr200/photo-12.jpg

Where did you find those? Haven't seen smoked Anzos purchased in awhile.

Where did you find those? Haven't seen smoked Anzos purchased in awhile.

Yeah I wanted them too and they're discontinued. So I bought the red/clear ones and bought Blue Batmobiles smoke overlays. 60%tint.

They look good. It was a _____ to put in because it's 105 here and I was worried about taking the bumper off the wrong way and messing something up or scratching the car. The eagle eyes don't fit as well as oems but I dont think anyone other than me will notice.

Moar!!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e303/wr200/photo1-1.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e303/wr200/photo2-8.jpg

I love them. It's dark and they are awesome. True story! If you're on the fence, I highly reccomend the tails and blue bat overlays

Yeah I love my Anzos. I have the overlays sitting on my counter but haven't had the time to put them on yet.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv304/scionsnowman/Picture426.jpg

I really should find time to put them on. Would help against the darkness of the c/f on my white car.

It took me about 20 minutes to put the overlays on but that was with the lights off the car. What an amazing upgrade to the appearance to the car. Yours looks good Snowman.

Thanks man so does yours. What kind of exhaust?

Thanks man so does yours. What kind of exhaust?

ark dts see thread in power.

hey opposite lock, you didnt mention anything about getting a new tail light harness. i see you have 08 tail lights and everyone has told me i need the older model harness to install those anzo's. are they shipping them with a harness now?

hey opposite lock, you didnt mention anything about getting a new tail light harness. i see you have 08 tail lights and everyone has told me i need the older model harness to install those anzo's. are they shipping them with a harness now?

Hey. I have an 09. I had to order 2 harnesses (same part) and it costs $49 shipped from Toyota parts zone website.
http://www.toyotapartszone.com/oem/toyota~socket~and~wire~sub~assy~rear~combination~lamp~81555-21230.html


The lights were $113 on eBay with $31 shipping. Then the $49 harnesses and finally the $23 60% smoke overlays from BlueBat.

finally,thank you for a very clear answer.

Omg.

Ok I just got done installing my Anzo (eagle eyes). It was a _____ but easy at the same time. The pain was getting the bumper on and off without scratching up the car. In a hurry - will update with details later.


Why you getted off whole bumper? you dont need to :)

I just bought some smoked anzos for my FM. Can't wait to get them on.

One question though... I have an '07, do I need to get harnesses for my anzos?

K so no one answered my post and I got my tails today and the plugs don't fit. Thanks for the help everyone.... I really appreciate it... :mad:

K so no one answered my post and I got my tails today and the plugs don't fit. Thanks for the help everyone.... I really appreciate it... :mad:

Could you possibly post pics? I want to help but I can't imagine why they don't plug in.

First off, where did you get smoked anzos? They were discontinued when I was looking for them. Ended up getting overlays.

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg464/IIICOBRAIII/b8467a66.jpg
^These are the tails. I ordered them from CarID.com

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg464/IIICOBRAIII/cd7c1f30.jpg
^These are the anzo plugs.

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg464/IIICOBRAIII/00129f4a.jpg
^Anzo plugs

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg464/IIICOBRAIII/39e3e746.jpg
^And this is what I have to plug them into. Notice they are in sections and my anzo plugs are flat tips. Sorry for the blurry pics. iPhone cam is all I have atm.

I really really appreciate any help you can give.

You NEED the 05-07 tail light harness.

Hope these help a little. The box on the carpet is the voltage regulator. It just plugs right in. Once you get a harness, it just plugs into that white connector and the bulb sockets plug into it. All cell pics- hoping for decent clarity.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e303/wr200/photo3-8.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e303/wr200/photo2-10.jpg


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e303/wr200/photo1-3.jpg

Where do I go about getting those? The link from your previous post?

And do I just need one pair of them?

http://scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187523

Where do I go about getting those? The link from your previous post?

And do I just need one pair of them?

Yeah you need two of them. They are sold individually like any other part. You can use my link in post #81 or tctctc's. When I bought mine, my link was a bit cheaper.

*sigh*... *shakes head*.... yea... anzo plugs.. plug in like as if they were bulbs into the stock OEM harness..

Ok, finally got them ordered. Thanx a bunch for the help Opposite-Lock and tctctc.

Hello everyone,
Last week, I just purchased a LED tail lights for my 2010 tC. I took my car to the shop for installation. Technician told me he could not install them because of the wiring problem. I hope some of you can help me out.

The problem is...the tail lights do not work together with the brake lights. However, the signal lights work fine. After plugging all the sockets together, when the tail lights are on, technician put on the brake, the tail light are supposed to be brighter; however, tail lights are off. He switched the sockets then turned on the light, now the tail lights don't work, he put on the brake, the tail lights are on.

I contacted the seller from ebay and told him the problem. He told me to ship them back and would send me a new pair. I requested him to mark the wire so the technician can install them easily. The seller told me the green wire is positive and the black wire is ground.

Today, I received a new pair, took them to the shop. The technician tried so many ways; however, the same problem occured.

Here are the wire colors of my car and LED tail lights:
- 2010 tc: tail lights/brake lights socket has 3 wires: solid green, half green/half white, and half white/half black.
- LED tail lights: tail lights/brake lights socket has 3 wires: solid green, half green/half white, and solid black.

Can anyone please tell me what went wrong and how to fix the problem?

I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Thanks!

Here is the image of the LED tail lights that I purchased from Sabersport:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2008-2009-2010-SCION-TC-LED-TAIL-LIGHTS-LAMPS-SMOKE-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQfitsZMakeQ3aScionQ7cModelQ3atCQQhashZitem20b38fce85QQitemZ140451499653QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

more than likely the taillights are wired incorrectly so when you plug them into the car.. it'll blow fuses. you'll need to re-wire the taillights.

Thanks SquallLHeart! You are right! I had to took my car to a different shop in San Jose, CA. After 30 mins, the techinician told me that LED tail lights does not have the right color wires. The LED tail lights' green/white wire must go with my car's green wire. The harness of the LED tail lights were set up incorrectly, so the technician had to cut the wires and weld them. He did a great flawless job. I like the tail lights alot, fitment is perfect except the wiring setup that caused me extra bucks.

i would've done it... i live in the same area of ya..
(probably should've mentioned that.. :doh:.. my number is in my sig.. it's 408.. if you didn't notice)

hmm.. the tech shouldn't have had to cut and solder wires... the pins of the taillight should've been easily relocated to the correct spot.

well.. in the future if you need any help with the car.. hit me up.

hmm, the pics for this tech thread seems to be down, not sure if anyone mentioned that

unfortunately not surprised. the OP has long gone been away.. the thread is still open since the written parts are still useful.

Just wanted to add pics of the difference for the plug for the reverse bulb. The 05-07 puts the bulb out into the housing correctly to work with the reflector. 08-10 is def much shorter and won't let the bulb be set in all the way. This is why it is a must to have the 05-07 bulb harness for this reason.

Well here's the link since posting from mobile
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651083257/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651660744/

Edit:Fixed

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5651088821_08f26864b8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651088821/)
DSCF0090 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651088821/) by 09 RS 5 (http://www.flickr.com/people/61201863@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5228/5651083257_ab76b302d9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651083257/)
DSCF0089 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651083257/) by 09 RS 5 (http://www.flickr.com/people/61201863@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5651660744_2539bbac81.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651660744/)
DSCF0091 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61201863@N07/5651660744/) by 09 RS 5 (http://www.flickr.com/people/61201863@N07/), on Flickr