dfranklin

I just had a terrible time trying to do a what should be a trivial task - replace the 168 tail light bulb on the back of a 2004 RX330. Thought I'd share what worked and what didn't.

You start by removing the small plastic access panel on the inside of the vehicle behind the tail light. Small screwdriver, or even your lexus key, can pop it off.

Grab a flashlight, and inside, you'll see 3 sets of wires plugging into different parts of the light assembly. The upper-most set of wires goes into the black plastic tail light socket itself, partially obscured by a gasket. Reach in (small hands help) grab the plastic where the 2 wires go into it, and twist it slightly. It should come loose, and you will be able to pull it outward, and down out of the hole, where you can access the bulb. The 168 bulb just pulls outward from the socket (it's also got a gasket around the base).

It should NOT be necessary (nor as I discovered is it particularly helpful) to remove the 3 nuts holding the taillight assembly onto the vehicle.

Hope this helps someone avoid the frustration I just had.

mandyfig

The bulb is for the tail light. The brake light which is LED, will require oulling out the assembly. But good tips. It was a pain to take that off and put back in. The dealer replaced one of my brake lights under warranty. They just replaced the whole light assembly. Did not even bother to replace the circuit of the brake LED.

xis

two + yrs later and this is the best info out there on changing the rear tail light bulb on a RX330
The inner tail light on the lift-gate that turns on when the headlights are on are bulbs (168)... No screws to remove....just a twist of the fingers removes the socket and the bulb just pulls right out.

mandyfig

I have removed my tails and know how hard this is. Small hands WILL help.

sail7seas

I replaced the right rear running light with a LED on lift-gate, and the HID headlamp would go out.
Then I used a low amp replacement bulb, recall 161(1watt). and the HID would go out intermittently.
So I changed to a published 2825 (5watt) and HID headlamp works again.

MattGau

This is helpful too:
http://www.fixya.com/cars/t1547331-r...ght_2004_lexus

Some tips I wish I'd read here.
1) The actual screw you can undo (the only screw behind the light) is a red herring. I think the engineers put it there as an inside joke. Ignore it.

2) The panel being referred to is THE ENTIRE BACK PLASTIC PART. If you're looking for an "access panel" you'll miss the forest for the trees.

3) I needed a long flat screw driver to get the pins out. The tip about trying to get the pin out of the door and not the pin out of the panel is good. Everything about the "look" says remove the pin from the panel. Another inside joke I suppose.

4) Twist the socket thing counter-clockwise a quarter turn to get it out. Bulb has these little fins things that scream "pull straight down" but again, you guessed it, another inside joke.

And finally, make sure you have the right bulb. I didn't so off to the store again.

I hate to say it but once you get the inside jokes it's pretty easy. My old car was an Audi and it was, for all intents and purposes, impossible - no inside jokes, just flat out "you need to pay someone" to change a lightbulb.

1koolfella

iTrader: (1)

I just did this and it was a real PITA.

Whenever I turned on the headlights, the notification on the dash would come on. It was the rear driver side that was out, but sometimes I would tap on it and it would come back on. But it was the bulb that was bad.

I wound up taking out the whole assembly and didn't realize I didn't have to but it's good to know that they're not easy to steal.

fishermart

When removing tail light bulb from the assembly, twist1/8 turn COUNTER CLOCKWISE!

johncdoyle

Having this to read first really helped. The only value I can add here is that the 168 bulb is the same little bulb that has been used for sidemarkers since the beginning of time. If you're much of a DIY person, you probably have some around. I bought these many years ago, but it fired right up and solved my problem. Thanks to all.

rglide

dfranklin's post remains the best, some nine years later, on how to change that bulb.
It appears that there are various tail light assemblies for RX330, since many people have reported finding different configurations. But for my 2003 RX330 (Canadian made), this post was on the money. In my case it was the upper left tail light - the one in the fender, not the hatchback door - accessible by lightly prying out the 5" square panel behind the tail light.
Suggestions: make life easy and clear out the hatchback area so you can lay on your side and get your head under that access panel hole. Perhaps you can reach in through that forest of long studs to grab the bulb socket, but I couldn't - big hands. My salvation was a very long (11 inch) needle nose pliers I got from Harbor Freight many years ago. With it, I could reach in and turn the socket easily - roughly 45 degrees to the left.
Speaking of age, I found a pack of clear model #168 bulbs in a shop drawer. The price sticker (39 cents for 2 bulbs) was from Woolco - remember them?
I think I just put a 50 year-old bulb in my Lexus.

mandyfig

Me too, I have a ton of 168's left over when I converted to LEDs. And yes I have done a replacement of the park lights on the RX330! In fact, the my DR side light garnish (park only) has been off and on, I simply wack it it turns on, means it is loose. So I may have to do some surgery sometime soon if it keeps on doing it. As you know the garnish in the lift gate has to be removed, overall not too shabby.

pulprack

Which Sylvania bulb number goes in the top (round) tail light for 2004 RX 330?

Many thanks!

pulprack

Very helpful post for changing the bulb. I went to AutoZone to find the bulb and their system said the change must be done by Lexus dealership.

Well, that wasn't going to happen.

Thanks again!

2008RX400h

This was a huge help, mostly because it was hard to see exactly what needed to be done in that tight, dark space. The bulb holder is *way* up high, hard to see and not easy to reach with fingers. Without your insight I might have made it into a much bigger job.

FYI, the OEM bulb in my rear taillights (those mounted on the quarter panel, see the picture just above in the post from PULPRACK) is pictured below, it's a W5W. While the 168 and 193 bulbs are similar "wedge base" T10 style bulbs and will fit, from what I've been able to determine bulb p/n 2825 is the correct replacement for a W5W.. A quick search suggested the 2825 bulbs have greater illumination than the 168 and 193. The 2825 are readily available; Walmart had them.

I know for a fact the same W5W bulb is used in the headlights, as I just replaced them (two of them in each headlight) last month.

This bulb is used in four places in the rear, one in each outboard taillight (in the quarter panel) and one each in each inboard taillight (in the rear hatch).

ODDLY, my RX330 owner's manual says the replacement bulb is a 168 (look for yourself, it's on pg. 612 of my RX330 manual).

FWIW, and thanks again to DFranklin.