How to remove license plate light housing?
 

I am in the process of installing a backup camera on my 2008 ES350 and am having some issues. The type of camera i bought is made to replace one of the license plate lights on the car. You are supposed to remove the light and install this backup camera in its place. I removed the felt trunk lining on the inside but it looks like the light housing cannot be removed until a large portion of the outside of the trunk is removed.

Has anyone every done this? Or does anyone have any tips/ideas on how to remove that housing? Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

http://oi55.tinypic.com/2ikt9vd.jpg

did you ever find a solution to this? i just purchased the same camera and can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the license plate housing.

Any answers to this question?

Remove the inside cover of the trunk lid and start from there.

Remove license plate lights from 2012 Lexus ES350
 

Thanks. I removed inside cover as well as retaining hardware but they will not popout. I can reach the assembly with my hand but it is plastic and I am reluctant to use too much force as I do not want to break it.

It seems it should pop out to to the interior of the truck.

Any other suggestions?
Thanks for responding
Pushka

remove the bolts and use a trim tool to pry off. see pdf for clip locations

Follow the tech manual above, and definitely remove the light assembly first, otherwise the panel will catch and you'll end up breaking off the panel's bolt standoffs (and end up needing to epoxy them back on)

The panel took a lot of force to pry off. Definitely use painter's tape or a cloth to protect the paint. The panel is all plastic.

It may also help to check pictures on ebay that show you where the clips are actually located so you know where to start prying.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/XzkAAOxy6-tR-yM-/$T2eC16N,!yME9s5qF8u!BR-yM-VZHw~~60_57.JPG


P.S. Be careful when you remove the nuts and don't let them fall into the trunk lid. I lost one and it took me over a hour using a magnet to recover the bolt.

rear license plate panel removal 07 & 08 Es
 

Awesome post NEVERNU. I got most of the way by careful work, but your explanation clearly outlines the problem areas & solutions.
Thank you Sir!:

This reply gives all the needed info on how to get the job done.
Just take your time (10 mm socket needed) and you will be successful.
The one issue I had trouble with was actually removing the panel after all fastenings were removed.
The bolt threads tend to catch on the the hole perimeter edge in the sheet metal, so just ease the panel off, side to side.
The 2 bolts in the lower left & right corners are held by plastic retainers on the panel itself, and are easily broken free if you are not careful there.
Also...do remove the license plate first!
Thanks to "nevernu" for the Lexus mechanics' book pages solution. Great poster!