LS400 broken tail light lens: can I fix it?
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LS400 broken tail light lens: can I fix it?
I just bought a 1996 LS400 that has a broken left tail light. There's a chunk about the size of a half dollar out of the amber plastic. I put some tape over it to keep water out but would prefer a better repair. The pieces from the hole are inside between the amber lens and a clear lens behind it that looks like a diffuser. I think I could epoxy it all back together if I could do the work from inside the lens.
I had no trouble getting the light out of the car, but then I couldn't figure out how to separate the lens from the body of the light without doing a lot of damage. I couldn't even figure out what is holding the pieces together. There are six small rectangular holes in the edge of the body that have lugs from the red parts of the outer lens in them. Some gentle prying around these holes made me think that the parts are glued together as well as snapped together. There's a rubber gasket on the upper half that also appears to be glued in place.
Is it possible to disassemble this thing sufficiently to make a repair, or am I going to have to buy a whole new unit? One way to look at it is that buying a replacement after tearing this one up is no worse than buying a replacement before tearing this one up.
Any expert advice would be much appreciated.
I had no trouble getting the light out of the car, but then I couldn't figure out how to separate the lens from the body of the light without doing a lot of damage. I couldn't even figure out what is holding the pieces together. There are six small rectangular holes in the edge of the body that have lugs from the red parts of the outer lens in them. Some gentle prying around these holes made me think that the parts are glued together as well as snapped together. There's a rubber gasket on the upper half that also appears to be glued in place.
Is it possible to disassemble this thing sufficiently to make a repair, or am I going to have to buy a whole new unit? One way to look at it is that buying a replacement after tearing this one up is no worse than buying a replacement before tearing this one up.
Any expert advice would be much appreciated.
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