How do I replace the RX330 backup light? Please help with some straight forward instructions! I really dont know how to pry open the panel on the trunk hood.

TY

 

anyway, i have found a way to open. it is actually super easy. You use a flat scew driver and go corner to corner and the interior at those plastic clips/fasterners between the inside of the lower trunk panel and pop them open one by one. then it will be removed along with your lower back panel(make sure all plastic clips are in place in those groove sockets the way they were after you pried them open) and reached in with your hand to change new light bulb. Once you're done replacing, put them back by sliding it up into the edge around the panel first and then pushed the clips with force with your palm.
You may need an extra person to hold the panel while you're assembled it back.

 

On the passenger side of the cargo area there is an unused plug (if you don't have satellite radio) that drops behind the rear bumper. My best suggestion is to download the installation directions for the XM satellite radio installation which will show you the pictures and step-by-step for fishing the satellite antenna wire through that area. You do NOT need to take the back bumper off as suggested in the instructions. I installed the sat. system myself in an afternoon and the plug in the rear compartment is easy to reach.

 

On the 2008 RX350 pop the light out of the INSIDE of the tailgate and remove the bulb from the assembly. This will leave a wire hanging out which is good. Then pop off the higher trim panel. There are approx 8 clips that hold it on. The reverse lights are the higher ones and are nearer the center of the door. Take the wires off and turn them counter clockwise to release them. Then pull the bulb holder out. Pull out the light bulb and replace it with whatever bulb you choose. I used Crees LEDs and had to modify the bulb housing slightly. But it was really no big deal and the lights are really bright. The reflector inside the tail light assembly cuts down on any direct projector light but they are still very bright and it makes a huge difference in what you can see at night. When you put it all back together don't forget to thread the wire back through the hole in the panel when you pop the panel back in.

 

What kind of mod was needed?

 

I tried doing the same. The bulb-holder extends and is a touch too tight around the base of the CREE5. It still 'works', but I am not sure that - over time - the vibrations and shocks would not dislodge the bulb. More serious, for me, is the metal or metal-looking 'shield' in the lamp housing, against which the CREE5 bulb - which emits light from the top - abuts. This severely affects light output, and I have returned the bulbs. BTW - a close look at the lamp housing for the reverse lights shows how badly they are engineered : more as indications for other drivers that the vehicle is in reverse than with the object of allowing the driver to see anything. I suppose the Lexus people thought that the camera would be enough, but, for me who does not have the rear camera, the lights are a joke. - I am considering applying a suggestion I found on a Honda Elements forum, which is to take a 894 bulbs, slice the base, and use it instead of the 921 original bulb. Wattage goes from from 18W to 37W, ie. approx. 3 Amps rather than 1.5 Amps, so probably not destructive of electrical wires.I don't think the extra heat will be a factor because the reverse lights are on only briefly. Shame on Lexus for having engineered - and sticking with - such bad reverse lights.

 

The original bulb holder has a "tube" that the bulb fits down inside and plugs into the socket. The crees lights are tapered outward like a floodlight and therefore wouldn't fit down inside the "tube" and stay there. I cut the "tube" part of the light assembly away to allow the crees bulb to fit in snugly. For good measure I wrapped white electrical tape around the bulb housing and socket to assure that it doesn't come out. I wasnt' concerned about modifying the bulb housing since I will never use the stock bulbs in there again.

I see what some people say about crees bulbs melting the housing. The backup light uses a reflector over the bulb like some of the Lexus headlights use. The crees bulb is a long bulb and comes very close to the reflector. I can easily see how a high wattage light left on for an extended time could melt the reflector. . I'm very pleased with these lights however and and would encourage you to upgrade if you're not satisfied with your stock backup lights.

 

Do you have a part number and supplier where you got the leds backup lights? Thanks, Jim