Crappy plastic!

So I went to swap out some bulbs on my tail lights. Its a 2017.
remove 2 bolts .
Pull straight back till the clips release.
Sounds simple.
I did, the light did not release. i went back inside and watched a youtube video to confirm I was removing them correctly as i didnt want to break any tabs etc.
Just pull with force till you hear it snap and release.
i did and the entire plastic piece holding the metal tab broke right off.
A person should be able to swap bulbs easily without breaking your tail light assembly.
Im kinda pissed.
Anyone else have this happen?
Any ideas on how i could possibly get this replaced under warranty?
or what i should do that is cost effective
thanks

 

Are you in a COLD area -- plastics are less forgiving when they get cold!

 

Was above zero celsius
I was inside my condos underground.
Pacific Northwest.
No snow

 

Same happened to one of mine. I JB Welded it back on...its now way stronger than it ever was.

 

Yiiikes! I was planning on a tail light mod.

 

that sounds like a good idea. I will have to remove it again and hope the other tab doesnt break lol just to see if that is possible. Have you removed since?
The other side did not break but half of the insert in the hole the tabs goes into shattered. what a joke.

 

Super glue and baking soda plastic welding

 

If the taillight wiggles more than the other because of the broken piece I would go to the dealership and say that you noticed the other day that the taillight seems to weird and the other doesent. Done it a few times with some stuff I’ve broken on mine and has worked 50% of the time

 

well its its tight buy exactly that it its up against the paint now with no gap.
I actually called the dealer to tell them I am not an idiot i am mechanically inclined. Changed many a tail light bulbs and never had one break on me. He said well if you would have come in we could have taken care of that for you. I said I am not taking an hour out of my day every time i have a burn bulb. Do you call Mr. fixit over when you need to replace a bulb at home? its not dealer dependant. I said besides that I was on a road trip and safety trumps everything. He said I could come and show it to the manager and take it from there. Now i gotta swap the bulbs back lol

 

Yes I have popped it off a couple times since...like I said...its stronger than it was when new. I filled up the area that it broke and then some. Much stronger.

 

lol I didnt glue my light to the truck...just glued the post that broke off it back on to the light housing.

 

LMAO DUH lol

 

I used a pair of long handle needle nose pliers to remove bulb

 

removing the bulb is not the issue

 

Kind of amazing you have this attitude when you broke something and are trying to get them to fix it under warranty.

There is no warranty coverage for “customer broke it.”

Despite that, you play that card with the guy on the phone? Good luck with that.

 

My attitude is pissy ...it is a 50k Canadian truck the housing should not break during removal. period end of story. Its a crappy design. It would have happened to the Toyota tech just the same...
in sayin what you did im assuming you dont have a 3rd gen and havent tried to remove the tail lights?

 

Doesn’t change anything about the taillight being a $20 part.

You broke it, you fix it is a rule not an exception. Giving the dealer shit about your mistake is generally not advised when you want something for free.

Also no, it doesn’t happen to techs “just the same.” Only people who say that are the guys that break them and then try to say it’s someone else’s fault.

Best of luck in your warranty endeavors.

 

Never gave them shit.
I explained I removed it as it should be removed. It broke. I asked if anything could possibly be done.
Your assuming things now

I only b.s.'d when he asked why i removed it. it was to install LED. I said a bulb burnt and needed replacing. A small white lie.
Once you start modifying warrantied vehicles you better have some good b.s. to go with it sometimes in my past vehicle experiences lol