How to replace the passenger side brake light on a 2005 Honda CR-V

The passenger side brake light bulb in a 2005 Honda CR-V is a type 7528 bulb.  Amazon sells a pair of 7528 Sylvania bulbs for $7.79 with free shipping.

To replace the passenger side brake light bulb on a 2005 Honda CR-V:

- With the vehicle off, open the CR-V's rear door.

- The rear lights on each side are connected as one assembly, which needs to be removed to get at the bulbs.  There is a screw in the plastic at the top of the tail light assembly (covered by a small plastic circle) and a screw at the bottom (which you can only see with the rear door open.  Remove these two screws.  For the bottom screw, you'll need either a stubby screwdriver or a wrench with an 8mm socket.

- With the two screws out, you can move the tail light assembly away from the vehicle frame.  Pry up gently around the edges of the lights to pop the assembly out.  Don't pull it too hard; all of the bulbs are attached by wires.

- Once the assembly is loose, locate the brake light bulb on the inner side of the assembly, near the center.  Twist the brake light housing to the left and slide it out of its cavity.

- To remove the bulb itself, twist the bulb to the left -- you should feel it pop out a little -- and slide it out of its housing.

- The new bulb will have two small round protrusions sticking out from the metal base.  Each of these protrusions lines up with a slot in the bulb housing.  Slide the new bulb into the housing so that each protrusion fits into a slot, then turn the bulb clockwise to lock it in place.

- Reattach the housing by sliding it into the cavity in the tail light assembly, then twisting it clockwise.

- Fit the tail light assembly back onto the CR-V so that the two screw holes are visible through the holes in the tail light assembly.  Screw the tail light assembly in place.

- Test the brake light to be sure it turns on.

How to replace the high mount brake light on a 2001 Honda Accord

The brake light above your Accord's trunk uses a bulb just like the other two brake lights do, and this bulb can eventually go bad.  Fortunately, replacing this bulb is an easy thing to do.  You can find a new bulb at just about any auto parts store, bulb #7440, or you can purchase one online.

To replace the bulb, first open your trunk.  You'll see the bulb assembly on the ceiling of the trunk - the gray plastic piece mounted in the red plastic brake light cover.  To remove the assembly, twist it counter-clockwise (as you're looking at it) and pull it out from the housing.

Once you've removed the bulb assembly from its housing, the next step is to remove the power connector.  The connector is the small gray piece on the end of the cable that fits into the bulb assembly.  Remove this connector by pushing in on the small rectangular tab at the bottom of the connector and then pulling the connector away from the bulb assembly.

Now you should just have the bulb in its plastic case.  To remove the bulb, simply pull it up and out of the case.  Grasp the bulb by its base (below where the bulb balloons outward) and pull firmly, but be careful not to damage the bulb as you remove it.

After removing the old bulb, insert the new bulb by pushing it straight into the plastic case.  It should fit snugly.  Then reattach the connector, and once that has been done, put the bulb assembly back into its housing, in the roof of the trunk below the red plastic cover.  Push the bulb assembly in and then turn it clockwise until it locks into place.

You can test the bulb by turning the car on and applying the brakes, and having someone stand behind the car to make sure the high mount brake light comes on.  If no one else is around to help you test it, you can either put something heavy (like a cinder block or large box) against the brakes to keep them pushed in, and then go back and look for yourself, or else put a piece of white paper against the rear window, lightly covering the high mount brake light, so that when you apply the brakes you can see the reflection from the light coming on.  Of course, if it's dark outside, you'll probably be able to see the brake light come on without needing to reflect it onto anything.

(Originally published on Helium.com, December 2011)

How to replace a tail light on a 2001 Honda Accord

Replacing the bulb in a rear brake light (also called a tail light) is something you can easily do yourself in just a few minutes, rather than pay a mechanic to do for you.  For 2001 Honda Accord owners, all you'll need is a type 7443 replacement bulb, which you can get from a local auto parts store, and a slotted screwdriver.  (AutoZone.com sells a pair of long-life 7443 bulbs for $7.49, and Amazon.com sells a pair for $6.72.)

To begin, open your Accord's trunk.  Whichever tail light you're replacing (either the right or left side) you'll have to peel back the soft cover that hides the trunk frame so that you can get to the light.  There is a plastic screw located next to the trunk opening (the head of the screw faces the front of the car) -- remove this screw with your flathead screwdriver.  Then, peel the cover back, away from the frame, to expose the brake light and turn signal light.  (The brake light will be the higher of the two lights.)

The bulb assembly for the brake light is a gray plastic unit connected to an electrical wire.  Remove this assembly by grasping it and twisting it counter clockwise, then pulling it out of the cavity that it rests in.  Once the bulb assembly is free, disconnect it from the wire by pushing in on the plastic tab on the connector, then pulling the connector away from the light.

Now you should be holding the bulb in a small plastic housing.  To remove the bulb, simply pull it straight up, out of the housing.  Install the new bulb by pushing it (gently) into the now-empty slot.  Then reattach the power connector and slide the whole assembly back into the cavity that it came out of.  Twist the light clockwise to lock it into place.

Push the trunk frame cover back into its original place, making sure that the plastic mount that the screw attached to fits into the hole in the car's frame.  Then put the plastic screw back in and turn it until it is tight.  If someone else is nearby, ask them to verify that the rear brake light comes on when you start the car and push the brake pedal.

(Originally posted on Helium.com, January 2012)

How to replace a brake light in a 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport

Changing a brake light in your 2012 Chevy Captiva Sport is a very easy task.  All you'll need is a Phillips screwdriver and the new bulb (part #3157).  Some rags might be helpful too, to clean any dirt off the light housing.  The whole job should take under 10 minutes.

There are two screws holding the brake light assembly in place.  To get to those screws, open the rear door.  Depending on which brake light is out, you'll have to remove the brake light assembly on that side.  You'll see two screws in the plastic housing, facing the rear of the vehicle.  Remove those two screws, then you can pull the whole brake light assembly out.  Be careful not to yank it, though, because the wires are still attached.

Turn the light assembly so that you can see the connectors.  There will be three different connectors; the one for the brake light is the top one -- black connector with blue, red, and black wires.  Twist this connector counter-clockwise, and then pull it out of its housing.

Now you'll see the brake light bulb itself.  Remove the bad bulb by pulling it straight out of the connector, then install the new bulb by pushing it into place.  Reinsert the connector into the housing, and twist it clockwise until it's tight.  Then you pop the whole light assembly back into place and secure it with the two screws.

You can probably find the 3157 bulb at any local auto parts store.  It will probably cost between $5 and $10 for a set of two bulbs.  Amazon.com sells a pair right now for $5.99.