License Plate Lamp Replacement
 

My 99 E300 has a license plate lamp that is out. Do you replace through the trunk or by removing the plate on the outside? I tried on the outside and the clear plastic did not want to come out. I didn't want to force it too much for fear I'd break it. One thing I did find was rust behind the plate. I've sanded it and repainted it with touch up paint. I was really surprised to find the rust....not a good thing on a FL car.

Yeah, that's a pain in da ass job if there ever was one. You have to do it through the trunk. The official way is that you can remove the trunk trim (under the lid) or even just loosen the lower half, and if you're real good you can just do it that way, but man it's tough. Alternatively you can remove the trunk trim and you'll see the fasteners that hold that "strip" down that those license lamps are "embedded" into. Once the strip is off you'll see how the lamps will come out, I can't remember now if there are screws you can get to then or what, it's easy after that trim strip is off. It'll also give you a chance to detail that area a bit, it collects a bit of crud between there.

Gilly

Another way of doing it is to pay a young boy, with long, skinny arms & hands, to do it, under your supervision.
I think Gilly just has clumsy hands. :D

...Or thick wrists. I am very sturdy "old German stock" as they say;) .

Gilly

I've been accused of thick headed, but never thick wrists. ;)