Need to pull quarter panel to replace tail light?

[ColoradoMike]

Hi, team-
I have a tail light (LED group, and with the Xtreme Recon extensions) that is intermittently out. (2022 Rubi XR, only 10,000 miles :/ ).
The dealer said they need to remove the body panel/quarter panel back there to be able to work on or replace the tail light.
Is this true?
It's a big problem for me if so, because I have a body-mount roof rack that has a support pressing into the body panel (which could be loosened) but also mounts around and up-under the bumper. I'm not a mechanic; the install of this rack took me and my buddy a combined 5-6 hours on my first Wrangler, and when I bought this Wrangler, I paid a shop to install it. It took the shop like 5 hours of labor, close to $1,000 for me, to install. So, having to uninstall, even partially, would suck hard.
So, can you replace the LED tail light on a Rubi XR (different tail light mounts for the XRs) without removing body panel/quarter panel?
Thanks; I searched for answers on the forum and Google and did not come up with an answer, but I imagine my Google-game is just having a bad day. Surely this has been asked/answered...

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[Boatbuilder88]

No need to remove a body panel. There is an access panel inside. Very easy. Unless there is something special about the LED group...

 

[TX_Ovrlnd]

You need to find a new dealer!

 

[dragoneggs]

Nope…. I swapped out my OEM LED tail lights easily. Access screw is from inside trim panel.

 

[JPAloha]

The taillights are held on by a plastic bolt accessed through a small removable panel on the interior trim piece either side of the tailgate.
It’s not more than 5 minutes of work.

 

[72Blazer]

Wtf. Fuck that dealership.

 

[jhackathorne]

The dealer is Larry H Miller isn't it?!

 

[ColoradoMike]

Thanks a ton, team!
Yep, they said it was necessary even after I told them it would be a disaster for me because of my roof rack.
A$$ HATS.
No, not LHM; another dealership. But I don't hate them enough to out them just yet.
Thanks again-

 

[Retrograde]

...The dealer said they need to remove the body panel/quarter panel back there to be able to work on or replace the tail light.
Is this true?

It sounds as if your dealer, like so many in the FCA/Stellantis universe, is a fucking crook. Proceed accordingly.

 

[ColoradoMike]

It sounds as if your dealer, like so many in the FCA/Stellantis universe, is a fucking crook. Proceed accordingly.

Yep. This isn't even the dealership I bought from. I knew they were crooked, so I tried another one. Now I know they're crooked, too.

 

[The Chubbernaut]

To play devil's advocate, if the tail light issues are intermittent it might be a wiring or electrical problem and not necessarily an issue with the tail light itself. Maybe that might be why they say they have to remove the side panels? I don't know much about how contemporary jeeps are wired. But I would imagine that most of the wiring would run underneath the vehicle or under the carpeting. Either way, maybe start with the fuse box and work your way back.

 

[ColoradoMike]

To play devil's advocate, if the tail light issues are intermittent it might be a wiring or electrical problem and not necessarily an issue with the tail light itself. Maybe that might be why they say they have to remove the side panels? I don't know much about how contemporary jeeps are wired. But I would imagine that most of the wiring would run underneath the vehicle or under the carpeting. Either way, maybe start with the fuse box and work your way back.

Yeah, it likely is electrical one way or another. But maybe it's electrical contained in the tail light block itself, or at the connection with the little wiring harness etc... Seems like you could replace the tail light unit easily and hope that does it. Regardless, right now it's working more often than not, so... probably ignoring for the time being!

 

[Ten North Prez]

The Dealership of Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe.

Wow, that is special. Please out the dealership so that the rest of us can steer clear of these yahoos.

 

[thecritter]

Its a plastic "bolt" with a spring holding the light in place and tons of room behind the light. Make sure the temp is warm enough outside when taking the access covers off easy to break when cold.

 

[Beachcomber72]

The taillights are held on by a plastic bolt accessed through a small removable panel on the interior trim piece either side of the tailgate.
It’s not more than 5 minutes of work.

Hey Colorado, just be sure to not over tighten the plastic screw/bolt. It’s a super easy process to remove the lights as mentioned above.

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