Seperating 02-04 Camry headlights

[italia490]

Hello everybody,
I mentioned in a previous post that I removed the orange plastic from the inside of my headlights and I got a few requests from some of the TN members on how I did it. I know there have been posts with pictures but no real description on the whole process so here goes. Please feel free to contact me with more questions. I plan on doing the same thing to my talights this weekend, so I'll let you know how that goes.

First start by removing all the screws that hold the plastic panels underneath the car to the bumper. There should be about six screws. You are also going to need to remove 3 or 4 plastic pop pins as well from underneath. Next pull the plastic aside inside the wheel well. There will be a screw on each side of the car that you will have to remove. Once you remove those 2 screws then you will be able to move the bumper down a little bit and on each side there is a white clip that the bumper clips into. You will need a small flathead screwdriver to pry it free. The last step in removing the bumper is to remove the 2 top screws and the middle pop pin. At this point the bumper should fall free. If you have the fog lights in the bumper then you will have to unplug the wires. For removal of the headlights, remove the top bolt and the bolt on the bottom of the headlight next to the fender. There is also a tab that the headlight snaps into that is underneath the headlight. Be careful here because the tab can break easily. Use a flathead screw driver to release the headlight from the tab. At this point you should be able to pull the headlight straight out. It might take a little pulling but it will come out. Unplug the headlight wires and remove all light bulbs. Turn your oven on to about 225 degrees and let it heat up all the way. There are 2 small screws that you need to remove at the top corner near the turn signal on the backside of the headlight. Place the headlight on a cookie sheet and place it in the oven while the oven is still on. Leave the oven on for about 2 minutes with the headlight in the oven. After about 2 minutes turn the oven off and continue to leave the headlight in the oven for another 5 to 7 miuntes. Periodically check the headlight to make sure everything looks okay. Make sure you are wearing some kind of gloves to protect your hands because the headlight will be hot when it comes out. Take a flathead screwdriver and start by prying around the tabs. BE careful not to alter the shape as you will need these to function after you put the headlight together. Keep prying all around the headlight. Your best bet will be to get the corner by the turn signal seperated after you have released all the tabs. Once you get the top corner serperated, you should be able to seperate the rest of the headlight by hand by pulling it apart. Be careful not to get any of the glue on you clothes. This part will have to be done failry quickly so the glue doesn't have too much time to cool down. Once the headlight is fully seperated set the back part of it down and focus on the front assembly. There is a small screw that holds the chrome part to the lens. Remove this screw and realease the 2 tabs at the bottom. Pull the assembly apart. For the orange reflector on the side, you should be able to just pull it off or you can use a small falthead screw driver to release the tab from the other side. You will have to use a flathead screwdriver to release the 2 tabs. Then use the screwdriver to tap the orange reflector out. Once that is done, you can now reassemble the headlight in the reverse order that you took it apart. When you reassemble the lens to the housing, make sure that all the tabs are lined up. You will need to press pretty hard all around the headlight and press the tabs back into place. Make sure you don't forget to put back the 2 little screws after everything is togther. After that, reinstall the headlights and bumper back on to your car. Good luck.

[italia490]

For pics, visit http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/513569