Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post - DIY - FR-S Valenti Tail Lights Install

bobpuffer · 04-06-2013, 03:31 PM

Got a chance to install the Valenti tails. Learned quite a bit:
1. Open trunk
2. remove spare tire cover, set to the side

3. remove three push pins (don't know what these are actually called) on plastic covering the area where the trunk lid engages with the body by prying the center up with a small screwdriver. Once the center pops you can pull them out and place them off to the side. Set plastic piece to the side

4. Remove the foam that contains the tools on each side. The only way I could figure how to do this was to just gradually pull up on the foam close to the retaining pin (not a push pin) in the center. The pin flew like a bullet so I'd recommend putting a small towel over it when you pull so you don't lose them (like I did).

5. remove the front push pins off of one side retaining the the wheel well cover. I removed all of them on the passenger side and removed the wheel well cover only to find out on the driver's side I only needed to take out the rear-most four.

6. disengage the lighting connection by pressing on the retainer clip and pulling gently on the plastic connecter.

7. Using an 8mm wrench remove the four nuts holding the taillight onto the body of the car. On the passenger side you'll have to remove the wiring harness retainers from one of the nuts. This was the hardest thing I had to do. A small wrench that wraps around the nut used a leverage seemed to work best to get these retainer clips off the screws. The driver's side has two of these retainers. OF SPECIAL NOTE: the screws attached to the Valenti taillight unit are longer so these retainers do not clip back onto the new headlights. They fit, just don't catch onto the threads of the screws. A person could saw off a 1/4 inch of the screw before installing and get around this problem.
8. Pull off the old headlight.
9. Install the new in backwards fashion of the steps above.

10. Repeat for other side.

Took me about an hour to do both -- pretty easy even for a mechanically challenged owner like me.
I'll post some more pics when its dark and you can see the tails better.

04-06-2013, 03:31 PM	#1
bobpuffer Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: FR-S Hotlava 6-speed Location: IA/MN/WI Posts: 68 Thanks: 12 Thanked 34 Times in 21 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s)	DIY - FR-S Valenti Tail Lights Install Got a chance to install the Valenti tails. Learned quite a bit: 1. Open trunk 2. remove spare tire cover, set to the side 3. remove three push pins (don't know what these are actually called) on plastic covering the area where the trunk lid engages with the body by prying the center up with a small screwdriver. Once the center pops you can pull them out and place them off to the side. Set plastic piece to the side 4. Remove the foam that contains the tools on each side. The only way I could figure how to do this was to just gradually pull up on the foam close to the retaining pin (not a push pin) in the center. The pin flew like a bullet so I'd recommend putting a small towel over it when you pull so you don't lose them (like I did). 5. remove the front push pins off of one side retaining the the wheel well cover. I removed all of them on the passenger side and removed the wheel well cover only to find out on the driver's side I only needed to take out the rear-most four. 6. disengage the lighting connection by pressing on the retainer clip and pulling gently on the plastic connecter. 7. Using an 8mm wrench remove the four nuts holding the taillight onto the body of the car. On the passenger side you'll have to remove the wiring harness retainers from one of the nuts. This was the hardest thing I had to do. A small wrench that wraps around the nut used a leverage seemed to work best to get these retainer clips off the screws. The driver's side has two of these retainers. OF SPECIAL NOTE: the screws attached to the Valenti taillight unit are longer so these retainers do not clip back onto the new headlights. They fit, just don't catch onto the threads of the screws. A person could saw off a 1/4 inch of the screw before installing and get around this problem. 8. Pull off the old headlight. 9. Install the new in backwards fashion of the steps above. 10. Repeat for other side. Took me about an hour to do both -- pretty easy even for a mechanically challenged owner like me. I'll post some more pics when its dark and you can see the tails better.