Does anybody know how to change the front side marker light?
I searched couldn't find any thread that talk about it or i have missed it.
If you do, can you provide me how to change it, and i would like to change it all to white, i found on eBay there is 1 that sale
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-2008-ACURA-TL-SMOKED-WHITE-LED-4PIECE-FRONT-REAR-SIDE-MARKER-LIGHT-Type-S/171304889737?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.RVI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D6445597289778545503%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D20131017132637%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D251507014966Is that a good deal?
if anybody have any idea , shoot me.
Thanks!
oh and i want it all WHITE !

 

very easy to change. remove screws on fender liner(just the bottom 4 holding to the side skirts). peel back couple inches, reach arm inside fender and unclip the sidemarker.
It may be necessary to turn the steering wheel to access the screws if you arent using a stubby screwdriver

 

Paperboy has the correct description. It's also described, with a diagram of the fender liner, in the "Maintenance" section of the owner's manual, IIRC.
On-line versions of the Owner's & Navi manuals are found through the 3G TL Service Dept/Garage at: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/j-020-3g-acura-tl-owners-manual-navi-manual-warranty-booklet-pdfs-851625/

FYI, you may want to get replacement plastic push-in rivets for the fender liner afterwards.

Welcome to AZ.

 

Will, as per your suggestion, would these clips be the ones you're referring to?

Flat head type:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/30pcs-Honda-Acura-Bumper-Hood-Fender-Splash-Guard-Retainer-Clips-Fasteners-/350763176385?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3AHonda&hash=item51ab1d51c1&vxp=mtr
OR

Screw-head type:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/30x-8mm-Front-Push-Type-Retainer-FENDER-CLIPS-Fit-For-Acura-Honda-Accord-Civic-/281284249298?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3AHonda&hash=item417dd906d2&vxp=mtr
(really, I'm wondering if there's an advantage to having the screw type or not for this application)

If so, I'll just order these tonight right along with my new side marker lights:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151278936746...84.m1423.l2649

I honestly would've gone OEM for my 2004 TL, but to be honest...spending $60 on just ONE OEM side marker light, when I could risk it and get this DEPO set for $75. And from everything I read on the forum, the side marker lights don't have the kinds of fitment problems that are common with their tail light lenses (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

It's the screw-head push-type that's used for the TL fender liners.
They become brittle after a time; one broke and another was deformed pretty badly when pulled out of the fender liner.

I also bought a Depo replacement rather than OEM, but I just got the one side marker to maintain the stock appearance.

 

You da MAN will. Thanks for the prompt response. I just went ahead and got both types of clips since you can never really have too many of those on-hand when working on the car. Plus it's cheap.

And I went ahead and just ordered the side markers as well. I figure that if I'm going to replace one, might as well replace them all so they all "burn out" at the same time. In like, ten years

And thank you to paperboy as well- the process you listed is simpler than what I read in the manual, or other threads, so I'm keen to try it. Many thanks

 

As you said you ordered 4 marker lights, what color did you order?

 

I ordered the exact ones I linked to in the third ebay link in my post:

Front: Amber
Rear: Red
Housing color: clear (Type-S style- the rear ones show no red whatsoever, unlike the stock ones I have)


Although there a variety of options, I think that having the front markers be white LEDs would look goofy on my TL. Plus with the Type-S style housing, it wouldn't stand out at all against the NBP color of my 2004 TL (compared to the stock red rear side markers do).

From what I saw, they sell combinations like these (Front - Rear):

White - Red (Type-S style)
Amber - Red (Type-S style)
Amber/White - Red/Red (switchbacks- Type-S style)
Amber - Red (stock style, with the rears having a red lens)

 

a lil piece of advice, someone told me to use a long nose flat head and that i could pry off the side marker from the outside, BAD IDEA i broke the original oem marker, However the led was burnt out and unreusable hence why i was changing it originally. But i did scratch the paint that way, it doesnt mater because the oem replacement (108$ at dealer) covered the scratch

 

I'm definitely planning on using paperboy's method, since it would unclip the sidemarker connection from the inside. Plus it seems pretty simple instead of relying on brute force, which tends to have bad results when dealing with clips and such.

I'll definitely post back about my experience in changing them out this weekend (the packages should all arrive by Friday at the latest), how the DEPO lights fit, etc. I'll even try to take some pictures too while I'm at it, since I'm sure they'll be of use to someone down the line.

 

Post some pics when you're done. Im curious to see how it came out.

 

Well, I just came back inside after installing all of the side marker lights on my TL (I had to run back inside for a work assignment, so I didn't get a chance to snap some pictures).

Some impressions:

1) I take my sweet time doing things working on my car, but this took significantly longer than expected. A BIG part of this is having to mess with screws that won't come out (due to wear and tear, not wanting to go in very well, etc). Mine is a 2004 TL, so I bet mine took longer than it would on a newer TL. The front markers didn't take very long at all, but getting the clips to release on the existing side markers was a pain. I had to take a narrow screwdriver to push down on one of the clips and wiggle it out- I bet it was because it had been in there for over a decade, so naturally it doesn't want to part ways with the body panel.

2) The DEPO lights look good in person, and they do feel like a solid product. I'm not worried that these will chip, fall apart, etc. But that's just holding it in my hand, so only time will tell.

3) The big question of all: FITMENT. Not as great as I would have hoped. The very first rear side marker (driver side) went in perfectly- both clips snapped in, no problem. But the passenger rear side marker, the flip closer to the front of the car never really wanted to go in. Granted, it's still not going anywhere, but it left a very tiny gap between that and the body. I tried various things- sanding the padding next to the clip, bending the clip outwards, etc, but none of them did the trick.

The reason is because of something that the DEPO markers seem to have a tiny problem with: when manufactured, the tolerances they allow for the perimeter of the lens itself means they can come out shaped every so slightly that it won't sit perfectly flush against the surface it's supposed to be next to. This can leave a small gap, which is almost imperceptible (unless you're looking for it), but it's still not as close as OEM. Definitely disappointing.

However, the Type-S look on the lens (clear smoked style), and the light intensity of the LEDs, leaves nothing to be desired. It definitely looks sharp.

And FYI, I could have left the OEM side markers on, but my front passenger side went out and the others are inevitably close to the end of their operational life, so I decided to change all four out instead of buying just the one I needed. And for $70 or so, I got all four, so I can't really complain.

Pics tonight. I will also post pics of the original side markers for anyone that's interested.

 

FYI, I decided to take pictures only of any noticeable gaps. There were only two, but it should give anyone looking to purchase these an idea of the fitment problems you *might* encounter.

Please remember, fitment depends on two factors: the shaping of the lens housing itself, and any flex in the body panels where the light sits (due to wear and tear). Your mileage may vary with these, so your experience will be similar (but not necessarily the exact same) as mine. Any research on AZ regarding DEPO lights should prepare you for this.

Iit has been windy the last week, all day every day here, so there is pollen blowing around constantly. Just in the few minutes it took me to install these, they went from perfectly clean to what you see in the picture. No way to avoid that, sorry about that. The lights do come perfectly pristine out of the box.

Onto the pictures:

Driver's side front side marker (gap is on the front side of the marker):


Passenger side rear side marker (the gap is on the forward-facing side):

 

Man you need a detail, look at those paint swirls! :P

 

Haha yeah I'm doing that this coming week- winter here only ended this past week! That's the thing I hate about living up here, winters last FOREVER and my car looks like crap the whole time. So now that the real weather has finally returned, my TL can finally look good again

 

Yeah I found out the hard way too that these depo side markers dont fit too well. To close the gap, I used 3M double side tape and everything sealed up nicely.