Ok so i needed a new tail light assembly because mine melted and now is wigging out, i go to the dealer! bad idea. I waited up in the "parts" portion of my local dealer for 45 minutes to see how much the part is and how long it would take to get it. I have to undergo the idiot behind the counter:

Me: i'm looking for a replacement tail light assembly for my maxima. (hand him a picture of the part)
nissan Guy: O yea those 5th gen parts go out all of the time!
me: no its a 90,
NG: normally that doesn't happen, did you check your fuses?
me: Yes, but the assembly is melted, i need a new one.
NG guy: Ok let me look up that part for you.... you said it was a 99?
me: no it's a 90 se
(ng guy from here on classified as Dumba**)
Dumba**: we have one for a 97' in stock for 156.80$ if you want that one
Me: listen, my car is a 1990 maxima, its an se, and by god its a thrid gen, alright!
dumba**: the maxima's didn't change much in the 90s
Me (angry): yes they did, now look up my part!
15 min later...
dumba**: yes, we found the part you were looking for we can have it in next week for 207.50$

then i walked out

but i left my hat on the counter so i had to walk back in, i gave that guy the dirtiest look that i could muster

heres the picture that i showed him:

 

but the question that i wanted to ask is:
1 did anyone else have problems with there local dealer?
2 where is the best place to get this part?

 

have you checked on ebay?, i've seen a few times , this part up for sale brand new, but i cant remember the exact yrs though. Good luck though man.

 

1. no havent yet.
2. i say go to your local JY(junk yard) and pull one off another 3rd gen. It wont be $200 at the JY prob. like $20

 

which side do you need?
it only fits 89-91
they run about $25 ea

 

do you need the sockets or JUST the plastic backing? I have a bunch of extra backings but most of my extra dual-filament sockets are fried (before i ever did the BBL mod)

 

I think I have that part in my garage with the bulbs even still in it.

I have a 92, so I am not sure if they changed anything from 90 to 92 on them.

 

i think they might have, since the way the turnsignal slopes off is different, they might be aligned a lil bit differently. i've never even touched a 92-94 so i wouldn't know for sure. I guess there's always the go-to-jy-and-play-with-their-stuff-while-there-and-see-what-fits-what method

 

the problem is in my area the local junkyards don't have any third gens, only suvs and trucks

 

The 89-91's were a bit different... I ordered one for my 94GXE and the way the plastic dividers are set up is a little different so I had to cut/grind a piece down so it would fit.

 

Dealers really aren't going to stock much for a 14+ year old cars. And when it gets to things that are specific to model years and specific models, well, they'll carry even less.

I got a right side tail light assembly on eBay 6 years for about $25 shipped. It's probably the best place to go to find stuff like this these days.

 

Just check the 4 sale threads. I know that I have several of these peices in my garage myself. You've also had at least one other fellow .orger on here saying they have one. You've posted a pic. I'll compare to what I've got to make sure it matches up. If you're interested, you can make me an offer + shipping. Or, you can get Cliff's if his matches up. OR you could contact Courtesy Nissan. I just checked for you:

http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasit...1648_1661.html

Click on the part number for the side you need. I just looked at the LH light and it looks like it will be about $19 plus shipping depending on which one you need. There is one listed for $44, big difference than the others so it might be an error. I would call them to clarify which you need, their online parts has been known to have some errors in years and applications.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/89-90...spagenameZWDVW



I have an 89-91 Drivers Side Panel, but one of the little towers that the screw goes into that grounds the bulb is broken ish and you have to mess with the screw a little to get it tight. You can have it if you pay shipping which is like $5. It has bulbs and it worked fine IIRC.

 

https://www.am-autoparts.com/AM/Tail...n/Maxima/1990/

My 2 cents

 

I know what you are talking about about the dealer. I waited for about 40min and had to listen to the fat cashier that looked like she was about a 1/2 a chromosome short of having downs syndrome make noises while she was eating her lunch which consisted of a bag of cheese puffs. Every bite she took sounded like she was having a orgasm.

 

has anyone found a good source for nissan part numbers? my parts dept. seems to be on top of things, but i dont want to be waiting for somebody else to say "oops, itll take 2 weeks to get the right part. my bad..."

 

Look here

http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasit...1610_1611.html

 

Get the Nissan FAST cds, it's a pain to navigate IMO, but the #'s are there

 

my parts dept and others have told me those aren't nissan #'s but rather seem to be courtesy's part/stock numbers.

and where does one acquire these CDs?

 

at a site that can't spell the word fat correctly and is using it in the slang term of good to refer to the american version of the nissan primera (infiniti G20)