Help with my wife's 2002 Maxima SE
01-15-2004, 03:44 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 65
Help with my wife's 2002 Maxima SE
My Wife has a 2002 SE and both her fog lights have been cracked and killed due to rocks, etc.
I posted a while back (within an existing thread) and was told it was simply a bolt that needed to be unsrewed to get at each fog light...this is not the case.
The insurance company is saying the same thing the dealer is saying, which is that you need to remove the entire front bumper to get at each fog light. This is absurd, but unless someone can explain to me in detail that there is another way, I can't argue with them.
It's -30 here right now with the wind chill and -13 to begin with, so I can't get outside and under the hood to verify, but I quickly glanced under there and there is 0% access to any bolt or fog light housing without at least taking down that aero skid type plate...
Can someone please fill me in once and for all, with detail, on what needs to be done to completely replace her foglights so I can be on a level playing field with the dealer and the insurance company, thanks so much!
I posted a while back (within an existing thread) and was told it was simply a bolt that needed to be unsrewed to get at each fog light...this is not the case.
The insurance company is saying the same thing the dealer is saying, which is that you need to remove the entire front bumper to get at each fog light. This is absurd, but unless someone can explain to me in detail that there is another way, I can't argue with them.
It's -30 here right now with the wind chill and -13 to begin with, so I can't get outside and under the hood to verify, but I quickly glanced under there and there is 0% access to any bolt or fog light housing without at least taking down that aero skid type plate...
Can someone please fill me in once and for all, with detail, on what needs to be done to completely replace her foglights so I can be on a level playing field with the dealer and the insurance company, thanks so much!
01-15-2004, 03:56 PM
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 23
I know I've seen detailed write ups on how to replace the fog lights. Had to be on this board. Does the search work for you? I know it was painful but I don't believe it involved removing the entire bumper. Could be wrong though, woudln't be the 1st time.
01-15-2004, 04:00 PM
#3
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 787
Originally Posted by bosssho
My Wife has a 2002 SE and both her fog lights have been cracked and killed due to rocks, etc.
I posted a while back (within an existing thread) and was told it was simply a bolt that needed to be unsrewed to get at each fog light...this is not the case.
The insurance company is saying the same thing the dealer is saying, which is that you need to remove the entire front bumper to get at each fog light. This is absurd, but unless someone can explain to me in detail that there is another way, I can't argue with them.
It's -30 here right now with the wind chill and -13 to begin with, so I can't get outside and under the hood to verify, but I quickly glanced under there and there is 0% access to any bolt or fog light housing without at least taking down that aero skid type plate...
Can someone please fill me in once and for all, with detail, on what needs to be done to completely replace her foglights so I can be on a level playing field with the dealer and the insurance company, thanks so much!
I posted a while back (within an existing thread) and was told it was simply a bolt that needed to be unsrewed to get at each fog light...this is not the case.
The insurance company is saying the same thing the dealer is saying, which is that you need to remove the entire front bumper to get at each fog light. This is absurd, but unless someone can explain to me in detail that there is another way, I can't argue with them.
It's -30 here right now with the wind chill and -13 to begin with, so I can't get outside and under the hood to verify, but I quickly glanced under there and there is 0% access to any bolt or fog light housing without at least taking down that aero skid type plate...
Can someone please fill me in once and for all, with detail, on what needs to be done to completely replace her foglights so I can be on a level playing field with the dealer and the insurance company, thanks so much!
01-15-2004, 04:55 PM
#5
01-15-2004, 05:21 PM
#7
Originally Posted by bosssho
My Wife has a 2002 SE and both her fog lights have been cracked and killed due to rocks, etc.
I posted a while back (within an existing thread) and was told it was simply a bolt that needed to be unsrewed to get at each fog light...this is not the case.
The insurance company is saying the same thing the dealer is saying, which is that you need to remove the entire front bumper to get at each fog light. This is absurd, but unless someone can explain to me in detail that there is another way, I can't argue with them.
It's -30 here right now with the wind chill and -13 to begin with, so I can't get outside and under the hood to verify, but I quickly glanced under there and there is 0% access to any bolt or fog light housing without at least taking down that aero skid type plate...
Can someone please fill me in once and for all, with detail, on what needs to be done to completely replace her foglights so I can be on a level playing field with the dealer and the insurance company, thanks so much!
I posted a while back (within an existing thread) and was told it was simply a bolt that needed to be unsrewed to get at each fog light...this is not the case.
The insurance company is saying the same thing the dealer is saying, which is that you need to remove the entire front bumper to get at each fog light. This is absurd, but unless someone can explain to me in detail that there is another way, I can't argue with them.
It's -30 here right now with the wind chill and -13 to begin with, so I can't get outside and under the hood to verify, but I quickly glanced under there and there is 0% access to any bolt or fog light housing without at least taking down that aero skid type plate...
Can someone please fill me in once and for all, with detail, on what needs to be done to completely replace her foglights so I can be on a level playing field with the dealer and the insurance company, thanks so much!
DRESS WARM. get something to lay on and move some of the wheel well plastics.
You can get to the back of the FOGS and unscrew them. 10mm or 14mm socket I think.
01-15-2004, 05:58 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 269
You need to find a friendly garage that will either let you use their lift, or do the work for one hour of labor (or less).
You don't even need to lift the car, but it's easier that way.
It's also easier if you turn the front wheels out of the way, turn them to the left while you work on the right light, turn them to the right while you work on the left (I did mine flat on the ground, with the wheels turned left only)
There is one screw, one bolt and one snap fitting that have to be removed in order to gain access to the light itself. The snap fitting is sort of like a Molly bolt. You pop the center section out a little bit, then pull the whole thing out.
That won't let you remove the gravel shield, but it will let you move it enough that you can see the back end of the fog light.
There are two 10mm nuts on the back of the fog light. Remove them, and push the fog light forward. Then, from the front, you can pull the light out. You'll need to disconnect the wire behind the fog light. There is one of those small gray socket plugs up and toward the center of the car from the fog light. It's a snap in, so you'll have to figure out how to get it apart (not to hard, I just don't have one handy, and I'm not going through this again to find out)
When you have the light out, go ahead and pull the bulbs if you want to use them later. A set of PIAA Extreme White, 55watt, would be a good thing to have at this point. Now you can put your replacement set back in.
There is some kind of plastic film that can go over the lens that might help prevent cracking in the future, but it might be better to try to figure out some kind of metal or plastic gravel shield. Hmmm, maybe a weekend project for me.
This whole process, as Jaws wrote, should take no more than 45 minutes from the time you drive into the garage until you drive out.
Since you'll replace the fog light unit, it will do no further harm to the car to leave them until you have warmer weather.
Good luck!
(
You don't even need to lift the car, but it's easier that way.
It's also easier if you turn the front wheels out of the way, turn them to the left while you work on the right light, turn them to the right while you work on the left (I did mine flat on the ground, with the wheels turned left only)
There is one screw, one bolt and one snap fitting that have to be removed in order to gain access to the light itself. The snap fitting is sort of like a Molly bolt. You pop the center section out a little bit, then pull the whole thing out.
That won't let you remove the gravel shield, but it will let you move it enough that you can see the back end of the fog light.
There are two 10mm nuts on the back of the fog light. Remove them, and push the fog light forward. Then, from the front, you can pull the light out. You'll need to disconnect the wire behind the fog light. There is one of those small gray socket plugs up and toward the center of the car from the fog light. It's a snap in, so you'll have to figure out how to get it apart (not to hard, I just don't have one handy, and I'm not going through this again to find out)
When you have the light out, go ahead and pull the bulbs if you want to use them later. A set of PIAA Extreme White, 55watt, would be a good thing to have at this point. Now you can put your replacement set back in.
There is some kind of plastic film that can go over the lens that might help prevent cracking in the future, but it might be better to try to figure out some kind of metal or plastic gravel shield. Hmmm, maybe a weekend project for me.
This whole process, as Jaws wrote, should take no more than 45 minutes from the time you drive into the garage until you drive out.
Since you'll replace the fog light unit, it will do no further harm to the car to leave them until you have warmer weather.
Good luck!
(
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