The top light (turning signal) shorted, but I didn’t know this because the socket and seal were covering it up. All I knew was that the bulb was out, so I spent far too long in the parking of Canadian Tire on Saturday trying to wrench it out without breaking everything.
It took AGES just to get the tail light off the car — lots of tugging and banging — before I even started working on the socket. The socket, however, proved to be impossible. I don’t like asking for help, but eventually I gave in and asked a guy in the parking lot to help me. I have very strong hands (for a female), but it wouldn’t give at all. That should’ve been the first indicator that it had shorted and the reason we couldn’t get it out was because the plastic had warped, but even the guy hadn’t thought of that. He finally threw in the towel and suggested I take it into Canadian Tire to see if they could extract the socket without breaking it.
Even the guy at the parts desk couldn’t budge it, so he had a mechanic get it out, which was no swift feat. I could buy the bulb at Canadian Tire, but they didn’t carry the socket. Time to go to the dealer, but by the time all this had transpired the dealer was closed. Between the malarkey in the parking lot yanking off the tail light, messing with the blown socket, several trips to the parts counter to track down parts, and standing in queues between each trip, I don’t want to see a Canadian Tire again for a long, long time.
Fast forward to Monday. The dealer has the socket and bulbs, but I tried it all out in the parking lot again and it turns out the plastic is too warped to accommodate the socket. It took a mechanic to get the old one out, but it would take nothing short of a blowtorch to make it all fit together again. It’s $200 for a new tail light (NO WAY!), plus the socket and bulb ($37+). Time to go to the autowreckers, but by the time we sort this out the autowreckers is closed.
Now Tuesday. I called the autowreckers to find a used tail light — including bulb and socket — but the guy I spoke to neglected to tell me he had to order the part. He told me he thought he could locate the socket I needed, so I went in for that and paid for it all but it turns out I have to go in AGAIN to pick up the tail light on Wednesday. It was $75 plus tax for the part, but he didn’t charge me for the sockets or bulbs he found. Still a bargain compared to what the dealer would charge for it all, though.
I stood in the parking lot of the autowreckers holding a pile of bulbs and wires and sockets, and decided that I couldn’t go yet another day without a left turn signal. I’ve already made ridiculous wide circles of right-hand turns to get to all these places. (Drivers don’t pay attention to hand signals, especially at night.) So I did what David would do in this situation: I pried off a socket from one of the sliced wire harnesses with a screwdriver and bound that socket to the tail light with duct tape, careful to keep the bulb free and clear of any plastic or duct tape. I tested it, and it works! I have an early morning airport run, part of it in the dark, so this will do the job nicely for one more day.
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