Rear licensed plate lights missing...

[naelec]

Happy New Year to every Porsche fanatics

My Boxster does not pass the inspection because the license plate lights are missing on my car !!!!!!!
I found them in my trunk,both hooked up together......
Does somebody knows where is the electrical connector for the license plate lights ?
Do I have to take the rear bumper off?
Thanks a lot for your advises and your help...

[Kirk]

Hmmm... interesting problem. I assume you must have bought your car used. If so, then that really raises the question as to why the lights were disconnected. Was the bumper removed possibly for a repair?

Unfortunately I believe you really have to remove the bumper to access the wire that the license plate plugs into. The wire connector is underneath the bumper cover. The way my license plate lights are wired (2000 Boxster S) you couldn't remove them, or put them in, without removing the bumper cover.

Kirk

[naelec]

Thank you Kirk
Yes I think so (that the bumper has been removed) and they forgot to plug the license plate lights back!!!!!!!
Is there any chance to pull the connector out of the bumper? By the way,is it on the right or left side of the inside bumper?
Have a good day

[Kirk]

Originally Posted by naelec

Thank you Kirk
Yes I think so (that the bumper has been removed) and they forgot to plug the license plate lights back!!!!!!!
Is there any chance to pull the connector out of the bumper? By the way,is it on the right or left side of the inside bumper?
Have a good day

If memory serves me right the wiring harness comes out on the left side (driver's side) of the car and extends towards the center where it would be connected to your lights. I thought that both of my lights were wired together in a "Y" type of harness so that you plug both license plate lights into one plug under the bumper cover. If that's the case with yours too, then you would have to remove the bumper cover to get the lights installed again as they would need to be installed from behind, unless you've got some small fingers and great manipulation skills of some kind. If your two lights aren't wired together, then get a flash light and coat hanger and see if you can't snag the wiring harness from inside the bumper cover through the hole for the license plate lights.

Below are some instructions on how to remove the rear bumper cover. These excellent instructions were written by Topbear on Renntech.org

Kirk

[Kirk]

Here's a Microsoft Word file with a photo of the rear of the car with the bumper cover removed. I added a big red arrow to show where the license plate light wiring harness comes out into the bumper area. The wiring harness itself is just tucked up out of the way in this photo.

My apologies for not giving credit to whoever this photo is from. It's clearly from someone who did a home-made Porsche Sport Exhaust with those by-pass pipes, but I can't recall where I got this photo from.

Kirk