I have a 2002 GMC Envoy. The high brake light (the one at the top of the lift gate) burned out. It turns out that the part itself is about $175.00, the dealership informed me that for model years 2003 and older other parts are needed for modification which includes a new molding that is about $165.00 and possibly some paint touch up, not to mention the labor costs for all this. It seems an absurdly high price to pay for a brake light. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on how to replace this light without going broke doing so?
Thanks.
I am assuming your light bulb is not burned out and that the problem is a broken lens or similar.
The cheapest way is go to a salvage yard and buy a used lens. Some junk yards will let you pull the part yourself. Others pull if for you. I prefer the former. That way I can choose from the best of the bunch.
There are internet sites that sell aftermarket body parts and you could very likey find what you need for allot less money. You have to install it your self. Or pay a body shop to install for you.
A third and more expensive approach is to go to a reputable body shop and let them buy and install the part for you. Ask you friends and neighors for a referal.
Good Luck
You could consider this if all else fails.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product?storeId=10101&Pr=p_Product.CATENTRY_ID%3A2003584&TID=101&productId=2003584&catalogId=10101
Unfortunately, a lot of this kind of stuff is high priced anymore. My son was talking to me a while back and mentioned that he had some bulbs burnt out in the third brake light on his Camaro. These bulbs were something like 8 bucks apiece and there’s a handful of them.
It’s probably not a traditional incandescent bulb(s), it’s probably an LED panel and that doesn’t sound out of line for a dealer replacement for something like that. 
I’ve found that with the LED third brake lights, the problems are typically in the wires leading the the circuit boards. This was the case for a friend’s van. After hearing the replacement cost, we removed the old unit, and found a bad wire was causing the problem, from the connector to the circuit board. We spliced in a replacement, and was good-to-go. Lasted until she sold it a couple of years later.