Caddy Brake Light

How do I replace the brake light on my 2003 Caddy CTS? I have searched all over for a way to get to the brake light and it appears I need to disassemble half the car. I can’t believe this is the case. I really don’t want to take it to a shop and pay $100 to have a $2 light bulb replaced.

Thanks

Give us a hint as to its location.

It’s the ;eft rear brake light and I’ve tried getting at it from the outside and from through the trunk with no success.

Have you consulted the owner’s manual?

Very funny. The owners manual doesn’t even mention that there are brake lights on this vehicle. A caddy owner’s manual is not a shop manual.

It may not be a shop manual, but it is the norm for Owner’s Manuals to give graphic illustrations of how to replace most of the light bulbs in a car (some bulbs, particularly those in some auxiliary driving lights, are frequently considered to be “dealer service” items).

If the Cadillac Owner’s Manual does not supply that fairly basic information, it is either a reflection of GM’s approach to things or it is a reflection of the demographic of the majority of Cadillac owners. Either way, it is not a flattering reflection, sorry to say.

That is the first place I looked before I went online looking for help. I have probably forgotten more about cars than you will ever know. I have done ground up restorations on four different cars including complete wiring harness replacement so I know how to change a light bulb. Thanks for all of your really stupid comments. I was looking for help. If I wanted comedy I would have gone to a differnt site. If you don’t know the answer you really don’t need to show the world your ignorance. Thanks for wasting my time.

Class is something that cannot be purchased–not even for the price of a new Cadillac.

;-))

Ask your Caddy dealer’s parts man.

Out of curiousity, I checked the owner’s manual for my '04 DeVille and there are 5 pages devoted to replacing various bulbs (headlamp, front turn indicators, parking lights and side markers). So, yes a Cadillac manual generally covers this.

However, for the taillamps, it says this component (taillamp, rear turn indicators and parking lights) is best replaced as a unit. I imagine that is because of the integration of the various lamps and the fact it uses LED lamps.

That is an excellent point! Since the newer Caddies use LED lamps in the rear, there probably is a need to replace the entire unit when the lights fail, and it probably is not considered to be something that can be fixed by the owner.

As I had stated earlier, it is the norm for Owner’s Manuals to cover things like bulb replacement, and even though there are no “bulbs” to replace in the LED unit, at least the manual apparently does address that issue and it appropriateley directs the owner to the dealer’s service department.

Congratulations on finding that information in your Owner’s Manual. I suspect that the OP (who tells us that he “has forgotten more than we will ever know” about cars) overlooked this information in his manual.

LEDs generally have a long life so I suspect it may be something more serious than just replacing the bulb cluster. Before I’d invest the price of the whole assembly, I’d do a little testing. Another good reason not to cover it’s replacement in the owner’s manual.

I see nothing comic or stupid about VDC’s reply, I see a common sense reply which you apparently don’t have.

If you know so much about cars then why are you here? You can take your snotty attitude somewhere else if you don’t like it here.

lets get this straight:
you came to this forum to get FREE advice.
you badmouth someone who is giving his time for free.
and you talk trash too.

maybe you should go to peap boyz or jiify luube and ask them for advice instead!!

p.s. they give really cheap advice, and its worth every penny you spend for it.