How to: Replace License Plate Light Housings On 05-08 Xterra

General_Tarfun

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Location
Atlanta, GA
Here's what you'll need to do this job:

  1. Westin Automotive License Plate Kit 00007153. $13.54. I bought at rvautoparts.com.
  2. 2 led bulbs. $3.50 I found on ebay under PAIR 3SMD 3 3528 SMD LED T10 W5W 194 168 WHITE INTERIOR DOME WEDGE LIGHT BULB.
  3. Heat Shrink
  4. Wire Sheathing
  5. Wire Crimping Tool + connectors
  6. Primer + Paint. I used products from Automotive Touchup, they have the best rattle can paints you can buy hands down.


Like everyone else with an 05/06 my license plate lights went out eventually and when I went to replace the bulbs I found that the heat from the halogen bulbs Nissan used completely destroyed the housings. Nissan doesn't sell a replacement kit for some reason, I won't get into how ridiculous that is given we're required by law to have these lights so I started a search to find the company that supplied Nissan with them originally. I found the company and then located the correct kit. Because they originally supplied Nissan this is an exact match and perfect fit, it even comes with new license plate mounting screws and plastic inserts so if you want to put 4 bolts on your plate, now you can. To avoid ruining the replacement housings I found a low lumen LED bulb kit on ebay, I wanted the plate to be evenly lit with a white light, not super bright or bluish like some of the cars I've seen with aftermarket bulbs.

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The only caveat with this kit is that it only comes in chrome, at first I thought it was probably fake plastic chrome but it turns out it's actually metal which is great because that means you can easily paint them. I already painted my bumper last spring so I used leftover paints to match the color. Painting deserves its own how-to but if you're not familiar with it here's what I did. I cut out two small pieces of cardboard from the box the kit came in and put those over the clear plastic windows that the light shines out of. Then I used 600 grit sandpaper to sand the new housings down making sure to get every crevice and angle because these have a lot of those. Once the surface is all scratched up and no longer super shiny I took denatured alcohol and some paper towels and wiped everything down several times to remove all of the dust from the surface. Next, I put them on a baking pan covered with a trash bag and then some paper towels to use as a painting rack. Use a good primer to give them 3 good coats waiting for each coat to dry before the next. I let the final coat dry overnight and then the next day sprayed 3 coats of base coat, same as before waiting for each to dry in between. Next let that dry and give it a good spray of clear and let it dry, I waited overnight.


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Step 1. Lower the spare tire down and push it out of the way. I didn't disconnect the chain and just slid it forward.


Step 2. Remove the old housings. They have a clamp on the inside of the bumper that's shaped like a L. To remove it, grab the part of the L that is sticking out from the surface and pull it down or up (depending on where it is, if it's below the housing pull it down, if above push it up. It will slide right off and then you can twist and pull out the bulb harness and remove the light housing from outside of the bumper. You should be left with two holes in the bumper and two loose bulb connectors.

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Step 3. If your bulb harnesses looked like mine and are corroded the kit comes with all new parts you can use. Rather than replace the entire wiring harness I just cut off the bulb connectors and spliced in the new ones to replace them. Use heat shrink and make sure it's a good watertight connection. I also use wire sheathing over it to make sure nothing rubs the wire coating off.

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Step 4. Put some die-electric grease into the bulb connector and install the new LED lights. Once in, go turn the truck lights on to make sure they work, if they are not illuminating pull them out and rotate 180 degrees and put them back in. Confirm they work again and get the new housing and mounting clips ready.

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Step 5. Put the new bulb housing on the outside of the bumper and lean under and slide the mounting clip in to hold it. Repeat with the other side and then take your bulb connectors, push them into the housings and turn. You should see them lock into place and you're done!


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