Replacing Rear Taillight on a 76' 280

2 minute read

Replacing Rear Taillight on a 76' 280

Hi everyone, 

This DIY will show how to replace a busted taillight on a Mercedes 280. This is also the procedure for replacing a taillight bulb. This is an easy fix, took me less than 20 minutes. 

The busted taillight:

Open the trunk and you will see the four nuts that hold the light on, 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom. 

To make life easier, you can remove the spare tire which will give you more room. If its the driver's side light you won't have to worry about this. 

Use an 8mm socket to remove the nuts and the retaining tabs. You will also need to remove the plug. A flat screwdriver can help.

The bare light socket. 

To swap or replace bulbs, unscrew the two black circles from the back of the light. The grey housing will slide off the lens where you can access the bulbs. 

You may also need to swap the seal that goes around the light if your new taillight doesn't have one.

Making sure the seal is seated, place the light back on the car, lining the four bolts with the holes. Put the retaining tabs back over the bolts and tighten the four nuts. Plug it back in and you are good to go!

Looks much better!

Happy Wrenching!