Hi to all,
I'm new to this forum and hope one of you may be able to offer some suggestions. We have a 1989 Volvo 245 wagon that we purchased new. The car is in great shape,rust free,and only has about 75,000 miles on it. The right rear tail light lens has a small piece of the clear back up light section broken out. I want to replace the tail light lens and have seen just the clear part of the back up of the lens for sale . Has anyone had any luck with this type of replacement or is it better to replace the whole tail light lens? There seems to be a lot of difference in prices between the low cost replacements (I've seen the tail light lens for as low as $34. to the OEM from Volvo that runs $150. (any recommendations would be welcomed)
Lastly would anyone who's ever replaced one of these lens advise me how difficult it is and possibly walk me thru the process? I assume you have to remove part of the back panel to get at the lens screws.I had posted this in the general post and thought I would try it here also.
Thanks in Advance
The Dad Roadie

 

On later 240's, I haven't had much luck replacing only the back up lens. Replacing the entire assembly isn't too tough. You do have to pull the dress panel out and away on the passenger side to get to the rear of the assembly. Has to be done simply to replace bulbs, so it's probably already loose. The assembly is held in with 2 10mm studs and nuts. Many folks will extoll the benefits of o.e. assemblies claiming that aftermarket assemblies melt from bulb heat. I find that interesting as every Volvo I've ever purchased had melted o.e. assemblies that I replaced with low priced aftermarket units. So, I vote for aftermarket.

 

Thanks for the reply! I was getting a little nervous that no one would respond back.Is there a company that you have bought these from? I've seen them for as low as $34 to an average around $70. Any recommendation would be great. I will take your advice about replacing the whole part and not just the lens. I thought it would be a lot more difficult to remove the lens assembly.Thanks again!
The Dad Roadie

 

Check out autolampsplus on eBay. Here they have what appears to be the highly desirable twin clear center assemblies for backup and turn signal. You have to swap to an amber bulb of course. Volvo 240 245 Wagon Tail Light Lamp PAIR 85-93 NEW | eBay
If there was one word of advice I could give concerning lamp longevity, it would be to bump the car into neutral or park when waiting long periods of time for traffic to move and take your foot off the brake. The plastic gets soft from heat. The other thing one can do is swap the bulbs out for the plug and play LED bulbs which generate almost no heat. I've bought mine from superbrightleds.com and had great luck. LED Brake Light, Turn Light and Tail Light Bulbs - Super Bright LEDs

 

Thanks for the reply and information. I believe I'm going to swap out both as you have mentioned. Thanks again and have a great weekend!
Dad Roadie