ok so I found a service manual on here at
Downloadable Fit/Jazz service manual
there is a detailed drawing on how to remove the rear bumper.
DISCLAIMER: ONLY ATTEMPT THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK, HAVE ALL THE TOOLS NECESSARY TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY. ONLY ATTEMPT IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH DIY PROJECTS AND HAVE SOME SORT OF MECHANICAL EXPERIENCE.
Ok let's get started...first, park in a well lit area, turn off your car, and make sure the emergency brake is up...obviously...what you need to do is remove the bumper first. Start by removing the screws in both wheel wells (1 per side). If you have splash guards, remove those too, same screw types (phillips head) should be 3 or 4 on each side.
Next Remove the 2 countersunk bolts with an allan key
Then lay on your back on the ground so that you can see the underside of the bumper, there you will find 2 black plastic...things...anyway, remove them by inserting a flathead srewdriver into the slot and twisting the screwdriver (you can pry it, but you can scratch your bumper that way, so I suggest twisting), once they pop, grab a hold of them and wiggle them out.
Now if all the screws have been removed, the only thing that sould be holding the bumper on are the hooks. Grab the bumper at the corner where you removed the screw at the wheel well. Pull the bumper slightly until the bumper pops out of the hooks...mine took a bit of a pull the first time to remove it. Do to both drivers and passengers side of bumper.
Give another pull and you should be able to pop the bumper out from under the tail lights. this leaves only the hooks on the middle section of the bumper. I'm not sure how other people handle this part, and I'm not suggesting you do it this way unless you are extremely careful, but you can fit a flat head screwdriver in the trunk jam and bend the hooks back, there are six of them in total...after that the bumper should come off...if it does not, try to find out where the bumper is caught and refer to the service manual for any additional screws that may need removing.
With the bumper removed you should be able to access the screw on the underside of the tail light. Only work on one tail light at a time, that way if you can't remember how something goes back together, you always have the other as reference.
Now remove the panel behind the tail light, in the trunk. I like to use my Honda key to pry it open because it's less likely to scratch something than a screwdriver is, but to each there own.
Unforunately this is where my camera died, so I'll have to guide you through with words...on the back side of the tail light there are 3 - 5/16" hex nuts, use a ratchet to remove them. remove all of the bulbs by twisting them out of the tail light sockets. Once you have done that, remove the tail light...may take some wiggling...and be careful of the bottom, as next to the screw that you removed down there, there is a small piece of plastic that sticks through, so don't break it off.
Test the new tail light for compatability with your bulbs and sockets, may take some modification to fit them in (I don't suggest taking the same approach, but I got in there with my sheet metal snips and "adjusted" the size of the holes.) If everything looks good, install the new tail lights (unplug all the bulbs you may have just tested first), start by inserting the small plastic piece at the bottom and then fitting the three bolts on the back through their respective holes. Once it is in place, check the fit of the light and adjust if necessary. Replace the three nuts and tighten. Screw in bottom screw on the underside of the tail light, plug in all the bulbs, and replace the panel.
Remove other tail light, replace with new one, screws, nuts, bulbs...blah blah blah
now at this point your new tail lights should be in place and you should be happy with the way they look, if not, choke nearest victim (this is a joke, don't kill/injure anyone.)
If you bent up any hooks, now is the time to bend them back, then replace the bumper, I suggest starting with the countersunk bolts.
once those are in, clip it into all the hooks (watch out for the once underneath the tail lights, they gave me a bit of hassle), once it is all clipped in replace the wheel well screws, then the black plastic thingys from the underside, then your splash guards and anything else I missed, if it's not fitting properly, then check to make sure its not caught on anything, then push on it with your fingers slightly to get it into the hooks.
Finally, Test all your lights to make sure they work.
That should be it, your Fit/ Jazz should have a sweet set of new tails and you should be getting the warm fuzzy feeling of just completing a DIY job.
way to go!
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