2004 s40 t5 license plate light housing

[jmclewe]

I have been researching quite a bit but have not had much luck, i am hoping someone can hopefully help me figure this out.

I recently took my car to the dealership to get a new housing for my license plate light (because the local auto store said it was the only place to go), expecting it to be a easy part replacement. The driver side one was completely corroded, and the passenger side one was not working even though it was a new lamp. Originally they claimed that it would be no more than 170. They are claiming that the handle tailgate part is what is bad and that i need to replace that, they are quoting the parts at 89 dollars, however they are now claiming that my total will be over 400 dollars because of labor. There are a few things i am curious about. 1. Is this something that requires that much labor? 2. Is it something that can easily be done by myself to avoid paying more than what they already made me (I had to pay 140 just for them to take it apart and then put it back together because they did not have the parts) 3. Do i need to replace both of the housings if only the one side is corroded? 4. If i can do it myself how can i do it.

Thank you for any help!

[benv50]

Here's a youtube video: