Do it yourself, change the tail light assembly on your VW Passat, produced between the years 1998 and 2001. In order to make this replacement, you will require an 8 mm wrench, or a socket with a ratchet. This repair can be done in less than 15 minutes.
In the beginning, open the trunk of the car and remove the insulation behind the tail light you need to replace (see picture below). You can pull it out simply, by hand.
After you gain access behind the tail light, you will notice the electrical plate with the light bulbs, that you have to detach (see next image). Now it is the moment to replace the bulbs, if it’s needed. If not, proceed to remove the tail light assembly.
You can do that without much effort, using an 8 mm wrench or a socket on the three nuts that secure the lens on the body of the car, as the one you see below.
After you remove the nuts, you can pull out the old lens and install the replacement. In order to reinstall it correctly, align the studs onto the holes on the body of the car, secure the new lens with the three nuts, put back in the plate with the light bulbs and place back the insulation. This is all you need to do, if you plan to service the tail light lens on your VW Passat, the model made between the years 1998 and 2001.