Licence Plate Light: Unit Won't Budge

[Yaris Will]

Hello all, this is my first post here. I'm the owner of a 2005 Yaris Hatchback, in good shape generally and still with only about 89k (km) on it.

I need to change the licence plate bulb and have found a few videos showing how it should be done, and how straightforward it should be, but I'm finding it impossible to lower and remove the case that the bulb is in.

I enter a flathead screwdriver into the slot on the side and try to get the housing to come down, but it will not budge. I have tried the slots on both sides without luck. I am afraid of using too much force and snapping the tabs off or causing other damage.

What I find odd is the illustration from the owners manual (image below). It shows a second screwdriver (on the left) but I'm not sure what it's meant to be doing. None of the videos or articles I've found online mentions this sort of screwdriver. There's also no apparent slot for it. Anyone know?

Also attaching a photo of the light unit from below.
Thanks very much for any light you can shed :smile:

[WeeYari]

It is really tight and harder than you would think to get the clip to release. One of those things where you fear you are needing to apply more force than necessary.

I think that second screwdriver on the left is maybe prying the bumper cover away from the light housing a little bit. I've never done that.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

[Yaris Will]

Thanks for the reply, WeeYari.
I'll have another, more forceful, go tomorrow.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I've done mine twice. First time gave me no issues. Second time I had to use a lot of force. I guess if dirt builds up around the assembly, it makes it super difficult to remove.

[Yaris Will]

Success! It did require dismounting the number plate and its holder, and there was a casualty: one of the two clips snapped. But it did come out and after that the bulb was easy to change, and the whole thing went back in securely.

Thanks to those who replied.