A neighbor stopped me to tell me that my license plate light was out. I thanked him and said that I would take care of it. That was almost two weeks ago. Last weekend, I did get the correct bulb at the parts store but did not get it changed. Here is what I did yesterday.
The socket itself is retained by two small TORX screws. I have two drivers but it was smaller than either. I got a bit from the “security bit set” that I had recently purchased at Harbor Freight. This kit contains an assortment of sizes of every odd bit for odd screws. The kit has a 1/4-in drive bit holder. I used a 3/8-in drive extension and a 3/8-1/4-in adapter to make a screwdriver to remove the screws. The lamp housing was stuck to the license plate recess so I used a putty knife to gently separate it. The lamp was cracked but came out easily. It was clearly burned out. The housing was also cracked, problably from frozen water. I sealed it with Goop brand sealant/glue. When I inserted the new bulb, it did not make contact initially. There was some grease or silicone gunk that kept it from making good contact. Wiggling the bulb got it to work. Re-assembly reverse of disassembly. Phillip and I also checked all of the lights on all three cars and topped up the mini-spares.