95 - I know it'* a common problem with this connector melting and I drove without dash lights for a long time. Recently my taillights always went out though, so I had to open the dash and reconnect it. Worked fine again for a few weeks but now, it'* really melted and not working. I went to a car yard trying to pick up the connector and the white plug in switch itself, but someone had taken that part, so I cut the wires far back from the connector out of a 98. It'* totally un-melted.

So my real question is, should I press the tabs and pull out all the wires and just stick the metal connectors from the existing connector into the new one, or cut the wires and splice them?

It seems like it would be a lot easier to just click the ends into the new connector than splicing, but it also seems like if I do it this way, it has a high probability of melting again, even though it is a connector from a '98, since it would be the same wire ends. What is really causing this melting? Is it even avoidable without replacing the white part it plugs into as well? If not, seems like it would be better to use the same wires, and expect it to melt again, but over a long period of time, like before, and hope it lasts as long as the car does, expecting a few more month (it'* at 161500 miles now)

The problem with reusing your tabs/wires if the damage has been done. The conenctors will have no "tin" left on them and that makes for a poor connection. Poor connection heats up and you are back in the same place.

My recommendation is swap the switch, cut and solder with heat shrink on the wiring.

Wire may be damaged.

yep do it right and hopefully save your self from the same trouble in the long run