GM Has Their Failings... But...

"SBA Thanks You For All The Fish" (santabarbarianlsx) 01/24/2020 at 13:40 • Filed to: None

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Has there ever been an easier mechanism provided to change headlamp bulbs than GM designed for their trucks? Two slide pins and the whole assembly comes out. This is an ‘05 Quadrasteer Suburban I use for towing.  Two minute bulb change.

JustAnotherG6 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 13:54

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They needed that same person to take a look at the headlights for the G6. unscrew 2 screws, remove the front bumper and give the headlight a good pull or 20 since you are trying not to break it.

Michael > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 13:55

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Yes, cars that can change bulbs without removing the whole damn lens

shop-teacher > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 13:55

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Yeah, they definitely did a good job with that design.

I am very jealous that you have a quadrasteer Suburban.  One popped up for sale locally for $4k.  Even though it has rust and almost 300k miles, I had to resist the urge to empty my savings account.

Jim Spanfeller > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 13:56

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Jealous. Replacing the headlight bulbs on my ‘66 Thunderbird is a pain in the butt. They’re held in with trim rings which are held in by springs, and Ford left just barely enough room to reach a tool in there to grab the spring and unhook it. The springs are also really tight, which makes unhooking them even more difficult, and the only tool I have that was skinny enough to grab them was some needle nose pliers, which kept slipping off... And then after all of that, turns out the bulbs weren’t actually burned out, they just weren’t plugged in.  I love this car, but it baffles me sometimes.

Michael > Michael 01/24/2020 at 13:56

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dogisbadob > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 13:57

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Yes, there is an easier mechanism: when you don’t have to remove the assembly to change the bulbs :o)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Jim Spanfeller 01/24/2020 at 14:00

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My record PITA was changing a single tail light bulb on Mrs. SBA’s First Gen Disco.  Everything accessible through a tiny little hole, hidden under trim panels, through an extended orifice....  with damn elongated nut-and-screw hardware.  Completely sado-masochistic design.  Took most of an afternoon for a single damn bulb.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > shop-teacher 01/24/2020 at 14:01

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They represented only 0.4% of production mix over those years... so are rare.

I love mine and plan to keep ‘em forever, if only for trailer towing.

jimz > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:03

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my Ranger is similar.  only downside is the slide latches can be a b**** to release.

shop-teacher > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:08

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Yeah, I know they’re rare.  I’d love to own one someday.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > shop-teacher 01/24/2020 at 14:14

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I’m still chasing my “unicorn”... a 2500 QS Suburban with the BARN DOORS. I think they could be configured that way, but have never run into one, since most production was the hatch rear set-up , not barn doors.

My 2003 is closing in on 200K miles, so am thinking of putting a stroker in it for more power, rebuild the 4L80E and make it more of a heavy duty tow rig.

There was a guy years ago that claimed to have cracked the code on putting a Duramax in one, thus making the perfect towing set up. Apparently getting the electronics to talk, without losing QS functions, was a nightmare.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Michael 01/24/2020 at 14:15

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Honda?

AestheticsInMotion > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:19

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I'll nominate Subaru for worst. I ended up with a clip half an inch deep in my thumb. 

shop-teacher > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:19

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Oh man, that would be freaking amazing!

Michael > BaconSandwich is tasty. 01/24/2020 at 14:25

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Sixth Gen Accord

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > AestheticsInMotion 01/24/2020 at 14:26

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It would make an interesting thread “worst automotive design for access to a regularly replaceable item”.

When you see those you always wonder, “what could the designers possible have been thinking????”

Jim Spanfeller > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:27

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Wow. Lights need not be difficult, but they be.

Chariotoflove > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:31

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At the other end of the spectrum, my K900 steerable headlight motor went out, requiring a $3,400 replacement of the entire pod.  If Kia hadn’t goodwill replaced it for me, it wouldn’t get fixed.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Chariotoflove 01/24/2020 at 14:32

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Oh, wow.  I didn’t realize that the Koreans had swung so much in that direction...  that’s pretty much a guarantee of knocking them out of the top spots in the “Reliability League Standings”.

Chariotoflove > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:35

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I don’t know that the unit’s reliability relative to other implementations is low.  It’s just that increasing complexity brings increasing cost.  A better implementation, in my view, would be easier to replace. For instance, if they could design it in a way that only the malfunctioning motor could be replaced instead of having to buy the entire pod new.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Michael 01/24/2020 at 14:37

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Both the washer fluid cap and power steering reservoir look almost identical to my 7th g en Civic.

wafflesnfalafel > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:40

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N ice - love good design like that. My 09 Mazda 3 was a PITA... arguably designed to make it harder rather than easier...

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Chariotoflove 01/24/2020 at 14:43

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I always think that when a fuel pump goes out on one of my A8s. The dealer wants $1800 for the “module” (a huge conglomeration of molded plastics and pipes with a pump at its heart), plus $900 book labor to install it.

That actual “pump”? A $60 VDO unit that you have to order from parts suppliers in the UK or Europe. It’s SO annoying that VAG don’t sell the internal  pump here.

hillrat > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:45

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This is the content I come here for. It’s fine and fun to complain about shitty design and low quality and get tips for how to work around the same. Man, but there’s something about when you see the beautiful simplicity of a well designed piece of a car that makes you remember why these machines captured our imaginations in the first place.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Jim Spanfeller 01/24/2020 at 14:46

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My Galaxie has retaining springs on the bulb carriers, but the carriers themselves have a retaining trim ring that’s keyholed under screws , so I just have to remove the trim fascia, then loosen those screws. Whole job with a #1 phi lips, not horrible.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:49

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The designers are thinking what the heck  was accounting/the other department thinking?

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:49

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BARN DOORS

That is all

Jim Spanfeller > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 01/24/2020 at 14:49

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Sigh... I wish mine were like that.

punkgoose17 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 14:50

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The Saturn Ion is the same way. It is nice and easy.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 01/24/2020 at 14:54

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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Jim Spanfeller 01/24/2020 at 14:58

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I think the ones on the Ranchero are similar, despite being single 7" instead of double 5 3/4". I haven’t looked at the ones on the Lincoln, but I know it has a removable fascia panel on the end of the fender at least.

The Land Rover has a finicky cover ring that has to be removed, then a retaining ring with keyholes.

FrankAtlanta > Chariotoflove 01/24/2020 at 16:01

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Same happened on wife’s 530i many years ago. I asked that they aim it properly and then bolt that thing down, as I wasn’t going to pay an outrageous price for another motor.

I wouldn’t want BMW building airplanes - the dang thing had a bad failure mode such that the light pointed downward  just in front of the bumper. Would have been nice if it would have failed to at least a semi-usable aim.

Chariotoflove > FrankAtlanta 01/24/2020 at 16:09

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I asked the rep if he could do that.  He said there was no way to do it.  So it was going to point toward the ground on the left side unless Kia came to the rescue.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 18:12

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Wait. You have a Quadrasteer Suburban? That's incredible 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 01/24/2020 at 18:42

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Careful.  I LOVE Quadrasteer.   I have a whole two-hour riff on “The Joys Of Quadrasteer, GM’s Greatest Misfire”

Urambo Tauro > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 19:13

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I would say the ’99-’04 Mustangs were slightly easier. Very similar concept, but using flat clips instead of round pin s.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 19:20

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If you made that a proper post, I'd at least read it  

FrankAtlanta > Chariotoflove 01/24/2020 at 21:26

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Sheesh... sorry to hear.

MM54 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 01/24/2020 at 21:46

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My 4runner requires no tools and takes about 1 minute per side to change the headlight bulbs

facw > Michael 01/25/2020 at 01:31

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That’s been the case with all of my cars, though in the current one, it might be nice to have the extra room to work if the unit went in and out easily, pretty tight working space in there.

Chariotoflove > FrankAtlanta 01/25/2020 at 14:28

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Yeah. Fortunately Kia did comp the part. So I’m good as long as it never breaks again.