Most of us have heard of the hard times that GM, one of the big-three American Auto Industries, has faced in these last several months (or perhaps longer). Their woes not only affect GM stockholders, but also a large majority of other American businesses and the overall health of the economy as well.
With that said, is there an underlying, or even subconscious reason for some of GM's troubles? I'm beginning to think so.
Bear with me while I describe my reasoning.
Every day while driving to work, which is about a 20 minute journey, I consistently see two, three or four GM vehicles with one of their running lights burnt out. The GM vehicle can be anything from a GMC truck, a Chevy Suburban, a Cadillac Escalade, a Hummer H2, as well as on occasion a smaller vehicle like a Cavalier. It seems the larger vehicles are more prone to have the one running light burnt out, but it may be only that the larger vehicles' lights are positioned higher, so I see them more easily.
Likely most people, while driving, don't pay attention to these burnt-out running lights. They are focused on driving, talking on their cell phone, or applying makeup. However, since the GM running lights are pretty bright, and having one of the lights off (burnt out), causes a significant asymmetry in the front of the vehicle, so it's almost like the vehicle is winking right at you.
For some reason my eyes are drawn to this out-of-balance look of the vehicle. Since many people are not drawn to this, but the asymmetry is significant, it likely causes a subconscious reaction. Since millions of cars pass each other every day, this small subconscious reaction (no matter how small) can add up. The asymmetry, driven deep into the brain, causes people to think less about GM vehicles; this added with the fact that many foreign vehicles (that is, Japanese) are much more reliable in the long run, only helps to stifle GM's sales.
I often wonder what causes so many GM vehicles to have this problem. Are they buying low-quality light bulbs from some manufacturer (or do they make the bulbs themselves)? Is the electrical system overdriving the bulbs, causing them to get too hot (they are pretty bright)? Is there a subtle vibration that causes the filament to gradually wear out and break? Is there an indication on the driver's panel when the light does burn out (like my Volvo does)? Is the bulb so awkwardly positioned that it makes it too difficult to change? All of these questions generally lead to a feeling of overall lack of planning or shoddiness in the design.
Lately, I've been trying to watch for other car manufacturers' daytime running lights to see if there are other cars with a similar problem. I haven't found any yet. It could be that GM is the only major manufacturer that has daytime running lights across the board for all their vehicles. In fact, I'm having a hard time recalling which vehicles (other than GM) do have running lights. I know Volvo does (since that's what I drive).
I'm not trying to bully GM (like a Ford vs. GM vs. Dodge tug-of-war), but just point out this flaw.
I would think if the CEO of GM saw three, four, or five GMs with one light burnt out on the road everyday on his drive to work (and paid attention to it), he would feel the same subtle shoddiness in his products, and would work to do something about it. (Does the CEO of GM drive his own car to work, or is he chauffeured?) It's basically like a million subtle billboards on the road saying "look at me, look at me, I'm a burnt out bulb". But, what other problems are lying beneath?
I've contemplated taking my digital camera with me on my way to work so I can post some pictures of the many "winking" GM trucks and cars out there. But it's difficult to quickly get my cheap digital camera positioned, focused and clicked, to catch a vehicle heading my way; especially when I see the car out of the corner of my eye as it passes. Often times I see a GM vehicle following me with one light out; it would be difficult to take a picture through the rear view mirror. :-) Maybe if I'm riding with someone else, I can snap off a few pictures for posting.
The next time you are driving on a two-way road, pay attention to the oncoming traffic and see if you can spot any GM vehicles (or any others) with one running light burnt out. When you find one you'll probably see two or more that same day. Give me a post with what you find!
-Todd
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I was finally able to snap some pictures of trucks with one light out. Please follow this link for some pictures. I'll try to update that site periodically as I snap more pictures.
I went on a road trip to California a week ago and was surprised to see very few GM trucks with one burn-out light. During the entire week in California, I saw only three or four GM trucks with one light out. I didn’t have my camera ready for any of them.
This leads me to wonder if the one-light-out is a problem more localized to Phoenix, Arizona and the hot summers there. Could the excessive heat be causing the lights to burn out more quickly? Or maybe there are fewer GM trucks/SUVs in CA, replaced by more economical cars due to the higher fuel costs and crowded roads? It’s hard to say. More food for thought, at least.
Here's a couple of interesting tidbits:
I have a 1998 GM truck, and I've never had a problem with the DRLs... but I bought mine in California. I'm not sure that has anything to do with it, since I think they're all built in New Jersey or Louisiana.
My friend has a new Silverado and I noticed that he had one DRL out. I asked him about it and he said he would let me know what they said when he got it back from the shop for the warranty repair. He told me that they changed the bulb, but a few days later it was out again. Then they alternated and the other one was out and the original came back on. He took it apart to see what was going on and said that it looked like the sockets corrode easily. Perhaps the bulbs and sockets are of dissimilar metals and the bimetallic conduction is causing the corrosion?
Glad I am not the only one who noticed this problem. One of my DRL burned out. The socket itself was a bit burnt like it had overheated. I replaced the socket by wiring in a factory replacement, replaced the bulb but nada. The I started looking and yep, without fail most of the large Chevy and GM SUVs from 2000-2004 have one DRL burned out. I did not get out the voltmeter or do any diagnostics. Has anyone else run into this problem?
Daytime running lamps should go away! They're pointless. The glare from the sun on the hood of a vehicle is so bright that you can't see the headlights anyway. Common sense tells you to turn them on when its dark and cloudy. They also make GM look bad, having virtually brand new vehicles with only one light working. One of the geniuses on another website stood up for GM and said, "It's the owner's responsibility to replace the bulbs." That's not the point! The point is you wouldn't have to replace them so damn often if they weren't on constantly.
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