Headlight Illumination Issues

[SierraRover]

They may be thinking the answer to all Sierra headlight complaints is TSB #PIT5374 and the Vosla bulb... that is an answer, but not a very good one.

 

But I've been wondering if GM might consider a 65 watt HIR bulb, instead of the 55 watt Vosla bulb, to squeeze a little more light out through the current projectors. A HID bulb would be great, but would require all that goes with an HID set up.

[SierraRover]

Probably a snowballs chance in hell, but they didn't design the 2016 lights to be able to fit the 2014/2015 front clips by accident. There is obviously a little factor of a possible class action going on in their world.

 

The lights are pitiful and dangerous where I live, 2-1/2 miles off the pavement grid. Especially with the Kamikaze deer!

 

My truck is within 120 miles of the B2B warranty expiring. Just a matter of time before one of those deer blind sides me. The POS Vosla Bulbs burn out in less than a year. The next time will be on my dime again.

Rather than use the Vosla bulbs, you could look at just using Philips 9011 HIR bulbs and doing the mod to the mounting clips. I think the 65W 9011 might even be a little brighter than the 55W 9012 Vosla bulb. And it should last at least as long. $18 on Amazon or at Home Depot.

[Shredzy]

Rather than use the Vosla bulbs, you could look at just using Philips 9011 HIR bulbs and doing the mod to the mounting clips. I think the 65W 9011 might even be a little brighter than the 55W 9012 Vosla bulb. And it should last at least as long. $18 on Amazon or at Home Depot.

Found this info on the Philips 9011, may be better than the current 9012's in our trucks? Has anyone tried it yet?

 

http://www.rallylights.com/9011-hir1-9005-65w-philips-halogen-infrared-bulb.html

 

I,like Beer Belly, had a call from GM, wasn't available at the time so I will need to call them back, hoping for more than just a brighter bulb.

 

 

.

[SierraRover]

I tried the Philips 9011 HIR 1 bulb even before the TSB came out, and I think it works well better than the original. In direct comparison, it might even be a tad brighter than the Vosla bulb.

 

You have to trim the tabs on the 9011 HIR1 to fit into the HIR2 9012 socket. It could easily be used to replace the Vosla 9012 bulb. It draws 65 watts instead of 55 watts.

Edited June 29, 2016 by SierraRover

[Shredzy]

If the 9011 is only a little brighter than the Vosla (which didn't seem to be of any improvement in my '15), I'd rather try a LED kit like BPS or Opt7, that is if GM doesn't come back with a good solution.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Shredzy

[marie77]

Email [email protected] she is in corporate higher up. Tell her about the headlights I did.

[SierraRover]

Email [email protected] she is in corporate higher up. Tell her about the headlights I did.

Thanks, I will!

 

Interestingly, I haven't heard back from GM (my latest letter is several posts ago) but I got an email from a survey company today. GM asked "Ipsos, an independent research company, to conduct a survey among those who have recently been in contact with the GMC Customer Engagement Center..." Can't fill it out yet, haven't heard from them, but may hear something soon.

 

Here is a photo of some 2014 Sierra headlights up against the garage door: a Philips 65 watt 9011 HIR1 bulb (on the left) and a Vosla 28432 55 watt 9012 HIR2 bulb on the right. I think the Philips bulb is a tad brighter!

Edited June 28, 2016 by SierraRover

[marie77]

Thanks, I will!

 

Interestingly, I haven't heard back from GM (my latest letter is several posts ago) but I got an email from a survey company today. GM asked "Ipsos, an independent research company, to conduct a survey among those who have recently been in contact with the GMC Customer Engagement Center..." Can't fill it out yet, haven't heard from them, but may hear something soon.

 

Here is a photo of some 2014 Sierra headlights up against the garage door: a Philips 65 watt 9011 HIR1 bulb (on the left) and a Vosla 28432 55 watt 9012 HIR2 bulb on the right. I think the Philips bulb is a tad brighter!

[email protected] is higher up than The customer Engagement Center she is the CEO

[email protected] is higher up than The customer Engagement Center she is the CEO

That picture is how my headlights look.

[marie77]

[email protected] is higher up than The customer Engagement Center she is the CEO

 

That picture is how my headlights look.

You can call 855-880-1400 ext 5911707 Sarah her email is [email protected]

[marie77]

You can call 855-880-1400 ext 5911707 Sarah her email is [email protected]

sorry the email for Sarah is [email protected] # is 855-880-1400 ext.5911707 The only way to resolve this issue is for more people to complain to the right person because the engagement center is a waste of time.

[SierraRover]

Quick correction to email address: [email protected]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Barra

 

No doubt that email address is monitored/answered by minions, but -- as others have noted -- the only chance to get GMC to own this problem is for there to be some weight in numbers to the complaints. I've read some car complaint web pages, and lots of things happen to cars, some of them real, and some of them perhaps imagined. But this problem seems to be perceived by virtually ALL 2014/15 Sierra drivers, and that was a lot of Sierras coming off the line. Does GMC want to sell to us again? If they don't address this issue, they will lose a lot of sales in the future. I'd recommend this truck to anyone, except for this one issue. I even thought about giving this one to my daughter when her 2004 Silverado finally goes T/U (it has over 200,000 miles on it) but I couldn't do that, not with these headlights.

[Shredzy]

Email [email protected] she is in corporate higher up. Tell her about the headlights I did.

E-mail is [email protected]

 

What did they actually do to your Sierra, what bulbs did they put in?

 

 

Thanks, I will!

 

Interestingly, I haven't heard back from GM (my latest letter is several posts ago) but I got an email from a survey company today. GM asked "Ipsos, an independent research company, to conduct a survey among those who have recently been in contact with the GMC Customer Engagement Center..." Can't fill it out yet, haven't heard from them, but may hear something soon.

 

Here is a photo of some 2014 Sierra headlights up against the garage door: a Philips 65 watt 9011 HIR1 bulb (on the left) and a Vosla 28432 55 watt 9012 HIR2 bulb on the right. I think the Philips bulb is a tad brighter!

SierraRover, the Philips 65w does look better, how does the lighting seem to be "down the road" , any noticeable improvement in distance?

Edited June 29, 2016 by Shredzy

[SierraRover]

The light is a little brighter -- but the cutoff from the projector is a sharp line, as you see on the garage door, and that limits the ability to see down the road as much as the brightness (or dimness) of the bulb does.

 

Some people talk about moving that line upwards -- it is adjustable -- to extend the range, but then you get other people's high beams being flicked at you as you drive down the road.

 

There is also a fairly sharp light dropoff on both sides, which you can also see; people who drive in rural areas write about this, because it limits their ability to see things like deer, and it gives the driver huge dark areas when the road is windy and the lights shine straight ahead while the car is turning. A brighter bulb would help, but the projector itself is poorly designed.

Edited June 29, 2016 by SierraRover

[marie77]

Quick correction to email address: [email protected]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Barra

 

No doubt that email address is monitored/answered by minions, but -- as others have noted -- the only chance to get GMC to own this problem is for there to be some weight in numbers to the complaints. I've read some car complaint web pages, and lots of things happen to cars, some of them real, and some of them perhaps imagined. But this problem seems to be perceived by virtually ALL 2014/15 Sierra drivers, and that was a lot of Sierras coming off the line. Does GMC want to sell to us again? If they don't address this issue, they will lose a lot of sales in the future. I'd recommend this truck to anyone, except for this one issue. I even thought about giving this one to my daughter when her 2004 Silverado finally goes T/U (it has over 200,000 miles on it) but I couldn't do that, not with these headlights.

Thank you!

[Beer Belly]

Got another call today.....they are working with my dealer on a solution....I asked "What solution are they considering", and they said "The dealer is looking into a brighter bulb"...oh, and the call is from "Executive Office"....they will check back after the weekend.

Got a voicemail from Doris (Executive Office) yesterday, but had a meeting with the Board and missed it, I will try her today. I drive winding backroads up and down hills, high Deer population, all at night, and this is a serious issue for me, hopefully they come up with something....and I'm not impressed in how GM has dropped this in my Dealers lap rather than own up to it