To : General Motors Customer Service

[Stresst]

I have a question for GM Customer Service, I recently purchased a 2010 Escalade Platinum and after a few short weeks the amber LED's went out in the drivers side headlight. So I inquired and come to learn that you have to replace the entire assembly! Mind you its nearly 3K! Are you kidding me? I dont mean to call you out like this but come on?

Luckily I was still under the 60 day warratny so the used car dealer had to foot the bill but what happens next time? Besides the amber led strip there are the white LED strips, drls's, head lights and brights that that are bound to go out at one time or another. I just dont understand why the housing is made to be replaced not repaired???

Does GM have anyone that can rebuild these if one of these lights go out?

What is the projected life span of the housings, rather I should say the LED's inside?

 

[soulsea]

It's pretty rare that the side leds go out, and if they do, the only way to fix them is with a new assembly. All the other components are swappable ... meaning if the hid bulb, filament drl bulb, or filament park bulb go out you simpoly put in new ones.

You can get Escalade HID headlamps on ebay for about $700, a lot cheaper if you don't need the hid bulb and ballast. Still expensive but nowhere near retail price.

---------- Post added at 03:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:34 PM ----------

Scratch all that, you got the Platinum full LED lamps ... yeah, the only way to fix them is to get new ones. Those on the ebay can be found for the bargain basement price of $1K.

Btw, this is the same for any vehicle currently running a full LED high/low configuration ... I have yet to see one with led modules inside that can be individually replaced. And they're all uber expensive headlamps to replace.

 

[08grey]

Don't hold your breath waiting for them to respond

 

[Tiki]

GM makes money on parts, its a business, they are not out to make friends

 

[Stresst]

It's pretty rare that the side leds go out, and if they do, the only way to fix them is with a new assembly. All the other components are swappable ... meaning if the hid bulb, filament drl bulb, or filament park bulb go out you simpoly put in new ones.

You can get Escalade HID headlamps on ebay for about $700, a lot cheaper if you don't need the hid bulb and ballast. Still expensive but nowhere near retail price.

---------- Post added at 03:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:34 PM ----------

Scratch all that, you got the Platinum full LED lamps ... yeah, the only way to fix them is to get new ones. Those on the ebay can be found for the bargain basement price of $1K.

Btw, this is the same for any vehicle currently running a full LED high/low configuration ... I have yet to see one with led modules inside that can be individually replaced. And they're all uber expensive headlamps to replace.

Is that rite? Are you certain? I should have takem a look at the housing before he instaled it. If so I am at ease......I was thinking of swapping to the others if there is another problem but the LED housings are a million times nicer and of course so unique! I would love to say its a small price to pay but 6K for two new ones is steep!! lol

---------- Post added at 04:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------

Don't hold your breath waiting for them to respond

I know....lol

---------- Post added at 04:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 PM ----------

GM makes money on parts, its a business, they are not out to make friends

I totally understand but imo are going to be making enemies and many will shy away from the brand! I dont care what anyone says, if someone buys one of the Platinums new and when they bring it in because a light is out the service advisor tells them 3K they are going to be pissed and mark my words they will not buy the LED option again! I know I wont! My truck has 60K and being a 2010 (almost 4 years old) this is probably the lifespan. Many others will be hitting this mileage soon and this will be a sore/popular subject for years to come!

Anyone know if this would be covered under an aftermarker extended warranty?

 

[soulsea]

Is that rite? Are you certain? I should have takem a look at the housing before he instaled it. If so I am at ease......I was thinking of swapping to the others if there is another problem but the LED housings are a million times nicer and of course so unique! I would love to say its a small price to pay but 6K for two new ones is steep!! lol

I have dozens of pics of the Platinum headlamps from when I installed them on my Esky. Dealer price is indeed around $2500 a piece, but like I said they can be found on ebay for about $1K a side. That's how much I sold mine for.

Like I said it's just one of the downsides of LED headlamps ... the technology is not there yet to replace individual LED modules inside them. If you look at your headlamps, the Acura ones, the BMW ones, etc, they are all a collection of individual modules each one with its own optics, then when all lit toguether form a low/high beam, and each comes withy its own heatsinking mechanism and usually the headlamp has a ventilation system as well. If you look at the botom of yours you will see the little vent louvres there to extract heat from the LEDs. Long story short, it just isn't as simple as replacing one led when it goes out ... that and the added expense of them being the latest technology makes them very expensive to replace out of warranty.

---------- Post added at 05:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:12 PM ----------

One last note ... your headlamps are actually not manufactured by GM, they are manufactured by Hella in Germany. My guess is that whatever the retail price is, it is based on a standard formula GM uses to mark prices up from cost. I know this is of little comfort, but Hella does make GM pay a lot for them.

---------- Post added at 05:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:17 PM ----------

Here's a good example ... the 'matrix led' lamps are going to be available on the 14 Audi A8:

[yt]TzxfYEuSSEI[/yt]

No swappable leds in them, and when you need to replace a lamp because one of its elements fails, it'll be a lot more than $1k on ebay.

 

[GM Customer Service]

I have a question for GM Customer Service, I recently purchased a 2010 Escalade Platinum and after a few short weeks the amber LED's went out in the drivers side headlight. So I inquired and come to learn that you have to replace the entire assembly! Mind you its nearly 3K! Are you kidding me? I dont mean to call you out like this but come on?

Luckily I was still under the 60 day warratny so the used car dealer had to foot the bill but what happens next time? Besides the amber led strip there are the white LED strips, drls's, head lights and brights that that are bound to go out at one time or another. I just dont understand why the housing is made to be replaced not repaired???

Does GM have anyone that can rebuild these if one of these lights go out?

What is the projected life span of the housings, rather I should say the LED's inside?

Hi Stresst,

Unfortunately we aren't GM Certified techs, and would not be able to diagnose based on description. While I understand you are frustrated with this situation, try checking out gmpartsdirect.com. If that doesn't do the trick, I can tap my other resources.

 

[soulsea]

Hi Stresst,

Unfortunately we aren't GM Certified techs, and would not be able to diagnose based on description. While I understand you are frustrated with this situation, try checking out gmpartsdirect.com. If that doesn't do the trick, I can tap my other resources.

Marissa
GM Customer Service

Wait what?

You're referring members to the parts dept. of some random dealership in North Carolina over trying to answer their question yourself, and when the very thing that frustrates them is the answer they got from their own parts dept.?

Gmpartsdirect is just an internet storefront for http://www.flowgmautocenter.com/aboutus.aspx

Why would you endorse them?

 

[Yuk0n07]

Wait what?

You're referring members to the parts dept. of some random dealership in North Carolina over trying to answer their question yourself, and when the very thing that frustrates them is the answer they got from their own parts dept.?

Gmpartsdirect is just an internet storefront for http://www.flowgmautocenter.com/aboutus.aspx

Why would you endorse them?

x2

 

[Goodinblack]

Wait what?
Gmpartsdirect is just an internet storefront for http://www.flowgmautocenter.com/aboutus.aspx

Why would you endorse them?

WTH?

Really......... ?

Why is GM on here again?

Louis was useless too.

All they do is get a VIN from us....... then we are still up the creek.