[mdoutlook]

My 08 outlook has a problem. The head lights were wired with small guage cheap wire and the heat has made this wire and the connector melt away like a chocolate bar in the sun. Why not just take it to the dealer you ask? Well as it is with many of these things, I am just out of warranty...and the dealer says they won't do it for free. So I being the do it yourselfer decided to order the new parts and with a printed section of the repair manual, 12 of my favorite beers, and alot of patience, I replaced all of the defective parts. NOW...I turn off the automatic light control every time I get into the vehicle. As for the official answer from our friends at GM...well there is no recall for this problem. Great right? Tell me again, why didn't I buy a Toyota? :banghead:

 

[rbarrios]

have you tried putting some dielectric grease on the connector to make better contact and keep away corrosion?

 

[momssaturn]

Hey.
My wife and me discovered the same problem. About a month ago, we had a light (day running light) go out on the left side of our outlook. We are still under the bumper to bumper warranty so we took it back to the dealer. They said the "Headlights are expendable items, and therefore not covered under the bumper to bumper warranty". I called BS on that one, asking them exactly what their interpretation was of the phrase bumper to bumper meant to them. Anyway I saw my argument was not going to fix the issue, so I paid fourty-seven dollars for a bulb to be replaced, but they didn't charge for labor. (go figure) Yesterday the new light blew again. We took it back and I told them I thought it was covered under warranty. I was not going to pay for another bulb. This time they said it was under warranty and replaced the bulb, and are going to send us a refund on the first bulb we bought. They reported to us it was a fried wire harness?

Is this a common problem, and tell me more about this dialectic grease you speak of. :banghead:

 

[6Sixathome]

momssaturn, what year is your OUTLOOK? From my inderstanding BtB means BtB, minus breaks, tires, wiper blades, oil changes, air filters and think that's it . Here is what I did to help prevent this issue.

 

[CGTIII]

We have a long thread going about that:

saturnoutlookforum.net/index.php?topic=818.0

Hope it helps!

 

[BigTallV]

Hey.
My wife and me discovered the same problem. About a month ago, we had a light (day running light) go out on the left side of our outlook. We are still under the bumper to bumper warranty so we took it back to the dealer. They said the "Headlights are expendable items, and therefore not covered under the bumper to bumper warranty". I called BS on that one, asking them exactly what their interpretation was of the phrase bumper to bumper meant to them. Anyway I saw my argument was not going to fix the issue, so I paid fourty-seven dollars for a bulb to be replaced, but they didn't charge for labor. (go figure) Yesterday the new light blew again. We took it back and I told them I thought it was covered under warranty. I was not going to pay for another bulb. This time they said it was under warranty and replaced the bulb, and are going to send us a refund on the first bulb we bought. They reported to us it was a fried wire harness?

Is this a common problem, and tell me more about this dialectic grease you speak of. :banghead:

The TSB on this issue instructs the dealer on how to service this issue. Including filling of the connector cavity with dielectric grease (I think Nyogel was named). Regardless, the issue is with overheating and thought is that it's caused by poor contact at the connector. Use of dielectric grease will enhance/ensure good contact and prevent oxidation or crud getting onto the contacts.

The dealer should refund the bulb replacements as clearly the issue was caused by the wiring harness/connector melting and short circuiting (ultimately causing burn out of bulb).

 

[jpsbeer]

The dealer in my area just replaced the wiring harness on both sides of the car at no charge and seemed to understand the design problem. The service manager said that GM had already redesigned the wiring harness 3x. My car was over the 36K BtB warranty period, so I was very happy that they handled it like a recall. So, there is hope on this issue. PS-I fixed it myself once, but the fix only held for 3 months... hopefully, the dealer fix will last longer. Dielectric gel didn't seem to do the trick for me. Neither did a new aftermarket socket.

 

[TX0605]

I can't figure how to get to the bulb on the passenger side. I see the two bolts on top but that's all that I can get to. Do you have to remove the entire headlight assy to change this bulb? Also, on Christmas eve, we were driving in the rain and the windshield wipers linkage became disconnected somehow? Anyone have experience with repair that?

Thanks TX0605

 

[papamike]

You can access the bulb and harness from the wheel well. Remove the wheel and wheel well liner. There are 2 quarter turn plates that cover the bulbs on the back of the light assembly. The plate on the right side as you face it from the back is the low beam/DRL socket and the one that is melting in the Tech Service Bulletin.

My Saturn Support dealer (Chevy) said the TSB only applies to the passenger side, but the same harness is on the drivers side too ??? and so far no problems have been reported. :banghead: It's only a matter of time though!!