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Uplander Third brake light - Pealing Paint

4 messages,  Last post on Aug 21, 2009 at 11:41 AM

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#1 of 4 Uplander Third brake light - Pealing Paint by uplanderblues Jul 09, 2008 (6:38 am)
Hello,   I've been reading this forum for a while since we have had a lot of the same issues with our '05 uplander since purchasing it in sept. 2005. Recently I had it in for the brakes issues again and I had them look at some pealing paint on each side of the upper third brake light lens. I was told that who ever put the les on tighted the screws too much thus cracking the lens and the paint. Therefore the pealing paint was not a warranty item. Be ing a little up set I went dealership to dealership and parking lot to parking lot checking out the uplander and all the other same body parts from GM. Everyone I saw had the same issue. Even a 2005 Saturn Relay on my dealer's lot. The Ventures (prior to 2005) have a nice foam gasket around their lens. The Uplander lens seems to be the same lens with no gasket. There is an air space all around the gasket except for where the lens is scratching the paint on the left and right sides. PLEASE CHECK YOURS My service manager is checking with the district manager to see if others have complained.   Links to pictures of peeling paint: Left Side   Right Side Replies to this message: uplanderguy (Jul 09, 2008 2:53 pm) tshart (Aug 21, 2009 11:41 am)
#2 of 4 Re: Uplander Third brake light - Pealing Paint [uplanderblues] by uplanderguy Jul 09, 2008 (2:53 pm)
Replying to: uplanderblues (Jul 09, 2008 6:38 am) Probably two months ago we noticed a wet load floor in the back of our '05 Uplander after a good rain. Took it in and my friendly Service Advisor promptly noted a cracked high-mounted stop light lens. Our van was less than 36 mos. old but over warranty on mileage. The new lens cost $88. They installed it for free. I don't remember seeing cracking paint, but need to go out and look at ours again (I'm out of town this week).   The improvements in the Uplander over the Venture are commendable (more solid construction feel, nicer-looking trim, bigger wheels and tires, better safety rating), but the things they took out of the Venture when they made the Uplander to save costs, are very, very frustrating...more weight on same-size brakes, meaning brake parts wear out faster, wheel bearings wearing out faster, this problem with the center-mounted stop light not having a rubber gasket, no rubber step area on the back bumper to avoid scratches in the bumper paint, no opening side-door windows, peeling bodyside moldings, and personally I dislike the plastic-trimmed bucket seats meant to look like leather but after a few years they get all shiny and make constant squishy-plastic noises when you move around on them...same with the door panels. Give me the Venture's old cloth-covered seats and door panels anytime.   Bill
#3 of 4 Uplander '08 Third Brake Light Broken by fscoles Dec 01, 2008 (7:24 pm)
We bought our '08 Uplander LS in early Nov w/ 31,000 miles (several thousand miles remain on the GM bumper-to-bumper), from a local used-vehicle dealer. It arrived with a cracked (on the right side) and broken (on the left side) third brake light housing, similar to your pictures, but even much worse. Apparently, the mechanic(s) who performed the inspection missed this damage. The light works, so in the meantime I have sealed and taped it over to prevent damage (to the door's speakers, wiper motor, etc.) from the rain, ice, & snow here in Oswego NY. I've had two local Chevy dealer service managers look at it, but they won't (can't?) do anything because it was pre-existing when we bought it (maybe someone had overtightened the screws??...I doubt it). The selling dealer will replace it with a good used lamp housing, so I will do that for now; but it's taking him a long time to receive the used part. Starting on Tues. Nov. 25 I spoke on the phone with a NYS Attorney General counsel from their Syracuse office, who advised me to call NYS DMV in Albany who asked me to mail them details if the dealer didn't provide the used replacement housing as was promised; as DMV is concerned only with Lemon Law, not GM warranty. Also on Nov. 25 I called the Chevy customer assistance number and spoke at length with a man who asked me to send all information with my pictures to Chevy in Detroit, via First Class snail mail; because GM cannot accept online email attached pictures!!! This GM agent also called me back on Friday Nov 28 to ask me if I had yet mailed the materials, but I hadn't because we were on Thanksgiving break out-of-state. The GM agent later referred my case to his supervisor, who called me this afternoon from Detroit. She said that they need my information to add to the information and pictures already posted on this forum, to help them decide if it should become a recall. Since a broken or cracked brake light is a safety concern and won't pass inspection in many states, this would possibly become a Recall instead of a TSB. Here in NY State, a broken lamp housing will not pass inspection, and can be fined up to $180 by a trooper or police; so I must stress the safety aspects of this problem with NHTSA. I will also try to send complete copies to NHTSA. It will be another day until I mail the materials to DMV, GM-Chevy, and NHTSA. Even if we get some decision from GM on this, I will probably get nothing from it. Any advice from this forum is appreciated..I will check back.
#4 of 4 Re: Uplander Third brake light - Pealing Paint [uplanderblues] by tshart Aug 21, 2009 (11:41 am)
Replying to: uplanderblues (Jul 09, 2008 6:38 am) I have a 2005 Buick Terazza with the same cracked light problem. a piece fell off and it will cost the dealer $125 to replace. It's not covered by the GMAC extended warranty even though the crack appears to be from the factory by over tightening the mounting screws. I have seen a lot of gm vans with the same problem. I don't know about the broken tail light inspection theory since the unit is sealed with a gasket and sill works.

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