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So neither fogs on our GXP work. Is there a bulb in there? I bought a pair at the local parts store, but I can't find where they go. Is there a bulb, or is it the whole assembly that needs to be replaced??

There is a bulb in there. lol

They are not easy to change but not impossible either. I have found that the easiest way is to remove the headlight assembly and go in from there.

Norm

Ok. I took off the splash shield, then realized that I could remove the headlight and it was just as good, lol. Is the bulb a dealer only item? Is there anything else I should look at? I was talking to Andrew (Harofreak00) and he said it could be wiring. Is there any place in particular that I should look first?

Check the fuse first.

Thanks Paul. Even the best of us forget the simple things. I'll check that tonight.

My drivers side kept blowing through bulbs until I grounded it to the frame using standard home stereo wire. That was at least eight months ago.

Have gone in both ways...prefer through headlight if just to change bulb.

The dealer replaced my wiring harness that went up to the fogs, it seemed to work for a couple of months up until the wreck.

Here are some pics of what the housing looks like. I did a write up on how to change the bulbs but I can't find it right now.








This should give you a pretty good idea of what is going on it there.

Yeah, I looked at it. It's not a big deal right now. If/when it needs to go to the dealer, we'll have it looked at.

GXP_vince wrote:The dealer replaced my wiring harness that went up to the fogs,

Mine as well last month... then 4 days later one of the older bulbs burned out again. I am still waiting for them to make a decision.

The harness was replaced according to some bulletin from GM.

I know GM used that same bulb years ago in one of their models and it was nothing but trouble then. Don't know if the bulb was updated, but I don't think so because it is the same number bulb.

It uses an H3 bulb. If I EVER meet the GM engineer who decided on this setup vs. an 880/893 bulb or other twist in socket style bulb, I'm gonna drag him/her out and hang him/her from the highest tree in the land... Oh the woes of the fog lights for us GXP owners. What does the bulbs in, is the heat built up in that housing with the moisture caps on.

This heat does a couple things;
1) shortened bulb life
2) melts the ground wire
3) cracks the metal base under the bulb (the problem I have now)
4) causes fuses to blow.

I have not had it get to #4 yet. But I have re-wired my ground wire on both sides, by drilling out another hole in the housing and running the wire out of it, instead crunched up in the housing behind a hot light bulb. This will require you keep the moisture caps off, which is a blessing in disguise as it'll triple your average bulb life (as I have experienced). I went from replacing them once a month, to once every three months with this cap off. First remark to me will be, well, they're there to keep water out. Yes, you're right, but even through the monsoons I've been through or the multiple feet of snow I've had with the car, I have not had an issue yet.

Getting to the bulb is a bitch and a half, the quickest way, is through the headlight removal method above. I've got the swaps down to less than a minute.

I would like to re-iterate how I wish that the children of the engineer who designed these driving/fog lights, suffer from some sort of venereal disease!!!

SO after I posted my last post the other night, the next day, my drivers side went out again. Got around to playing with it tonight. Figuring it was just a bulb, I replaced it. Well, it still did not work. I start to fumble around with the ground wire, and sure enough... It was loose! I ended up pulling it off. I found the female connector was so brittle from the heat, that I could bend it up with my fingers. So I cut that one off, and put a new terminal on the wire. Start to attempt to put the terminal back on the grounding tab in the light housing, and CRACK!! The glass housing shattered and fell apart inside...

Not a big deal until you go ot your local Pontiac dealer and find they want $221 for the whole new housing...

I am REALL MAD!!

I found something on e-bay that was interesting. If these work, it could be a solution to our issues!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-200 ... 240%3A1318

Good thing: they're made by Hella.
Maybe a bad thing: I can't tell if they follow the curvature of the OEM light in the front fascia.
Maybe another bad thing: If they aren't direct OEM replacement fits, they're goingo to require some "fab" work or "creative installation".

That's not a problem for me, as I'll make anything work. , I just don't want to be a guinea pig.

LOL, maybe I'll have to be the guinea pig. I'll see how much it bugs me, as it's not my car, lol.

I had my share of aggravation with bulbs blowing out as well. I don't put that many miles on my GXP, but I always have the Fog Lights on when driving as I think the car looks best with them on.

I definitely recommend taking out the headlight and going in that way as it is quite simple.

And yes, these use a simple H3 bulb. There are some "premium" versions of the H3 out there that do provide a whiter light without costing much. And I am pretty sure there are HID retrofit kits to upgrade using the factory enclosure if you want to spend the extra money. But the cost has dropped alot thankfully. Of course, you would want to do the headlights then as well.

But regarding the problems so many of us have had with bulbs going out quickly... I found that the culprit for my Fog Lights was indeed the simple ground wire in the housing (The short black wire in the pics above.). It was very brittle and corroded as well as if there was a problem with the quality of the metal used when this wire was made. I replaced the wire while carefully reusing the connectors themselves and have had no further problems with bulbs since doing so. Whew, am I glad as that was maddening! In fact, right before I did that, I had just put in two new bulbs and after about 10 days both bulbs were out, but when I went in to install new ones again, I reallized the bulbs themselves were still good. I moved the wiring around and a bulb lit up, that is when I started looking over the wiring and saw the condition of the ground wires. Hope this simple fix will work for at least some of you. Good luck!

Yup, I've replaced the ground wire on both sides, driver side twice. But the main culprit of why they go out is... heat. Heat from the bulb.

Well, not sure if some saw my post in the parts wanted section. The other night, the drivers side went out again. Figuring it was a bulb (it was due), I started playing around in there to get it out. As I was playing with it, moving the ground wire, the light would come back on. Right away, I knew the bulb was fine and it was either ground wire #2 on this side, or something else.

Well, got the bulb out as I need the space to get my fingers in there to mess with that ground wire (mind you it's 9pm and dark out, so I was doing it by feel), when all the sudden... CRACK! The whole light refractor housing crumbled at my fingers. Yup, the light housing inside the assembly literally fell apart...

I ended up ordering a new one from GM parts direct for $130 (which beats the $221 any parts department wants) as no one seemed to have a used one for sale.

Here are the parts I was able to fish out.

Obviously the bulb, the ground wire that I cut the connection off and made a new one (already in the car), the piece of the refractor, and the metal bulb mount/electrical conduit.


And here is the elecrical connector for the ground. I cut it off and made a new one (already in the car). What's important here is take a look at that connector. That was NEW a month or so ago. Look at what the heat does to it... IN the above picture, you can see where it connects to the bulb mount and the discoloring/heat involved.

Got the new light assembly tonight. Hopefully I will be able to get it in this weekend.