Interior lighting - poor? OK?

[Envoy CDX]

What gripes do you all have with the lighting inside the Cav?

Is it in the wrong places?
Is it not bright enough?
Is the default bulb colour tedious or straining on your eyes?

Just generally interested to know what peoples thoughts are here really.

[Lowrider Dave]

The heater panel is the worst lit and a sod to change.

[Envoy CDX]

The heater panel is the worst lit and a sod to change.

bet that is the top answer too.

[Cavalier342]

Happy with my V6, the main courtesy light and rear grab handle lights illuminate the cabin nicely, plus the map lights help really well. Plus illuminated sun visors give a nice lit touch. Open the glove box, and ashtray at night and it is like sitting in a comfy lounge

[TurboDan]

Interior lighting is the least of your worries when you own a cav!

[Robsey]

I have illuminated rear grab handles, passenger illuminated sun visor and Omega interior light with bug-eye map lights. Plenty of light for me.

I dont have an ashtray nor heater panel at the moment - so no worries there.

The worst lighting for me is the head lamps...
but they are not internal lighting.
neither standard nor angel eye projector lights are much use.

[Envoy CDX]

Interior lighting is the least of your worries when you own a cav!

Maybe so, but it is still a valid question none the less, it is bugbear that people complain about at times.

I have illuminated rear grab handles, passenger illuminated sun visor and Omega interior light with bug-eye map lights. Plenty of light for me.

I dont have an ashtray nor heater panel at the moment - so no worries there.

The worst lighting for me is the head lamps...
but they are not internal lighting.
neither standard nor angel eye projector lights are much use.

Aye, nice mix of things in there. I found the driver side illuminated visor to be in my face to much.

Happy with my V6, the main courtesy light and rear grab handle lights illuminate the cabin nicely, plus the map lights help really well. Plus illuminated sun visors give a nice lit touch. Open the glove box, and ashtray at night and it is like sitting in a comfy lounge

Someones happy then

[Robsey]

Aye - I didn't fit a driver's vanity mirror.
I am too ugly... I'd scare myself and crash the Cav if I accidentally caught a glimpse of myself.


Besides -who really needs to look at themselves in the mirror?
Possible to make sure that you do a proper job of squirting a zit or something.

[Cavalier342]

Besides -who really needs to look at themselves in the mirror?
Possible to make sure that you do a proper job of squirting a zit or something.

A gay estate agent?

[James McGrath]

When it works I really like it. They could have done with at least 2 bulbs behind the heater controls instead of just 1 but apart from that I think it's just right.


The only complaint I have is that when the bulbs blow they are far to difficult to get to.

[Robsey]

Time for an LED conversion...

They should last much longer.

I modified my heater panel with "warm white" SMD LED's on a ribbon.
I used that colour because it isn't too stark a shade of white.
But it is now too bright, so I need to add a variable resistor / rheostat to dim it down a bit.

Once I get the brightness right, I will refit the heater panel.

[vauxhallnutter]

Interior lighting is the least of your worries when you own a cav!

Why? Owned Cav's for years and I have to say I have a lot less problems with them than I do with all this modern poo! Hence the reason why the 2002 Vx went yesterday and a good ole Cav arrives on Monday to replace it.

[Envoy CDX]

Interior lighting is the least of your worries when you own a cav!

Why? Owned Cav's for years and I have to say I have a lot less problems with them than I do with all this modern poo! Hence the reason why the 2002 Vx went yesterday and a good ole Cav arrives on Monday to replace it.

In fairness Mark, you have changed your cars alot reasons unknown. But I do agree that modern stuff does require alot more for the same problems.
I think Dan is commenting on rott. I maybe wrong though.

[Robsey]

Hmmm - a lot more hassle from seized track-rod ends,

Terminal underside rot.
Continuously weeping cam cover gaskets

But then if life with a Cav was easy and reliable, then it would be boring - lol

[Envoy CDX]

Hmmm - a lot more hassle from seized track-rod ends,

Terminal underside rot.
Continuously weeping cam cover gaskets

But then if life with a Cav was easy and reliable, then it would be boring - lol

Aye, that is about the size of it.

[James McGrath]

Hmmm - a lot more hassle from seized track-rod ends,

I have this problem 3 times over at the moment!

The LS tracking is about a mile out and I can't do anything about it until I get new track rod ends.
Both the CD manual and the Diplomat also have seized track-rod ends but the tracking is still ok on them.

[Robsey]

Speaking in a simple frame of mind -

Don't you think it strange how tracking creeps out quite quickly on a Cavalier,
BUT it is always seized solid when you want to correct it's adjustment.

Took the tyre agency 2 hours to free them off last time.
I didn't mind, I was in work's time.

[btcctroy]

My car stayed tracked for 2 weeks then started pulling to left ever so slightly. It's baffling how it goes out when it appears nothing moves

[James McGrath]

Took the tyre agency 2 hours to free them off last time.
I didn't mind, I was in work's time.

The place I went to gave up after an hour and said I needed new track rod ends as they couldn't get them unstuck.

[Super89]

I must of been lucky with mine, one Side was free..the other took me about 35mins to get 100% free. Didn't take it off the car, maybe that would of been fasterI

[DiplomaXE]

Taking both the steering arms off with the track rod ends still on them makes it a piece of p1ss to sort them nicely, coz there's far less arsing about in the dark on the floor bruising yur knuckles..

something like -

take off inner locking clips and bolts with the oval link widgit and spacers, IIRC,
remove outernuts, split tapers
get em on the bench, attack with penetrating fluid and lots of wire brushing
now the mud has gone, use a vernier caliper between the flat machined ends of the track rod and its end, measure both gaps, note down these settings
undo the M8 fine clamp bolts, more squirty jollop,
wedge in the slot with a thick screwdriver a bit if they are very seized, to spread the slot a bit
when they are all cleaned up, copperslip all the threads,
reassemble with well greased new ends if needed,
fill the track rod end slots with copperslip too,
reset the gaps to an average of the two measurements
refit to car, check tracking - adjust carefully by small amounts, as the thread is very coarse.
adjust each side on full lock with the body just raised a tad with a jack so you get under it a bit, same amount at a time, using the caliper to measure the gaps, writing down the toe setting and measured gaps, so you can go back to where you were really easily,
get it straight with the steering wheel straight too
sounds long winded, but it's then done properly.

wont help the crap internal lights but your steering will be much better though.

[paul_34]

As said heater panel lighting is pants and the illuminated sun visors are not much better. I installed front foot well lamps in the the cav after having a Mundano fitted with them as standard. Thought about illuminating the sunroof switch somehow but never got around to it. Also had a thought of putting rear illuminated grab handles in the front and putting a switch inside the car to turn all interior lights off while working on it to save the battery, but never got around to it. Time goes too quick as you get older

I always strip, clean and grease my steering adjusters but some tyre places will still argue with you that they will be/are seized. I think a lot of garages are put off by the words Astra/Nova/Cavalier/Calibra and tracking

[Cavalier342]

Also had a thought of putting rear illuminated grab handles in the front

You my Sir, are a legend! That's exactly what the Cavalier top-spec models should have! If map lights aren't enough, then illuminated grab handles are the choice!!!! Cut the holes out to accommodate the bulb housing, piggy-back the red and black wires off the rear grab handle bulbs, job done! That's a serious thought for me.

[paul_34]

I took both handles off the drivers side the other week to try and find an annoying rattle, I was going to check if they were a straight fit but was in a rush as usual. Shouldn't be too hard though.