GM Taking Tips From U-Haul ???

Alright. I had to put a pigtail on my S-10, but there was a standard off the shelf plug in available for it from any autoparts store.

The '02 Avalanche came with a trailer connector below the bumper. Just plug in and go.

My '03 Silverado came with a trailer connector below the bumper. Just plug in and go.

Even the wussy little '04 Colorado atleast had a standard 4 pin trailer connector. Just plug in and go.

The brand new 2008 4wd Silverado with heavy towing package that I bought specifically (the 4wd part) for launching my boat on dirt ramps comes with a fake piece of plastic in the back bumper. If you read the owners manual it says you can buy a special adaptor from GM to connect to your trailer. Sure sounds like U-Haul to me.

Its late, I'm tired. It took me about 30 minutes to cut off their stupid plug to plug into their special adaptor and hook up a regular large seven pin receptacle and mount it in the bumper, but still. I was already hooking up the boat when I realized I couldn't. How irritating.

It had to cost more for them to make their special connector so they could sell their special adaptor than just buying an off the shelf receptacle and bybassing the whole annoying process.

Reply to
Bob La Londe
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I don't know about that vehicle specifically but on my old 92 explorer the special adaptor came with the vehicle and it was designed to avoid having the trailer lights directly connected to the vehicle lights... Instead it uses relays that are part of the trailer package to run the trailer lights so they are completely separate. The special plug has some kind of jumper built into it that turns the relay system on when you plug the adaptor in. Also, it might be that the lights are controlled in some fashion by the computer. I know that on the Impala's they very clearly warn you not to cut into the stop light wiring to hook up the alternating flasher to make the rear lights do a cop-car alternating flash. I think the front lights have the same warning.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

Well, the manual said nothing about that, but it did list all the wire colors and their functions, making it a piece of cake to install my own receptacle. Like I said, U-Haul.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Why would you cut the factory mess off and install a 4 prong...

Theres brakes and whatnot ready to be wired in to those plugs isn't there?

Reply to
Picasso

I did not cut the factory mess off and install a 4 prong. I cut the factory screw job designed for the sole and expresas purpose of selling a special adaptor off and installed a large 7 pin receptacle properly. I did leave the electric brake wire dangling. On purpose. However, the backup light wire was connected as it activates the brake release solenoid on my boat trailer.

There are wires for it, but until you actually install a brake controller there is nothing to it.

My complaint is that instead of just putting a receptacle on the back of the truck like they did on my last couple of trucks this size or bigger. they installed a proprietary connector that served no purpose except to generate revenue by forcing you to buy "their" special adaptor. Its pretty funny because that section of wiring harness is labeled with a wiring legend for all the wires, and they even included the wiring legend in the owner's manual.

GM's proprietary connector "plugs" into a fake piece of plastic snapped into the back bumper that looks like a receptacle with a fancy cover on it. You unplug the connector and remove the fake receptacle to discover its a one piece molded unit that serves no useful purpose except to fake out the new truck buyer until he tries to lift the cover and plug in his trailer connector. Very annoying. In my case I discovered this bit of salesmanship at about 8:00 in the evening when I was hitching up my boat getting ready to go fish a tournament the next morning.

Just a side note: On all my trucks I prefer to have a large 7 pin receptacle, and then use a plug in adaptor for 4 or 5 pin flat or small round connectors as needed. On a light truck like my S-10 I might use a 4 pin trailer pigtail, but only because that truck should NEVER be used to tow a trailer large enough to require the extra wires, no matter what GM claims the towing capacity is. Actually its perfectly safe to move heavier trailers around the yard with a light truck (there are limits like tongue weight etc) with some care, but I would not use one it for any long over the road hauling. 195 HP just isn't enough to do it even if you do reprogram the shift points to allow the engine to rev higher.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Gee how terrible a manufacturer wanting you to buy something from them for their product, its like complaining you cant put a ford tranny behind a chevy engine.

I always get a kick out of this . How the hell did we tow anything back in the forties, fifties, and even into the sixties and seventies.

Whitelightning

Reply to
Whitelightning

No. Not at all. Its more like buying an airplane with a special engine package and fiunding out the engine is extra.

Slower.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

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