So it seems a common upgrade to do, is to replace the stock plastic headlight gears with brass gears. My car is a 2002 with 48k miles. My popup headlights work just fine.

I wanted to know, did GM ever put brass or stronger gears in from the factory? Typically, as a car generation ages, the manufacturer tends to work out all the kinks and update parts that are prone to failing, However, I'm not sure if the plastic gears are something GM ever replaced.

Is it worth checking on my car to see what kind of gears it has, if the previous owner ever swapped them out? Or is it a hassle and something better left alone until the popup lights start to not work?

Are the plastic gears the main culprit of the popups not working right or are there other things that could go wrong? This is my first car I've ever owned with popup lights.

 

I'm a firm believer in the if it's not broke, don't fix it crowd. That being said, you could check with one of the brass gear suppliers and see if they know if later C5s had better gears.