One Headlight

Richard53

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

I don't know if you realise but the conversation was about people with just their sidelights on the front of their vehicle, making them almost invisible in the fog.

Thank you. My point was not about fog lights, which have their place and are very useful on the rare occasions* when dipped headlights are causing glare and decreased visibility. I was just saying that driving on sidelights only in a light fog or mist is useless because they don't help you to see at all, and in my experience the whole car becomes visible before the lights do, so they are no use for being seen either.

(*I have front fogs on my car and I think I have used them probably twice in six years. In clear conditions, they add nothing to your forward vision, except to show everyone else that you don't have the poverty-spec model. But when you need them, they are brilliant, excuse the pun.)

jay87

I'm not a motoring moron or an idiot and I only have one dipped headlight at the moment


I have a new Renault and to replace the headlight is a garage job as it requires removal of the whole bumper to remove the headlight unit and change the bulb!


Mine has just blown and I don't have the time to get this done before Christmas


I have bought 2 new £21.99 BOSCH bulbs to replace them with, but my right bulb tends to go every 3 months. It ***** me off to say the least


I drive with headlights on all the time for safety.


I will get the right one replaced in January when I can take my car to a garage unti then.


Until then I have fully functioning movable main beams and fogd lights, so i'll be ok.


I'm also obviously going to plan my driving during daytime, if atall possible, and late night no one is around so I can use main beam.


Oh to have a car where a bulb change is a DIY job, I wish. My next car, this will be the case.

Richard53

I bet I am not the only one reading this forum and thinking about my next car ...

1. Must have accessible lightbulbs
2. Must have engine temperature gauge
3. Must have full-size spare wheel ...

Are manufacturers giving motorists what they want, or what they think we want?

hgotsparkle

One of mine failed on a saturday night and I was pulled over for it a breathalyzed (despite there being an obviously speeding car in front of me), the only reason I hadn't had it done was that 1) it had just happened as I left the cinema car park at 11pm and 2) my headlight is extremely hard to get to unless you happen to carry 3 different types of wrenches and a hydraulic jack. It went straight to OHs parents the next morning for his dad to fix (as a mechanic).

Jamie_Carter

Richard53 wrote: »

I bet I am not the only one reading this forum and thinking about my next car ...

1. Must have accessible lightbulbs
2. Must have engine temperature gauge
3. Must have full-size spare wheel ...

Are manufacturers giving motorists what they want, or what they think we want?

You mean some don't???


As for the spare wheel, my car has space for a full size one, but only has a space saver. What is the point??

Richard53

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

You mean some don't???

There's a thread elsewhere about a poster who melted the engine of his ?Zafira?. It looks as if the OP didn't check the coolant regularly enough, and there was no gauge to warn him that things were getting hot, just a warning light if it overheated.

Useless.

Jamie_Carter

Richard53 wrote: »

There's a thread elsewhere about a poster who melted the engine of his ?Zafira?. It looks as if the OP didn't check the coolant regularly enough, and there was no gauge to warn him that things were getting hot, just a warning light if it overheated.

Useless.

My Zafira had one. As for newer ones I would have thought that there would be warning lights on the dashboard, and probably a warning on the multifunction display.

mttylad

I have been stopping other cars and telling the drivers that they have light failures (front or rear) for the past 20 years.

So far only 1 person was not grateful for the info (she didn't seem to care).

Having lights out is something that really pees me off, along with driving with only the parking lights on at night.

custardy

mttylad wrote: »

I have been stopping other cars and telling the drivers that they have light failures (front or rear) for the past 20 years.

So far only 1 person was not grateful for the info (she didn't seem to care).

Having lights out is something that really pees me off, along with driving with only the parking lights on at night.

On a side note. Does cold weather affect bulbs?
In the last few weeks I have had 2 numberplate bulbs,1 sidelight,1 brakelight and a headlight bulb go!

Steve059

custardy wrote: »

On a side note. Does cold weather affect bulbs?
In the last few weeks I have had 2 numberplate bulbs,1 sidelight,1 brakelight and a headlight bulb go!

Yes. When it's first switched on, a cold filament will briefly draw much more current than the continuous rating. If it's colder due to the weather, then the chances of the filament failing is higher. As I've said above, I always see more cars with one headlight when the clocks go back and/or the weather gets colder.