One Headlight

BeenThroughItAll

Steve059 wrote: »

I couldn't agree more. Strictly speaking, you should check these things before every journey. Meanwhile, back in the real world ...

It's just that, the last time one of my headlights failed, it was under street lights and it did take even me a little while to realise that the light pattern didn't look right. My records show that this was back in September, so it's possible that I didn't need my headlights on when parked facing a wall, but switched them on whilst in motion.

I agree - real world isn't like that most of the time, but I know that in the usual course of things that my car is roadworthy at all times... as examples:

• When I park at work, I either park head on into one space and reverse back from that into another. I always turn my lights on before leaving and off after arriving so I can easily check front and rear in the usual parking maneouvre. I also use the coming home lights often.
• I know immediately if indicators aren't working as the flash rate changes.
• If I'm in a situation where I'm using the car after dark and have to leave it for a few minutes, I'll leave the lights on and walk around the back to check other lights including number plate illumination. I carry a comprehensive bulb kit.
• I turn the steering wheel to one side when I park at home and don't centre it before getting out of the car, so I can quickly visually check front tyre condition every time I use the car. Rears I check when it gets its weekly Sunday check and top-ups.
• I always fill screen wash and check levels and tyres before any journey lasting more than an hour or so (as I always fill the car to the brim before leaving no matter how much fuel's already in it).
• I have the wheels off the car every time it gets serviced (every 6K due to the type of use the car gets) to check brake caliper sliders and visually check springs etc.

It's not hard to do any of these things; anyone can do any of them except possibly the last one, and even that's not difficult.

My wife does exactly the same as I do (except wheels off etc - that's my job).

sinbad182

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Talk about missing the point.

I was simply trying to get across that not bothering with 'innocuous' matters like ensuring one's vehicle is roadworthy and legal is a laziness which almost certainly pervades other areas of the transgressor's life.

How about something a little more realistic to appease your ire?

If someone can't be bothered with a simple check of their lights, what else is wrong with their vehicle? Brakes? Windscreen wipers? Horn? Are their tyres bald?

I for one would pull over every lazy !!!!!! with one broken headlamp and subject their car to an impromptu MOT test with immediate prohibition of use for any faults if I were in charge of things. Even if the car was otherwise in perfect condition, the hour long delay would teach them a simple lesson.

Seems like you dived headfirst back into pompous indignation mode rather than forming a cohesive retort by the looks of your post above

Who's to say these people are lazy or dont care? What if the light failed on the journey that you spotted them on and they hadnt realised yet? As has been alluded to in this very thread, well lit streets with modern streetlamps make it hard to tell if your lights are on sometimes, let alone full functional.

What if the light failed, the driver is aware, and has booked the car in to have it fixed at the earliest opportunity? Not everyone has the time, expertise or inclination to fix their cars themselves, and most people rely on their cars to such an extent that they just wont keep it off the road until its fixed.

That's just two of the reasons that minor malfunctions such as single light outages arent enforced as rigidly as Haynes manual clutching, highway code thumbing, ivory tower dwelling road purists such as yourself would like - because the possible risk of driving with minor faults like this on a car are far outweighed by the mitigating reasons that living in the real world provides for doing so. 99.9% of people have better things to be doing than running through your arbitrary, made up checklists every time they drive a car - its not a space shuttle launch, and I'm afraid that your zealousness borders on obsessive and puts you very, very much in the minority.

How about next time you post, stop for a second and engage some common sense instead of trying to outdo the previous poster in terms of self righteousness?

bob_a_builder

Some of the fancy German cars have a thing where if they detect a headlight has blown they will light the foglight on the opposite side.

Same side - surely ?
The intention being so I know its a car being driven at me, and not a motor bike ?

WTFH

Lum wrote: »

Some of the fancy German cars have a thing where if they detect a headlight has blown they will light the foglight on the opposite side.

I've heard some fancy German cars even have indicators on them, but I've rarely seen a 5/6/7 series driver use them...


(Dear BMW owners, this was meant as a joke, please take it as such)

Lum

Opposite side of the still-working one

WestonDave

Those who think they can and should be replaced as soon as they are noticed to be out have clearly never driven a C3. First time mine went on that, I figured I could change it in my lunch hour before the dark drive home in the evening. An hours swearing, fiddling around, skin losing later I gave up and it got driven home in the dark with one out. I ended up having to borrow a handbag mirror and then after having removed most of the battery cover, it was just about possible to see enough to wriggle a hand into the almost inaccessible space to get the bulb changed. (To be fair that was the passenger side one - the drivers side one whilst not easy is at least a bit easier as there is less obstruction).

Out of sheer devilment the next time that bulb went, I paid Halfords £7 to change it. Lets just say it was a good job I wasn't paying the employee directly and that he was under 18 as it would have run into issues with the Minimum Wage by the time he finished!

Perhaps some of the outrage should be directed at manufacturers who start assembling the car around the front lights and never think about access for servicing!

Jamie_Carter

Lum wrote: »

Edited your post to reflect what actually happens.

Not in my case. I just switch my headlights from auto to manual. But it appears that some people aren't capable of doing this for some reason.

Lum wrote: »

(As an aside, I hate these new silly bright streetlights with no diffusers as they cause my automatic headlights to turn off momentarily when the light is directly above the light sensor.)

Really? Mine don't do that on my Vectra. I don't know about your car, but on mine there is a way to get into the settings on the on board computer, and adjust the lighting level at which the lights come on. It might be worth adjusting yours if it is possible.

Jamie_Carter

RichardD1970 wrote: »

That happened to me the other day.

So where do I line up for the firing squad? :eek:

The dash is all digital so always lit, someone flashed me and I immediately realised, rectified the problem and thanked them

It's just one of those things that you have to try and be aware of I'm afraid. I have only done it once, and that was when my car had been for a service where the garage had turned the headlights to manual. So I always check now.

Lum

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

Not in my case. I just switch my headlights from auto to manual. But it appears that some people aren't capable of doing this for some reason.

I didn't mean you specifically, more that auto headlights have educated people to not think about their lights at all and so not think to turn them on when they drive into thick (but bright) fog in the middle of the day.

Really? Mine don't do that on my Vectra. I don't know about your car, but on mine there is a way to get into the settings on the on board computer, and adjust the lighting level at which the lights come on. It might be worth adjusting yours if it is possible.

Your auto headlights are a much newer and more advanced than the late 80s design that mine use. I've not been able to find any wiring diagrams for my car (and believe me there has been a concerted effort by the forums to obtain them) but chances are it's little more than a phototransistor hooked up to a pair level sensitive on-off switches. I would probably be best off fixing it by putting some translucent tape over the sensors. The sensor appears to have a slight blue coating to make it less sensitive to streetlights, but now that white or at least significantly less orange streetlights are common this doesn't work any more.

Jamie_Carter

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Talk about missing the point.

I was simply trying to get across that not bothering with 'innocuous' matters like ensuring one's vehicle is roadworthy and legal is a laziness which almost certainly pervades other areas of the transgressor's life.

How about something a little more realistic to appease your ire?

If someone can't be bothered with a simple check of their lights, what else is wrong with their vehicle? Brakes? Windscreen wipers? Horn? Are their tyres bald?

I for one would pull over every lazy !!!!!! with one broken headlamp and subject their car to an impromptu MOT test with immediate prohibition of use for any faults if I were in charge of things. Even if the car was otherwise in perfect condition, the hour long delay would teach them a simple lesson.

And that is precisely how the police do catch many people for many offences or crimes. People who disregard the law in one way, will often disregard the law in other ways. In fact many criminals wouldn't get caught if they break road laws.