When to replace a bulb?

sevenhills

My employer recently told us to go via our manager, for the small items such as replacing a bulb.
In the past we have been told to just take our vehicles to the repair shop. It got me thinking, how long is reasonable to wait before fixing something like a headlight bulb?
It was foggy this morning, but not seriously, so I just used my sidelights. But it would be the driver that got a ticket, not the owner of the fleet.

AndyCF

My advice is to have it changed as soon as you practically can, especially with a safety item like a headlight bulb which you do need for daytime use in bad weather (as you know)

Apart from the 'cyclops' impersonation at night time, it also may attract the law to stop you and inform you of said bulb too, I don't know if they still do the 'defect notice / producer' thing but if they did it would then mean as well as sorting the bulb out you'd also have to possibly go elsewhere to deal with that notice too.

I'm assuming as its a company vehicle you cannot for example purchase and fit your own bulb (if you wanted to?) and claim it back ?

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

sevenhills wrote: »

My employer recently told us to go via our manager, for the small items such as replacing a bulb.
In the past we have been told to just take our vehicles to the repair shop. It got me thinking, how long is reasonable to wait before fixing something like a headlight bulb?
It was foggy this morning, but not seriously, so I just used my sidelights. But it would be the driver that got a ticket, not the owner of the fleet.

A car without a working headlight bulb is unroadworthy and therefore I would expect it to be fixed without delay. A company that tried to delay for cost reasons would be committing a breach of health and safety. In principle you could refuse to drive an unroadworthy car for work.


For something like a lightbulb you'd not get a fine, you'd get a warning notice to fix it, but it would expose you to being stopped in the first place, and also it is possible that it could lead to an accident, e.g. a car thinking there was a gap to squeeze around a parked car.

So simple answer is that for issues of roadworthiness, they should be looking to fix as soon as possible. It really depends if they think that manager approval is a trivial thing, partly to stop people messing around, or whether they are trying to reduce costs unreasonably.

sevenhills

IanMSpencer wrote: »

It really depends if they think that manager approval is a trivial thing, partly to stop people messing around, or whether they are trying to reduce costs unreasonably.

I am a driver, and my manager is also a driver; although they may have good intentions about getting something fixed, bringing in another person, only delays the fixing of the fault.

In my experience, they should be trying to get 'non trivial' faults fixed quicker.

ohreally

Get it changed when you know it’s become inoperative.

simonineaston

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light-bulb?
Only one - but the light bulb has got to really, really want to change...

BeenThroughItAll

When it's blown.

And ASAP. Don't be one of those morons with half their lights out because it's 'someone else's problem'. Just change the bloody bulb yourself.

Car_54

IanMSpencer wrote: »

For something like a lightbulb you'd not get a fine, you'd get a warning notice to fix it,

Does that not depend upon the attitude test?

pappa_golf

bulbs need replacing every 3 yrs , daffodils approx 4 yrs

m0bov

You tell them you are going to Halfords today to get it changed, if they say know, you return the car to them and refuse to drive it until its done.

sevenhills

simonineaston wrote: »

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light-bulb?
Only one - but the light bulb has got to really, really want to change...

One of the other drivers showed me how to 'repair' a bulb.

Have the light on, and then give it a bash on the side. The electricity will then want to jump across the gap in the filament, and it sometimes 'repairs' the bulb.
I am a proud Yorkshire man, and this has works 3 times on my brakelights. It didn't work on my headlight