I followed an Altea (regular, I think, not XL) up to a roundabout in gloomy light this afternoon. As it braked for the roundabout, I realized that, although the right indicator was flashing (and had been before the brake lights came on) I could barely see it.
I've noticed something like this before on recent Golfs and possibly other VAG products. The rear indicators are, I think, tiny semicircles surrounded by great red rings of tail and brake light, and the effect when all are lit at once is to render the indicator practically invisible. Something similar happens with the present fashion for burying front indicators inside the headlamp units - they're far less visible there when the lights are on than are separate indicators at the corner or in the bumper.
Anyone else noticed this?
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Yes, come to think of it, not sure on what but it's gone through my mind a few times, exactly as you mention. The other thing that I've noticed is on cars where the indicator is inset more from the edge of the car, eg Peugeot 206, for some reason it's less visible to me at least.
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i nearly ran into the back of a corsa the other day because of the sun (remember that ?)it was reflecting on the lights and obscuring both the indicator and the brake lights ,good job i have abs ;-)
inset indicators in headlights? i was showing the wife a car with these yesterday,cant remember the car but was either a seat or a vw at one time our law said that indicators used to be on corners of vehicles now fashion dictates these things are accesories
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Agreed SWMBO's Golf has tiny indicators as a proportion to the size of the rest of the taillight unit.
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Problem at the front as well including the Golf which hides he indicator between main and auxilliary hedlight units. Where provided door mirror repeaters are however a boon.
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maybe we need a sort of arm to come out of the side of the car?
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maybe we need a sort of arm to come out of the side of the car?
You mean electromagnetically operated, orange, with a bulb inside that is visible both front and rear? Or a longer device with fingers on the end, attached to the driver?
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You mean electromagnetically operated orange with a bulb inside that is visible both front and rear? Or a longer device with fingers on the end attached to the driver?
the former.........although the latter might help........long time since i've seen one in use
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We had the former on our first car which, being unusual, were not always noticed and sometimes when we used the latter to reinforce the message, Mr Kent Policemen pulled us over to do a check on the car as they assumed there was something wrong with it if using arm signals!
Mr London Policeman also pulled us over, but in his case it was to enthuse over the car and offer us an identical one - non working- for spares.
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"You mean electromagnetically operated, orange, with a bulb inside that is visible both front and rear?"
NO he mans a electromagnetically operated arm orange, with a bulb inside, that HALF comes out the side of the car in pathetic and usless manner , unless the driver bangs the B post from whence the arm extends.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/6502553.stm
Worth a look.
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the link is exactly how i see these lights
maybe i should have been a proffesor?
maybe not....
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A few years ago there was a fad for tail lights to be in clear red plastic with just the light inside providing the illumination. That is, the surface of the light did not change when they were on. I remember some Vauxhalls were equipped with them. They work well in the dark and on dull days, but when bright sunlight is shining into the light, perhaps on a sunny morning or afternoon, the change in brightness when the brake lights come on is minimal. I have been caught out a couple of times, finding it took a little longer to realise that the brake lights were on. I hope the fashion for these 'cut-glass' lights passes, along with the 'ray-gun' ones.
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I read a letter in one of the motoring magazines from a HGV driver warning MKV Golf owners to make sure they didn't brake and indicate at the same time. A car in lane 1 front of him had done exactly that when he was in lane 2 and he had no idea it was going to pull out as the brake lights had obscured the indicators.
Worrying as I have a MKV Golf but then again you should be indicating well before maneuvering anyway.
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Indicators were removed from BMW's years ago.
I have seen the Golf lights, I dont seem to have an issue with them I can still see the indicator inside the brake light. The flashers in the mirrors cant be seen from the rear except at night.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The New Mondeo lights follow the Lexus trend for clear lenses filed with chrome etc, a touch OTT.
The new Passat et al LED indicators have too short a flash duration IMO, also the Golf Plus from a distance with the lights off looks like it could be coming towards you, looks like four round headlights from the rear.
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looks like it could be coming towards you
www.specsavers.com
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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It could well be that where the tail lights consist of LEDs, that the indicator LED does not 'on' long enough to allow the 'signal' to be received by someone following behind.
With normal bulbs, the light is still 'on' with a 'glowdown' period even after the relay has switched to off. LEDs do not do this.
Perhaps they need to emit light for longer.
I too have difficulty distinguishing VAG tial lights.
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I too have difficulty distinguishing VAG tial lights.
Me too, and I'm only young, so it's obviously not due to cataracts forming within the eyes of more senior BR members. When a Golf infront of me is breaking and then begins indicating, it's very difficult to see the indicator until the brake lights go out. I'd much rather front indicators on the outside of the headlemp rather than the inside, it's more difficult on a roundabout to see the intentions of a Mk5 Golf than my old-fashioned Almera, especially when the headlights are on, and the indicator is a tiny flicker of orange light buried in the middle of the headlamp unit. I'd rather the old Japanese positioning under the headlamps on the bumper (think Nissan Bluebird) - at least they're clearly distinguishable from the headlamp.
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I agree Mk5 Golf rear lights are bad.
Also IMO the current Astra cloudy rear indicators are sometimes difficult to see flashing, eg. with bright sunlight on them. But then lots of modern cars indicators are bad in bright sunlight. In bright sunlight on motorways I often indicate for longer tham normal before pulling out as I know someone might struggle to see the signal, even though I think my car has pretty good bright orange flashers.
Indicators within headlamp units are stupid, at night you sometimes have to strain your eyes and get dazzled by the headlamps, when trying to see if an oncoming car is indicating or not.
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Passat rear indicators are invisible when the sun is shining on the rear of the vehicle whether the brake lights are on or not.
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There was a period, late sixties or early seventies, when the indicators on some American cars had three or more bulbs in them that lit up in a sort of leisurely sequence in the direction of the indicated turn... pointlessly elaborate and expensive but not without a sort of lumbering charm.
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I like the london bus idea
It had a two headed orange arrow on the back offside. The right head lit when turning right and the left when turning left. Bit confusing tho being on the r/h side with a l/h arrow head lit.
So they blanked off the l/h head on the r/h arrow and put an identical unit on the l/h side with a blanked off r/h arrow head.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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So they blanked off the l/h head on the r/h arrow and put an identical unit on the l/h side with a blanked off r/h arrow head.
or was it they blanked off the r/h head on the l/h arrow and put an identical
>>unit on the r/h side with a blanked off l/h arrow head
confused? i was ;-(
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Its easy BB
On the R/H side was a double headed arrow with L/H head blanked off so it could only blink r/h arrow head
On the l/H side was a double headed arrow with the R/H head blanked off so it could only blink l/h arrow head.
The confusing part was it looked like a double headed arrow with a head blanked off. It was done because some light bled from (say) the r/h arrow, when the r/h arrow head was being lit, into the L/H head of the right hand arrow, giving you what looked like a double headed arrow being lit on the r/h side. That is the l/h head of the R/H arrow looked like it was on even tho only the R/H head of the R/H arrow was required.
there - all clear now?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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