Is it just me or has there been an increase recently of these prunes?
I'm not on about the guy how has one headlight working but only a sidelight on the other, but those who seem to think its acceptable to drive with a headlight on one side but ziltch on the other... ie you think you are approaching a motorbike only to find that there's a whole car coming towards you!!
Madness!
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Good morning,
IMO, it's your perception. I note this kind of thing as the days get shorter, so morepeople will use lights earlier.
It is agaivst the law & v dangerous.
I recall from a few years, going to a wedding in Scotland, leaving home about 03-oohrs - it was a bit misty. I thought there was a cmotor bike coming my way driving p a realtively narrw raod with cars parked on both side. - but it was an old banger with the passenger side light working only.
I keep a spare set of blbs but ever had one go on me for 20/25 years.
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It annoys the dickens out of me too, totally irresponsible and probably a fair guide to the mentality of the driver.
Beats me how a headlamp blowing always seems to take out the side light beside it..yes that's me being sarky, the truth is the side light probably blew 6 months ago, but as we've heard here often enough side lights are no longer used and are positively criminal if used alone apparently, so the offenders would never know if they worked.
Pretty patterned DRL's maybe do have a use apart from making the car they are fitted to look silly.
It's handy though to have front fog lights for such occasions, at least then if you use them both sides of the vehicle are illuminated until you van change the bulb, and yes it is ridiculous that changing a headlight bulb should take more than 2 minutes, but whilst people are prepared to buy tat, they'll continue to make it.
Acidic mood thismorning..;)
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Not just headlights. There are numerous combinations of headlights, taillights,brake lights that many people drive around without. It appears they don't bother to check lights on regular basis, waiting for them to be pointed out on the next service or MOT. Is it they are too lazy or too tight to buy them until prompted.
Many cars have warning buzzers to alert the driver that a seatbelt has not been secured. Maybe we need a similar annoying noise in connection with a blown bulb, to make these herberts keep their lights lit.
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To be fair to the one-headlamp people, on many cars these days it's not a trivial job to change the bulb - even something as mundane as Ford Ka needs the inner wing liner removed first.
What do you do if you're out and about and don't have the kit, or are not dressed, to do it? Apparently the breakdown people won't change bulbs even though it renders the car unroadworthy.
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Not sure if this should be in the police stop thread, but I was once told to replace a faulty rear number plate bulb.
I commented to the officer that it was a fairly trivial matter, to which he made the reasonable reply that if a rear light blew, a working number plate light meant I had at least some illumination across the width of the car.
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"To be fair to the one-headlamp people, on many cars these days it's not a trivial job to change the bulb "
I agree. But I pulled up next to a driver who had no brake lights working. I told him the fact. He shrugged his shoulders and said, yeah, I know. Thats not fair to anyone, is it. An annoying buzzer might get these people into a garage rather smartish rather than driving months without one.
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even something as mundane as Ford Ka needs the inner wing liner removed first.
No it doesn't. The left side headlight bulb blew on my wife's Ford Ka when I was out in it one night. I stopped at a petrol station, removed the old bulb, discovered the spare was the wrong one, so bought a new one and fitted it.
It was, obviously, pouring with rain at the time and the only light source I had was my mobile phone. It took about 30 minutes of swearing and scuffed knuckles to complete the job. I guess a mechanic with a set of tools could probably have done it in 5 minutes or so.
I think the driver has a responsibility to other road users to make sure the lights are working. I have no sympathy for drivers that don't do this, especially not the driver of the brand new one eyed Lancia Ypsilon I saw yesterday. If you can't do the job yourself then call a breakdown company and pay the guy to do it.
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>>>> even something as mundane as Ford Ka needs the inner wing liner removed first.
>>No it doesn't.
Very early non-PAS KA's (the way they were designed) can be done without.
The lefthand side on later ones can be done without, just.
The PAS pipe is in the way on the RHS (on a 55 plate KA) and I find it impossible to do without removing the liner..
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Not just headlights. There are numerous combinations of headlights taillights brake lights that many people drive around without. It appears they don't bother to check lights on regular basis waiting for them to be pointed out on the next service or MOT.
The ones who annoy me a lot are the people with trailers (especially those cheap almost home-made things) where the lights are usually faulty. Such as - simply having no working lights at all, just one of those board hanging across the back with bulbs totally inoperative; or the great one where the driver indicates to turn a corner, and on the trailer the brake lights flash and the indicators light up permanently; or the one where the rear lights are illuminated and then go off when the brake pedal is pressed; or the one where the car indicates to turn a corner but the trailer has no working indicators so you almost run into the back of it....etc etc
Edited by Armstrong Sid on 13/09/2009 at 11:45
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...To be fair to the one-headlamp people...
It's not so easy to tell driving in semi-daylight under street lamps, and 'sidelights within headlights' can mask a blown headlight bulb to the less than fastidious motorist.
I try to check mine against the back of the garage door/another vehicle, but I rarely get out and walk around.
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Regarding trailer lights; if you find this a problem (most of us do) then assume it will happen and drive accordingly.
As usual we're getting the predictable excuses about two hours labour to change the bulb, didn't notice, didn't care (Sid is spot on with this one) yadah yadah yadah. It doesn't excuse the bulb being duff any more than a defective speedometer is a defence against speeding.
I've said this before, lorry drivers risk disciplinary action if they don't do daily checks which include oil, water and lights at the bare minimum. If those basics are drummed into students during training (as it was with me in the Army) they have a better chance of being ingrained habit. Sadly the cost of learning to drive precludes this, students want maximum time behind the wheel , but it's something worth thinking about if you're teaching someone to drive yourself. Especially the brake light check against a wall.
Finally it's sheer laziness on the part of the police for not pulling cars with duff lights. Funny how if my bike number plate looks half an inch too small they can see that and stop me though.
Edited by Harleyman on 13/09/2009 at 13:16
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> It appears they don't bother to check lights on regular basis waiting for them to be pointed out on the next service or MOT. Is it they are too lazy or too tight to buy them until prompted.
Nail, head, hit.
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Tip - when a headlight bulb pops, buy two. One of mine went in July, and I ended up driving on one for three weeks after an abortive attempt to change it - reachable but out of sight, I couldn't get the clip off. Fortunately, almost no night driving. Finally got it done, and went on holiday mid-August, to find the other one gone the night before, and changed that while on holiday.
Not too surprising I suppose given they'd had exactly the same time illuminated and number of on-ings and off-ings ;-)
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At great risk of being a bighead, I always change my car light bulbs in pairs. I recon if one goes, its pair on the other side would fail soon anyway.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 14/09/2009 at 01:16
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I recon if one goes, its pair on the other side would fail soon anyway.
Well now you know you were right ;-)
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Well, you'll never know for sure, will you?
};---)
On the other hand, I reckon I've replaced both my S60's right-hand tail lamp bulbs twice each, but both on the left are still the 2002 originals.
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but both on the left are still the 2002 originals.
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Must be well age blackened by now.
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If they are, I challenge you to spot it from outside.
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Cant see them from here, at least you know they all work, more than many know or care.
Edited by Old Navy on 13/09/2009 at 23:07
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at least you know they all work,
He gets to know that from the comfort of his Ovlov armchair..;)
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Alright for some, I have to check mine in the reflection on the car transporter behind me. :-)
EDIT - The stationary one!
Edited by Old Navy on 13/09/2009 at 23:14
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on many cars these days it's not a trivial job to change the bulb
Why can't we have a legislation to make the bulb changing simpler so that driver can change bulb himself?
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Checking the oil level and the tyre pressures is pretty simple already, and not many drivers do that.
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>> on many cars these days it's not a trivial job to change the bulb Why can't we have a legislation to make the bulb changing simpler so that driver can change bulb himself?
I agree. I used to change headlamp bulbs when I owned older cars but an '03 Megane had me stuck. I tried for two flaming hours to change the headlamp bulbs at the cost of a few quid each. In the rain on my back trying to poke my arm through a tiny 'access' panel and realising I needed a triple jointed arm.
Went to Halfords and asked them to do it under the 'we fit it' service. Two of their guys tried for 45 minutes and gave up. Didn't charge me though, which was good.
It was then down to the main agent, 1 hours labour charge to change a flipping headlamp blub.
Gah!
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The problem is that a lot of people only change broken bulbs if they have to (i.e. come MOT time). We really need to have a more French-like approach, once stopped you can only drive on with them working. Unable to change due to stupid car design, then you need a breakdown recovery truck!
I would also welcome an on the spot fine, and why not. Either you ignored a broken light and you deserve it. Or it just happened, then you are unlucky, but better be told and pay a fee to be told..
DinUK
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