Light shite

[Wilko220]

Load of bollocks article from the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16215106

 

Far from "saving lives", I would suggest that Xenon headlamps are a total menace, dazzling oncoming drivers and causing a serious danger. They should be banned in my opinion.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

tl;dr: new cars need more expensive stuff fitted as standard.

[sporty-shite]

Three kinds of lies........

[dollywobbler]

I can't see that there's much wrong with Halogens to be honest. I wouldnt' go quite as far as to suggest that normal bulbs are the best - I've got upgraded lamps on the 2CV for a reason - but I don't feel OMG UNSAIF when driving around in the Mini with its sealed beams.

 

Strikes me as a huge load of arse-gravy, just like the firms selling 'quick react' tail-lamps that light up 0.000003sec quicker than conventional tail-lamps. Think of the children that will save!

[HillmanImp]

Load of bollocks article from the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16215106

 

Far from "saving lives", I would suggest that Xenon headlamps are a total menace, dazzling oncoming drivers and causing a serious danger. They should be banned in my opinion.

 

+1. I hate them. I was reading that earlier and my blood was boiling.

 

I think it was Dollywobbler who said the other day that what compounds the problem is that our cars the seating positions are lower than the average car these days. Possibly true but they are dangerous. I can relate to this as I cant drive the GT6 at night at all (well when its on the road, its been off it for a year stuck in the garage but you get my point)

 

There is a schweedissh study i read which states that whilst they do not actually cause any more dazzle, the type of light they emit causes discomfort which causes the oncoming driver to react.

[dollywobbler]

I don't remember saying that, but it's certainly true of the Mini. Not of the 2CV, BX and Peugeot though as you sit quite high up in those. Which I like.

[alf892]

All those zenon ones do is blind others.

 

If it is all about safety it is time they repainted the worn out white lines and fixed cats eyes.........that way you would not need several million candle power thingies to see the feckin road.

[Father Ted]

 

I wear these.

I look a total spanner, but at least Im not dazzled by the Xenons.

[Andrew353w]

All those zenon ones do is blind others.

 

If it is all about safety it is time they repainted the worn out white lines and fixed cats eyes.........that way you would not need several million candle power thingies to see the feckin road.

 

Totally agree! There's only one solution; bring back French style "selective" yellow headlights!

[OwdChina]

Yup +1. I hate those effin bright feckers dazzling me, from infront and behind.

[John F]

Uh-oh, I can feel a rant coming on...

 

Yep, I hate those dazzling Xenon lights as well. My Calibra has the worst headlights ever fitted as standard to a car, but I'll still not fit Xenons to it.

 

And I think daytime running lights are little more than a fashion brain-fart. Anyone that only manages to notice a car coming towards them because it's decked out in fairy lights needs running over IMO.

 

And as for people that drive around with their fog lights on... WANKERS. Although this absurd fad seems to be wearing off a bit now, thankfully.

 

[HillmanImp]

And I think daytime running lights are little more than a fashion brain-fart. Anyone that only manages to notice a car coming towards them because it's decked out in fairy lights needs running over IMO.

 

I think these are a good idea. Over the years I have noticed that people seem to have trouble spotting certain coloured cars. When I have driven dark cars I have had many more instances of people pulling out infront of me out of junctions and on motorways etc. I think some pople just cant see some coloured cars, so if for instance I am in a dark green car I will have my lights on all the time. However if they cant see a 25ft port to starboard and 365ft bow to stern, white Audi limbering towards them then they should not be on the road so I dont always drive with the lights on in that.

 

And as for people that drive around with their fog lights on... WANKERS. Although this absurd fad seems to be wearing off a bit now, thankfully.

 

 

Apparently they are 'driving lights'. Dickheads. What are the other ones for then, baking a cake?

 

Re the driving glasses, I need to get some of them and maybe a Department S moustache?

[dollywobbler]

Daytime running lights are a tricky one. I don't mind gentle ones - after all, top Swedish shite was decked out with that sort of thing decades ago. Not very keen on the super-bling LEDs though, especially the retina-scorchers fitted to the Citroen DS3! Mind you, the instant blindness does at least save you from seeing the hideous shape of the things...

 

I tend to bung my headlights on as soon as it gets slightly gloomy these days (that's quite often in Wales) which I think was inspired by a summer in Scandinavia. It does make it easier to see cars - and helps identify the difference between a parked car and one that's moving at first glance. Especially as people seem very reluctant to put their lights on around here, even when its foggy!

 

What I find idiotic about DLRs is that they're at the front only. Do we not need to see the rear of cars then?

[OwdChina]

Department S..............Jason King..........now there's a blast from the past.

[dieselnutjob]

you know when people come up behind you and their headlights are clearly set too high because the roof lining of my car is illuminated, and well I'm dazzled by the rear view mirror.. I always wondered... Is there a way to mount a mirror on the back of my car in such a way that they get dazzled by their own lights?

 

I guess it would have to be slightly convex or something

[Shep Shepherd]

I have no real problems with xenon headlights or HIDs, but I really dislike LED daytime running lights and have serious issues with anyone who uses their front fog lights at night when there's 100% visibility; it's as if many drivers consider them to be 'look-at-me' or 'intimidation' lights

 

Pawnote: TV2 has front fog lights, but I have only had cause to use them a handful of times since I've owned the car.

[warren t claim]

 

I wear these.

I look a total spanner, but at least Im not dazzled by the Xenons.

 

Father Ted. Yesterday.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

My main problem with DRLs isn't retina melting intensity, it's that driving a tiny black car I'm going to become invisible when everyone's got them. As such I'm planning fitting some form of DRL as soon as I can find some that suit my car.

 

Just driving with the headlamps on isn't good enough because that makes my brake lights less visible during the day and ideally I'd rather go with a 'fit and forget' arrangement which just comes on with the ignition.

[RoadworkUK]

Ooh, goody. One of my favourite subjects.

 

HID lamps are fine, as long as the lenses are designed for them. There are cars where, if viewed off axis, you end up with broad spectrum of wierd colours and it looks like a police strobe in your peripheral vision. But those I can live with. What pisses me off more are the thousands of Corsas / Saxos / Anything driven by YOUTHS, where they've fitted £35 eBay kits, which typically glow with a stupidly bright bluish tinge "cos Iv got zennons, innit". They come in H4 format so you just swap 'em for your old halogen bulbs and leave the ballast unit hanging somewhere in the vicinity. Hey presto, instant "Xenon conversion". Exept it isn't, is it?

 

An additional issue I remembered the other day, when I was driving an E-Class, is that the headlamp flasher was absolutely useless. It's activated by a little flap that rises, temporarily "undipping" the beam to create a full-beam flash. Problem is it's so slow to react that it's impossible to signal meaningfully. I found myself flashing a guy to let him out of a side turning before I bore down on him too much, he was staring at me, I could see him. But he genuinely couldn't tell I was letting him out. The visual effect of the headlamp flasher is hard to distinguish from what dipped beam does when you go over a bump. I know that some cars have specific halogen beams Just for flashing with, but Merc don't. At least MB are gradually moving away from Xenon in favour of full LED headlamps.

 

The LED DRLs on Mercs are interesting, too. You'll note that cars thus equipped are no longer fitted with front fog lights. There's no foglight switch anywhere to be seen. I wonder if this is a tacit acknowledgement that DRLs are really "look at me" lights, or "vanity" lights? Interestingly, entry-level ones have both front fog-lamps and DRLs, exept both are traditional filament bulbs. As far as I can see there's nothing really different between the inner foglamp units and the outer DRL ones.

 

So, how do the police tell who's driving around with DRLs on, and who's driving around with front fogs on?

[warren t claim]

 

I wonder if this is a tacit acknowledgement that DRLs are really "look at me" lights, or "vanity" lights?

 

No. They're dickhead lights.

[Cavcraft]

Anyone with their front fogs on driving behind me gets treated to my rear fog coming on and me slowing down a lot on single carriage roads.

[warren t claim]

Anyone using unnecessary lighting doesn't get let out of side turnings by me.

[dieselnutjob]

 

I wonder if this is a tacit acknowledgement that DRLs are really "look at me" lights, or "vanity" lights?

 

No. They're dickhead lights.

 

Makes me a dickhead then. Saw my wife drive off one evening without switching her lights on. The 806 now has DRLs. Eventually I'll put them on the 607 as well.

 

Anyone with their front fogs on driving behind me gets treated to my rear fog coming on and me slowing down a lot on single carriage roads.

 

The 607 has fog lights and I hardly use them, but (unlike rear fogs) I can't see why they would dazzle any more than dipped beam. The bulb is the same power, they have a cut off beam just like dipped. What's the problem?

[Cavcraft]

The problem is stupidty. If people put fog lights on because it's raining then they're either thick or short sighted. In case it's the latter I put my rear ones on and slow down in case they can't see me.

[dieselnutjob]

if you did that to me I'd hit high beam

[Cavcraft]

And I'd hit the brakes no problem.

[dieselnutjob]

I had some twat put his rear fogs on because he didn't like the DRLs on the 806. They have a tiny 6W bulb in them!

Wasn't you was it ?

[Cavcraft]

My missus forgot to put her knickers on one night and got most of the way down the road. Now she has special high intensity VPLs, eventually I'll fit them to her bra as well.

[Mr Lobster]

My missus forgot to put her knickers on one night and got most of the way down the road. Now she has special high intensity VPLs, eventually I'll fit them to her bra as well.

 

[dieselnutjob]

had to google VPL to get the insult. very clever