Parking Lights - a real pain in the arse

[retro80sboy]

The amount of time I indicate to park up and leave the stork up meaning the light stays on which I forget about!

 

Anyone get annoyed by this?

[fiatdaft]

The spread or the bird?

[retro80sboy]

The spread or the bird?

 

 

[lovejoy]

try butter - it's better, and it's lighter.....

don't forget, spread the news

[dieselnutjob]

my old passat had this and I always thought that the logic was wrong

 

to pull up on the left of the road you would indicate left, but then when you turn engine and light off the left side lights would come on which are nearest the curb. What you want is the right side lights to illuminate as that's the side of the car sticking more into the road.

 

I cut swapped and rejoined the wires on mine in the end to correct the logic.

[Lacy]

It's not as annoying as my dad used to find it.....I remember him having to go out in the cold and wet to make sure he had stuck the little parking light on his drivers side window. I remember the joy when he bought a box with a light sensor on it that would automatically swith the parking light on as soon as dusk fell...that was just before the legislation changed meaning he didn't have to display a parking light any more......so stop complaining you wuss

[Negative Creep]

Does anyone else think the separate marker lights (most old Jap cars) look far nicer?

[HillmanImp]

I used to see these on VWs when I was a kid. When I got my Scirocco I suddenly found out how they worked but as DNJ said I only really noticed them when I got back to the car and realised I had left the indicator on and it was pointing nearside. Not sure if the Audi has any? Its not here at the mo, will need to check.

[Volksy]

When I got my Scirocco I suddenly found out how they worked but as DNJ said I only really noticed them when I got back to the car and realised I had left the indicator on and the battery was flat

 

EFA

[Andrew353w]

This parking light thing seems to be a requirement for ALL German vehicles (both east and west!) My Wartburgs have all had this facility, using the indicator switch to put the side lights on. It only puts them on when the ignition key is removed AND the steering lock is on (Wartburgs allow you to remove the key without putting the steering lock on.) Moskvich saloon cars had one of these white & red lights on the "C" pillar, controlled from a lever under the dash.

 

I honestly cannot remember the rules and regulations for parking one's car at night these days. I remember years ago something about parking at night half an hour after sunset facing the direction of traffic and having those little white & red lights you clipped over the window & then plugged it in under the dash before winding the window up. Does anyone know these rules or have all these rules been abolished? Maybe that's why old cars had bigger batteries, to power these parking lights all night...

[wackywacerwill]

Stork for cakes and butter for everything else.

[Lankytim]

I used to see these on VWs when I was a kid. When I got my Scirocco I suddenly found out how they worked but as DNJ said I only really noticed them when I got back to the car and realised I had left the indicator on and it was pointing nearside. Not sure if the Audi has any? Its not here at the mo, will need to check.

 

 

Yes it does! Very annoying until you get used to it.

[MrDuke]

My Mk3 Cav had the same thing, with the stalks. Never really bothered me tbh, especially as I rarely indicated for any reason, at all

[e287yba]

The last time I paid attention, one wasn't meant to park facing oncoming traffic during the hours of darkness (nor within 10m of a junction anytime), and there's no need for 'illumination' in a 30mph limit during the hours of darkness. In a speed limit of 40mph plus, one must have 'illumination' and not be facing oncoming traffic - a pub I used to frequent in Rawtenstall had warning signs about this, being on a 40mph road in the town.

 

Not had to consider this since, ooh, about 1995, so I might be living in the past .

 

Back in the '60s, I believe (it's before my time),there was a need for illumination during the hours of darkness in 30mph areas as well - people clipped a "special" 5w light unit with a lens that was half-white and half-red; mounted with the white bit facing forward on the offside of the car, the job was a good 'un.

 

But if there is a need for 'illumination', the Vauxhall/VW/German 'thing' with the indicator stalk as posted above will do just fine . Otherwise it's sidelights, I guess... Or it's potentially (but unlikely) a non-endorsable penalty ticket from les gendarmes, from memory.

 

 

Usual rider - if I'm wrong, please correct me etc .

[DSdriver]

A couple of brain cells have just woken up and suggested that at one time you had to have parking lights if you were parked on a bus route. They could be wrong though.

[martc]

I understand the need to use parking lights was dropped when vehicles were required to have rear reflectors and reflecting number plates fitted (1971?). The fitting of rear reflectors/plates to replace the lights was the reason why the need to park in the direction of traffic flow is a legal requirement.

 

Back in the 80's an over zealous PC nicked everyone (at approx 6am - still dark) down our street who was parking in the wrong direction.

[Pillock]

Surely they're meant to be left on all night, so they shouldn't run the battery down. If having a couple of 5W lights on for 12 hours flattens your battery it's probably time for a new one!

 

Most older Vauxhalls and VWs seem to have had them operated from the indicator stalk - I've not really thought about it but yeah, they're the wrong way around really. I suppose it's because you were never meant to park against the flow of traffic so you'd always use the same parking lamp.

 

My Mondeo had the facility to leave both left and right head/tail lamps on by turning the headlamp switch the wrong way. I used to clout it with my knee, the problem being that when it's in this position it won't sound the "lights on" chime, nor will it illuminate the dash clocks, so you only notice if you glance back at the car lovingly as you walk away. As it was a Mondeo, the chances of this happening were slim. It was more irritating that I'd get in from work, settle down in front of the telly with a beer in my boxers (I'm in my boxers, not the beer - that would be grim) and then some helpful neighbour would knock on the door to tell me my lights were on.

[Guest]

I was a kid in sixties and can't remember anyone faffing around with 'parking lights' although most people had one in the car or garage , maybe they were for unlit roads ? or all my family were wild rebels