The grumpy thread

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Incredibly, i agree with junkman, when i'm driving the mondeo (auto) i'm going to hold it on the brakes at a traffic light. Chew it!

[beko1987]

I hold the XM on the footbrake in N as the handbrake is a pile of french cheese shite apparently, and a faff to use.

 

However I have nice dim brake lights, one of which is out I think (but there's 2 on either side, so not illegal)

 

Talking of foglights, a Corsa B passed me this morning on the M40, rear fogs blazing away so much that when he braked like a twat to then dive into the outer lane to overtake someone at 2mph faster you couldnt make out the brake lights much...

 

I've never actually used foglights. Apart from seeing if they work, I find they make it worse in fog, as the light bounces back from the fog, so I'm driving into a white wall. Dipped beams only and I find I can peer through it. Until some modern tosser comes with his 3000w front fucking end and turns it back into a white wall of fuck.

[Wilko220]

 

Tossers sitting on the footbrake at traffic lights, junctions etc piss me off too.

Especially at night. Even more so if the car has blinding LED tail lights along with the third brake light.

 

You know you are doing it. That's why the entire interior of my car is bathed in red.

Don't be so fucking ignorant and show some common courtesy, you lazy bell ends.

 

I never do this if I have traffic behind me. Not even in my Escort with it's piss-poor tail lights and no third brake light.

Or when I do drive an auto, I put it in park.

 

It's not hard.

 

 

Since no-one else has, I'm going to agree with Mr Weigh.

At night, generally they get about 20 seconds grace before they experience my full beams in their rear view mirror in return.

[Station]

I always brake pedal it at traffic lights. I never get blinded by brake lights, and have never done it on purpose to blind the person behind me.

I think giving someone full beam because of it is a bit harsh, I was told to do that in my driving lesson (using the footbrake instead of the handbrake before moving away).

[Wilko220]

I always brake pedal it at traffic lights. I never get blinded by brake lights, and have never done it on purpose to blind the person behind me.

 

On reflection I have to admit, with older cars it's no big deal and doesn't bother me so much. But with the ridiculous LED laser light shows that some of these modern Audis, BMWs, Mercs, etc have on the back of them, it's like being at the options and having a pen torch shone in your eye.

I think anyone who drives a car with these extreme brake lights should be aware of it and have a bit of consideration for the poor bugger behind them!

[alf892]

I always brake pedal it at traffic lights. I never get blinded by brake lights, and have never done it on purpose to blind the person behind me.

I think giving someone full beam because of it is a bit harsh, I was told to do that in my driving lesson (using the footbrake instead of the handbrake before moving away).

+1. Don't see what the fuss is about ffs. Now............ rear fog lights at any time when there is a vehicle behind you are the behaviour of a twat.............all they serve to do is mask stop lights in condition when you most need to see them. I can only see the point if you were the only vehicle on a stretch of road and somebody may come up behind.

 

In reality you get queues of cars all with fogs blazing and dazzling each other and each driver twitchey on the brakes because it may be a been a stop lamp. No wonder people crash in fog.........it ain't lack of visibility that does it.

 

Then of course you get those (Audi/BMW/reps/anyone we hate) that bung the fogs on and drives like it is a summers day..........

[chaseracer]

And I know how to talk bollocks, give broken promises and not stand up for the people who are paying me to do my job of supporting them.

That's "the Party", not (most of) the unions... 

[chaseracer]

Any union types on here?

 

I'm sick of work's antics.

Jon, feel free to DM me.

[Station]

Jon, feel free to DM me.

 

 

???

[chaseracer]

"Direct Message"...

 

[ShiteRider]

I find most new "prestige cars" have these xenon/HID jobbies that are so bright i'll be driving down the road into the shadow of my own car.

[HillmanImp]

I am really lazy but keep meaning to write to VOSA about the lights on cars. I am constantly dazzled/flashed at by those bright (xenon?)  headlights everytime they hit the slightest bump in the road (Mercs for example), when several types of cars brake when approaching a turn you cant see their rear indicator as the lights surrounding it are too bright (Mito for example), the front indicators are in the middle of the car rather than on the corner so are less visable to pedestians (cant think of an example ......Pug 308?)

 

Its crazy. How can the manufacturers get away with this? They are meant to be making these cars safer but if they make these cars have 'trendy' lights rather than functional.

 

VW did do a good job on the rear lights on the Golf though which was one of the first culprits of the stupid light syndrome by moving the rear indicators to a more sensible place (although I wonder if their front indicators are in the moddle of the car now......I cant remember).

   

As far as Daylight Running Lights are concerned, I dont think they are a bad idea. As long as they are not too bright and are simply a good indicator that the car is being driven its fine. They provide a function, they can be used for 'style'* purposes but I think they do a job.

 

 

*they do look cheap

[alf892]

Trouble with DRLs is most don't put any rear lights on but they do light the dash...........so more people will drive without 'proper' lights using the little bit from the DRLs and thinking they have lights on cos the speedo is lit.

 

It has been proven on here that some mongs do hold licences so this will happen.

 

And anyway once every car has them we will be back to square one.

 

And anyone who can't see a car just cos it hasn't got DRLs should have their licence torn up

 

And soon Halfords will be marketing a range of retrofit LED shit and then stupid mongs will have then too

 

And I don't like them. So there

[cort16]

I get flashed all the time in my Merc because of I've got those bi-xenon things. Folk thing I've got it on main beam but I haven't.

[overrun]

And soon Halfords will be marketing a range of retrofit LED shit and then stupid mongs will have then too

Worry not, for Ring Automotive have Halfords well and truly stocked to the gills already!

 

How else do you think every Viper striped mk1 Scenic acquired those lovely* clearly factory fitted** 'ice blue' mong beacons?

 

"You'll never forget the first time you saw the new Renault Clio". Too true.

Those grille mounted DRL have to be the worst out there. Just the right height to blind the seeing fuck out of you.

[Spiny Norman]

To add my 2p-worth to the brake light debate, I do it in the Merc because these things have such stupid parking brake arrangements. On a normal car where setting the handbrake is a two fingered lift then I'll use it, but setting and releasing a parking brake on most Mercs, some big BMWs and (I believe) Citroen XMs is such a faff that I just CBA.

If I dazzle someone behind me, tough titty.

Being a kind, considerate motorist for the best part of 30 years has got me nowhere in terms of other road users being kind & considerate back, so fuck 'em.

 

Didn't people moan about headlamps being too bright when they started usimg these new fangled halogen jobbies back in the 70s?

[overrun]

I often drive my dads W220 and it also has the stupid parking brake arrangement.

I can still put it in park easily enough though.

 

Horses for courses. I am sure the people I don't annoy whilst queuing in traffic will find other reasons to dislike me.

 

Sometimes it's just for owning and old car. We all experience that laughable predujice.

[chaseracer]

It's always a giggle slotting a Mills-o-Matic into P while you wait in traffic, because you have to go through R. And that scares the living shit out of the bloke behind.

 

Twice.

[overrun]

It's always a giggle slotting a Mills-o-Matic into P while you wait in traffic, because you have to go through R. And that scares the living shit out of the bloke behind.Twice.

A P38 Range Rover once monster trucked it's way over my mates K11 bonnet after matey got that one a bit wrong.

 

I thought I was going to be crushed. At least we weren't blinded by brake lights though.

[beko1987]

I've caught R before a week or so after getting the XM, caught it just as it started to lurch back. Fucked off embarrasedly before matey behing could do anything! Hence N (1 up from D) and footbrake, or N and nothing if its a flat road.

[garbaldy]

Sometimes it's just for owning and old car. We all experience that laughable predujice.

By the amount of times certrain makes get slaged of on here, Some members on this very forum also has a seriouse problem with audi bmw merc and now pickups what's the difference.

[cort16]

Those Merc handbrakes are bollocks and 10 times worse when you've got a manual gearboxed car. It's still better than an electric handbrake though.

[Wilko220]

Those Merc handbrakes are bollocks and 10 times worse when you've got a manual gearboxed car. It's still better than an electric handbrake though.

It mystifies me that manufacturers persist with all this rubbish. Who ever said that an ordinary handbrake was a flawed or un-user friendly piece of equipment?

[chaseracer]

By the amount of times certrain makes get slaged of on here, Some members on this very forum also has a seriouse problem with audi bmw merc and now pickups what's the difference.

 

The forum 'hive mind' just has a very odd sense of humour, sometimes.  Dinnae fash yersel... 

[cort16]

Everyone one here hates one manufacturer or another so all bases are pretty much covered. Except vauxhalls, which we all agree are shit.

[garbaldy]

The forum 'hive mind' just has a very odd sense of humour, sometimes.  Dinnae fash yersel... 

 

 

hahaha fash never heard that for yonks

[Spiny Norman]

It's always a giggle slotting a Mills-o-Matic into P while you wait in traffic, because you have to go through R. And that scares the living shit out of the bloke behind.

 

Twice.

 

THIS.

 

Which is why I don't use 'park' if I'm just stopping at the lights. I've had people toot and flash me when I used to do that years ago when I first got an auto and gave up on it as a bad idea.

I'm also a bit wary of having someone give the car a bump while the park mechanism is engaged, isn't it supposed to be really easy to damage the wee pawl that engages on the splines in the gearbox and bits can break off causing OMGGEARBOXKAOS!!?

 

As for the foot operated parking brake, I gather our transatlantic cousins prefer them so that's why BMW, Merc & Lexus fit them to their bigger cars. (Doesn't explain the XM though....)

It seems such a waste of money though, having to tool up for two completely different sets of mechanism for RHD & LHD markets when presumably the central handbrake between the seats is universal. I always used to think that about the old Volvo Amazon I had, which had the handbrake lever by the sill to the right of the driver's seat. Not only was it a PITA to use, it needed a different set of bits for the RHD market. Don't Porsche 924s have their handbrakes in the same place?

[garbaldy]

Everyone one here hates one manufacturer or another so all bases are pretty much covered. Except vauxhalls, which we all agree are shit.

 

yes but its all the time constant name calling aimed at one make or another, it just gets a bit irritating.

 

as a car nut I can safely say there are no makes of car I hate,

there are to many cars in this world and I have only driven a small percentage of them. 

[oman5]

I LIKE vauxhalls. at least they tried to inject a bit of excitement to the range with the monaro and vxr8. to my mind the astra is also quite an adventurous design, looks as if it WAS actually designed rather than a set of requirements simply fed into a computer.

[dollywobbler]

Not unless you have weak-ass tail light bulbs and no third brake light.

Otherwise, slip that sucker into P. Or N, your call.

 

Problem is, the gearboxes don't like it when you do that. I tried behaving that way with the Merc, but it just shunted about and sounded pissed off. The handbook actually states that you should use the footbrake to hold the car and leave it in D. And yes, the handbrake is a joke. Impossible to release smoothly (though I never tried the trick someone told me of keeping your left foot on the pedal to try and release it smoothly).

 

It drove me mad, because I HATE people who keep their foot on the brake, blinding you as you bask in much wattage from their rear lights - especially some of those LED ones. I'm sure a modern Merc once gave me a sun tan. I was taught to use the handbrake if stopping for more than a couple of seconds, so this is what I do. I'll hold my foot on the pedal if I'm last car in the queue, just to alert approaching cars.