Bulbs and headlights general and legal

[NewcastleFalcon]

The Germans have probably gone one step beyond that.



Neil

[mickthemaverick]

A bit of an archives dig up, this provoked a little bit of a rant from our Mick! who didn't think much of the exciting new headlight tech coming to AUDI's back in 2020 when it was announced...

Neil

Indeed Neil, I'm glad to see that my opinion hasn't changed!! In case anyone has run out of growing grass to watch you can see the rant Neil is referring to here!!

[myglaren]

The whole thing is getting way beyond silly. Just watched the Big Clive clip. All so unnecessary.
I did have a brief contemplation of improving my headlights but the Xenon and LED options are so damned annoying to others (and me of course, when faced with them) that I abandoned that thought.

[Gibbo2286]

The bulbs story reminded me of these, I had a rep with a company car an early Vauxhall Chevette (or maybe a late Viva) back in the seventies, he had a headlamp bulb pop so I bought it a pack of ten thinking they would be the future, only used that one, about a year later the Lucas rep asked if I had any left because they couldn't get them and he bought four of them back off me, I've used some as handlamp bulbs over the years but there's still three on my shelf in now very tatty boxes.

[bobins]

Your Mazda lamps reminds me about something with my Mazda truck, Gibbo. I seem to remember in the paperwork somewhere that they offered a free lifetime guarantee on the lamps fitted to it - if any blew, then just pop in for a free replacement. What's the betting that's been discontinued at some point ?

[Gibbo2286]

I liked those Mazda trucks, I bought one in auction with 260,000 miles on the clock, the other traders thought I was nuts but I sold it at a decent profit the next day and the buyer, a farmer, is still running it ten years on.

[CitroJim]

I've only just found this thread... Very interesting

Very much agreed that lights have now become silly and I'm relieved somewhat my Picasso still has conventional bulbs except in her DRLs after reading the 'fun' these new LED lights can cause.

DRLs are a solution to a problem that never was... Back in the 80s there was dim-dip. An excellent innovation that seemed to die without trace. My AX has it and it still works... The first car I had with it was an MG Metro.

I've had difficulty driving against HID headlights ever since they appeared and consider them excessively bright and glaring to a dangerous extent. Yet another solution to a problem that never existed. A good pair of 55W Quartz Halogen bulbs in well designed housings are perfectly adequate for all normal road driving situations. If they are considered inadequate then either you're driving a Citroen XM/early Xantia, have an eyesight problem or the conditions are not fit to be out driving in anyway...

Happily, I've found a work-around to the problem of driving against an array of excessive headlights in the form of a pair of glasses incorporating Hoya Enroute lenses..

https://www.hoyavision.com/uk/vision-pr ... s/enroute/

They have a blue filter and a light yellow tint. They make bright blue HIDs look pale yellow but hardly change the apparent colour of a normal Quartz Halogen headlight... They also reduce glare to negligible proportions.

Mine are varifocal to cope with my particular prescription and have been a true game-changer... Not cheap but worth every penny.

Also good as sunglasses!

Also to note, as one gets older, one's night vision deteriorates significantly so whilst your eyesight might be reasonable in daylight, it may be rubbish in the dark. Get your eyes checked regularly and if needed, get some proscription driving glasses optimised for night driving.

[myglaren]

I just got two pair of glasses. Now have been discovered to be diabetic and called in for 'hospital' eye and foot tests
This is the 'blurred vision eyedrops' thing and so can't drive afterwards. Can't use taxis (air fresheners) or busses (all on strike).
Fortunately they have opened a clinic a ten minute walk away. Ten minutes for most people, half an hour for me.
Biggest problem with that is having to phone for an appointment. Could be a year or two.

Back to the silly lights, well not that actually but the silly overblown cars loaded with expensive s**t that no sensible person needs.
All in a remarkably ugly package.



The girl is apparently a drifter and builds her own drift cars.

[RichardW]

Holy S88t that's fugly!!!!

[CitroJim]

Holy S88t that's fugly!!!!

Agreed I fear we may be seeing the future there

Steve, sorry to hear of the diabetes diagnosis

[myglaren]

Would never have known if I hadn't changed doctors.

Another one:-

[CitroJim]

This is a model of perfection of ease of access to headlamp, indicator and sidelight bulbs on my C3 Picasso The other side is just as easy...

Then they go and spoil it all by making the fog lamp bulbs a right PITA of a job - by the looks of it...

[mickthemaverick]

My last 4 or 5 daily drivers have all had front fog lights but I've never needed to switch them on so it wouldn't bother me if they did blow!!

[CitroJim]

My last 4 or 5 daily drivers have all had front fog lights but I've never needed to switch them on so it wouldn't bother me if they did blow!!

Same here... Ornaments mostly, and as they do not form part of the MoT, there's no panic if one does fail..

It intrigues me why a large proportion of today's drivers have them on all the time? I find they contribute little to forward vision unless you are counting blades of grass on the verge. Is it just for show?

When Polly's nearside dip beam blew I popped on the fogs but it really was a pointless exercise... Having said that, the verge and about two feet ahead was brilliantly illuminated...

Only in real thick fog are they of some benefit. As for rear fogs really...

[mickthemaverick]

I daresay a lot of people have them on without even knowing it, together with the BMW/Audi drivers who have specified the 'irritate everyone' pack when they bought the cars!! (that's the pack without the indicators or dip beam available!!)