Subaru Outback - Duff headlights

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Sun 8 Dec 2013 15:59
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - hillman

Who else has noticed the number of cars with defective lighting ?

On Thursday last I joined the one-headlamp brigade, and a brigade it seems to be. I noticed on the way home that I couldn’t see the nearside verge as well as I usually could, and thought I’d got a problem on that side. When I joined the suburban roads with street lighting, and more traffic, then I was sure I had a problem. When I came to traffic lights I could see the reflection of only the offside headlight in the back of the car in front. When I arrived home I found that not only the nearside dipped beam but also the sidelight had failed too. That would explain the two or three drivers who flashed me with their main beams. One of the guys must have given me a salute because his dipped beam and sidelight were out too, but his were on the offside.

A sharp slap on the wing put right the sidelight, as it often does until the lamp is really nixed, but the dipped beam remained stubbornly off.

I always keep a spare set of bulbs for such occasions, such that I have a collection of bulbs from several previous cars, none of which are now suitable. On Saturday the rain had stopped, although I chilled out as I replaced the bulbs. Whoever designs cars nowadays should really spend time in the workshop and get the same sort of scratches that I have on my wrists from sharp edges of bodywork because it is a pain to reach the light fittings.

I went into town and when there looked in Halfords for spare bulbs. I generally buy from a main dealer because I have had bad experiences with bulbs from ‘shops’; they tend to have a very short life. The choice was very wide, ‘long life’, ‘bright’, ‘very bright’ ‘ultra bright’ super bright’, imitation HID etc. I had visions of an email from an irate Bobbin T.

The sidelight bulbs were easy to find, although I was amused by the description, ‘pothole resistant’. I wonder what the normal bulbs are.

When I have my car serviced in a couple of weeks I’ll buy extra bulbs and replace the other side. If one dipped beam lamp has gone the other can’t be too long following it.

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Sun 8 Dec 2013 16:44
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - gordonbennet

Just down the road from the Polish War memorial just off the A40 is, or was for years, a huge sign with a picture of a vehicle with one headlight out and the slogan Beware The One Eyed Monster...now tongue in cheek thoughts as to the possible alternative interpretations aside, i always thought it a good apt warning.

Dangerous when both headlight and sidelight go out the same side, would have thought an Outback would have a bulb out warning.

Couple things i've often thought.

Always prefered side lights (and indicators but for visibility reasons) when they were in separate lamps, if a headlight bulb explodes it can easily take the sidelight with it when they are together.

Secondly and so simple, why isn't there a stutaory requirement for a white reflector (as rear lights) somewhere in the headlamp assembly so in the event of complete failure the light scatter from an oncoming vehicle would reflect back, certainly enough for early warning on a country road.

Lost count of the number of motorcycles belting down unlit country roads i've met that turned out to be Transits (other badly driven vehicles are available).

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Sun 8 Dec 2013 17:23
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - gordonbennet

(Duplicate post)

Edited by Avant on 08/12/2013 at 19:03

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Mon 9 Dec 2013 11:57
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - hillman

Good one Gordon !

"Lost count of the number of motorcycles belting down unlit country roads i've met that turned out to be Transits (other badly driven vehicles are available)."

My father, a commercial driver in the 1920/30s, told me an early days tale of the motorcyclist who saw two distinct headlights, so far apart that the motorcyclist thought that it was two motorcycles travelling side by side. The guy thought that he would have a bit of fun and rode between them. Fatal mistake - it was a lorry, a big one for those days.

“Secondly and so simple, why isn't there a statutaory requirement for a white reflector (as rear lights) somewhere in the headlamp assembly so in the event of complete failure the light scatter from an oncoming vehicle would reflect back, certainly enough for early warning on a country road.”

In Zambia it was a legal requirement that cars are fitted with reflectors front and rear, white at the front, red at the rear. This was provided by reflective tape and was strictly observed. The MOT was performed by the Police and woe betide an owner whose reflectors were missing or dirty.

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Mon 9 Dec 2013 12:15
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - gordonbennet
In Zambia it was a legal requirement that cars are fitted with reflectors front and rear, white at the front, red at the rear. This was provided by reflective tape and was strictly observed. The MOT was performed by the Police and woe betide an owner whose reflectors were missing or dirty.

Thats triggered a memory, Volvo 144 Big Bumper, 244/5 740/5 (even 340's i think) had while reflective tape set into the front bumper (remember real bumpers) and rear reflective tape in the rear one.

So simple, cost pence and worked.

Hmm i might even source some reflective white tape and see what can be done as an experiment, hopefully tastefully..:-)

As for the unfortunate motorcyclist...and i've seen motorcyclists go between overtaking lorries with barely a fag papers width to spare, lunacy.

On a lighter note, in a previous life i drove night trunk runs for United Carriers back in the 70's, back then at night there were very few night trunk lorry drivers and on your regular runs you got to know nearly all of them.

Couple of good lads from another company who i used to have breakfast with in the wee small hours at Watford Gap Southbound saw me from the M6 flyover as i passed under down the M1...so they crept up on this UC artic and one passed by on the hard shoulder (daft i know but no one said they were all saints) and other in the middle lane and gave an almighty blast on the horns alongside....only problem was it wasn't me!! they regaled this story when i next saw them...never did find out which poor UC driver had the shock of his life ..:-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 09/12/2013 at 12:29

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Mon 9 Dec 2013 13:47
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - RT

I take it you all remember the joke about a biker with a high-powered machine who decided to frighten the two bikers ahead riding side-by-side - too late he found out it was a truck!

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Mon 9 Dec 2013 14:36
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - Bromptonaut

I take it you all remember the joke about a biker with a high-powered machine who decided to frighten the two bikers ahead riding side-by-side - too late he found out it was a truck!

Even my memory's not so short I cannot remember hillman posting it earlier today ;-P

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Mon 9 Dec 2013 14:49
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - RT

I take it you all remember the joke about a biker with a high-powered machine who decided to frighten the two bikers ahead riding side-by-side - too late he found out it was a truck!

Even my memory's not so short I cannot remember hillman posting it earlier today ;-P

I must remember to read threads through from the top each time !!

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Mon 9 Dec 2013 16:17
Subaru Outback - Duff headlights - hillman

That triggered an idea. One of my young friends told me to check via Snopes if I wasn't sure whether a story was true or not, so I did.

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=motorcyclist+and+headlights&x=23&y=14&sp-a=00062d45-sp00000000&sp-advanced=1&sp-p=all&sp-w-control=1&sp-w=alike&sp-date-range=-1&sp-x=any&sp-c=100&sp-m=1&sp-s=0

I still assert that my Dad told me the story in the late 1950s when I started riding motorcycles. He wanted to warn me not to do anything showy or foolish

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