I'm not really sure if this is technical or discussion but here goes.
Over the last week or so I have noticed a large amount of cars with one of the headlights out.
Now my question is, the majority of these cars had the drivers side lamp out, but I would expect there to be a 50/50 split to drivers or passenger side.
I can't think of any reason why one side would blow more than the other, can you ??
Check on your drives home tonight beacause it might just be my imagination.
(Glass-Tech)
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I would have thought it's just a 'statistical anomaly' but can't really back that up with any solid data other than I can't think of any reason why that would be the case.
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One point which may weight the distribution of "one eyed" car light failures may be the ease of access to change the bulb, which isn't necessarily the same on both sides of the car. Mk2 punto 16v - changed the drivers side with no problem - passenger side required me to unscrew the fuse box + push it away from teh front of the car to gain enough clearance to take off the rear cover to the light assembly (not the suggested technique in the handbook, but without being a skeletal monkey with five wrist joints, I couldn't see another way).
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I too have noticed lots of cars with a headlamp out. Not one particular side though. When I first drove a car nearly thirty years ago the percieved wisdom was that you should never drive with only one headlight or you will be stopped by the police. These days you don't need lights MOT's or a licence.
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Had a frightening moment on the M3 last week. 7.5tonne Iveco Cargo with only one sidelight working and no headlamps. As luck would have it, the sidelight was on the passenger side.
It's 05:45, pitch black and raining. Traffic moving at about 15mph stop/start and this chump decides to change lane without signalling, failing to take into account the presence of my car in the way.
Eeeek!
Much horn blowing later and he aborted his attempt to turn my 156 into a 147.
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My usual reponse - not enough policing.
Make it a legal requirement to carry spare lamps in all vehicles and increase the penalty for lamps being out. Then of course, put more police on the streets doing something about it.
I'll look out for 'which side' as I haven't noticed it.
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Make it a legal requirement to carry spare lamps in all vehicles
As in France? The problem there is that you actually have to carry two of each spare in order to be safe. Gendarmes are not impressed by the argument that you did have your statutory spare but the one that was in use blew this morning so you replaced it.
As a result, if you only have one spare then its best to drive homw with the lamp out and NOT replace it with the spare. Then, if stopped you put on the "has it? really?" act and promptly change it.
Another example of the unintended consequences of laws (sic).
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No Dosh, I have to work on these blasted things (7.5t Iveco's). Replacing headlamp bulbs is an everyday event. The problem seems to be that the headlamps are mounted in the violently vibrating bumper. The original bulbs last Ok. but pattern replacements don't last two minutes. The problem with the pattern bulbs seems to have got worse over the last year or so, and now I use only Hella bulbs - at least they last as long as the originals. Oddly enough, the other bulbs mounted in the same headlamp enclosure seem to last forever.
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I reckon in my area , unbelievably, about 10% of vehicles have one or more light out . In some cases the problem is compunded by them having broken main lights but running with fogs on anyway.
For once I was a passenger on a regular 15-mile journey one evening last week between about 1700 and 1730 in Oxon and Bucks .By the time we reached our destination I counted 43 vehicles who in some respect were breaking the lighting regs .This included one twonk who had installed two very small lights on either side of the front plate.
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There is a bit more to this, possibly.
I was attempting to change a brake light bulb in my VW. Consulting the handbook I was told that due to the complexity of modern light systems, including the need for some under-bonnet dismantling (for a rear light?) I should take the car to the nearest main dealer.
Who will of course, suck through his teeth and book me in a week Tuesday.
Shouldn't be allowed.
To make a car that you can't change the bulbs in, I mean.
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I was attempting to change a brake light bulb in my VW. Consulting the handbook I was told that due to the complexity of modern light systems, including the need for some under-bonnet dismantling (for a rear light?) I should take the car to the nearest main dealer. Who will of course, suck through his teeth and book me in a week Tuesday.
You need to give your dealer a kick up the wotsit! Whenever I need a headlamp bulb changing I call my dealer and always get "pop in at 5 this evening". I've never been charged for the labour and have only been charged for the bulb once, out of about 4 occasions.
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Haven't noticed blown headlamps but have been aware of a suprising high number of stop light failures. Nowadays I dont bother to get out at traffic lights etc to advise the car in front of the fault. Perhaps lethargy reigns?
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Interesting....
Any time I would ever loose the nearside front lamp I would temporarily move the off side lamp to replace the nearside one. Always have this worry about a pedestrian thinking there is room to step onto the road mistaking me for a bike. Obviously get the lamp replaaced asap.
Does anyone think the H7 type lamps have a very short life, or are much less durable when compared with the older larger type lamps the name of which escapes me.
Leon
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"Make it a legal requirement to carry spare lamps in all vehicles
As in France?"
I thought that was the case and have advised others but according to both RAC and AA spare bulbs are only "recommended".
Incidentally, those boxes of spare bulbs (about 6 including H4 or H1 headlamp)for specific cars are very good value in French supermarkets - often only £2 or £3 and they seem to be decent quality (Phillips/Hella)
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I've had headlamp bulbs replaced on a Golf MkIV and a current Passat at ~ 2 year old. H4 and H7 bulbs respectively, so no difference on my small sample.
Watched a mechanic doing the first change of each , the owners handbook saying it is not possible to change them yourself.
Took 20 mins in the case of the Golf , ~ 10 mins of heaving and straining for the Passat. Very limited space at the rear of the headlamps.
The handbook does not even say what type or how many bulbs are fitted. I assume that there are four tail light bulbs in a Passat- unless the reflector gives a double image- is it therefore legal to drive with one failed?
My BMW motorcycle is so clever(expensive computer) that it replaces the function of a blown tail light bulb with the stop bulb in a dimmed mode. Do any cars do that?
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What concerns me most is that the owner of the offending vehicle quite often seems to see the solution as being raising the remaining working headlight to compensate (thereby causing dazzle to oncoming motorists) rather than replacing the blown bulb.
I suspect that in these cases the blown bulb is a long-standing fault that the driver has no intention of rectifying until the next MOT becomes due ~ or not at all if the vehicle is to be scrapped before it's next MOT.
--
L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Perhaps these one-eyed monsters are mostly Rover 75s? In the CSMA mag this month an owner has written in to say that replacing a bulb on one of these requires a dealer visit at £30 a go - and he should know because he's had to replace 4 so far! If this is true then it lends a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Rip-off Britain'!!
CG
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The Rover 75 only had one headlamp in the middle when originally designed! Hence its nickname Cyclops.
Perhaps the designers were using this as a styling key for continuity between models.
(Back to bathchair and the medicine).
pmh (was peter)
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Yes there are a lot of blown headlight bulbs driving around and there does appear to be more drivers side bulb out. One long shot would be that due to the fact that most vehicles only have one person in them i.e. the driver, the preload on the suspension is greater thus the transmission of shock .i.e. pot holes and particularly cats eyes and speed bumps rattle the filament more on that side of the car. Having said that my daughter came hole a couple of years ago in her 93 Polo and complained of a blown head light, I went out and turn the lights on and the other side flashed and went out. Both bulbs duff, identical bulbs, probably the originals. Regards Peter.
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"Yes there are a lot of blown headlight bulbs driving around
and there does appear to be more drivers side bulb out.
One long shot would be that due to the fact that
most vehicles only have one person in them i.e. the driver,
the preload on the suspension is greater..."
Or possibly that because the nearside lights up the side of the road/hedges/walls etc. it's more obvious than the driver's side therefore the average driver won't even notice until he/she sees a reflection or they continue to be flashed by oncoming cars.
Do most people still briefly flash cars with one bulb out?
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Don't understand that. Two years ago I replaced a Rover 75 outside headlamp bulb in the street. Took less than 10 mins even though I had to refer to the handbook.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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With all the electronic gizmos cars can have now, a little light on the dash that warns of a failed bulb seems little to ask. Perhaps it could start flashing after a couple of days. I know I can put up with the low fuel light in mine, but once it starts flashing it gets really irratating and I fill up ASAP.
Chris M
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Yep got one of those on my Volvo but a head light is rather obviuos. Peter
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With all the electronic gizmos cars can have now, a little light on the dash that warns of a failed bulb seems little to ask. Perhaps it could start flashing after a couple of days. I know I can put up with the low fuel light in mine, but once it starts flashing it gets really irratating and I fill up ASAP. Chris M
Number of things often said about the dreaded Vectra, but on my departed version the text dash display warned of failed lights, including brake lights.
But then again you can't help some folks.
Once noticed a colleague had a brake light out, and it was mentioned to him not by me as it happens. About 6 months later as a favour had to drive his car somewhere. Doing the POWER checks before setting out, yepp same light still out.
Visit to the local motor factors, 65p the poorer and 5 minutes spent all was hunky dory. Yet when I had the temerity to whinge at him about this, made to feel as though I was the odd one out.
Mind you same individual got a new Rover 75, and the only time the oil was checked being in the scheduled services. Used to try and avoid thinking about the tyre condition. That was the really scary bit.
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Number of things often said about the dreaded Vectra, but on my departed version the text dash display warned of failed lights, including brake lights.
Also good thing about the Vectra's rear lights is that each side has two lamps so not only does it tell you a lamp has blown but there is still one lamp working.
Cockle
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"7.5tonne"
Must be late mistook this for 7 stone !!!
anyway.
Yesterday I picked up the Office Cav to bring it home for a fettle. I noticed that the n/side dip was out. As this was being processed into my brain, I saw two cars approach me one headlamp out on opposite sides. I stopped i the first lay by I saw and gave the lamp a good wallop and it worked. By the time I got home it was off again - it was traced to a loose fitting. Next thing I read this thread - spooky.
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I have an on-going discussion with my wife whenever we happen to be in the car on a journey at the same time. Over the winter so far we are averaging about 15% of cars have a major lighting defect sufficient to fail the MOT (Oxfordshire) this includes missing bulbs, smashed lights, incorectly functioning lights. (This does not include another 10% who are using lights incorrectly but that is another story)
This morning I was following a red rover 25 and couldnt think what was wrong for the first 10 sec, then I realised...the brake (all three) lights and rear lights were reversed....under normal driving he was displaying the brake lights and when the driver brakes two additional lower intensity lights illuminated.
Ian L.
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Wouldn't it be funky if you could send a text or email message (at your safe convenience of course) anonymously to another driver by sending it to their numberplate?
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Why is it that if you replace a bulb, within a week another fails?
Last weekend I replaced the NS headlamp bulb on Mrs ND's Legume. er, Laguna after it plinked out of existence on Friday evening. Within 3 days one of the brake lights failed (replaced it herself) and this morning one of the indicators (also replaced by her lovliness).
What's going on?
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What's going on?
It's a French thing ;o)
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I did a count the other day when stuck in traffic.
8 blown bulbs out of 100 cars, the odd two or three on parking lights and three cyclists with no lights at all.
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