Blown Bulbs

Martron · 07-01-2009 10:22pm #1

Maybe its because i am thinking of it that i notice it more but when driving to work tommorrow have a look at how many people have a full set of working lights on their car....

ok so missing a rear driving light not so bad if the other side is ok...... missing a head light and using full lights to compensate for your inability to see in the dark is disasterous and down right lazy...... but the thing that really bugs me is not having any working brake lights!!!!!

you may think this is a rare occurance... but no. i have seen it twice in the last week.

i am a firm believer in the 2 second rule and all that but its hard to know when the car in front of you is braking until you are right up there ass.

so please check your dam lights!!

Berty · 07-01-2009 10:30pm

Multiple threads on this matter.

I did notice on the way up and down to Dublin/Dundalk this week that more people around the North East have working headlights. As I left the airport and came back down Mid West I noticed more and more people with faulty lights and/or misalinged lights.

When I was in Paris this week I noticed I would say 2 cars with faulty bulbs and they were ****box's.

Martron · 07-01-2009 10:32pm

its the brake lights that really bugs me they should be as important as seatbelts!!!!

Mycroft H · 07-01-2009 10:59pm

Offally people have a terrible habit of driving with only one headlight - they look like a motorbike in the distance and it is just utterly stupid and lazy and downright dangerous.
Saw a gard today waving on car with one headlight on today, thats bloody lazy too.....

Or people with fogs on when there is clearly no fog whatsoever

Berty · 07-01-2009 11:00pm

Stop Stop, dont go any further with this conversation.

"Wont someone think of the children?"

Martron · 07-01-2009 11:02pm

yeah single headlights is dangerous especially on the narrow roads in offaly!!!!! had near miss going from rhode to edenderry one day. thats another story.

Mycroft H · 07-01-2009 11:14pm

Martron wrote: »

yeah single headlights is dangerous especially on the narrow roads in offaly!!!!! had near miss going from rhode to edenderry one day. thats another story.

Thats a bloody bad road imo

Martron · 07-01-2009 11:28pm

oh yeah full on rally stage. great drive if you know there is nothing coming and you are not actually driving your own car

cashmni1 · 07-01-2009 11:35pm

I find this very annoying too,(as well as dangerous) I also think the car looks uncared for and cannot stand my own car with lights out.

Lobster · 07-01-2009 11:39pm

landyman wrote: »

Offally people have a terrible habit of driving with only one headlight - they look like a motorbike in the distance and it is just utterly stupid and lazy and downright dangerous.
Saw a gard today waving on car with one headlight on today, thats bloody lazy too.....

Or people with fogs on when there is clearly no fog whatsoever

People who drive with fogs on are just plain ignorant.

peasant · 07-01-2009 11:46pm

*cough* charter *cough*

Martron · 08-01-2009 12:06am

my gripe was brake lights not fogs

charter read.... no more mention of fogs

Mycroft H · 08-01-2009 12:10am

Sorry didnt realise there wasnt ment to be any posts on people with fogs left on

Lobster · 08-01-2009 12:16am

landyman wrote: »

Sorry didnt realise there wasnt ment to be any posts on people with fogs left on

Same here:o

Seth Brundle · 08-01-2009 12:41am

They tend to end up with fighting and bannings and stuff!

bazz26 · 08-01-2009 1:55am

Don't mention the "f" word for the love of God.

congo_90 · 08-01-2009 4:31am

I hate the cars who's brake lights are constantly on. Saw this mostly on german cars and bugs thi sh1t outta me!

I can see foglights going to creep in here pretty soon..

Anyways yea thats my 2 cents..

craichoe · 08-01-2009 7:52am

It only takes 5 minutes and its pretty annoying !

Steps include,

Stop in garage
Take out blown bulb
Lock car
Go into garage
Get replacement bulb
Walk outside
Unlock car
Replace bulb
Check its working
Get into car if all is well and drive off .. seriously.. its less work than checking the tyre pressures !!

Although there are some cars that you cant change the bulbs without going to a garage, which i understand would be annoying !

Latest Polo is one of them i believe.

Martron · 08-01-2009 10:11am

yeah i had a 06 ford focus. i had to literally remove the battery to get near the headlights. i suppose with the right tools you could do it easily enough but i suppose its a ridiculous amount chargerd to change a bulb.

back lights and usually easier to change . the gf has 02 golf. you need pretty nimble fingers to change the rear lights on that ...... which i may add are always blowing.

Why dont they make it more accessible?
is it a scam to get you to return to the garage?

Cionád · 14-01-2009 12:39pm

My bulb blew up at the weekend - Literally burned a hole in the connection and all.

Anyway does anyone know where I can get a headlight socket for a H4 bulb? I've tried the local motor factors but no joy. Prefer not to head to the scrapyard...

Like this:
31TQB1Y68XL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

NewApproach · 14-01-2009 2:12pm

I knew it was bad but on my way up to galway from ennis (around 50 miles) on Sunday evening I must have seen at least 20 cars with blown headlight bulbs.

This is just so dangerous that if I was a Guard, they would be doing well to be allowed to continue the journey if I stoped them.

Nevermind speeding, I am convinced that this trend of people (esp in older cars) not bothering to change blown bulbs straight away is one of the most dangerous aspects of driving in this country.

doggone · 14-01-2009 2:58pm

Lights or no lights the 2 second rule at any speed is an opportunity seized by the many lunatics to pull out into the lane your trying to drive safely in. Then i want to get a small handled lump hammer and smash all their lights:eek:

mcwhirter · 14-01-2009 5:13pm

NewApproach wrote: »

I knew it was bad but on my way up to galway from ennis (around 50 miles) on Sunday evening I must have seen at least 20 cars with blown headlight bulbs.

This is just so dangerous that if I was a Guard, they would be doing well to be allowed to continue the journey if I stoped them.

Nevermind speeding, I am convinced that this trend of people (esp in older cars) not bothering to change blown bulbs straight away is one of the most dangerous aspects of driving in this country.

Passed a gardai car today and one of the headlights was aiming up to the moon, so don't worry, they ain't going to stop you.
What example are they teaching us, ermm to not give a bollock about blinding anyone...

Berty · 14-01-2009 5:18pm

To be fair to the Garda and Gardai in general. You will have many people driving that same car(and hearing todays news - none of them are licensed to do so) so if a bulb goes then they go to said Sergeant who writes them a PO for a new bulb which they go and get and the other Garda arrives later that evening for his/her shift and drives away after some numpty put the bulb in arse ways.

Also the fact that they drive nearly 24 hours a day with their headlight on and they are only standard halogens they are more prone to blowing because of their high usage.

You never know they could have been on their way to get them fixed. Thats what people tell the Gardai so...........................

A-Trak · 14-01-2009 6:22pm

craichoe wrote: »

It only takes 5 minutes and its pretty annoying !

Steps include,

Stop in garage
Take out blown bulb
Lock car
Go into garage
Get replacement bulb
Walk outside
Unlock car
Replace bulb
Check its working
Get into car if all is well and drive off .. seriously.. its less work than checking the tyre pressures !!

Although there are some cars that you cant change the bulbs without going to a garage, which i understand would be annoying !

Latest Polo is one of them i believe.

Thanks to my 2.5 hour attempt at changing a headlight bulb on my 156 last week,I have no skin on my fingers anymore.
Nightmare, and I still haven't sucessfully changed it.

NewApproach · 17-01-2009 9:03pm

Similar job with me when i was trying to change the lights on my 147. Absolute nightmare it was!

HJL · 17-01-2009 9:16pm

I think the time of year has a lot to do with changing bulbs.

I personally have a dip light out since Thurs, have the bulb got but the weather is so wet/cold/dark that its not feasible to stand outside messing about with the car.

I also have changed the car so am not familiar with how easy or hard it is to get at the bulbs, and i dont plan to study it in the dark after work!
Had planned to do it today but the gales and heavy showers put my plans back again!

Trampas · 17-01-2009 11:00pm

I can understand a rear light going for a couple of days cause you might check once a week but front lights no excuse but car manufactures must be looking for people to change their bulbs in garages cause my car the highlights on the passages side must want a childs hand cause of the battery.

I hate is the breakers then indicator to turn.

This fuxkers must be looking to get rear ended

NewApproach · 18-01-2009 1:05am

Sorry stupid question probably, but are dipped and full beam bulbs interchangeable?

Cionád · 18-01-2009 2:11am

NewApproach wrote: »

Sorry stupid question probably, but are dipped and full beam bulbs interchangeable?

They are the same bulb.

Alun · 18-01-2009 10:54am

Cionád wrote: »

They are the same bulb.

No they're not, at least not always. Many cars use H1 for one, and H7 for the other.

Berty · 18-01-2009 11:25am

And some cars use a dual bulb which has the filament of the Dipped and main beam built in one bulb.

Rather like the Bi-xenon units out there.

Enda Caldwell · 18-01-2009 11:33am

Here on mainland Europe if you have a blown bulb you WILL be stopped by the Police. Furthermore you will be fined for it. Legally here you HAVE to have a fully roadworthy car on the roads at all times.

As for Foglights? That is over €100 of a fine here in Luxembourg if you have them on even at night when it is not foggy. They are very strict about this. And you must have your insurance documents and registration papers on you and your drivers licence at all times. There are fines for failure to present these documents too and if you don't have all the documents then book a taxi or get the bus home because they will immediately impound the car which costs a couple of hundred to release.

Everythime I go home to Ireland I see blown bulbs so frequently in ever 3 or 4th car on the roads and quite often it appears that the driver has not checked their vehicle..

Alun · 18-01-2009 11:43am

Enda Caldwell wrote: »

Everythime I go home to Ireland I see blown bulbs so frequently in ever 3 or 4th car on the roads and quite often it appears that the driver has not checked their vehicle..

Yeah, I spent over 20 years on the continent before coming here, and the blown bulb thing was one of the very first things that struck me when I arrived. You wouldn't last 5 minutes in Germany with faulty lighting like that on your car.

Cionád · 18-01-2009 1:14pm

Alun wrote: »

No they're not, at least not always. Many cars use H1 for one, and H7 for the other.

Apologies, mine are the one bulb, H4.

Martron · 18-01-2009 1:40pm

yeah it anoys me really about blown bulbs as it is a safety issue.... the traffic corps need to do more than breathalise people and check tax.

i saw a person reversing down the slip road at the n2 the other day..... garda car drove staright past the car did nothing!!!

its the same in america with blown bulbs. i was warned when i rented a car in san diego that if the state troopers get you with blown lights they will go poatal on you.... not sure about the policing over there but i think ythe troopers are a bit tougher than the cops!

Berty · 18-01-2009 1:51pm

Somebody needs to die before any legislation is changed.

HJL · 18-01-2009 6:03pm

Isnt it a legal requirement in parts of mainland europe to carry a spare bulb set? I remember that years ago when our family went to France on holidays and we had to get one.

On that actually Lidl have a set this Thurs:
http://www.lidl.ie/IE/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20090122.p.Car_Light_Bulb_Set

Also a First Aid Kit the same day:
http://www.lidl.ie/IE/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20090122.p.Car_First_Aid_Kit

I plan to get both so next time a bulb goes on me in the middle of a journey, i can pull in, change the bulb, then bandage my hand up that will no doubt be all cuts from reaching in to get it!

Berty · 18-01-2009 6:39pm

Nothing to see here. Just noticed lidl have 3 different types of those kits. I thought they only had one which would have been silly.

Like me.

Blown Bulbs

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