Check your lights and bulbs

biko

With the mornings and evenings getting darker I see more and more people turning the headlights on which is great but this highlights *pun* the issue of broken bulbs, one-eyed cars and bad alignment so when you get to the car this evening, take a quick look at the headlights, indicators and rear lights and check that they are all working. Instructions on what bulbs you need and how to fit them is usually easily found online.

You can try headlight alignment yourself (again, instructions on google) or get it done professionally for 20-30 euro locally.

Zubeneschamali

If you're bored on the motorway, see how many cars you can count before you get to one that is missing a front or rear bulb.

I seldom get to 10.

ABajaninCork

Funny you should say that. My husband checked our bulbs yesterday. All are working OK.

I'd also say to check the oil/water/screen wash on a regular basis too now that the weather's changing.

Supergurrier

Is scary how many cars you see on the way home from work now with black eyes etc and missing rear lights.

Was behind a car with a missing rear light last night on the headford road and i only noticed as i overtook it that it was an almost new volvo s40

Also so many noddys blasting the full headlights on backroads, had some idiot drive right up to me with the fulls on and i tapped the fulls for half a second to say "hey buddy i can't see" and he dips and then gives me a good 5 second blast right as he passed me, le sigh.

Drive safe out there, i find myself driving defensively on the way home and thats unusual for me :pac:

renofan

I came on a car last night that had nothing working on the rear. Luckily it was a country road so I could see the fronts lighting up the hedge!

biko

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Funny you should say that. My husband checked our bulbs yesterday. All are working OK.

I'd also say to check the oil/water/screen wash on a regular basis too now that the weather's changing.

Aye, I did a write-up on that a while back
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68511462

meoklmrk91

I drive a lot of back roads so the idiots who seem to drive with fulls on all the time are the cause of a headache for me literally.

About 60% of people have figured out that it is good manners and safer for everyone if you dip your lights just before you come around the bend so no one gets blinded. Then you have the other plebs who drive around like there are no other cars on the road, it's so frustrating, it is such a simple thing why can't everyone just do it?

Also fog lights, there was a few small patches of fog around last night nothing major, and they were very few and far between yet the idiot in the SUV in front of me decided that this warranted them putting on their fogs despite the fact that in the 20 minutes I drove behind them being blinded we hit 0 patches of fog.

I never understood road rage until I started commuting to college a year a go, 2 hours on the road a day, the amount of silly mistakes I see on a daily basis are rediculous, people in this country do not know how to drive! And I say that as someone on a provisional license.

Take care and be safe everyone, driving from this time of year onwards is dangerous enough without contending with idiots who blind you.

kingtut

biko wrote: »

With the mornings and evenings getting darker I see more and more people turning the headlights on which is great but this highlights *pun* the issue of broken bulbs, one-eyed cars and bad alignment so when you get to the car this evening, take a quick look at the headlights, indicators and rear lights and check that they are all working. Instructions on what bulbs you need and how to fit them is usually easily found online.

Great advice, now if only people would actually use their indicators it would help greatly !

Also, I see some petrol stations have those glass mirrors so that if you are alone you can check your brake lights etc, very useful - would be good to see more petrol stations getting them

Oh and checking tyres would be another tip, especially if they are old and worn.

MugMugs

The link road from Collon to Dunleer is closed off the N2 forcing me through the Ardee Dundalk road..... I literally nearly ditched the car three times on account of being blinded!

Where To

Agree 100% and would also like to add (as I always do)

Keep your ****ing windscreens clean too!! (Inside and Out)

Cungi

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

If you're bored on the motorway, see how many cars you can count before you get to one that is missing a front or rear bulb.

I seldom get to 10.

On my way home the other day. Blanch to Naas via Maynooth, i counted 41 cars with a broken front bulb. not counting rear lights or bad alignment

People just don't give a sh1t

Matt Simis

The flaw with this thread is that people know their lights are blown. Checking them is pointless. They get warning's on the dash, alarm bells and typically can clearly see them gone.

However they just dont care, it gets put on the long finger.

ofcork

What about fines or you get a week to fix or pay up.

slimjimmc

Cungi wrote: »

On my way home the other day. Blanch to Naas via Maynooth, i counted 41 cars with a broken front bulb. not counting rear lights or bad alignment

People just don't give a sh1t

This dark wet evening I witnessed :
* 1 car driving on side lights only. Granted the street lights were on but if the driver spent less time fiddling with his radio/phone he might have been less oblivious.
* 1 4x4 towing a cattle/horse box. Trailer had only 1 tail light (which was very faint and on LHS) , no brake lights whatsoever (as the driver behind him rapidly discovered in a brown stain moment), no number plate and no number plate light.
* 1 car towing a cattle/horse box on dark unlit motorway. Trailer had no rear lights - no tail lights or number plate light and no number plate.

_Kaiser_

slimjimmc wrote: »

1 car towing a cattle/horse box on dark unlit motorway. Trailer had no rear lights - no tail lights or number plate light and no number plate.

Came across a similar thing one night outside Kells in the pre-M3 days. Guy in a rather beat up 4x4 (with his young daughter beside him) towing a cattle trailer that had no lights at all.

I flashed him down and when I pointed this out to him his answer was "ah yea I know, but when I connect the trailer lights the car's lights blow" :rolleyes:

OldmanMondeo

Would be tempted to buy a pile of bulbs from work, park up is a shopping centre car park and sell and fit bulbs, price the fitting as per the car, ie arkward VW / Renault €25, Easy pop in and out €5 plus the price of the bulb.