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Cars with broken lights

KenSwee

Tonight, I drove a two hour journey from Clonmel to Kildare and I counted 12 cars with either one broken headlight with only their low beam on or with one full beam on.

Why the F""K can't people be more considerate and get these bloody things replaced?

I just don't understand how anybody can continue to drive around despite the fact that they are as cheap as chips to replace.

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Fr_Dougal

My bulb blew the other night when I was on the motorway, there was nowhere to pull in and I didn't have a spare bulb.

Sh1t happens.

Wabbit Ears

Sam Kade wrote: »

I wonder how could you solve that problem? Here's the solution buy extra light bulbs and keep them in your car

I nearly always have a full set of bulbs in the car, those Lidl multipacks are great. I just hadn't replaced the spare bulb this time.

It used to bother me but then I thought..y'know, it's not directly affecting me so I think I'll just carry on with my life and not let it get to me.

Run_to_da_hills

Cyclists with no lights are worse culprits.

Pottler

Whenever a bulb blows on my car I turn off the lights so's as not to annoy people by driving around with one light. Some people look so surprised when they see me! I bet they are thinking "how considerate!".

Fuinseog

KenSwee wrote: »

Tonight, I drove a two hour journey from Clonmel to Kildare and I counted 12 cars with either one broken headlight with only their low beam on or with one full beam on.

Why the F""K can't people be more considerate and get these bloody things replaced?

I just don't understand how anybody can continue to drive around despite the fact that they are as cheap as chips to replace.

no police to stop and check them. we have a casual attitude towards driving. people bitch about the NCT, a test to examine how roadworthy your vehicle is. until recently people wnated one drink driving laws for urbna areas nad more realxed laws for the country.

Fuinseog

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Cyclists with no lights are worse culprits.

they do it cos they are allowed to get away with it. the country is broke so why not let the guards issue on the spot fines? of course the problem with that is that a lot of people do not actually carry ID around with them so they could not be forced to pay.

Loopy

WindSock wrote: »

Maybe all the cars were on their way to the car lightbulb shop?

Thanks for throwing some light on it.

dj jarvis

AtomicHorror wrote: »

Bulbs are cheap to buy, but replacing them can be a pain in the ass on some car models- I've heard it can take over an hour to change one bulb on a Renault Megane. Mind you, it only takes about two minutes on my car.

you are correct they are cheap , BUT i had a ford focus that was constantly blowing headlight bulbs , this model is notorious for this , and the first time i changed the bulb it took 3 hours :eek:
and it's not becasue im a useless mechanic - i have re built engines , swapped out gearbox's and ect ect , so i know my way around a car

but changing the bulbs on a focus is a NIGHTMARE , i had a mechanic in a main dealers give out yards to me one , he decided to put a bulb into my car when it was in for something else as a favor , he swore he would never make that mistake again it took him so long

so for people to say " it only takes a second and they are cheap " are just plain wrong - if they did i would imagine most would just do it

also - could some of the cars the OP seen on his travels , not have blown a bulb while on the that journey and been un aware of it ?

on the focus bulb thing - when AH'rs are out and about , watch how many of them are fords and more to the point poxy focus :mad:

Capri86

I agree. I have a focus and the bulbs are a ridiculous design and constantly blowing. If a bulb blows I head straight to the shops to pick a pack up, but they don't last so I'm fairly often stuck without a spare bulb.
My Capri was so much better for bulbs. 2 years and I never had to replace a light.

It's poor headlight alignment that really annoys me

Ottway

Capri86 wrote: »

It's poor headlight alignment that really annoys me

Speed bumps are to blame there.

Had my lights aligned an hour before an NCT test and yet they still showed up as being misaligned.

Garage that did them said speed bumps are notorious for causing misalignment, some makes more prone to it that others, apparently.

Capri86

I didn't know that but it's good to know. I must check my lights actually as I hit a pot hole the other day which destroyed my wheel and tyre. The condition of the roads is unreal and the roads haven't even frozen yet

Capri86

Sorry. I posted twice.

vicwatson

Please Kill Me wrote: »

But this is it!!!! They really are. It's one of my pet hates! A bulb can cost anything from €3 to €6 depending, and takes seconds to fit, so I really, really don't understand why they don't bother their arse changing them. I check every bulb on the car twice a week. If a bulb is gone, I change it straight away. It really isn't difficult. Most people just don't care or couldn't be bothered.

And most modern cars have a light on the dashboard to tell you when a bulb is blown. no excuse really.

TheUsual

"Ah sure one bulb is broken the past few weeks, I better drive around with the other bulb at full-beam just to compensate."

TheUsual

vicwatson wrote: »

And most modern cars have a light on the dashboard to tell you when a bulb is blown. no excuse really.

Unless the bulb is blown for the warning light in the dashboard.
Then they should have another warning bulb that ....

arrrgghhh ... brainfreeze.

Capri86

Saying that bulbs are cheap isn't always true though. Obviously it's best to shop around but Halfords charge over 10 euro for a bulb. It's madness. Still, no excuse for safety

foxinsox

dj jarvis wrote: »

you are correct they are cheap , BUT i had a ford focus that was constantly blowing headlight bulbs , this model is notorious for this , and the first time i changed the bulb it took 3 hours :eek:
and it's not becasue im a useless mechanic - i have re built engines , swapped out gearbox's and ect ect , so i know my way around a car

but changing the bulbs on a focus is a NIGHTMARE , i had a mechanic in a main dealers give out yards to me one , he decided to put a bulb into my car when it was in for something else as a favor , he swore he would never make that mistake again it took him so long

so for people to say " it only takes a second and they are cheap " are just plain wrong - if they did i would imagine most would just do it

also - could some of the cars the OP seen on his travels , not have blown a bulb while on the that journey and been un aware of it ?

on the focus bulb thing - when AH'rs are out and about , watch how many of them are fords and more to the point poxy focus :mad:

All fun and games until the bulb falls into the headlight part...

Three hours is speedy!

Emeraldy Pebbles

KenSwee wrote: »

I just don't understand how anybody can continue to drive around despite the fact that they are as cheap as chips to replace.

From what I can gather, it's because people don't realise how cheap they are to replace, so put it off. This is definitely the case with some people I know. They were surprised at how reasonable it was.

gurramok

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

From what I can gather, it's because people don't realise how cheap they are to replace, so put it off. This is definitely the case with some people I know. They were surprised at how reasonable it was.

Some bulbs in cars are quite a pain to reach, brute force required to remove surrounding protective headlight covers. This probably deters a few from replacing them.

Fixing Good

homeless student wrote: »

well its not 80 year olds who have them is it? when your young you do silly things like buy lights like that, its up to the gardai to deal with it so dont get so worked up about it.:p

Don't get worked up about it!! I was driving behind a **** builders van one morning and the dickhead had no brake lights in heavy traffic. Incredibly difficult to judge even keeping well back! I nearly ran into him 3 times. I overtook him and got my girlfriend to call the number on the van. All he said was oh sorry didn't realise!! Plonker knew well. I hope he got done!

shedweller

dj jarvis wrote: »

you are correct they are cheap , BUT i had a ford focus that was constantly blowing headlight bulbs , this model is notorious for this , and the first time i changed the bulb it took 3 hours :eek:
and it's not becasue im a useless mechanic - i have re built engines , swapped out gearbox's and ect ect , so i know my way around a car

but changing the bulbs on a focus is a NIGHTMARE , i had a mechanic in a main dealers give out yards to me one , he decided to put a bulb into my car when it was in for something else as a favor , he swore he would never make that mistake again it took him so long

so for people to say " it only takes a second and they are cheap " are just plain wrong - if they did i would imagine most would just do it

also - could some of the cars the OP seen on his travels , not have blown a bulb while on the that journey and been un aware of it ?

on the focus bulb thing - when AH'rs are out and about , watch how many of them are fords and more to the point poxy focus :mad:

+1000

I have to take the bumper off to take the headlight out to get at the bulbs! Side of the road job?
In the other car i have to remove a long awkward bracket from under a fuse box just so i can move said fuse box enough to get at the back of the headlight. Then the plug is welded to the bulb so tight that i broke a bulb when it released its grip from the plug. The broken glass is still in the headlight. I'm sure the dealer has a tool to unplug the bulbs. Well i have one and its called sheer ****in stubbornness!

This accounts for a percentage of one eyed cars on the roads and is the elephant in the room that wont be dealt with.

Capt'n Midnight

AtomicHorror wrote: »

Bulbs are cheap to buy, but replacing them can be a pain in the ass on some car models-

car bulbs are an absolute extortionate price :mad::mad::mad:

if you exclude headlight bulbs you can get a compact fluorescent bulb with more glass and tungsten as well as electronics, phosphors and a nice fancy box for less than most shops charge for a tiny little bulb whose design probably hasn't changed for forty years

seriously at the price most places charge for brake and indicator etc. bulbs I'd nearly expect to get LED's

If buying bulbs shop around. Price vary wildly.

And WTF is up with orange indicator bulbs ??
They cost up to three times the price of the same clear bulb and the colour flakes off

Which cars had the bulb integrated into a headlamp as a sealed unit at something like €55 a pop ?

My pet hate are people following behind not dipping lights on country roads , with a special place in hell for people with one light on high beam and the other on low - and who knows which is which ?

homeless student

Fixing Good wrote: »

Don't get worked up about it!! You are an idiot! I was driving behind a **** builders van one morning and the dickhead had no brake lights in heavy traffic. Incredibly difficult to judge even keeping well back! I nearly ran into him 3 times. I overtook him and got my girlfriend to call the number on the van. All he said was oh sorry didn't realise!! Plonker knew well. I hope he got done!

I think its you who is clearly the idiot. "I overtook him and got my girlfriend to call the number on the van" LOL ya id say he did get done, heard he got 3 years in mountjoy

keep your distance from the car in front and then you wont have to worry about his broken brake lights, maybe you should get your girlfriend to drive? say its a laugh a minute with you driving, with a face like this-> :mad: going mental about someone elses brake lights, get a life mate.

face1990

homeless student wrote: »

:mad: going mental about someone elses brake lights, get a life mate.

Jaysus, someone got out of the wrong side of the bed today!

In fairness to the poster you're attacking, driving without brake lights is incredibly dangerous.

JD Green

I just use my dazzling lamp out the window of the car instead of wasting my headlights. For the back I have tinfoil glued on, it's a smooth job.

[Deleted User]

dj jarvis wrote: »

you are correct they are cheap , BUT i had a ford focus that was constantly blowing headlight bulbs , this model is notorious for this , and the first time i changed the bulb it took 3 hours :eek:
and it's not becasue im a useless mechanic - i have re built engines , swapped out gearbox's and ect ect , so i know my way around a car

but changing the bulbs on a focus is a NIGHTMARE , i had a mechanic in a main dealers give out yards to me one , he decided to put a bulb into my car when it was in for something else as a favor , he swore he would never make that mistake again it took him so long

so for people to say " it only takes a second and they are cheap " are just plain wrong - if they did i would imagine most would just do it

also - could some of the cars the OP seen on his travels , not have blown a bulb while on the that journey and been un aware of it ?

on the focus bulb thing - when AH'rs are out and about , watch how many of them are fords and more to the point poxy focus :mad:

Sounds like my car! I have an 01 Focus, recently on one journey BOTH bulbs popped! :eek: After the first one went, I thougt F**K I'll change it when I get to the end (I've a spare), then the second one went - had to stop on the side of the motorway to swap it in the dark and yes they're bloody awkward!

Cantona's Collars

Not sure about anywhere else in the country but the trend here in Enniscorthy among some of the boy racers is to have the brake lights permanently on,stupid & bloody dangerous.I don't know where they got the idea that it looks cool.

The amount of cars with broken lights is astounding,met one this evening just as it was getting dark with one parking light working.:mad:

Lidl & Aldi regularly stock car bulbs for only a few euro & most are easy to replace.No excuses folks,check your lights.

billybudd

Thanks, just reminded me i need to fix my back light.

homeless student

face1990 wrote: »

Jaysus, someone got out of the wrong side of the bed today!

In fairness to the poster you're attacking, driving without brake lights is incredibly dangerous.

I tend to say stuff like that when called an idiot;)