Check your lights on your car

Matt Sayle

Matt Sayle

2017MSA Young Photographer of the Year(Motorsport)
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Matt Sayle
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Tonight, in a 15 minute journey, I saw a Corsa with no headlights but working rear lights. A one eyed mini. A black jeep with no lights AT ALL on the back. It was really dangerous. I tried to flash him over to stop but he just sped up and ******ed off (understandbly!)

So check your lights before your next journey. Only takes 10 minutes.
 
Good advice, especially now that it starts getting dark after 6.00
 
Always have spare bulbs in the glovebox for all lights, pretty easy to see if your lights work not every journey by checking the flections on the road behind you or infront of you. Or i can see them reflected in the window at the gym.
 
The display on my dash lets me know if I have any blown bulbs the second I start the car.
 
Yup, mine does the same. Always change them straight away. The amount of people who have both brake lights out, and only the high level one working is shocking.

I think some people only change them at MOT`s.
 
it would definetly help if there was some ruling in place that meant that the car manufacturers had to make bulbs easily changable, instead the car manufacturers make them difficult to change so poeple get them sorted at a dealership.

i was annoyed that i forgot to check mine prior to sending my car in for a service, had to pay £15 for a front foglight bulb that was out, i never even blooody use the front knob head lights!
 
I agree allot more cars seem to have light faults, and some drivers don't bother, but bulbs can go while you are driving, or go when you switch the engine on miles from home at night, we used to get a bulb out of the glove box and replace it in no time, but with modern cars you need a selection of different bulbs, and if its a headlight bulb on most modern cars, its not a job you want to be doing dressed up at the side of the road, I believe to change some Renault h/light bulbs it can take a mechanic over 2 hours, as whitewash commented the manufactures make it as difficult as they can.
 
both headlights on my car went within 15 minutes of each other the other day, fortunately it was light and they are nice and easy to change in my car :)
 
A bigger problem is the number of cars without lights in semi-darkness after sunset and before sunrise. They must think that because they can see the road without lights then everybody else can see them ok.
 
MisterE said:
A bigger problem is the number of cars without lights in semi-darkness after sunset and before sunrise. They must think that because they can see the road without lights then everybody else can see them ok.
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I wonder how many are Citroens? The dashboard lights are on all the time (or they were in the days of the ZX/Xsara etc), which can lead you to forget to turn the headlights on....
 
Good advice Matt!

last night driving home there was a focus coming towards me with headlights and foglights on (it was NOT foggy) passenger headlamp was out and Drivers Foglight was out.

I agree fully with whitewash in regards to manufacturers making it difficult. I have a 2001 citroen xsara HDI and before its mot one of the sidelights went, I went and bought some bulbs and went to fit them. Under no circumstances could I get in to change them, so I trawled the net looking for the secret.... and found it. You need to remove the front bumper to fit the bulbs. Ended up taking it to the dealer and they said "no its easy, only takes 10 mins" one hour later they conceded that the front bumper needed to come off!!!!!
 
Id rather no lights than them blueish lights though. I really dont see why they are legal as they are just as bad as full beam in some cases.

But yes, checking lights takes all of 30 seconds, even easier for me though :p - big garage door right infront of the car, and another houses window about 30metres behind :p

James
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I wonder how many are Citroens? The dashboard lights are on all the time (or they were in the days of the ZX/Xsara etc), which can lead you to forget to turn the headlights on....
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They still do... Although the dash lights on mine dim down when you turn on the headlamps... Daylight setting is blindingly bright at night... I had a headlamp bulb go, and it was a total sod to change (I didn't have to take the bumper off) but it took me about 15 minutes to remove and refit (and the refiting only took place after I'd removed the fuse box cover as I couldn't get at the rear of the bulb to twist lock it into place). I quite often will do a walk around or back up to something and test the lights. Although I must admit to not having ever checked the fogs as I so very rarely use them, only when it's really foggy as opposed to ALL THE TIME!!!!! like so many people seem to do ...
 
my seat does that,. dash lights on irrespective of the headlights...bizarre idea

the bulbs are pretty easy to change though
not a 2 min job, and not something I'd do at the side of the road as it's fiddly but you don't need to take the whole front end apart to do so!!
 
jgs001 said:
I had a headlamp bulb go, and it was a total sod to change (I didn't have to take the bumper off) but it took me about 15 minutes to remove and refit (and the refiting only took place after I'd removed the fuse box cover as I couldn't get at the rear of the bulb to twist lock it into place).
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That sounds familiar, the headlights are accessible with a bit of a struggle but the side lights are lower in the lamp cluster right in front of one of the horizontal beams. the lamp needed to be physically moved forward to access, hence need to remove bumper.
 
Lights? don't talk to me about Lights!
My Peugot 206 front sidelight was out, so, after much fiddling, I changed it. Thinking I'd clipped the spring clip that holds the bulb in place ok, I motored on . . . Until the MOT. Bulb had fallen out of the holder and no they couldn't swap a spring clip from another car's headlamp unit, it had to be a complete headlamp unit @ £150!
Yes, if I'd have had more time I'd have gone to the scrapyard and tried to find a clip.
I didn't - I paid through the nose for the convenience.
Just wish manufacturers would at least make lamps that were accessable and servicable.
 
Matt Sayle said:
Tonight, in a 15 minute journey, I saw a Corsa with no headlights but working rear lights. A one eyed mini. A black jeep with no lights AT ALL on the back. It was really dangerous. I tried to flash him over to stop but he just sped up and ******ed off (understandbly!)

So check your lights before your next journey. Only takes 10 minutes.
Click to expand...

it wasnt your corsa by any chance was it :lol::lol:

good advice matt
 
Bloomin headlamp bulbs don't last long at all now. In 40 yrs of driving and owning cars I've had to replace more bulbs on my focus in the 4 years I've owned the car than all the rest combined. Getting access to the nearside is a pain. Trying out these new high brilliance bulbs now, see if they last any longer.

Still it could be worse, it could be a Megane where you need to take off the front wheel to replace a bulb:lol:
 
frank said:
Bloomin headlamp bulbs don't last long at all now. In 40 yrs of driving and owning cars I've had to replace more bulbs on my focus in the 4 years I've owned the car than all the rest combined. Getting access to the nearside is a pain. Trying out these new high brilliance bulbs now, see if they last any longer.

Still it could be worse, it could be a Megane where you need to take off the front wheel to replace a bulb:lol:
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mk1 focus? with the battery box and requirement for an additional join in wrist?

mine eats bulbs as well, amusingly on the side with the least clearance for access.


IIRC on a jazz you have to lock the steering right over and take off the arch liner to get to the bulbs, but i thought that was quite easy if rather mucky!
 
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That sounds like my astra, right pain to change. Full lock on the steering, pull off a flap in the wheel arch, dislocate wrist, cut hands to shreds and if you're lucky get the bulb in! Then repeat in a couple of weeks when the cheap halfords bulb blows :(
 
Have to fully remove the headlights from my car to change any bulb. Luckily takes all off about 30secs 1min max to do.

Worst one i have seen to change is the Smart cars.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I wonder how many are Citroens? The dashboard lights are on all the time (or they were in the days of the ZX/Xsara etc), which can lead you to forget to turn the headlights on....
Click to expand...

My Citroen (Xsara Picasso) has a digital dash so is lit all the time (but dims significantly and adjustably when the headlights are on). As for the headlights, well, they turn on automatically, well before I see anything else (apart from the always on brigade) with lights on. Did wonder if I would forget to turn them on when in a "normal" car but haven't so far. Headlight bulbs are dead easy to replace on the thing too - even with hands like hams!
 
Galaxy66 said:
10 minutes!, how many lights has Matt got on his car:)
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I'm guessing one headlight, 2 brakelights, a foglight (dangling on the wires under the bumper), 3 indicators (4 sometimes) and 20 feet of blue strips under the sills!
 
frank said:
Still it could be worse, it could be a Megane where you need to take off the front wheel to replace a bulb:lol:
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Old wives tale I'm afraid. I managed both mine on a 04 Megane with only half the skin on my knuckles gone, and no wheels taken off :D:D

I do have small hands though
 
There is not a day that I go out and don't see a car with a broken brake light / tail light or headlight.

It is really pathetic - they are cheap and relatively easy to change. Also the highway code says to check your lights before each journey....
 
inaneredstripe said:
as i drive a lorry for a living, we can now get fined, and points, for having lights out
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O RLY, I saw a lorry without a brake light today! Maybe he'll get caught, maybe not. Good to know there is some actual punishment for it now though.

Car lights are often overlooked in terms of how important they are.
 
The lights in the wifes SAAB 9-3 are a pain, the dipped & main are OK, but try changing a bloody sidelight bulb (which has strangely blown twice in 6m)
first time SAAB did it as we were having a lights change done anyway (euro lights fitted)
but now it looks like its arch liner out time!
 
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