[Closed] Car headlights these days

Funny you should say that... A car was behind me the other day and I thought he was going to blind me.. I kid you knot they were distractingly bright. I flicked the thing on my rear view mirror but the glare from my wing mirrors was irritating, driving down a country road near where I live it was getting on my nerves. He wasnt driving aggressively or anything and when I turned off he was just in a new "sporty" Jag so yes they are becoming unnecessarily bright.

around here they are increasingly only 50% working... so i guess they are brighter to compensate for only one working half the time.

yes cant stand the things... range rovers seem to be the worst...

Outnumbered around my way by the fannies with one light / no lights / day running lights only / full beams / fog light and no headlights / fog lights and main lights when not foggy.

But yes also annoying. It's especially noticeable when the road has a rise in it and the oncoming beams are dipped straight towards your eyes.

Yeah, brake-lights too. I'll change lanes if i get stuck in traffic behind new cars, gives me a headache!

I believe drivers are making similar comments about mountain bikers with some of the lumenage available these days.

Maybe lights are getting brighter as people get dimmer?

I think this is a little ironic as a little while ago, people were saying bike lights were too bright! even made it onto radio 2.
Car lights are too bright, especially when driven really close.
Its light wars!!

And if you wear specs, LED headlamps can have a blue ring which can flash over bumps, which is tedious.

yes, but it keeps the old dodderies with cataracts off the road at night...

They also seem to be very directional in the vertical plane, which means the slightest bump makes it look like oncoming cars are flashing you.

Driving home fro Christmas I was followed down an otherwise deserted bit of dual carriageway by some numpty who thought a good solution to only having one working headlight was two have the other on full beam 😡 He was driving slightly faster and blinded me for about 5 minutes. When he finally got passed I was so worked up I put my full beams on until he was out of range. Childish, but satisfying 😈

It's like [i]déjà vu[/i] all over again in here:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bloody-inconsiderate-drivers

Its a fair comment. My current car (Merc c220 Coupe) has the xenon auto headlight system. It puts the main beam on when there are no other traffic around which is nice. It does however seem to have its fair share of 'delayed' moments.

They are quite bright and i get the annoyance. My wife is starting to have real trouble with her night time driving as she says she is getting a haze effect from these brighter lights from other cars when she drives her Fiat 500. Maybe the angle of windscreen effects this too.

And then we move onto the current must have which is LED headlights (Not the LED DRL's). These things are even brighter and as some have commented are also used on rear lights. Its getting harder and harder to not be effected by them.

Still, none of it is as bad as the driver who drives with one headlight out or with their rear foglight on (Especially in hard rain). Those guys deserve to be shot for endangering others.

Bizarrely I've been having similar thoughts recently.

In my experience the stupidly bright lights on some cars these days make it a lot harder to see other road users at night as they just burn everything else out of vision.

There is a new advert on the telly for the new Vauxhall astra, with a fox forced to close his eyes.
They are saying this is a safety feature, who are they kidding?
What bugs me is the insistence of using full beam when I am cycling towards them, I put my arm up and make it obvious they are blinding me, doesn't stop them though.

Yeah, brake-lights too. I'll change lanes if i get stuck in traffic behind new cars, gives me a headache!

And no-one uses their handbrake these days. They will sit in traffic for ages with their foot on the brake pedal.

This sounds like a thread on The Daily Mail.....

I put my light on full beam back at them. Or point my head light at them. On full beam.

Just a flash.

We have a car that has a *really* annoying thing of always wanting to have the fog lights on - the dealer had to go away and phone and find how to de-activate.

We still cannot stop the thing where the fog light turns on the inside of the turn - it cannot be turned off according to Seat....

😈

Those guys deserve to be shot for endangering others.

Hey! I replaced the bulb yesterday okay. 😐

Driving home fro Christmas I was followed down an otherwise deserted bit of dual carriageway

Probably Chris Rea 🙂

matt outandabout - Are you mixing up fog lights with daytime running lights? Different things

All new vehicles sold for the last few years have to have DRL's which are on permanently. I dont think its law yet that they have to be turned on so you can decide to turn them off if the vehicle has the option. Ours have the option in the menu system to turn them off (So does my wifes fiat 500).

its guide me home lights he has by the sounds of it ....

never understood them - i mean the orange flashy light tells the others where your going....

Hey Graham, i would never ask for you to be shot.

Wife had a DRL out recently on a fiat 500. Trust me i hate changing them. I went into hospital the next day for an operation (Unrelated)and they had to use the other hand to put the canular in as i had made such a mess of my skin on the back of the hand trying to get my normal size hand into a stupid size hole 🙁

I can live with it, what annoys the **** of me is that even with a pajillion lumens of lighting power, bellends still put their bloody fog lights on. It doesn't make you look like a rally driver mate, just a sad git. Give it up.

Yep, I sliced open the base of my thumbnail yesterday trying to get the Focus headlight cluster off (one star-head screw, plus two carefully hidden plastic catches that are barely visible or accessible, plus a very snug press fit).

Didn't take long but it hurt! Glad I did it in daylight though - it would have been a nightmare in the dark.

Yes, they are stupidly bright and completely unneccessary. I thought Xenon lights were bad but these new matrix LED lights are even worse. The totally drown out bike lights - I very nearly pulled out on a cyclist the other day at a junction because his lights were completely drowned out by the glare from the ultra bright car lights behind him. The only reason I didn't pull out was because out of my peripheral vision I thought I saw a slight shadow.

For the record I think the bright bike Cree lights are too much for road commuting and usually always incorrectly aimed at the retina's of the other road users - it's generally not the best idea to try to blind the drivers you are trying to avoid.

The worst thing about car headlights is not that they're stupidly bright, but the type of light in that it seems to scatter and cause more glare.

Are you mixing up fog lights with daytime running lights?

I presume matt was talking about the VAG cars that have fog lights coming on when the wheel turns.

The ones that are really bright with a razor sharp cut off are the worst. When there's a car with those fitted following you, every time there's a bump in the road it flashes in all your mirrors like they're flicking their high beams on and off.

What bugs me is the insistence of using full beam when I am cycling towards them, I put my arm up and make it obvious they are blinding me, doesn't stop them though.

I ended up stopping in the middle of a single track country road near Haldon a few weeks ago because I was so dazzled I couldn't even see the edge of the road to pull over. The car coming the other way had to stop 10 ft from me before he realised he had his thermonuclear brights on. Plonker. I assume they just think "Oh, it's just a cyclist, no need to use dips"

Still never noticed this phenomenon but there's lots of idiots who fail to turn off their full beam.

Still never noticed this phenomenon but there's lots of idiots who fail to turn off their full beam

Love the people who just have the one headlight working so put it on full.

I can remember my Grandad going on about headlights getting brighter and not being able to drive at night anymore. Its started happening to me so I did a bit of googling and its all down to age..

[url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1771460/ ]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1771460/[/url]

Brake lights are staying on because Auto-hold keeps them on, not because people are sitting with their foot on the brake. And yes, it's annoying. I usually pull the parking brake lever so as not to blind people behind me.

Cars with fog lights on annoy me so much that I usually flash them in the hope the idiots will crash. Haven't succeeded yet.

less folk have neglected to dip their headlights on my flash request since i fitted a 1600lumen light bar in the A bar - to assist my classic firefly in jam jar lucas 7 inch lights.

Wear sunglasses !

Brake lights are staying on because Auto-hold keeps them on, not because people are sitting with their foot on the brake

I wager you're wrong on that unless there's 10000s of car out there with auto-hold as in a queue nearly all have their brake lights on.

OP,

Ya, that UFO lights do blind eyes if you look straight into them.

Luckily mine is the old fashion normal light ... 2005 Toyota so old fashion lighting.

😯

Love the people who just have the one headlight working so put it on full.

If I find myself with only one headlight in the dark then I just put my front fogs on.

Not sure if that's better or worse... ?

They will sit in traffic for ages with their foot on the brake pedal.

Interesting. When I picked up my new car about 3 years ago (a Merc C class auto) it was my first auto and the salesman told me the correct way to drive is to leave it in drive and when at the lights just keep my foot on the brake. I am happy to be educated on this fact.

Place it in park not drive.

I just put my front fogs on.

Most cars have front fogs now but I dont think I have ever used them on my car but that doesnt stop people getting irritated by those that do. They dont dazzle people as they just point low and I have never been bothered by them. People still seem to get worked up by people who have them on. If anything they are pointless.

Drac - Moderator

Place it in park not drive.

Or place it in neutral with parking brake on.

Or simply put on the parking brake even if you are in D. (provided your parking brake works)

Place it in park not drive.

I think I have just got into a lazy habit. I would never leave my other car in gear at lights (unless I knew they were about to change) I would put the handbrake on and take it out of gear. Although My son who is learning to drive tells me his instructor said to put it into gear as soon as you stop..... Is this correct practice ?

I usually do the neutral with parking brake on.

Never put it in Parking at lights.

surfer. Try pressing the brake pedal a little harder after you stop. It should engage Hold which means you can leave it in drive but it wont creep when you release the brake pedal. Then to pull away you just press the accelorator. Not sure if this leaves the brake lights on or not

7tronic auto - best gearbox ever.

7tronic auto - best gearbox ever

It is awesome I have to admit. When I first drove it the gear changes where almost unnoticeable. At 90k+ it feels exactly the same 🙂
Not sure if that feature is available I will give it a try although my wife drives that and I drive a Diesel Mito 🙁

Never put it in Parking at lights.

Why not?

Argh, annoyingly bright yes!

However I do counter that by the fact that they do indeed provide enough light to drive with these days.
I'm in support of the new gen LEDs, targeted direction being the key ingredient here for good visibility.
Not keen on how bright they are when peaking a brow of a hill on on coming traffic though.

Isn't there consultation going on about this with the Motor Industry ATM?

People still seem to get worked up by people who have them on. If anything they are pointless

Front fogs aren't annoying, people who moan about other with them on just want to control other people - its an odd world.

Glad its not just me, I realise it all a bit Daily Fail but I regularly have to flick my rear view mirror.

There should be some sort of regulation of the brightness, on an unlit road its genuinely blinding.

If the car manufacturers made it easier to change a headlamp bulb it would help.

One went on our Citroen over the Christmas holiday. Ye gods what a palaver to change it. Luckily it was booked in for an MOT early in the new year so I let the garage do it at the same time.

No way could I get to the back of the headlamp assembly, and to remove the headlamp (which I thought might be easier) you have to remove the bumper!

Do car designers not have cars of their own?

Front fogs aren't annoying, people who moan about other with them on just want to control other people

Isn't the problem that maximum headlight output is still 55w/60w based on traditional halogen technology whereas an HID or LED system rated at 55w can churn out far more light per watt of input so you end up with ridiculously bright lights which even with self-levelling systems, still dazzle over any sort of rise or bump.

And then there's the idiots who fit aftermarket HID set-ups into conventional halogen reflector-based headlights...

You do think there ought to be some sort of maximum lumen output figure along with improved beam patterns.

Gary_M - Member
Are you mixing up fog lights with daytime running lights?
I presume matt was talking about the VAG cars that have fog lights coming on when the wheel turns.

I think the foot brake issue has a lot to do with the way drivers a trained nowadays, seems there is a need to "go" or be ready to go as soon as the amber shines! Had this discussion with my daughter(15yrs ago!). She said it was her instructor who said it was a time saver and a way of not holding people up!!!! Yet something else on her driving we disagreed on and after only being in the car with her twice gave up!!!!!

There is also the issue of the wrap around led brake lights masking the indicator making it almost impossible to see 🙄

In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/general-rules-techniques-and-advice-for-all-drivers-and-riders-103-to-158

One went on our Citroen over the Christmas holiday. Ye gods what a palaver to change it.

Isn't it the French who legally require you to carry spare headlight bulbs in the car? A fat lot of good that is if you can't change them at the roadside.

No way could I get to the back of the headlamp assembly, and to remove the headlamp (which I thought might be easier) you have to remove the bumper!

I was idly pondering this as I washed the grease out of my newly sliced thumb: why don't they design headlights so that the front "glass" comes off? Then you could reach in and change a bulb in a fairly similar way to change a domestic lightbulb.

Maybe you'd have to undo one bolt (or preferably something more finger friendly like a big catch or wingnut) under the bonnet to keep it all secure. But it should be kept as simple as possible.

Xenons/LED's are fantastic when you're sat behind them.. as noted above though not great when coming the other way or dazzling you from behind. I find Merc and Nissan the worst (Nissan especially seems to change colour and have a bad self-levelling system) although BMW and Audi aren't far behind. My brother constantly has people flahing him in his C-class with Xenons as they think he has high beam on!

I think some of the issues noted above are to do wih early high-beam assist systems, the idea being you just let the car detect other motorists and forget about flicking on and off manually but some of the early systems are horrendous.

It's interesting that a lot of flagship car models don't even have front foglights.. e.g. RS6, Golf R etc. not sure why this is?

" She said it was her instructor who said it was a time saver and a way of not holding people up!!!!"

the way we get taught to drive has alot to do with how cars get treated these days.

your example above has a nasty habit of making uneven braking on auto cars and killing clutch release bearings in manual cars

when i did my lessons it was stay at 60 right up to the 30 sign then brake hard..... exactly the opposite of how i drive - i see the 30 coming up and ive let off and will be near at 30 by the time i pass the sign....

or the get through the gears as fast as possible make progress technique.....

strikes me of teaching stupid to the stupid.

Yup they are way too bright and dazzle. Was just saying this the other day 😆

Conversation around the copperpot household can be extremely riveting at times.

I wager you're wrong on that unless there's 10000s of car out there with auto-hold as in a queue nearly all have their brake lights on.

Yes, there literally are 10000s of cars out there. Every Mercedes with a hold function, which is pretty nearly all the autos (which are the vast majority of Merc sales), will keep the brake lights on when you use the hold function.

It's shit, but it's as designed. I think I'm one of the few Merc drivers who knows where the 'handbrake' switch is. And the reason that doesn't get used by most is because it's under the dash where you'd normally find the bonnet release!

I don't get the hate for LEDs though. Mine has LED headlights and they're no better than Xenon ones. Although as I get older I find myself getting dazzled more. Couldn't drive a car now if it didn't have auto dimming interior [b]and exterior[/b] mirrors.

^^^ What about a self dimming windscreen? >>>

Every Mercedes with a hold function, which is pretty nearly all the autos (which are the vast majority of Merc sales), will keep the brake lights on when you use the hold function.

I bet your not stuck behind them every time in a queue though.

Just checked. Indeed on both manual and auto mercs with hold feature, it does indeed leave the rear brake lights on. Didn't know that

Auto neutral + handbrake at lights. Leaving in drive just wastes fuel. Dont put it in park as you have to go through reverse and the person behind will likely shit themselves when the car in front suddenly has its reverse lights on.

surfer - Member

Never put it in Parking at lights.

Why not?

The distance between P to D are vast by comparison to N to D.

Further more there is a possible that if you have gear that is straight like this ... if you are in the hurry you might put it in the wrong position in 2nd or lower gear.

[img] [/img]

With this you don't have to worry ...

[img] [/img]

or this ...

[img] [/img]

The new 8 speed ZF in BMW's (in my 1'er anyway) actually encourages just sitting on the footbrake in drive at lights as this will activiate stop/start and cut the engine..

If you leave in drive and put handbrake on engine still runs wasting fuel.

If you put in neutral and put handbrake on engine still runs wasting fuel.

Not too sure about park... will report back.

So not blinding people behind and saving fuel via stop/start are mutually exclusive I think!

I deal with bright brake lights in traffic queues by not habitually crawling up the chuff of the car in front. Works well. Rule of thumb, if you can't see their rear wheels you're too close.

Interesting about auto-hold leaving the lights on; I'll have to investigate whether or not mine does that (I assumed not because it's a pseudo-handbrake, but who knows).

nickewen - Member
If you leave in drive and put handbrake on engine still runs wasting fuel.

If you put in neutral and put handbrake on engine still runs wasting fuel.

Ya, I doubt you are going to save much.

Not too sure about park... will report back.

If the engine is running it needs to consume fuel ...

Does the engine always run in park or would stop/start kick in? That's what I need to report back on..

Anyone seen those stupid Audi A6 / A8 sweeping rear LED indicators?

Very distracting (in a bad way) and not as clear as regular on / off blinking. Really hope other car makers don't start using them. We've got the type approval regs at work - must have a read sometime to see how they manage to be legal.

Pretty sure auto hold on the Passat does not leave the lights on, and I use it to avoid the dazzle.

I would also not like to use park on a hill because the car rolls back onto the peg that goes in the cog, and it can make it rather difficult to get out.

Incidentally - if lights are brighter nowadays, I wonder how many lives it has saved by better illuminating obstacles/poorly lit cyclists/kids/pedestrians? Drivers can certainly see more with better lights.

Something that is getting me irked are the indicators on - I think - current VAG cars that are embedded within the main light. You just can't be sure if it's definitely blinking yellow or not. I'm naturally an 'assume they aren't going to tell you where they fancy going' type of person so always wait, but surely the designer who came up with this needs sacked.

Dont put it in park as you have to go through reverse and the person behind will likely shit themselves when the car in front suddenly has its reverse lights on.

All for a split second they're on for? Never had any problem with that.

The look of horror on folks face when you hit reverse instead of 1st is comic.

On my landy its quite often. You can tell as soon as the stick goes home its not in 1st but the number of horns you get for doing it.

Not really finding any issues with full LED headlights, in fact I'm finding them less of an issue than xenon or conventional bulb with projector-type lenses, because those cause considerable colour fringing at the edges, whereas LED's don't have lenses to cause fringing. There's a SEAT dealer close to me and to where I work, and as a result there are a significant number of SEAT's around with full LED lighting, and either on foot or driving there's significantly less glare and dazzle than any other light system. The occasional Audi or Merc with full LED's, ( and they are [i]very[/i] occasional compared to the SEAT's I see every day), don't seem to be anywhere near as problematic as xenon or projector lights.
Or those ghastly blue-tinged lights the Saxo boom box crowd are so fond of fitting. Bloody awful things.

Mine are a bit odd, as when I use the side lights or full beam the DLR's switch themselves off, turn out they are too bright when both sets are on, pretty sure other car's don't do that.

LMT, Daytime running lights have to either dim or shut off fully when the main lights (sidelights, dips or main beam) are on. It's an ECE legal requirement* as the Candela light output is too high and the beam too dispersed and unfocused for night driving and causes issues for other road users.

* I know far too much about this as I used to design them

A lot of them just dim, I've only ever seen the ds3 where they go off. Saying that lots of Audi drivers my way!!