Credit crunch

[tambyrne]

Is the credit crunch hitting car maintenance?
Driving home last week at night I pulled slightly to the right to miss some roadworks, offside wheels just over the white line I saw what I thought was a motorbike coming in the other direction, at the last minute I realised it was a car with the offside headlights and side lights not working. I swerved and hit one of the cones and scratched the nearside of my front bumper . Since then, as I do a lot of night driving I have noticed the amount of cars with defective lights is staggering. Surely this is more dangerous than eating a crust while driving?

 

[ringway]

Is the credit crunch hitting car maintenance?
Driving home last week at night I pulled slightly to the right to miss some roadworks, offside wheels just over the white line I saw what I thought was a motorbike coming in the other direction, at the last minute I realised it was a car with the offside headlights and side lights not working. I swerved and hit one of the cones and scratched the nearside of my front bumper . Since then, as I do a lot of night driving I have noticed the amount of cars with defective lights is staggering. Surely this is more dangerous than eating a crust while driving?

Correct!
I have always thought of the hard of hearing pensioner with poor eyesight thinking that the one lighted vehicle is a motor bike and the stepping into the road with disasterous consequences

 

[fuzzer]

The amount of police cars with defective lights never mind joe public is shocking!

 

[gina2201]

I have noticed this and it most surely be noticeable to the driver, if it was me and my car, I'd have it sorted asap! Can't stand having bulbs out, even a brake light, let alone a rather important headlight!

 

[Meldrew2]

The amount of police cars with defective lights never mind joe public is shocking!

I fondly remember being told to move my car from a drop-off area at Manchester airport by a rather rude Traffic Warden.

He followed me in his Astra out of the drop off area, and was very angry when he saw me stop again.

TW- (angry) What are you stopping here for ?
Me- Just to let you know you have a headlight out.
TW- (sheepish) Oh. Thank you for telling me, sir.

Life is made of such golden memories.......

 

[MPG]

Most of my driving takes place on country roads and I agree that the number of cars with faulty lights is a disgrace. Another pet hate is the number of drivers who insist on using their fog lights just because it's dark. oh - & lets not forget all those drivers that need to be flashed to remind them they're travelling towards you with their main beam still on....Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[Dieselman]

TW- (angry) What are you stopping here for ?
Me- Just to let you know you have a headlight out.
TW- (sheepish) Oh. Thank you for telling me, sir.

Life is made of such golden memories.......

Had one a bit like that today when out on my bike.
Riding along in a rural area and a newish twin cab pickup pulls up to a difficult junction and stops.
Just as it's pulling up the passenger window scrolls down 8" and a large crisp bag is thrown out.

I ride past and after a short while the pickup catches up with me so I ride into the middle of the road and get the woman driver to wind the window down and say "Your Boy's dropped something at the junction..."

She pulled up rather embarrased..

 

[Dieselman]

& lets not forget all those drivers that need to be flashed to remind them they're travelling towards you with their main beam still on....Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

more likely aftermarket HID.....

 

[xpc316e]

Of course, another reason for this could be the difficulty of actually changing a bulb these days. I had fun this morning changing the n/s dipped beam on my car: I had to remove the washer bottle and then move the power steering reservoir just to get at the bulb. Still that's better than my colleague who paid £55 to a Fiat dealer this week to fit a new bulb to his wife's Stilo. He bought the bulb himself but didn't know where to start. The dealer had to remove the front bumper and wheelarch liner to fit it.

This is not merely bad design: I suspect that it is done on purpose to get folk to go to a dealer to pay through the nose to replace what is basically a consumable part. My VW Passat needed bumper removal to change a bulb, and how I hanker after my old cars when the job could be done in a couple of minutes with at most a screwdriver.

It always strikes me as odd that France requires you to drive around with a kit of spare bulbs in the car, but that still does not mean you can actually replace the dud lamp these days.

 

[prprandall51]

Of course, another reason for this could be the difficulty of actually changing a bulb these days.

There seem to be a number of design factors involved in headlights nowadays that are making things increasingly difficult for bulb changing:

Manufacturers are pulling headlight asemblies further back into the car (and around the sides of the wings) to prevent damage to expensive components in a mild front-end crunch - this affects the insurance rating and helps the car's saleability as a result.

Pedestrian crash-testing is also pushing headlamps further up the wings so that the bonnet can absorb the impact as much as possible.

Sophisticated vehicle design is allowing bonnets to get shorter for a given level of crash protection - but all the gubbins still has to fit in there.

All these factors are increasingly causing the rear side of the lamp clusters to "chummy up" with other under-bonnet equipment and fittings. The downside is that bulbs are more difficult to change. The upside is that your insurance group rating is lower, your bonnet is shorter and the pedestrian you run over is less likely to be injured.

I remember in my parents' Mk I Golf there was room for a couple of picnic baskets in front of the engine! Those days are gone.

 

[crockers]

Looking to see how easy it is to change a bulb isn't one of the things one thinks about when viewing a car................saw a program on the Megane (I think) ...damn near impossible for the average guy to change a bulb

 

[kikkthecat]

Just a quick question.
When a headlight bulb fails why does the remaining one always seem to switch to full beam to compensate ?

 

[crockers]

Just a quick question.
When a headlight bulb fails why does the remaining one always seem to switch to full beam to compensate ?

Does it????????????????????????

 

[jaymanek]

Last year, when the credit crunch still had everyone pooing their pants.. we noticed a sharp decrease in number of MOT's we were doing... even though we are one of the cheapest in town..

 

[DieselE]

Does it????????????????????????

If you ask KikTheCat how many he has caught so far today I expect he'll say "You're the first!".

 

[arimus]

I think it's a psuedo optical effect that makes the one remaining light seem brighter... though suppose its possible on a car with a poor condition battery/alternator losing the one bulb might give the other poor sod some more juice (and in turn burn that one out quicker as well )

I know on most car's I've owned since my old MkI Fiesta that as the car gets newer getting your hand in to remove the bulb gets harder and harder...

 

[DieselE]

I think it's a psuedo optical effect that makes the one remaining light seem brighter... though suppose its possible on a car with a poor condition battery/alternator losing the one bulb might give the other poor sod some more juice (and in turn burn that one out quicker as well )

I think that the main cause is that drivers realise they can't see so well on only one bulb so think they'll switch to main beam and b****r the effect on oncoming cars.

 

[dino645]

I dont know about other drivers, but it is hitting me.

Wiring loom at xmas (£1k), serpentine belt tensioner to do, then the battery died on me (I hardly use my car, and have not used it for a few months). Because I rely on the alarm to lock the car, I couldn't get in and realised for the first time, that the ignition barrel has been replaced and that the only key I have doesn't fit the doors.

So I had to wait a week for MBZ to order one from Germany, and then jumped it today. Honestly, 5 metres down the road, and the exhaust fell off. I had to reverse it back onto the drive, and took it off. On inspection it has just rusted off.

So more money to find. I spent this afternoon cleaning it on the drive!!!!

 

[Meldrew2]

My wife was involved in the Credit Crunch......

She was hunting in her handbag for her Barclaycard when she drove into a tree.




OK - I'll get my coat

 

[dino645]

Since reading your post yesterday, today I have realised just how bad it is. The amount of cars with defective headlights, brake lights etc is incredible. Surely this can't be the result of economic downturn?

How much do bulbs cost? I must have counted a dozen cars within an hour! In addition to that I have seen cars recently that really don't look roadworthy. I can't remember it as bad as this. It's shocking!