Bright white lights

[Glorian]

Anyone else hate cars and the like with those super bright lights? 5am on my drive to work i have someone following not all that far away super bright lights blaring into my skull. I've taken to actually turning the mirrors completely away because i can't see shit anyway with those behind me. As bad as having full beams on IMO.

Just wanted to rant really but thoughts. or hell some tips for getting to work without sore eyes!

[Stu]

probably LED lights

my car has them and they are great!!

they are supposed to be auto levelling!

I have had the missus following my and not had an issue though!

is the car a new one? or an old car that someone has put LED bulbs in causing too much stray light!

[Glorian]

I do like the idea you can see so much, but they're so bright to other cars.

Car looks a little old some old people carrier.

Wish police stopped more people who don't have their car set up properly, all well and good being able to see more but it shouldn't be at the expense of others.

[Fozzie]

Moos little smart car was fooking blinding when it was sat behind me. Same sort of lights as you describe.

Climbed into the cabin and found the headlight adjuster at the highest setting, so flicked it down to it's second from lowest. She didn't even know the control existed so what chance do the general public have?

Hers are self levelling but I think many of them use a reference point dictated by this control.

They still light up the ground a great distance away, but they need to be adjuster so the beam is below the mirrors of cars/bikes. And you really don't sacrifice much range to do that.

[Stu]

then if its an older car they have either LED bulbs fitted or HID's

this is why I am dead against people fitting them!

while they are good for the car they are fitted to they blind everyone else! which is dangerous

[Stu]

Moos little smart car was fooking blinding when it was sat behind me. Same sort of lights as you describe.

Climbed into the cabin and found the headlight adjuster at the highest setting, so flicked it down to it's second from lowest. She didn't even know the control existed so what chance do the general public have?

Hers are self levelling but I think many of them use a reference point dictated by this control.

They still light up the ground a great distance away, but they need to be adjuster so the beam is below the mirrors of cars/bikes. And you really don't sacrifice much range to do that.

 

you shouldn't have to do that

number 1 position is for normal driving with no load

2 and 3 are for fully loaded and towing! not that you would want to tow anything with a smart car!

obviously if you add weight to the rear the lights raise a touch! lowering them stops them blinding people!

self levelling sorts this out with no need for the switch

maybe the headlights are out already and adjusting them to 2 has brought them back in?

[MrBrightside]

There are not many cars on the roads with full LED lights yet, and my experience of them is they don't blind at all but they are very bright. LED DRL's shouldn't blind either.

HID lights in some cars can be annoying, but the worst offenders are people who fit aftermarket HID bulbs/kits into reflector housings. They scatter bright light everywhere and blind everyone. The local Clio/corsa/fiesta brigade round here all,like to have them. Funny though as a lot of bike riders do this, which pisses car drivers off. The only safe way to have HID's retrofitted is into a projector housing.

Badly fitted bulbs which aren't seated into the bulb carriers is also very common. When you have a car following and it looks like one bulb is on high beam and the other ok.

[Glorian]

I prefer driving my other halves car. Her rear view mirror dims enough that it doesnt blind you. Its ace!

[Adam]

I have to agree I find it tends to be newer cars coming towards you that are blinding to a point you can barely see anything. I had a Mercedes behind me on the dual carriage way the other night that was blinding me from behind in all three mirrors so I put my foot down and lost them eventually but I couldn't see f**k all behind me!

[tuktuk]

Hate people sitting on their brakes in traffic, red led's blazing into the retina

[Fozzie]

you shouldn't have to do that

number 1 position is for normal driving with no load

2 and 3 are for fully loaded and towing! not that you would want to tow anything with a smart car!

obviously if you add weight to the rear the lights raise a touch! lowering them stops them blinding people!

self levelling sorts this out with no need for the switch

maybe the headlights are out already and adjusting them to 2 has brought them back in?

 

I'm not sure then, only had a couple of motors with self levelling lights and they had a little dial to manually change the beam height a touch.

If one had been out as you often see I'd have suspected that, but we went up a hill and I was happy for a split second before they "levelled" and went back to blinding me. Both beams spot on the same, and the car was not long back from an MOT at a smart dealer

It must be fairly widespread not to have a switch as you mention however, as when I drive from Manchester-London I now spend my whole journey with the rear view mirror flicked into anti-glare.

Not sure on their safety if they help you see but blind everyone else

[Joeman]

Hate people sitting on their brakes in traffic, red led's blazing into the retina

That's anyone with an auto gearbox. Get used to it because more and more cars are being sold with auto boxes.

[Fozzie]

If they can design a "hill assist" for the brakes, and an automatic slow mode for wipers when sat still, I reckon an auto-dim on the brake lights at night isn't too much of an issue. Just use the same sensor auto lights use so they dim. Not to the amount they go off the brake, but enough people don't mind.

[Stu]

If they can design a "hill assist" for the brakes, and an automatic slow mode for wipers when sat still, I reckon an auto-dim on the brake lights at night isn't too much of an issue. Just use the same sensor auto lights use so they dim. Not to the amount they go off the brake, but enough people don't mind.

 

Some VAG cars have auto hand brake these days!! They just need to start taking the foot off the brake!

[Adam]

Hate people sitting on their brakes in traffic, red led's blazing into the retina

That's anyone with an auto gearbox. Get used to it because more and more cars are being sold with auto boxes.

 

Or just put it in park? Don't drive an auto but that's what I'd do.

[Joeman]

Hate people sitting on their brakes in traffic, red led's blazing into the retina

That's anyone with an auto gearbox. Get used to it because more and more cars are being sold with auto boxes.

 

Or just put it in park? Don't drive an auto but that's what I'd do.

 

Haha, no you wouldn't. The point of an auto is to make life easy, not faff about changing gears! Brake on to stop, release brake slowly to crawl along in traffic. At no point does the average auto driver consider putting it into park whilst in traffic. Besides, the reverse light would flash each time they change from drive to park and back again, and that would drive you equally insane!

[Bogof]

Or just put it in park? Don't drive an auto but that's what I'd do.

 

Doesn't that rather negate the whole point of having an auto?

One gear change per trip is enough thanks.

[Adam]

I thought that's what people would do, it's no different to applying the handbrake in my eyes but as I said I don't drive an auto.

[Joeman]

I thought that's what people would do, it's no different to applying the handbrake in my eyes but as I said I don't drive an auto.

 

Auto drivers dont apply the handbrake either. no need, just hold the car on the foot brake. it a very easy/lazy way to drive a car...

[Glorian]

I wouldn't mind an auto.. my drives are commutes, not much traffic mind but im usually lazy for my first 2 hours of wake up

[Six30]

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[Fozzie]

New autobox cars should be easier to use surely?

When I was in the states I had a Hyundai Veloster as a hire car, snazzy piece of kit. When you put the handbrake on at the lights it dropped the idle rpms and wouldn't try to creep forward when you took the handbrake off again, just had to tap the throttle for it to go again.

And my mum has a new-ish Z4 that has an electronic handbrake, just flick a switch up to put it on, press down to switch it off. Loved that little feature I must say! But that was a manual car with that feature. Wouldn't it be easy to swap that to auto drivers cars in future?

It's either dim the lights at stationary, or give the auto drivers no excuse to dazzle drivers

[Joeman]

New autobox cars should be easier to use surely?

And my mum has a new-ish Z4 that has an electronic handbrake, just flick a switch up to put it on, press down to switch it off. Loved that little feature I must say! But that was a manual car with that feature. Wouldn't it be easy to swap that to auto drivers cars in future?

It's either dim the lights at stationary, or give the auto drivers no excuse to dazzle drivers

 

What could be easier? Stick it in drive and move away, and put it in park at the end of your journey and optionally apply the handbrake before you get out.

My Audi A6 has the same electronic handbrake. Just a little switch. I only ever use it when I park, never at lights or in traffic, theres just no need to use the handbrake.

[Hoggs]

Agh I hate those electronic handbrakes! .......but admittedly I've only used one in a hire car which may explain why it didn't bloody work

[tuktuk]

They should programme new ones to dim the brake lights when at 0mph and the rear parking sensor identifies something behind it for more than 10secs or something.