ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Auto electrics

I too find those blue Xenon lights really annoying. They're more energy efficient than the old ones which means that they put out more light with the same power consumtion.

Sven, yes, someone using the full lights definitely blinds you.

Also from motorists.org :

It all started with a Greyhound Bus Company public relations gimmick to promote its "safety image." There was an apparent reduction in bus accidents and the conclusion was made that the daytime headlight use must be the reason. There was a burst of publicity and daytime headlight use was christened as a great highway safety strategy. A subsequent study, slightly more thorough, determined that daytime headlight use on busses had no effect on accident frequency. That study never got much attention.


I wish they would have linked to the 2nd study to save their readers the effort...

I did see one site claiming a study found DRLs reduced accidents with pedestrians. Here it is - WARNING, link is to a pdf file, may be annoying to 56K users:
http://www.tarweblog.com/membersonly/view_attachment.cfm?twattachmentid=57

I like how we can find studies online to back up any position one might take on any subject....

Thanks for that link. I didn't read all 34 pages but the opening statements seem to say DRL didn't affect fatal crashes (ed. Maybe because the added warning is not enough in those typically high speed, severe crashes) but did show a 7% reduction in non-fatal and a 28% reduction on auto-ped. I read some of the nmo site and, frankly, their retoric is so inflamitory and unsubstantiated that I can't believe a word of it. Not enough information to pin down any of the studies save maybe the original Greyhound one. I'll consider supported arguements but they sound about like some of our labor-management meetings.

I noticed a couple of years ago that these seem to have become quite prevalent in France (they may have been visiting cars from neighboring Germany, I suppose, but as I was blinded by the lights I couldn't make out the license plates! ).

It's quite ironic when one considers that until a few years ago France insisted on yellow headlights, because they claimed that regular white lights dazzled too much.(Even visiting foreigners were expected to paint their headlights yellow!)

Here's a quick outline of the trailer connections which are the most widely used system in Britain and seem to cause much confusion:

Trailer Wiring Guide.

Notice that these are rather different than the trailer wiring found in North America due to the use of independent turn signals instead of common bulbs, and the split wiring for left/right tail/marker lights.

One problem is that the standard for the 12N was changed in 1980 and that for the 12S in 1998. The latter change has brought with it a particularly nasty side-effect of shorting out the battery on some car/trailer combinations, or at least blowing fuses!


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 09-12-2003).]

I too dabble in auto electrics now and again.

Here's another car lighting problem I've just come across on a 1986 (ish) Volvo 740.

I pulled the DRL fuse as requested, which took all of 30 seconds. However, there's another insidious "feature" on this model to disable. If you are driving this with headlights on and then stop and switch off the ignition, all the lights go out!

I've seen models where you can't get the headlights on without the ignition before, but to have parking/tail lights go out as well is crazy. You have to turn the light switch back to the P position to get them back on.

Too many killed batteries I suppose. I've never seen anyone actually use the parking light.

I've worked on my car's electrical system. I figured out that the reason why the passenger-side headlight was dim is that the connector was loose. Pretty high-level stuff.

As to the bright headlights, what has occured is that people get annoyed with drivers using these bright headlights, and so they try to find something brighter. I'm trying to find a mercury-vapor type of lamp, especially in a particulary irritating shade of blue.

I also agree that "parking lights" are of no use. If it's dark enough for parking lights, use headlights.

The other irritating practice around here (gosh, as I'm typing, there they go again!) is people beeping their horn as they get to intersections to make sure that the people who have the stop sign actually stop. They (beep-beep) every (beep-beep) block (beep-beep) as they (beep-beep) drive along (beep-beep). I'd like to find a way to rig their horn's circuit to their air-bags. That ought to shut them up for a while. Maybe the city should install bells, lights and arms similar to those found at RR crossings, rather than those silly stop signs.

i install the odd radio but can very easily turn out to be a nightmare of a job if you dont have the correct plugs ,cut off old plug joint sw live, light live, ignition live, permanent live, negative and four pairs for the speakers maybe more, working in a cramped hole were usually not much slack on cables! one thing i also like to do is down size the fuse in the radio until i have everything working then reinstall the original.

also fitted electrical socket for towing electrics also a bit tricky when you realise you need cable running to each rear light for the indicators and reverse light depending on which side it is situated.
if your really good sometimes the lighting cables for one light pass through the other light so if you pick the light with all cable services running through it all your joints are made at the one point.

i find auto electrics time consuming but always welcome a change now and then

ps when necassary i joint the cables by soldering then heat shrinking.

[This message has been edited by james S (edited 09-20-2003).]

sorry about the spelling mistake above (necassary)can't seem to amend already amended parts of text?