Whilst I agree with your rant, it can also be medical issues that make one
more sensitive to being dazzled by oncoming headlamps. Certainly that
happened both to my partner and to me. Luckily I didn't get too bad and
treatment has resolved it entirely. The other day was the first long
(multi-hour) trip in all blackness for several months and, when I got back
home, it was worthy of comment that not one single oncoming headlamp had
dazzled.

As so many people need to be able to drive even when not 100% medically
fit, attacking the badly aligned headlamps is, nonetheless, the first
priority.

--
Rod


I understand about age related issues with dazzle sensitivity, and I'm sure
that this plays a part in my discomfort, but that said, I'm fine with
headlights of any type that are correctly aligned. There just seems to be so
many of them now - and getting worse year on year - that are defective in
various ways, including misalignment. Also, the number of people that either
come at you or up behind you with their lights on main beam, is a lot higher
than it was a few years ago. Either drivers have become a lot more ignorant
or they just don't understand properly about dipped and main beam
headlights. If kids have taken all their driving lessons in daylight,
there's no reason for them to have any properly taught experience of how to
drive at night. I know that I had to educate all three of mine about correct
use of dipped and main beams.

Arfa

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In many cars nowadays, the headlamps are not user replaceable because you
have to remove other parts of the engine to get to them. That maybe why so
many cars now drive with a headlamp out.

I've been wondering whether the modern fetish for flashing lights to say
"Come On", "Thanks" and so on isn't causing lamp failures. I thought that
when you apply volts to a cold filament, there is a sudden rush of amps.

Other hates are drivers who park, often just over the brow of a small
hill, on the wrong side of the road with the headlights on. Often these
are taxis waiting outside restaurants.
--
Bill


Oh yes ! That is my biggest lighting hate. I think it just goes to show that
during driving tuition, the principle of dipped headlights is not taught,
and the drivers who do this have no idea that a dipped beam on the wrong
side of the road, is straight in the face of an approaching driver. Whenever
I come across one of these, even though my dipped beams must be in their
face, I still give them a long blast of my full beam in the fond hope that
they might actually wonder why I've done it, and perhaps finally realise ...

Arfa

"Lieutenant Scott" wrote in message
newsp.wocti9x6ytk5n5@i7-940...
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 02:02:59 -0000, Arfa Daily
wrote:

Yes, I know I've had a bitch on here before about DIY headlight repairs,
but
I swear it's getting worse year on year. Since the evenings have got dark
again, I've been blinded from the front and dazzled from the rear so many
times that I've lost count. This is either because headlight bulbs have
been
fitted incorrectly, or the cretins behind the wheel don't know what the
blue
light on the dash means ...

It means the blue xenons are on.

On top of this, on more than one occasion, I've almost run into the back
of
a motorbike that's turned out to be a car with the offside tail light
out.

You must have pretty poor eyesight, did the car not have reflectors? Were
your headlights not on?

Today, I had to drive to another town some thirty miles away, and for
most
of the time it was more or less foggy. At least one in three cars was not
showing any lights. I think I saw about two that were actually using
their
rear fog lights. Funny how drivers always manage to find the tiresome
things
on a dark wet night when they are guaranteed to dazzle you, but never
have
them on when it's full daylight and thick fog !

I agree with yo on the lights, but not the fog lights. Fog lights look
like brakes, I never use them. If you're following someone in the fog and
they brake, you might not notice.

Anyway, on the return trip, as I passed the main county police
headquarters,
a law car pulled out behind me. It had one headlight pointing into the
ditch, and the other up into my rearview mirror. If it's now reached the
point where even the coppers can't keep their own vehicles legal, we
might
as well all give up ...

I would have pulled him over for a laugh.

DIY headlight bulb replacement should be banned. You ought to have to
take
your car to approved garages where there is someone trained and certified
to
change the wretched things correctly :-(

How can you replace a bulb wrong, they have ****ing notches!


Oh dear ...

Arfa

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.co.uk...
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:33:48 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Took the kids to LegoLand (Windsor) this summer. One day, there was an
ANPR inside the entrance logging everyone. I thought that was bloody
off.

Many car parks now have ANPR cameras on entrance and exit. Stay more than
the X free hours allowed and they send the registered keeper a parking
notice.

Have a closer look at the signage at any of your large supermarkets...
Saves the contracted parking company having to pay a man to walk around
with a note book and it'll get *every one* who overstays.

--
Cheers
Dave.


My son got a ticket sent to him as a result of one of those. He entered the
car park by one entrance, and left by another. Four hours later, he went
back in the entrance that he previously left by, and then left a short while
later by the entrance that he first went in. They sent him a ticket for
parking in there between the time that he first went in, and the time that
he finally left the second time.

Fortunately, he was able to prove absolutely that he was not in there for
all of that time, and that somehow, their system had missed him leaving and
returning by a different entrance. They accepted this, and cancelled the
ticket.

Arfa

On 26/11/2012 00:32, Graham. wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 23:39:25 +0000, Tim Streater
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:41:05 +0000, Graham.
wrote:

Modern!??

Everyone was doing that in 1975. Probably before...

Since cars have had electric lights at least!

Don't think it was that common till around the 1970's and electric
lights have been the norm for roughly 50 years before that.

Plenty of drivers in the 60s would have been able to flash, even if only
by flicking the lights on/off briefly. And cars with knobs on the dash
board - that's the 50s you're thinking of.

My current Skoda has the light selector knob on the dash, so did the
selection of Focus's (Focii?) before that.
The dip-switch has always been on a stalk even on my first car, a 1971
Vauxhall Viva, and that had a leaky push-button pump for the
windscreen washer on the dash.

My recollection is drivers uses to flash as an invitation, thanks, or
silent rebuke much as they do now, perhaps my recollection is wrong.

You would certainly get flashed if you had the audacity to turn on
your lights in daylight irrespective of how hard it was pelting down
with rain, Volvo had an advertising campaign that tried to educate
drivers about this, and some Volvo owners had their lights modified so
they could be switched off.

It was common for bus drivers to flash the interior lights as a thanks
to the driver behind, that's something I haven't seen for years.

And before hazard warning lights bus drivers often had the good sense
to lean something against the back of their broken down vehicle so you
knew it was stranded.


Wondering about the differences between countries - e.g. where you are
supposed to flash before overtaking - is that why the stalk flash became
universal? Rather than more typical UK usage.

And you missed out "as you recklessly approach and sit on the tail of
the vehicle ahead leaving no more than a few inches in order that you
can demonstrate your vehicle's ability to go one inch a week faster".

--
Rod

On 26/11/2012 00:10, Lieutenant Scott wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:23:20 -0000, dennis@home
wrote:

On 25/11/2012 13:54, Bill wrote:
In message , fred writes

Static ones are certainly illuminated with IR floods and you get the
plate lighting up with the on axis reflection, just like cats eyes.
Don't know about the mobile ones but it would be a bit of an omission
if they didn't have them too.


I recently fitted an ANPR camera for a customer, attached to their CCTV
system. They are amazing, even in bright sunlight there is next to no
image. As you say they have IR illumination and this is reflected back
from the number plate. The effect is outstanding, the filter in front
of the camera basically only allows the IR frequency of light through
and the number plate shows perfectly, day or night. The mobile ones do
appear to have IR illuminators too.

Its done to make sure the idiots that fit reflective coatings on plates
and other such junk get caught.

What's idiotic about avoiding the ****ing GATSOs?


Being idiotic enough to think they work!
Looks like you do.

On Nov 25, 3:43*pm, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article
,
* *Steve Firth wrote:

Changing a bulb for one of the correct type won't alter the beam
setting. What is more likely is the car has been damaged and repaired
and the new unit not adjusted correctly. If a new car, this won't be
picked up until the first MOT.
Putting the bulbs in upside down will alter the beam setting.

Which type of bulb can be fitted upside down if it matters? None I've seen.

On Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:07:53 -0000, Lieutenant Scott wrote:

Many car parks now have ANPR cameras on entrance and exit. Stay more
than the X free hours allowed and they send the registered keeper a
parking notice.

Which you can presumably ignore like the motorway service station ones?

Got sent a ticket for overstaying at the Wetherby service area the other
week. Was staying at the Days Inn for two nights (Buy One Get One Free)
with free parking. The receptionist has to enter your registration into a
terminal. The ticket I got was for the second night. I can only assume
she only entered my reg for only 1 night. The parking co. quickly
accepted a copy of my hotel bill and dropped their over stay parking
charge.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:06:01 -0000, Lieutenant Scott wrote:

At the Aldi here you have to type your reg number into a terminal near
the tills, otherwise you get charged regardless of how long you stay.

That would cause me not to shop at Aldi.

Would be a major put off for me as well. The car park next to Waitrose in
Hexham is all Council Pay and Display, don't go there often but just over
the road is a big Tesco car park, 3 hrs free... Then there is the parking
arrangements for the "new" Sainsbury's in Penrith. There is open air Pay
and Display and a multi-storey. You obvioulsy have to cough up in advance
in the PnD but the multi-storey, I think is pay on exit with free parking
if you spend over £X in the Sainsbury's but how you get your free parking
I don't know. I never pay for parking unless there is no option, most
parking around here is free...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:07:25 -0000, Lieutenant Scott wrote:

Yes no tax is very dangerous indeed.... for the DVLA coffers.

The Car Tax is nothing compared to the fuel bill. But if some one hasn't
got tax, the car probably hasn't had a MOT for years and they probably
haven't got insurance.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Nov 25, 2:03*am, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
Yes, I know I've had a bitch on here before about DIY headlight repairs, but
I swear it's getting worse year on year. Since the evenings have got dark
again, I've been blinded from the front and dazzled from the rear so many
times that I've lost count. This is either because headlight bulbs have been
fitted incorrectly, or the cretins behind the wheel don't know what the blue
light on the dash means ...

On top of this, on more than one occasion, I've almost run into the back of
a motorbike that's turned out to be a car with the offside tail light out..

Sounds like DWDCA to me.

MBQ

On Nov 25, 7:41*pm, Graham. wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 14:14:08 +0000, Tim Watts
wrote:

Bill wrote:

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In many cars nowadays, the headlamps are not user replaceable because
you have to remove other parts of the engine to get to them. That maybe
why so many cars now drive with a headlamp out.

I've been wondering whether the modern fetish for flashing lights to say
"Come On", "Thanks" and so on isn't causing lamp failures.

Modern!??

Everyone was doing that in 1975. Probably before...

Since cars have had electric lights at least!

I think there is still a clause in the Highway Code about not flashing
your lights as an invitation to proceed, but it's so common it's silly
to think people won't do it.

Also, if sounding my horn after 2200 has a fighting chance of averting
an accident, I sound it.

Do you think you are doing something wrong?

MBQ

On Nov 25, 10:20*am, fred wrote:
In article , Tim Lamb
writes

The problem is not the replacing of bulbs.
It is the soft suspension of modern cars neccesitating headlight
adjusters that work from the dashboard which some people don't bother
with.

Or rather they get adjusted *full up* and never put back.

Isn't 'full up' meant to be the default, with switched departures from
the 'zero' position all being progressively further degrees of dipping
to compensate for increased loading in the rear?

Correct.

MBQ

On Nov 26, 12:07*am, "Lieutenant Scott" wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 23:15:53 -0000, dennis@home wrote:
On 25/11/2012 23:07, Tim Watts wrote:
Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:33:48 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Took the kids to LegoLand (Windsor) this summer. One day, there was an
ANPR inside the entrance logging everyone. I thought that was bloody
off.

I should have clarified that - it was a Police ANPR with a pair of coppers
and a marked car.

So there was a threat and they wanted to make sure people were safe.
There are many good reasons why the police use ANPR.
That also includes catching people without tax and insurance taking the
kids out.

Yes no tax is very dangerous indeed

Don't be silly. Oh, it's you.

It is, however, a very good indication of other issues.

MBQ

On Nov 26, 2:53*am, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message

ll.co.uk...









On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:33:48 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Took the kids to LegoLand (Windsor) this summer. One day, there was an
ANPR inside the entrance logging everyone. I thought that was bloody
off.

Many car parks now have ANPR cameras on entrance and exit. Stay more than
the X free hours allowed and they send the registered keeper a parking
notice.

Have a closer look at the signage at any of your large supermarkets...
Saves the contracted parking company having to pay a man to walk around
with a note book and it'll get *every one* who overstays.

--
Cheers
Dave.

My son got a ticket sent to him as a result of one of those. He entered the
car park by one entrance, and left by another. Four hours later, he went
back in the entrance that he previously left by, and then left a short while
later by the entrance that he first went in. They sent him a ticket for
parking in there between the time that he first went in, and the time that
he finally left the second time.

Fortunately, he was able to prove absolutely that he was not in there for
all of that time, and that somehow, their system had missed him leaving and
returning by a different entrance. They accepted this, and cancelled the
ticket.

Arfa

Explaining the situation, followed by "see you in court" usually
focuses minds.

MBQ

In message
, Man
at B&Q writes
On Nov 25, 10:20*am, fred wrote:
In article , Tim Lamb
writes

The problem is not the replacing of bulbs.
It is the soft suspension of modern cars neccesitating headlight
adjusters that work from the dashboard which some people don't bother
with.

Or rather they get adjusted *full up* and never put back.

Isn't 'full up' meant to be the default, with switched departures from
the 'zero' position all being progressively further degrees of dipping
to compensate for increased loading in the rear?

Correct.

Yes. I hadn't considered that. So, rephrasing, they haven't bothered to
adjust the headlight setting when fully loaded:-)

--
Tim Lamb

On 25/11/2012 22:59, polygonum wrote:
On 25/11/2012 22:51, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:00:25 +0000, Andy Burns
wrote:

Other hates are drivers who park, often just over the brow of a small
hill, on the wrong side of the road with the headlights on. Often these
are taxis waiting outside restaurants.

Clearly what is needed is legislation that restaurants must be on the
correct side of the road and not situated near small hills.

What is needed is legislation that forbids parking with the headlights
on facing oncoming traffic.
Oh wait, it's there already, is it not...

And not having headlamps on when parked.

However, a taxi that is setting down or picking up passengers is not parked.

Colin Bignell

On 25/11/2012 22:31, Andy Burns wrote:
Dave Liquorice wrote:

Many car parks now have ANPR cameras on entrance and exit. Stay more than
the X free hours allowed and they send the registered keeper a parking
notice.

At the Aldi here you have to type your reg number into a terminal near
the tills, otherwise you get charged regardless of how long you stay.

That would not suit me. There is an unmanned car park at a beauty spot I
know where you have to type in your registration when you buy the
ticket. I always have to go back to the car to look.

Colin Bignell

In message , Arfa Daily
writes

The problem is not the replacing of bulbs.
It is the soft suspension of modern cars neccesitating headlight
adjusters that work from the dashboard which some people don't bother
with.


Headlights that are a bit high - maybe. Headlights straight in my face
or right in my mirror - moron behind the wheel who doesn't know what a
blue warning indicator means. One headlight in the ditch and one
pointing at the moon - wrongly fitted bulbs. By far the vast majority
of cases fall into the latter two categories, and the problem with the
second of those two most definitely *is* in the replacing of the bulbs ...

4/4s often have headlights mounted such that they shine directly on your
wing mirrors when following closely.

--
Tim Lamb

On 25/11/2012 22:32, wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:41:05 +0000, Graham.
wrote:


Modern!??

Everyone was doing that in 1975. Probably before...



Since cars have had electric lights at least!


Don't think it was that common till around the 1970's

Common enough in the 1960s.

Colin Bignell

On 26/11/2012 02:24, Arfa Daily wrote:


"Bill" wrote in message
...
In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In many cars nowadays, the headlamps are not user replaceable because
you have to remove other parts of the engine to get to them. That
maybe why so many cars now drive with a headlamp out.

I've been wondering whether the modern fetish for flashing lights to
say "Come On", "Thanks" and so on isn't causing lamp failures. I
thought that when you apply volts to a cold filament, there is a
sudden rush of amps.

Other hates are drivers who park, often just over the brow of a small
hill, on the wrong side of the road with the headlights on. Often
these are taxis waiting outside restaurants.
--
Bill


Oh yes ! That is my biggest lighting hate. I think it just goes to show
that during driving tuition, the principle of dipped headlights is not
taught, and the drivers who do this have no idea that a dipped beam on
the wrong side of the road, is straight in the face of an approaching
driver....

Some dipped beams. The cut-off on mine is flat across the entire width
and the car looks at the beam pattern when it starts up, so it is always
set correctly for the load. I do get an extra throw of light along the
verge, but only when indicating or making a turn.

Colin Bignell

On 26 Nov 2012 09:17:36 GMT, Huge wrote:

The design of the rear light clusters on my Disco III is brilliant.
Lifting the tailgate reveals 2 large screws, undo those and the whole
cluster comes off and you can change the bulbs by hand. I can only
assume that whoever was responsible once had to change a rear bulb on a
Disco II and still looks at the scars from time to time to remind him.

Eh? I never even attempted to do the rear lights on my DII from the rear
(oh er missus!). The half dozen or so screws that hold the whole cluster
to the body work are a bit of PITA but then you can take the cluster
inside get warm and change the bulbs easyly. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

Graham. wrote:

My current Skoda has the light selector knob on the dash, so did the
selection of Focus's (Focii?) before that.
The dip-switch has always been on a stalk even on my first car, a 1971
Vauxhall Viva, and that had a leaky push-button pump for the
windscreen washer on the dash.

IIRC, on my Dad's Mk 1 Ford Consul, the dip switch was a
foot-operated button, to the left of the clutch pedal.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

Nightjar wrote:

Some dipped beams. The cut-off on mine is flat across the entire width
and the car looks at the beam pattern when it starts up, so it is always
set correctly for the load.

There's clever! How does it do that?

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On Mon, 26 Nov 2012 02:24:57 -0000, Arfa Daily wrote:

Oh yes ! That is my biggest lighting hate. I think it just goes to show
that during driving tuition, the principle of dipped headlights is not
taught, and the drivers who do this have no idea that a dipped beam on
the wrong side of the road, is straight in the face of an approaching
driver.

Wrong side or not you still can't see if anybody has door open or is
moving around a parked car with it's head lights on.

Seems that only two positions a taught for the light switches, all on
(inc front fogs) or all off.

Whenever I come across one of these, even though my dipped beams must
be in their face, I still give them a long blast of my full beam in the
fond hope that they might actually wonder why I've done it, and perhaps
finally realise ...

I go to main beam in the hope I might get enough back to see if there is
some body or a door open. Did that the other night and the dipped lights
did go off, some one was leaning into the car to do it but I didn't see
them until they turned off their dipped head lights... I then turned my
main beam off.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 26 Nov 2012 09:19:38 GMT, Huge wrote:

I keep meaning to mount a photographic flashgun facing backwards in the
rear window for the benefit of tailgaters, especially those with main
beams on.

Wouldn't need to be a flash gun just a brief burst froma and LED torch.
I'd also use it for those horribly hard cut off HIDs. Mate has a Merc
with those he followed me out of Dumfries the other night, every single
large bump in the road and it seemed he was flashing his lights.
Fortunately being in a Discovery by the time he was behind me I can't see
headlights at all, but I'd hate to have been in a lower car.

Mentioned it to him and he got, and still is, most defensive. But did
complain that my main beam wasn't enough for him to over take? Eh? if his
lights are so good he doesn't need to use mine! I suspect it's the hard
cut off, he has a pool of brightness, that reduces his night vision, and
there is nothing beyond the cut off. Normal halogen headlights have some
spill that illuminate, to some extent, beyound the cut off.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 26/11/2012 09:19, Huge wrote:
On 2012-11-26, Arfa Daily wrote:

Also, the number of people that either
come at you or up behind you with their lights on main beam, is a lot higher
than it was a few years ago.

I keep meaning to mount a photographic flashgun facing backwards in the rear
window for the benefit of tailgaters, especially those with main beams
on.

I suspect a mirror, appropriately chosen and positioned, would do quite
a good job.

--
Rod

I doubt that - IANAL, but I would say that would be a clear breach
of the DPA ...

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:42:55 +0000, The Medway Handyman
wrote:

Interestingly, the Police ANPR cameras log every single number plate &
only flag up the ones without tax etc.

All the others are kept on a database. When looking for a local scrote
to arrest for not turning up at court, they interrogate the database for
his car reg & look for patterns of travel.

Once a pattern is established - they just wait in the right place.
--
================================================== =======
Please always reply to ng as the email in this post's
header does not exist. Or use a contact address at:
http://www.macfh.co.uk/JavaJive/JavaJive.html
http://www.macfh.co.uk/Macfarlane/Macfarlane.html

On Mon, 26 Nov 2012 02:33:20 -0000, Arfa Daily wrote:

On top of this, on more than one occasion, I've almost run into the
back of a motorbike that's turned out to be a car with the offside
tail light out.

You must have pretty poor eyesight, did the car not have reflectors?

Quite. Now the other way with offside head and sidelight out is another
matter. You might get a bit of sparkle from the unlit cluster but that is
easy to lose ona wet night.

Fog lights look like brakes, I never use them. If you're following
someone in the fog and they brake, you might not notice.

Agreed. I use rear fogs when it is really foggy (not just a light mist or
heavy rain) but as soon as some one comes up behind I turn them off.
How can you replace a bulb wrong, they have ****ing notches!

Oh dear ...

Well they are all polarised some how to get the fitting right. I guess we
are under estimating how ham fisted some of the great unwashed are or how
difficult some car makers make access to the bulbs.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Again, IMO this IS a clear breach of the DPA - how do they know who
the registered keeper is? (S)he has committed no criminal offence, so
the 'official' DVLA and police systems can not be used 'officially',
so that leaves the databases used to quote for insurance purposes,
which is a use not intended by consumers when they volunteer the data.

For some time I have had a dodgy back, which recently has become so
bad that I frequently have to lift myself into my car by grabbing the
roof-rail, to do which I need to guarantee to be able to open the door
fully. Consequently, when I can't find an end space, I often park in
the Disabled or Parents With Children bays of supermarket car parks,
though, as walking is not a problem to me, I always choose the
furthest from the store.

Sainsbury's car parks are run by a third party organisation, and they
tried to 'do' me for this to the tune of £75 or thereabouts. However,
when I wrote to them explaining that IMO they were in breach of the
DPA, and that I had no intention of paying unless they could explain
how they had acquired in a legal manner knowledge of the registered
keeper, although they never openly admitted a breach, the threatening
letters stopped, and the matter was quietly dropped - I never heard
any more about it.

However, Sainsbury's lost my custom, so a net loss for them.

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 22:20:40 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

Many car parks now have ANPR cameras on entrance and exit. Stay more than
the X free hours allowed and they send the registered keeper a parking
notice.
--
================================================== =======
Please always reply to ng as the email in this post's
header does not exist. Or use a contact address at:
http://www.macfh.co.uk/JavaJive/JavaJive.html
http://www.macfh.co.uk/Macfarlane/Macfarlane.html

I think faulty vehicle lighting must be the most common, significant safety-related fault on vehicles.

Of course - anyone can have a bulb fail at any time.

But it shouldn't be beyond the wit of ANPR cameras to spot faulty lights, and auto-generate an email or letter to the registered keeper.

Add the faulty-lights vehicle plate to a database, and if it appears again with the same fault after - say - 2 weeks have elapsed since the first letter - send them a fine in the post.

Harsh - but it would make a greater contribution to safety than fines for slightly exceeding the speed limit.

In article ,
Arfa Daily wrote:
Changing a bulb for one of the correct type won't alter the beam
setting. What is more likely is the car has been damaged and repaired
and the new unit not adjusted correctly. If a new car, this won't be
picked up until the first MOT.


When was the last time you changed a headlight bulb Dave ?

I changed the dip pair car recently. H7. They were old and not as bright
as new.

They have
offset locating 'tangs' on them to make sure that the main and dip
filaments are correctly located in the reflector.

Quite.

Unfortunately, many
modern headlamp units are so awkwardly located that bulb replacement
can only be carried out by feel. In these cases, it is perfectly
possible to get the bulb in place such that at least one of the
locating tangs is not in its slot.

It's possible to cross thread a nut too.

Because the retaining clip is only
made of a thin gauge spring steel wire, it is vanishingly easy to force
it back into its clip, thus holding the bulb in its seat at an angle.
The result of this is a beam pointing either at the ditch, or the moon

And you'd leave it like that till the next MOT?

--
*Virtual reality is its own reward *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Java Jive wrote:
Again, IMO this IS a clear breach of the DPA - how do they know who
the registered keeper is? (S)he has committed no criminal offence, so
the 'official' DVLA and police systems can not be used 'officially',
so that leaves the databases used to quote for insurance purposes,
which is a use not intended by consumers when they volunteer the data.

If you stay longer than the permitted time, you are in breach of the
implied contract with the land owner, and the DVLA are permitted to sell
your details to the owner of the parking area for billing purposes.

For some time I have had a dodgy back, which recently has become so
bad that I frequently have to lift myself into my car by grabbing the
roof-rail, to do which I need to guarantee to be able to open the door
fully. Consequently, when I can't find an end space, I often park in
the Disabled or Parents With Children bays of supermarket car parks,
though, as walking is not a problem to me, I always choose the
furthest from the store.

So you admit that you park in a disabled space without displaying the
required badge or a parent and child bay without the required number of
children, in breach of the conditions posted in the car park. (In small
print on a grubby notice hidden in the corner behind a shrubbery.)

Sainsbury's car parks are run by a third party organisation, and they
tried to 'do' me for this to the tune of £75 or thereabouts. However,
when I wrote to them explaining that IMO they were in breach of the
DPA, and that I had no intention of paying unless they could explain
how they had acquired in a legal manner knowledge of the registered
keeper, although they never openly admitted a breach, the threatening
letters stopped, and the matter was quietly dropped - I never heard
any more about it.

As an organisation with a legitimate reason to have the information,
(They want to chase you for a bill) the car park operator just has to
ask the DVLA for the details. They will be charged a fee for it, which
is passed on to you as part of the parking charge.

You heard no more about it because it wouldn't be economically viable
for them to chase you any further.

The breach of the DPA, if any, is by the DVLA who are the registered
holders of that data, but as they passed on the information to a third
party for a legally approved use, you'd not get far chasing them.

However, Sainsbury's lost my custom, so a net loss for them.

As you say, their loss.


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Tciao for Now!

John.

On Nov 26, 10:33*am, Tim Streater wrote:
In article ,

*Nightjar wrote:
On 25/11/2012 22:31, Andy Burns wrote:
Dave Liquorice wrote:

Many car parks now have ANPR cameras on entrance and exit. Stay more than
the X free hours allowed and they send the registered keeper a parking
notice.

At the Aldi here you have to type your reg number into a terminal near
the tills, otherwise you get charged regardless of how long you stay.

That would not suit me. There is an unmanned car park at a beauty spot I
know where you have to type in your registration when you buy the
ticket. I always have to go back to the car to look.

And there are car parks on the Suffolk coast where you have to type in
the three digits from your number plate.

D-O-G ?

MBQ

Java Jive wrote:
I doubt that - IANAL, but I would say that would be a clear breach
of the DPA ...

No, the DPA does not apply to data used for law enforcement purposes,
especially if a court grant a warrant for seizure and/or use of said
data. Nor does it apply to data used for a specified, legal purpose, in
this case, the apprehension of an alleged offender.

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:42:55 +0000, The Medway Handyman
wrote:
Interestingly, the Police ANPR cameras log every single number plate &
only flag up the ones without tax etc.

All the others are kept on a database. When looking for a local scrote
to arrest for not turning up at court, they interrogate the database for
his car reg & look for patterns of travel.

Once a pattern is established - they just wait in the right place.


--
Tciao for Now!

John.

Huge wrote:
On 2012-11-26, Arfa Daily wrote:

Also, the number of people that either
come at you or up behind you with their lights on main beam, is a lot higher
than it was a few years ago.

I keep meaning to mount a photographic flashgun facing backwards in the rear
window for the benefit of tailgaters, especially those with main beams
on.

YMYA

I have the iPhone on a window mount for sat nav. It's also useful because
it lets me flick the iPhone to "torch/strobe" for those prats on bicycles
with strobing headlights.

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€¢DarWin|
_/ _/

Huge wrote:

The design of the rear light clusters on my Disco III is brilliant. Lifting
the tailgate reveals 2 large screws, undo those and the whole cluster comes
off and you can change the bulbs by hand. I can only assume that whoever
was responsible once had to change a rear bulb on a Disco II and still
looks at the scars from time to time to remind him.

Sounds like they copied the Ford Exploder.

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€¢DarWin|
_/ _/

"dennis@home" wrote:
On 25/11/2012 23:07, Tim Watts wrote:
Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:33:48 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Took the kids to LegoLand (Windsor) this summer. One day, there was an
ANPR inside the entrance logging everyone. I thought that was bloody
off.

I should have clarified that - it was a Police ANPR with a pair of coppers
and a marked car.


So there was a threat and they wanted to make sure people were safe.

Bull****.

There are many good reasons why the police use ANPR.
That also includes catching people without tax and insurance taking the kids out.

That's the primary reason, not an "also includes". If they can catch
someone with outstanding markers for failing to appear in court it's a
bonus.

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€¢DarWin|
_/ _/

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 17:26:59 +0000 (GMT), charles
wrote:


The was the driver round here, a few years ago, who was prosecuted for:
1. Not displaying obligatory front lights
2. Not displaying obligatory rear lights
3. not dilluminating his rear number plate.

The result was sufficient points for him to lose his licence. I think he
must have annoyed the police who stopped him.

I recall an account in the local rag where I grew up of a bloke who'd
had his car gone over and the book thoroughly thrown at him for every
little thing they could find. Even at the time, aged 17, I recognised
a ****** who'd cheeked the coppers.
It was something I bore in mind - most coppers are reasonable people,
but if you take the **** they'll take it back.

You don't really have to be taking the ****. I was stopped about a decade
ago by two plod who told me that I had been speeding but they hadn't
managed to start their Vascar in time and when the speed limit changed from
70 to 50 I slowed to 50 so they couldn't "do" me. They were wrong about me
speeding but I didn't correct them knowing that can lead to trouble. I then
got a roadside MoT as they desperately tried to find something wrong with
the car.

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€¢DarWin|
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harry wrote:
On Nov 25, 3:43 pm, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article
,
Steve Firth wrote:

Changing a bulb for one of the correct type won't alter the beam
setting. What is more likely is the car has been damaged and repaired
and the new unit not adjusted correctly. If a new car, this won't be
picked up until the first MOT.
Putting the bulbs in upside down will alter the beam setting.

Which type of bulb can be fitted upside down if it matters? None I've seen.

True. Only someone who'd never fitted one would make such a stupid
remark

Only someone who has never worked on a car would think it was a stupid
remark.

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€¢DarWin|
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