Brights on because low beams are burnt out

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mclasser

mclasser

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Apr 13, 2013
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I've been encountering many drivers with their brights on because their low beams are burnt out. PSA to these pinheads: The brights don't replace the lows. Get your [censored] bulbs replaced!
 
No excuse for this. Rarely if ever do both burn out at same time and if they do they should stay off the road at night until they are replaced.
 
Cops will whip a U-turn and pull people over for not dimming their brights. Just a matter of time for those idiots to get pulled over for it.
 
Originally Posted by robd
No excuse for this. Rarely if ever do both burn out at same time and if they do they should stay off the road at night until they are replaced.
You'd think so, but Twice Ive had my lows burnout very close to each other. Once it was a matter of hours. One evening one burnt out, so the next morning I drove to Walmart, and put one in in the parking lot. Then I did some running around that morning/afternoon before going back to the hotel. When I went out that evening I unlocked the car with the remote and the lights all turned on, except the one I DIDNT replace. If I had waited to replace them I wouldve been on brights only. Moral: Replace both, always, and do it ASAP. Actually its higher priority than ASAP. Its the next place that has bulbs you buy bulbs. They have the lifetime engineering down to a science on these things. The second time it wasnt as pronounced. I like a specific bulb so when one went out I ordered a new pair off amazon. The second went out before the 2-day prime package arrived. Moral: Keep a spare pair, preferably in the vehicle.
 
I also recently had one sealed beam fail within an hours use of the other, and would have saved a bunch of time had I purchased and replaced both at the same time. I wont make that mistake again.
 
It's not even a matter of low beams being burned out. I'm amazed at the number of people who drive during the daytime with their brights on! New car brights are bright! It's their equivalent of the "Baby On Board" stickers. Apparently, they feel more important than the other folks on the road. Scott
 
Originally Posted by Dinoburner
Around here there a lot of morons installing very bright off road light bars and other style led and using them on road.
Blame the seller just as much as the buyer. Many off-road light bars are also sold as "Driving Lights" and "Fog Lights" I wanted to add after market Fog Lights to my Bronco on the cheap. I had to rotate through 3 different styles of LED light pods before finding some that worked for driving in the Fog.
 
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
It's not even a matter of low beams being burned out. I'm amazed at the number of people who drive during the daytime with their brights on! New car brights are bright! It's their equivalent of the "Baby On Board" stickers. Apparently, they feel more important than the other folks on the road. Scott
If it's bright and the low beams are on too, then it's really the high beams. But my Toyota uses the high beams (only) as the Daytime Running Lights, but at 1/2 brightness. Back on topic, took wife's car out for a fillup and errands the other night, noticed a low beam out, bought a pair at Walmart and changed it in the Walmart parking lot. Asked her, she didn't notice the beam was out (and she's the kind who would notice), so total beam outage was probably 10-12 minutes. It likely failed when they came on, as I started the drive to the gas station.
 
I was also of this opinion.... Until a coworker with a Pontiac g5 (same PITA procedure on a few GM vehicles, apparently) had a bulb blow out on the way to work. I was thinking no big deal, I change healdlamps all the time..... Yeah, the whole front bumper cover/fascia needs to come off or take off half the screws/clips in order to remove the headlamp assembly. She's definitely not going to do that on her own and it was a pain finding anyone who wanted to spend the time to do it - she had to take it to a garage and pay $40 (1/2hr labor) + bulbs. Furthermore, another co-worker had a new vehicle with LED headlamps - one went bad and it took the better part of 3 weeks to get it replaced. The dealer didn't want to give him a loaner to drive because "there wasn't anything mechanically wrong and the vehicle was driveable." He flipped his lid and got his rental for the full 3 weeks. On top of that it's a $600+ assembly, which would be pretty darn hard to swallow out of warranty. After these experiences I can empathize a little more with people when I see high beams behind or in front of me.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Cops will whip a U-turn and pull people over for not dimming their brights. Just a matter of time for those idiots to get pulled over for it.
This NEEDS to happen FAR MORE often!
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Cops will whip a U-turn and pull people over for not dimming their brights. Just a matter of time for those idiots to get pulled over for it.
I've heard of such instances of that happening and the person takes it to court and merely points out in the handbook that if the low beams aren't working at the time you can legally use the high beams because there are no other safe alternatives and the citation (if there is one) will simply be dropped.
 
Not sure if it's good or bad in the long run but my 2017 Super Duty is the low end version with halogen bulbs. On low beams, all 4 bulbs are lit up, on high beams all four bulbs are lit up with the top two going bright. I'm flashed all the time, and not sure I blame them, because when I saw another truck like mine come down the road I sure thought their brights were on too. On the positive side, for halogens, the truck has pretty decent lighting!
 
Common around here with farmers and oilfield crews - I call them Ford Friday Night Lights (they'd be great stadium lights) ... All I can do is just look at the shoulder until one of these passes ... hard to think they came from the factory like this ...
 
I'm seeing alot of people with only 1 low beam burnt out running all their lights. Or just hi beams on like it's no big deal. I like coming across these idiots when I'm in my Cadillac. It's high beams are insanely bright and the lights turn with the steering. If you twitch the wheel it sends the lights right on them.
 
Originally Posted by Black_Thunder
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Cops will whip a U-turn and pull people over for not dimming their brights. Just a matter of time for those idiots to get pulled over for it.
I've heard of such instances of that happening and the person takes it to court and merely points out in the handbook that if the low beams aren't working at the time you can legally use the high beams because there are no other safe alternatives and the citation (if there is one) will simply be dropped.
Nice!
 
I see this often with the cheaper cars and the xenon headlights. We have a customer with a 15 jetta and xenons, has over 150k on it already! She literally came in with no forward lights, no high, low or fog lights. Complained a few months before about the price of the bulbs (D3S are about 125-150 a bulb) but then got nailed for something like 600 for them all in the front. And of course complained again about the price of the bulbs on a car she is probably more than 50% insolvent on and is routinely skipping maintenance and repairs. Soon shell have a 200k beat up jetta thats work 4k but she owes 10 still. Gotta love it.
 
Originally Posted by Black_Thunder
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Cops will whip a U-turn and pull people over for not dimming their brights. Just a matter of time for those idiots to get pulled over for it.
I've heard of such instances of that happening and the person takes it to court and merely points out in the handbook that if the low beams aren't working at the time you can legally use the high beams because there are no other safe alternatives and the citation (if there is one) will simply be dropped.
Curious what state has this handbook because if I were the judge I'd say the safe alternative was walking to Pep Boys for some dam bulbs. This isn't an airplane that needs redundant systems to land. I lost both low (sealed) beams on my cadillac cimarron simultaneously when I turned them on one cold snowy night. I did scrape them with my plastic scraper before starting the car but I didn't whale on them. Replaced them with one new, one used, so they wouldn't blow at the same time again. LOL
 
Originally Posted by c502cid
Not sure if it's good or bad in the long run but my 2017 Super Duty is the low end version with halogen bulbs. On low beams, all 4 bulbs are lit up, on high beams all four bulbs are lit up with the top two going bright. I'm flashed all the time, and not sure I blame them, because when I saw another truck like mine come down the road I sure thought their brights were on too. On the positive side, for halogens, the truck has pretty decent lighting!
Yes, I'm not loving the newer Ford SD headlights either. Especially when they're carrying some weight and those 4 headlights are pointing up in oncoming drivers' faces. Even the DRL settings are pretty bright. When did Ford start having DRLs, anyway? My company '18 Transit doesn't have them, I always thought the DRL was a stupid light bulb eating idea anyway.
 
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