Car LED's

[Dave]

Is it just me, or does anyone else find the new LED's (front and rear) too bright? Even in daylight.

Dave

[Adrian]

Dave gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

It's not just you.

Have you noticed how Audi seem to acknowledge this - since their DRLs actually dim when the indicator is used?

[Bob Minchin]

Not just you at all!

LEDs, HIDs and high level brake lights are all to bright.

Also it ought to be compulsory for a regular (10 minute intervals?) warning to be sounded in the car when the high intensity fog lights are switched on. I hate driving on the day after a foggy day as so many people leave them on.

Bob

[<me9]

You are not alone. Particularly high level brake lights which are left on at traffic lights etc.

[<me9]

High level fog lights should be outlawed. They facilitate travelling at speeds where the only hazards seen are other cars with high level brake lights. Pedestrians, bikes, broken down cars, cows and other animals/objects that could be in the road are unseen.

[John]

Jeremy Clarkson described the LED lights on an Audi as "like a Council House at Xmas"

[Phil Jessop]

The brightness I can cope with, the low frequency constant flashing (I guess

60 or 70Hz) when they are dimmed gives me a headache when following a LEDed car, and also gives a trail of red spots across by field of view as I move my eyes which I also find distracting.

There is no reason at all why the frequency could not be increased to a few

100's of Hz to prevent this - why don't they?.

[Chris Bartram]

I find them a little bright, plus some of them noticeably flicker.

[Chris Bartram]

It varies- Peugots seem the worst, some 'premium' cars don't seem to flicker to me.

[Phil Jessop]

I assume Mercs and BMW are not 'premium' then? - they are the worst!!

[Steve Walker]

I wouldn't go that far - it'd tend to wake up our baby in the back! I would however make it mandatory that the indication that the fog lights are on is highly visible. In one car I drove, it was impossible to see it from a normal driving position, unless it was dark enough for you to see the reflection in the side window. However the only time I drove with them on accidentally was when the MOT tester left them on! I would also make it mandatory that they are operated by a pushbutton, not a rotary or rocker switch - then the damned things can auto cancel whenever the ignition or dipped lights are switched off.

SteveW

[T i m]

Yup, I think that sums it up pretty well, 'too bright ... for most humans ...'

I believe, we (humans) have a range of tolerance for stuff, noise, temperature, 'G' forces, smells and light etc. Once outside those levels we say 'f*ck' and then strive to do something to reduce the effect (like walking out into the freezing cold or being near a very noisy machine).

IMHO, most HID headlights are just 'too bright' (for humans) and, irrespective how well they are aimed will inevitably end up right in someone's face on a roundabout or in traffic. A classic example of that is when in a std saloon and being followed by a 4x4 with the things fitted. I find myself dipping the mirror, not because of the quantity of light but the sheer brightness.

The LED rear lights come on very fast (no thermal inertia) and I find little worse than being sat behind someone at the traffic lights with their brake lights held on or their indicator left running (worse when said lights are half way up the rear pillars).

I think the joke can be on the owners of those LED light units though. A mate had a rear 'light' go on his Saab and it cost ~£400 to replace. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[Roger]

I wonder why people drive about with their front foglights on in the day. It's usually young men who drive with front foglights, stupid women who drive with rear foglights on and older women who drive with no lights at night. People genuinely don't know what the switches are for in their cars. Daylight running lights are a stupid idea. A lot of people who wish they have an audi or volvo now stick LEDs all over their cars, mainly taxis. Why have a 10 min warning for foglights? If people looked at how fast they were going, they would see the display infront of them.

[Roger]

You should not be driving as your eyesight appears to be very poor and well below the standard for driving. Pedestrians, bikes and broken down cars need to take the appropriate precautions. Cows need to wear fluorescent vests if taking a walk down a road or a motorway, you would think they would know better. How about driving appropriately for the conditions at the time - that is what the rest of us with common sense do.

[Dave Liquorice]

Simpler to have them non-latching with the lights. Turn the lights off either on their switch or when the ignition is turned off *all* fog (front and rear) lights cancel. The last couple of cars I have had have behaved like this.

Both of the above car have similar "hidden" indicators. I've moved the switch on one of them to be slightly less hidden but it's still not obvious.

And why do people drive around with front fogs on? They only illuminate the road at most 20' in front of the vehicle, it's rarely foggy enough to need them(*). A guide to having to use front fogs is when the glare back from *dipped* headlights is obscuring how far you can see. You then switch off the dipped headlights and use the front fogs, following the white line or the kerb at about 15mph as that is a fast as you can travel with the limited visibility (the same or worse with dipped headlights).

[Calvin Sambrook]

The last time I looked at the Construction and Use regs for cars they stated that lighting (other than indicators) must be constant when illuminated. I don't think this has changed so how do manufacturers manage to get away with this very fast flickering? I too find it distracting and if I'm just the slightest bit tired it tends to give me a headache.

[Andy Champ]

I find VW about the worst, especially the Passat with the concentric indicator/tail assembly. Brake, and the indicators almost vanish.

And yes, some "premium" cars are rubbish.

Andy

[JimK]

On Oct 30, 7:57 pm, Steve Walker wrote: would also make it

as on my 7 year old toyota - for the rear ones at least:>)

JimK

[Simon C.]

The problem with the new Audis is that the headlights also point too high. Noticable when driving that all the road signs are lit up - like driving on hi-beam. They automatically adjust for load - no manual over ride available. Grrr.

[Adrian]

Simon C. gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

The headlight beam regs - and MOT standards - are the exact same.

Headlights have always kicked-up towards the kerb.