Indicators

[p_stoff]

I am well prepared to be shot down ridiculed and generally ■■■■ ****** over this comment ( normal day then) today whilst trundling along and the sun shining brightly I didn’t realise a car in the distance was turning right. Now me and my load of lovely little sugar beets suddenly realised I need to stop and quickly. The vacuum created by my rear end against denim and then seat cloth was very impressive. I certainly tested the braking efficiency of a 20 year old truck. Luckily I stopped. ( A side issue was the truck behind me, tailgating for the previous 15 miles, nearly didn’t stop and was flashing wildly and swaying and gesticulating. I didn’t have the heart to give him the finger or explain he should have left enough space.) Anyway back to the issue. In my opinion these new clear white indicators and yellow bulbs are not entirely up to the job. It maybe just me but does anyone else sometimes struggle to see them, especially on a vehicle coming around a roundabout. I remember many years ago getting a warning from a copper about my Granada indicator lense being too white. ( They tended to overheat and fade).

Valium popped, tin hat on, thick skin applied.

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[carryfast]

P Stoff:
I am well prepared to be shot down ridiculed and generally ■■■■ ****** over this comment ( normal day then) today whilst trundling along and the sun shining brightly I didn’t realise a car in the distance was turning right. In my opinion these new clear white indicators and yellow bulbs are not entirely up to the job. It maybe just me but does anyone else sometimes struggle to see them, especially on a vehicle coming around a roundabout. I remember many years ago getting a warning from a copper about my Granada indicator lense being too white. ( They tended to overheat and fade).

I agree.I’ve noticed the same type of problem.Especially in the case of front indicators built into headlight units.

Then there are modern headlight designs which have no decent spread of light and what there is looks like a 6 volt system and modern sloped windscreens which create silly amounts of dash reflection to the point of removing clear vision in bright weather.Or thick A pillars creating massive blind spots.It really makes you wonder how they get away with this zb at the type approval stage.Compare that with the old 1970’s design Jag with it’s seperate yellow lense indicators good windscreen angle and vision and proper old school twin headlights that actually work.

[juddian]

Couldn’t agree more, designed to look cool/bling/fashionable, instead of standing out as they should regardless of weather time of day or direction of sunlight.

Same at the front end, indicators stuffed inside the headlight assemblies, themselves lined with clear plastic and plastic chrome, so when the headlights are on or the sun catches them you haven’t the foggiest hope of seeing if the indicators are on or not, VW group among the worse culprits here.
Side indicators no better, again housed inside clear plastic and chrome so unless you happen to see them in the right light setting too easy to miss.

Now we’ve moved on to the scrolling lights…DAF i’m looking at you here, WTF are these things doing on a lorry? Volvo, yours are nearly as stupid, little arrows…silly pointless fads designed to impress small boys and appease the vanities of fashion victims.
Best lorry indicators on the road IMHO are those Hella lights in triple as fitted to lots of Stobart trailers, but prefer the ones with real bulbs in not the LEDs which suffer from sun reflections.

Though oddly enough a lorry overtook me couple of weeks ago with sun behind, fitted with standard old school Rubbolite round lenses, hadn’t seen them for years, the indicators really stood out because the sun had no effect whatsoever on that plain amber plastic, and we know from old that Rubbolites had no reflectors inside so it was a standard single 21w bulb in each lamp doing the job just fine.

I bet we’ve all had similar instances when we’ve things had got hairy because of form over function.

Don’t get me started on DRL’s, there are not enough oaths in the dictionary to convey just how pointless these things are, Landrover standing out as some of the most camp designs going.

However its progress apparently and what is new must be better

edit, agree with CF, in cars those old round headlights were fine, 5 or 7 inch, not too bright, decent light scatter, didn’t scorch the retina of the poor sod coming the other way, compared to those days it hell on the road now in the dark, not helped by 4 million watts of LED’s on the back of half the new cars

[norb]

Juddian the cost of those scrolling / trendy light would give you a heart attack…Bring back bulbs ,at least a bank loan wasn’t required to replace a rear lamp unit …The thing with the scrolling indicator on a unit confuses me …Why spend all that money on the latest fad ,when you won’t get to show them off as it spends most of its life hooked up to a trailer …On a plus I do notice drivers of VW /AUDI cars are using their indicators now ,even if it is just to show off their super doper indicators…And I think I have seen a ford with them on the front

[raymundo]

Indicators !! who needs them ? But I do admit to driving a BMW where they are an optional extra along with consideration for other road users !! I do acknowledge the friendly truckers who give me the quick flash of their left indicators meaning it’s safe to overtake on the A9 north of Perth. (other roads are available) Thanks guys …

[cav551]

There was nothing wrong with the old round Lucas 700 headlight and the cone shaped indicator lens in the Rubbolite M38 lamp . Not only did they work and could be clearly seen, but changing the bulb did not involve wholesale dismantling. However all is now like this because the ‘creative’ designers are given a free hand and in order to make the thing fashionable their latest buzz word is ‘■■■■’. How they imagine a vehicle can be I don’t know. Clearly there is something wrong with them so they won’t mind being castrated. They have exactly the same mindset as the marketing men who seem to think that badging their latest razor as a ‘turbo’ version will convince potential customers that it is somehow better.

Well maybe the brain-dead are convinced by their hype.

[adam277]

My grief is people who show no signs of pulling off a dual carriageway then indicate and brake at the same time.
I’ve even had it when people slow down to 20mph on the A13(70mph road) to go into the services that has a slip road designed for braking!

[tommytanker]

I agree too, some indicators are not fit for purpose,audi have even resorted to turning the DRL’s off when the indicators are on.

[slowlane]

Another problem with indicators is the morons operating them a whole exit early on a roundabout and then looking shocked when you pull out on them.

[tommytanker]

slowlane:
Another problem with indicators is the morons operating them a whole exit early on a roundabout and then looking shocked when you pull out on them.

I live in Wales, I don’t think anyone tells the welsh what the indicator stalk is there for. It is interesting to drive slowly across a roundabout when the idiot coming at you is turning right not going straight over as indicated by the lack of indication…

[ironeddie]

Agreed about indicators not being visible enough. I do like some rear ones I’ve seen which instead of blinking progressively light up in the direction the vehicle will be turning.

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[captain_caveman_76]

Another modern idea seems to be, have a single fog light on as well as the indicator. Not sure if it helps at all.

[roymondo]

TommyTanker:
I agree too, some indicators are not fit for purpose,audi have even resorted to turning the DRL’s off when the indicators are on.

As do Scania, Volvo and pretty much all car manufacturers.

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[roymondo]

Captain Caveman 76:
Another modern idea seems to be, have a single fog light on as well as the indicator. Not sure if it helps at all.

“Cornering” lamps - supposed to give a little extra light into the entrance you are turning into. They are activated by the steering, not the indicator switch.

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[tommytanker]

Captain Caveman 76:
Another modern idea seems to be, have a single fog light on as well as the indicator. Not sure if it helps at all.

That’s what that is… I noticed it on my car the other day.

[grumpy_dad]

There’s an indicator fault in some vehicles, makes and models vary, although they do display an UBER sign on the doors

[franglais]

Grumpy Dad:
There’s an indicator fault in some vehicles, makes and models vary, although they do display an UBER sign on the doors

Seems to be connected to other phenomena too.
Cars with drivers wearing flat-caps, trilbys, or knitted hats whilst in the car, rarely have working indicators I find?

[schofield]

TommyTanker:
I agree too, some indicators are not fit for purpose,audi have even resorted to turning the DRL’s off when the indicators are on.

If the indicator is close to the DRL then its requirement they have to dim when the indicator comes on

[toonsy]

Roymondo:

Captain Caveman 76:
Another modern idea seems to be, have a single fog light on as well as the indicator. Not sure if it helps at all.

“Cornering” lamps - supposed to give a little extra light into the entrance you are turning into. They are activated by the steering, not the indicator switch.

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They give more of a clue to other road users to be fair as they don’t rely on driver input and follow the steering as you say so you can see when a driver is going to pull off a roundabout or keep coming round

[roymondo]

toonsy:
They give more of a clue to other road users to be fair as they don’t rely on driver input and follow the steering as you say so you can see when a driver is going to pull off a roundabout or keep coming round

Yes - and then someone throws a spanner in the works by routinely driving with front fogs on and a blown bulb…

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