auto high beam lights

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thirdcrank
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by thirdcrank »

I remember (circa 2000) reading some sort of a review of the first BMW with reversing sensors. At that time an optional extra, they were £8,000 when cars were a lot cheaper than they are now. Within a couple of years, DIY kis were available at Halfords for £50 quid. We bought a basic Skoda Fabia this time last year and a reversing camera was an optional extra at a couple of hundred quid.
softlips
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by softlips »

Auto high beam, auto dipping lights (and mirrors) have been around quite a few years. The two former ones don’t work well imho (or not on early vehicles).
Nigel
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Nigel »

Mick F wrote:Still amazed and gobsmacked at the stupidity of auto full beam. It must be terrible on the unlit motorways at night as being dazzled from miles away isn't nice at all. It happens, I know, but if all cars had it ...................


Can't answer for "all cars", can answer for mine. If there are headlamps or tail lamps "miles away" the system notices them and dips the lights. Probably not at a distance of miles, but certainly at the sort of distance a responsible driver would act. It generally gets the difference between a streetlight and a car/motorcycle/lorry correct. I've seen so few cyclists at night away from street lighting in towns that I can't say how the system behaves in respect of their lights.

I find it is correct on up-down or twisty roads with fairly steep humps/dips in them (quite a few where I live), dropping the lights from main to dip at the correct time, putting it back on main at the correct time. And it also does steering of the lights in direction of travel. Whilst the implementation is different, its an old idea from the 1950's.

It took me a few night time drives to start trusting the system. Initially I was driving with my hand ready to operate the dip, as with a manually switched car. After a while I learned that the system was doing things either when I would, or sometimes, dipping fractionally faster than I would have done. Very rarely does it get things wrong.

So, if its the car I drive, on auto, it will dip and nearly always correctly.
If its on manual, then like the manual system of old, if the driver is a muppet then it will dazzle you on main beam.


Having owned ropey old cars in my time with rotten synchromesh and electrics by Lucas Prince of Darkness, I much prefer modern vehicles.
PDQ Mobile
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by PDQ Mobile »

Nigel wrote:
Having owned ropey old cars in my time with rotten synchromesh and electrics by Lucas Prince of Darkness, I much prefer modern vehicles.


One day all today's cars will be ropey and old!
All the additional complexity will be a costly and unreliable nightmare to repair and an automatic light system may not be at the top spot in terms of "getting it done". So hopefully manual override will still function, though it's by no means certain.

Lots of five year old cars around with electronic problems, so costly to repair, they are worth next to nothing.

Still a fair few good old cars out there (though getting rarer),with good positive gearboxes and Lucas electrics one could fix quite easily.
In terms of miles for your money probably unbeatable.
Though not that many with the dip switch under the left foot!
Bonefishblues
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Bonefishblues »

PDQ Mobile wrote:
Nigel wrote:
Having owned ropey old cars in my time with rotten synchromesh and electrics by Lucas Prince of Darkness, I much prefer modern vehicles.


One day all today's cars will be ropey and old!
All the additional complexity will be a costly and unreliable nightmare to repair and an automatic light system may not be at the top spot in terms of "getting it done". So hopefully manual override will still function, though it's by no means certain.

Lots of five year old cars around with electronic problems, so costly to repair, they are worth next to nothing.

Still a fair few good old cars out there (though getting rarer),with good positive gearboxes and Lucas electrics one could fix quite easily.
In terms of miles for your money probably unbeatable.
Though not that many with the dip switch under the left foot!

I think that depends on one's personal dexterity :D
Airsporter1st
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Airsporter1st »

I'm totally against autopilot on aircraft - what if the pilots become conditioned to using it and forget to land?
Cyril Haearn
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Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Cyril Haearn »

PDQ Mobile wrote:
Nigel wrote:
Having owned ropey old cars in my time with rotten synchromesh and electrics by Lucas Prince of Darkness, I much prefer modern vehicles.


One day all today's cars will be ropey and old!
All the additional complexity will be a costly and unreliable nightmare to repair and an automatic light system may not be at the top spot in terms of "getting it done". So hopefully manual override will still function, though it's by no means certain.

Lots of five year old cars around with electronic problems, so costly to repair, they are worth next to nothing.

Still a fair few good old cars out there (though getting rarer),with good positive gearboxes and Lucas electrics one could fix quite easily.
In terms of miles for your money probably unbeatable.
Though not that many with the dip switch under the left foot!

1984 (Jetta I) was about the turning point when vehicles started getting heavier and more complicated, or maybe the Morris Minor was the zenith :wink:
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Mick F
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Mick F »

Nigel wrote:
Mick F wrote:Still amazed and gobsmacked at the stupidity of auto full beam. It must be terrible on the unlit motorways at night as being dazzled from miles away isn't nice at all. It happens, I know, but if all cars had it ...................


Can't answer for "all cars", can answer for mine. If there are headlamps or tail lamps "miles away" the system notices them and dips the lights. Probably not at a distance of miles, but certainly at the sort of distance a responsible driver would act. It generally gets the difference between a streetlight and a car/motorcycle/lorry correct. I've seen so few cyclists at night away from street lighting in towns that I can't say how the system behaves in respect of their lights.

I find it is correct on up-down or twisty roads with fairly steep humps/dips in them (quite a few where I live), dropping the lights from main to dip at the correct time, putting it back on main at the correct time. And it also does steering of the lights in direction of travel. Whilst the implementation is different, its an old idea from the 1950's.

It took me a few night time drives to start trusting the system. Initially I was driving with my hand ready to operate the dip, as with a manually switched car. After a while I learned that the system was doing things either when I would, or sometimes, dipping fractionally faster than I would have done. Very rarely does it get things wrong.

So, if its the car I drive, on auto, it will dip and nearly always correctly.
If its on manual, then like the manual system of old, if the driver is a muppet then it will dazzle you on main beam.


Having owned ropey old cars in my time with rotten synchromesh and electrics by Lucas Prince of Darkness, I much prefer modern vehicles.
Nigel, thank you for that.

Dropping from main to dip is the issue for me.
I doubt very much indeed that the automatic function would cope, and I reckon would dazzle before dipping.

Driving in known roads where there are pedestrians, houses, and road users, you would naturally know when to be on full beam and on dipped beam. Leaving the system on auto, wouldn't be able to differentiate, so you would be on manual.
What's the point of an auto system if the manual system is better?

Ok, let's have an auto system and a manual system?
What happens next?
Eventually, we will have the auto system as the default and not care about anyone other than ourself.

Full beam headlights should be used carefully, sparingly ............ and with thought.

Highway code Rule 114.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by PDQ Mobile »

"I think that depends on one's personal dexterity :D"

Indeed. :D
Just keep takin' the cod liver oil.

Morris Minor!
Well they had pretty good headlights.
And the dipper is in the right place- almost!
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Lance Dopestrong
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Lance Dopestrong »

thirdcrank wrote:I remember (circa 2000) reading some sort of a review of the first BMW with reversing sensors. At that time an optional extra, they were £8,000 when cars were a lot cheaper than they are now. Within a couple of years, DIY kis were available at Halfords for £50 quid. We bought a basic Skoda Fabia this time last year and a reversing camera was an optional extra at a couple of hundred quid.

They were standard on my 1994 735i SE. My ex wife was a director for a large electronics firm, so she could afford stuff like that BITD.
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Mick F
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Mick F »

We have a reversing camera on our Yaris.
It's better to look out of the back window. I could drive as fast backwards as going forwards except there isn't a gearbox designed to let me do that.

Reversing:
Look where you're going.
Turn round and look out of the back window. :D

I understand that some cars aren't so good at being able to see backwards.
If so, don't buy one.
Mick F. Cornwall
Cyril Haearn
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Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Mick F wrote:We have a reversing camera on our Yaris.
It's better to look out of the back window. I could drive as fast backwards as going forwards except there isn't a gearbox designed to let me do that.

Reversing:
Look where you're going.
Turn round and look out of the back window. :D

I understand that some cars aren't so good at being able to see backwards.
If so, don't buy one.

Use the mirrors too, if you have a passenger ask them to hop out and give directions
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PDQ Mobile
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by PDQ Mobile »

Mick F wrote:We have a reversing camera on our Yaris.
It's better to look out of the back window. I could drive as fast backwards as going forwards

Those Cornish lanes and years of practice!!
The Londoners aren't as good!!
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: auto high beam lights

Post by thirdcrank »

... Lots of five year old cars around with electronic problems, so costly to repair, they are worth next to nothing. ...


I believe that one reason why so many cars a on the road with not all their lights working is the cost of replacing bulbs. It seems their are some models where part of the engine has to be removed to replace the bulb in a sidelight.

On a different issue, most drivers IMO would benefit from a bit of humility, especially being alert to their weaknesses, rather than dwelling on their skills.
Bonefishblues
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Re: auto high beam lights

Post by Bonefishblues »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
Mick F wrote:We have a reversing camera on our Yaris.
It's better to look out of the back window. I could drive as fast backwards as going forwards except there isn't a gearbox designed to let me do that.

Reversing:
Look where you're going.
Turn round and look out of the back window. :D

I understand that some cars aren't so good at being able to see backwards.
If so, don't buy one.

Use the mirrors too, if you have a passenger ask them to hop out and give directions

Perhaps the Red Flag man [sic] could hop round the back? :wink:
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