Car indicators

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Steve
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Joined: 2 Apr 2007, 1:42pm

Car indicators

Post by Steve »

Can someone tell me if, with these modern cars whose engines cut out at eg. red traffic lights, the indicators continue to work. As a cyclist this could affect how I anticipate whether the car will turn at green. I know if I switch my own car engine off the indicators won't flash.

Just being curious really.
rualexander
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Re: Car indicators

Post by rualexander »

Yes of course they continue to work.
Your indicators will probably also work with the ignition on but the engine not running.
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Cunobelin
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Re: Car indicators

Post by Cunobelin »

The problem with indicators is that they require the driver to be able to coordinate their hands and flick the switch.... this is beyond most drivers

With the exception of BMW and Audi, which have indicators removed at point of sale
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John1054
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Re: Car indicators

Post by John1054 »

Cunobelin wrote:The problem with indicators is that they require the driver to be able to coordinate their hands and flick the switch.... this is beyond most drivers

With the exception of BMW and Audi, which have indicators removed at point of sale


+1 for that - many other makes have the same problem!
ken66
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Car indicators

Post by ken66 »

They definitely do continue to work
rmurphy195
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Re: Car indicators

Post by rmurphy195 »

They do continue to work HOWEVER

Design of modern cars is such that often the front indicators (the ones you are interested in) cannot be seen properly from certain angles - exactly the angles you wish to see them on traffic islands. Especially if the sun is shining. Often it takes a couple of flashes to figure out where the indiocators are in the first place!

I've had a moan about this elsewhere on car forums!
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Car indicators

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
rmurphy195 wrote:They do continue to work HOWEVER

Design of modern cars is such that often the front indicators (the ones you are interested in) cannot be seen properly from certain angles - exactly the angles you wish to see them on traffic islands. Especially if the sun is shining. Often it takes a couple of flashes to figure out where the indiocators are in the first place!

I've had a moan about this elsewhere on car forums!

Too True!

At one time all indicators by laws had to bee big and orange and easily seen from wide angles..................... :evil:
Seems a "U" turn happened along the way.
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Samuel D
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Re: Car indicators

Post by Samuel D »

Today’s car lamps are terrible for all sorts of reasons. It’s disappointing that the regulators have allowed this situation to develop.

But yes, all lamps work normally on cars with start-stop.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Car indicators

Post by Tangled Metal »

It seems now the front indicators have moved inwards but they've been replaced by mirror located indicators. Could they have allowed stupid indicator locations centre of the light units?
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Car indicators

Post by Cyril Haearn »

audi indicators are clever, the running light goes off and a row of little lights moves like an ant parade to indicate the intended turn :wink: is that why audis cost so much more than identical seats?

Seems really perverse that there are no proper standards, indicators inboard of the lights, that is perverse, surely they should be outboard, on the corners. Maybe it does not matter so much because one should never trust indications or lack of them
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Cunobelin
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Re: Car indicators

Post by Cunobelin »

One of my pet hates at the moment is the lack of any regulation, or enforcement for vehicle lighting.

Indicators and brake lights that are masked by the surrounding light structures...even when they are vaguely describable as a lighting system
Tangled Metal
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Re: Car indicators

Post by Tangled Metal »

What about replacement bulbs? Halfords sell standard strength right up to retina blowing super bulbs. How can you do that? It's not a direct replacement of like for like so technically a modification. How about I replace my shocks with an uprated set so I not have to inform my insurers about the modification?

Petty but I hate being blinded by super bright lights badly aligned.! View is that everything about the car needs to be standard. If oem spec bulb is replaced it gets replaced with the same. And no blue headlights!

Are lights not covered my type approval for car models? If so then how can they vary so much?
mikeyg123
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Re: Car indicators

Post by mikeyg123 »

My BMW was supplied with indicators and they definitely work when the engine stops.
Though as I was told in motorcycle training - the only thing an indicator tells you is that it has a bulb in it.
You need to evaluate every vehicle you pass to decide if they're likely to make a turn no matter what indicator may or may-not be flashing. This is doubly important for the first vehicle in a queue for the lights or a crossing because they could move off before you can get to a safe position.

Re up-rated lights - personally as long as they are safe, not an obvious change, and pass the mot I wouldn't say anything to avoid being caught in a legal quagmire. In the unbelievably unlikely event that someone questions the type of bulb say they were on the car when you bought it.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Car indicators

Post by Tangled Metal »

My point was bulbs / lights should be standardised to design and suitable unit of light measure. They shouldn't be left to the user to decide if they want the brightest possible. It should be an optimum to act as lights for user to see and be seen by without excessive brightness. If one bulb is brighter and best so round then there is no reason to use a lesser one or a greater one in terms of brightness. It seems to me there are options sold that are not very bright age others that are too bright. If you're unable to put them in the wrong car they won't be sold.

No legal quagmire. Illegal exhaust could fail an mot why not any modification from standard that gets picked up.

They're getting strict 26th euro 6 etc so why slacken things in other areas such as indicator location or variability of replacement light bulbs
thirdcrank
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Re: Car indicators

Post by thirdcrank »

I've never enjoyed being dazzled but I'm not convinced that replacement bulbs are the major problem. I see plenty of lights not working and so I suspect that some of the headlights which do work but dazzle are similarly poorly maintained but badly aligned rather than not working at all. Late dipping or not dipping at all has always been an annoyance but I suspect that automatic dipping systems are not always as sensitive as they might be, especially when they are not approaching an oncoming vehicle. Traffic-calming can have a vehicle's headlights in anti-aircraft mode.

Some of the most dazzling lights I see are used by cyclists; perhaps they take a similar view of the need to be seen by blinding everybody else when they are driving. :?

Re the OP, all that happens is that the engine is stopped and everything else is unaffected. The state of the vehicle's battery is monitored and if a lot of power is being drawn by headlights, aircon etc., it will restart before the driver prepares to drive off.
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