C5. Drivers side headlight not working cops stopped me

[mooseshaver]

I'm enjoying this off topic topic. Please don't stop.

Boris, are your lights fixed? I had a garage repalce a bulb for me and they rammed it in and had it pointing at the wrong angle. A friend and I shredded our skin to get the bulb in correctly, but discovered at the next MOT that the whole lamp had to be repalced as the bulb holder was knackered.
I've changed to a different garage, but it may be worth seeing what a dealer charges to repalce it, would be cheaper than a headlamp.

[myglaren]

With regard to the DNA/Forensics discussion then this may be of interest.

Post answers pertaining to the original query here

[spider]

Not read all the topic although I do recall a couple of interesting things:

The larger vans (Boxer etc) are almost impossible to change headlight bulbs at the roadside, if I remember correctly you have to unbolt the front panel or headlight (cannot remember which)

I do remember saying all manufacturers in general ought to ensure the majority of mandatory bulbs are changeable tool-free. Excluding rearfogs / reverse etc, but headlights / sidelights / brake / tail / indicators should be tool free. Its possible to design them that way but they do not. Take a look at a later RHD 206 with ABS and the NS headlight bulb for instance , you are supposed to remove the light unit but no one ever does we just curse a bit and change it in situ. There was no need to have the ABS unit so close to that corner.

A chap who we used to see for servicing a few years ago got stopped one night in his 306 (he's deaf so that added to the complications) ended up with a producer for worn rear pads. The pads had only been in about a month if I remember correctly. The officer who issued it unfortunately did not have the sense (sorry, most are OK I know) to realise they came with only a very few mm of material on them, that's how rear pads are. Needless to say he wrote the force a letter although I don't know if they took any notice or not was about five years ago now. I think if it was me I'd of quietly accepted said producer and then played hell the next day

[Sl4yer]

Only been stopped once (on Christmas Day some years ago). Knew the van was behind me, stuck to the 40 limit, he dropped back then closed up rapidly and stopped me. Said I'd been doing 55! Also said I was doing nearly twice the legal limit (so he didn't know it was a 40, not a 30). Did me a favour 'since it's the season of goodwill' and gave me a producer (which meant my father driving about 50 miles to obtain the insurance certificate which was at his work). Didn't even ask me to blow into the machine...

I was nervous at being stopped (natural reaction I think), and on my own, so didn't challenge him as strongly as I would do now. I wouldn't mind being stopped for a random breath test, but to be stopped on the basis of pure lies wound me up, and still does 10 years later.

As for using the Birmingham six and Guildford four as example's of Police falsifying evidence and corruption I'd look elsewhere personally, yes there was an element of doubt proving the cases beyond all reasonable doubt on appeal but have you ever stopped to think of why the Police targeted those individuals? I'll leave that thought you.

That's a worrying attitude. Are you saying the police didn't falsify evidence, or merely that it's OK that they did to convict the people they couldn't prove 'beyond reasonable doubt' were guilty?

James

[Xaccers]

Only been stopped once (on Christmas Day some years ago). Knew the van was behind me, stuck to the 40 limit, he dropped back then closed up rapidly and stopped me. Said I'd been doing 55! Also said I was doing nearly twice the legal limit (so he didn't know it was a 40, not a 30). Did me a favour 'since it's the season of goodwill' and gave me a producer (which meant my father driving about 50 miles to obtain the insurance certificate which was at his work). Didn't even ask me to blow into the machine...

I was nervous at being stopped (natural reaction I think), and on my own, so didn't challenge him as strongly as I would do now. I wouldn't mind being stopped for a random breath test, but to be stopped on the basis of pure lies wound me up, and still does 10 years later.

Reminds me of one night when I drove back from Basingstoke to the A3 via Alton, the road is windy and there was a car some way behind me that just would not drop it's main beam so whenever the straight bits of road lined up I'd get dazzled.
When I got to the A3 he was right on my tail so I pulled out and headed southbound doing 60 so he could easily overtake.
He didn't, instead he drove dangerously close to my rear bumper, so I slowed down to 50 hoping this jerk would overtake but he didn't, remaining dangerously close.
We caught up with a Romahome doing about 40 so I overtook, slowed right down to 40 when I was just past and pulled in too close to allow the car behind to get in between us, although he tried, then he pulled past me and I was suprised when blue lights lit up on top for a second and then he shot off at what must have been close to 100 pulling off at the Liss junction (no blue lights going other than that initial flash).
I don't know, what are these police driving instructors teaching them?

[addo]

Here at least, the in-car recording doesn't start until the siren goes on and stays on beyond a blip. Let's just say this is handy knowledge.

[DickieG]

That's a worrying attitude. Are you saying the police didn't falsify evidence, or merely that it's OK that they did to convict the people they couldn't prove 'beyond reasonable doubt' were guilty?

It's more of a cynical attitude looking at the wider picture of politics and the influence they have in such cases, look at what was happening at the time of the events, the IRA were carrying out vile acts of terrorism targeting innocent victims in their mass bombing campaign to the UK mainland causing mass fear to the public with a Government desperate for results to apprehend the perpetrators. I think it'd be pretty naive to think that no pressure was placed upon those investigating the crimes to get a result. Now move several years later to the time of the appeals, wasn't the peace process underway?

Hmm, strange coincidence and all that, I hope I'm wrong to think like that but experience tends to point me in a different direction, especially when I've read in the past week that the "Iron Lady who never negotiates with Terrorists" was doing exactly that so whether the conviction or appeal were the correct decisions about the individuals concerned is something I fear we'll never know the full truth about.

The public are fed information by the Government and press according to what is generally felt to be right for the Nation, I've been told countless stories relating first hand experiences yet the stories have been kept out of the public domain in an agreement between the press and the establishment. These tales involve Government, individual politicians (past and present), the Royal family and all their shenanigans, not all of the stories are negative but if you had just an inkling about some of the stories I know of you would be very shocked indeed, hence why I'm a cynic.

[OwenP]

I've had two roadside encounters with the police, almost as different from each other as it is possible to get.

The first was around Christmas when I was at uni. I was driving home from the pub, and was pulled after being slow to move off from some light that changed back to green almost instantly after going red. Copper asked me where I was going and where I was coming from the reaction when I said the name of the pub was for his face to light up and the comment "Oooh we get a lot of drink drivers from there!" When he asked me what I had had to drink he looked peeved when I said two pints of lemonade, figuring if I said nothing he'd think I was lying, afterall I've just been in the pub. We then went through the "Is this your car?" type questions three times. He was very annoyed when the breathalyser didn't waiver from green, even after 2-3 minutes. Then he started to take down some details, and halfway through wondered off to look round the car, he came back finished taking the details down and I was told to get lost. In hindsight I wish I had asked his name and number, as I should have complained about his attitude towards me, which was hostile from the start.

The second encounter was when I had just written off my car, and was very different. The copper who turned up first asked what I thought had happened, had a look over the remains of the car and the evidence on the road, didn't find anything untoward. He expressed some surprise about my stated speed, but didn't make an issue of it (most people who crashed there were doing 90 odd and ended up dead, I was doing 55 - 60 and climbed out with not a scratch.) By this point 2 more coppers have arrived, and they are discussing whether or not to breathalyse me, in the end they did, just so everything was above board (involved getting another car to attend, and they couldn't detect by smell or intuition any hint of alcohol on me, the machine agreed when it arrived.) Got a lift home from one of them and a brief "be more careful" type lecture. All through this exchange though the officers were as polite as you could wish for.

As far as lights go I tend to check mine when I go on a long journey, but not for local driving.

[Northern_Mike]

As far as lights go I tend to check mine when I go on a long journey, but not for local driving.

I suppose I'm lucky in the fact that most of my commuting is done on unlit roads at night/very early morning. It takes me about 5 seconds to realise a headlight bulb is out as I simply can't see where I'm going. As for the rears, I check them every day when I reverse back up into the drive.

I had an "interesting" moment in Brazil many years ago on a notorious road, the BR101 - the main trunk route from North to South. I was going along at around 85mph in the dark , because it was faster than the maniacs in the unlimited trucks could go. The road was only one lane each direction with a little extra bit on the side. You would see two trucks going in opposite directions just pull out to overtake, forcing the other traffic off the side of the road. If yo are travelling slower than a flat-out truck will go, then you get overtaken. Simple. This goes on for 600kms on the bit I was on. Very, very trying. So, I worked out that the best way to avoid this was to go faster than the trucks. This all went well until I came across an unlit Beetle doing about 30mph. First time I saw him was when my headlights hit the back of his car. I was in an 1994 Passat that had no ABS. I got round him but ended up going down the road totally sideways and very scared for a short while. Since then, I've been paranoid about my rear lights.

[myglaren]

With older, rubbish cars I always used to increase the tail-light wattage to be sure of being seen.
It has always irritated me that until very recently Jaguar tail lights in particular were hopelessly dim.

Seems rather pathetic but one of the things I like best about the C5 estate is the tail lights. Pinched from Volvo and pinched by them from Fiat but still.

[Dippy]

Steve you sound as if you were acting as Agent Provocateur there quote

There are many miscreants whom remain un - detectable to an ossifer of the lleurrrr

Bit like the guy who got pulled ( but had a spare headlamp bulb in his car ) which is where this all started ?

I rest mi' case yer worship

Wasn't it Hasslebad who had a fancy car that could see in the dark He called it Kit - I think.

[Deanxm]

It is the law that you have to carry a spare set of bulbs for your car now but it makes me laugh when manufacturers make cars you have to take the bumper off to change one.

so far as police go ive always found the older ones to be a little less mlilitant and rather pleasant when dealing with them or being delt with, most of the younger ones can be utter prats but some are a good laugh. just like any profesion, you get bad and good its just luck of the draw on the cop you get and the kind of night he's had.

D

[Dippy]

It is the law that you have to carry a spare set of bulbs for your car now D

wozzis - since when

[jgra1]

off topic but I just drove a poor WPC in my Xant to a sport fixture we were playing in.. one very bad pothole and the RV mirror fell off and hit her

it was smiles all round..

[Deanxm]

It is the law that you have to carry a spare set of bulbs for your car now D

wozzis - since when

It is either is law or is about to be as we have had a book through from the FTA recently and had to go and get bulb kits for ALL company vehicles as a result. This may only apply to commercials though i cant remember thinking about it.

D