Re:Lights

Today was the first after dark trip in lousy weather on salted roads. The washer bottle just made it but the lights were as dim as a concussed glow worm . I have to fit washers which is no big deal but despite being in good nick, the output is pretty feeble. Night breakers do as they say and break, I have had good results with Philips, I think and I don't want to fit anything illegal. Any recommendations from the floor?

When you say you have to fit washers are you referring to headlamp washers? The question of going illegal with lights has been taxing me as my relatives are moving further out into dark skies areas & the standard carriage lamps fitted, even with up rated bulbs illuminate little other than the few moths we have left. Comments would certainly be interesting.

Yes, headlamp washers. 100 plus miles on salted motorways cover the glass with muck and the light output drops to a dangerous level.
My experience with LED replacements is not good. Uncontrolled beam patterns and poor reliability, no thanks.

I take it that the TF light pods are not a swap? Mine are standard and are way the best headlights I have had on a car......

This one has the potential to run & run. But before that can I congratulate the English cricket team for their series win. I have been known to be in the workshop in the small hours when a test is being played in an inauspicious time zone; the quality of my work being directly proportional to the progress of the team.
I’ll add a picture now & return after my duties as chauffeur are over, my wife requires to do further shopping.

It would have been better if the attachment had attached itself. I shall try again, it isn’t the first time I’ve failed in this area, one moment please.

I’m sat outside some store or other & I am conscious of money being drawn out of my wallet although it is “safe” under my right buttock.

Neilpinleeds suggested a possible lamp unit swap, saying his tf lamps are the best he has had. Having had both f & tf at the same time I can attest to the tf lamps being superior to the f, but I have experienced better. The fitting of the tf into the f has been done & I didn’t consider it a success, the f has involutes into which the replacement encroached, it just looked odd. The bonnet & wings are the same, it is the front bumper that is different & as the bumpers are the distinguishing feature between the two models, that distinction is lost. The tf lamps are the projector type & although you can get projector inserts off e-bay etc, that might fit, it isn’t a job to be entered into lightly. You might be able to do a first rate job mechanically but if you can’t get them to align in accordance with the MOT regulations you’re stuffed & you’ll need to buy another set of originals.
And that has taken us full circle, so where now?

Wipers or washers first then a pair of Philips bulbs and two good stout relays driven straight off the battery to get more electrons through the filaments.

I played with direct switching on the fog lamps using low the “on” resistance of a mosfet thinking that an n channel device would work nicely & shouldn’t get too hot. That was bloody wrong & more buying of bits to play with p types was daft when I’ve got silver contact relays about me.

The lights in these things are absolute rubbish, something they have in common with a lot of other modern cars with stupid shaped headlights, I fail fail to see how things have advanced past the good old 7” rounds we had for years…. If the manufacturer put in el’cheapo rubbish, you just binned ‘em and put in some nice Cibies, Hellas or some such and hey presto! It’s a miracle…I can see!

💡Hmmm….. given that the outer lenses of the light are really just clear covers, and not refracting or otherwise controlling the light…
I wonder if it might be a worthwhile experiment taking a pair of buggered MGF headlights and butchering the back of ‘em to take a pair of 5” rounds to replace the low beams, (dunno if you’d be able to fit 7” rounds in there, probably not )
The high beams could possibly be replaced with something in the led line, or easier still some nice proper round driving lights on the front bumper. None of this tacky modern light bar rubbish from China required.
Just a thought off the top of my head at this stage, haven’t really gone through the ins ‘n outs yet.

Think that you will run into trouble with type approval etc !