[srishiva]

Don't the service centers have the right to disallow you to continue driving if you are using more than mandated wattage ?

[theMAG]

Kuttapan,

Carry around spare bulbs and a puncture repair kit at all times. Even after I got HIDs I still carry my earlier 100/90 Narvas in the car.

[diabloo]

You see & drive. Why would anybody wants to drive in the dark? IMO, all speeds above 40Kmph need high beam.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

You cannot do more than 60kmph on highways with low beam.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by kuttapan

I had the low beam at least and could have motored on, albeit slowly.

I hope you didn't mean to say that you normally drive around in High beam...and that too with 100W halogens!!!



-- Torqy

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by diabloo

You see & drive. Why would anybody wants to drive in the dark? IMO, all speeds above 40Kmph need high beam.

Why be gracious and keep the limit at 40? Why not start off in hi-beam itself and use only that always ?

Maybe you should look up the scenarios where you should use hi-beam. If hi-beam is what should be used normally, why have low beams at all on cars. No wonder I see many drivers using hi-beam in the city itself.

[finneyp]

As TSK has rightly pointed out, night driving on Indian highways require high-beams, though you need to dipp it occasionally whenever a vehicle approaches from the opposite side on a road without a median.

Coming back to the acclaimed Maruti A.S.S., very surprising that a ASC technician couldn't diagnose such a minor issue of conked-off headlights (it is common sense, first to check the bulbs, then fuse, wiring etc), equally surprising that 24 hrs MOS doesn't stock headlight bulbs?

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by diabloo

You see & drive.

I agree to that. But what about OTHERS?

[shyamhegde]

What would be the reason for both the headlights getting fused at once?

Happened to me also recently (90/100 philips rally), lowbeam conked off going home from office and i had to reach only on fogs.
I never thought the bulbs have fused and always thought of relay, fuse etcetra. But next day when I took my car to nearby mech. shop, the 'boy' straightly went on to remove the bulbs and check, even when I was telling him that there should have been something else gone wrong as both the lights went off together. Though none could answer why did it happen. After replacing the bulbs, it is working fine for months now without any issue.

On-road service guys should have got the headlight bulbs with them, not sure if such services of other car brands keep them as well.

[SRShrikanth]

MODS & Team members, this is slightly off topic, but need some clarification on behalf of a friend of mine.

Swift VDi - on 1st service at 850kms is being charged INR 3k in Andheri Mumbai.

The cost is being distributed between engine oil change, engine & gear additive and basic interior wet cleaning.

I have been a Tata loyalist and felt this tantamounts to day-light robbery.

Given the majority of Swift users in this forum and the topic reading maruti service....am hoping for some help / assistance here.

Thank you & sorry for taking this discussion OT.!!!

Look forward

[Hemanth]

One of the basic things when going on a long drive. please carry a pair of headlight bulbs.

[spadival]

Originally Posted by Hemanth

One of the basic things when going on a long drive. please carry a pair of headlight bulbs.

.. and bucket loads of spare fuses of all varying sizes and colours. okk.. atleast the 15 amp variety. Maruti electricals are a pain in/for the A.S.S.

[kuttapan]

@Backseatdriver - THe guy who diagnosed the issue was an electrician. Or in your lingo - probably the dental college canteen staff in white overalls. About why I could not locate a shop, see the timings. It was well past 7 when I was in Changanachery, and almost 9 when I was in Kottayam. And I could only rely on other peoples info, as I am not familiar with the place.

@SupremeBaleno and others who think using High beam on highway is a crime - All I can say is, you guys hardly do any driving at night on highways, or drive very slow. Or have superhuman eyesight and some kind of glare resistance built into your retinas. Or all of these. Me, I am an ordinary guy, fairly good eyesight(no glasses) who drives somewhat fast(wrong side of 80 most of the time). I need the 100/90 watts and I am mostly on high beam.

When I was young and naive, I used to always switch to the low beam first when encountering oncoming traffic and wait for the other guy to reciprocate. I have since grown wiser and stick to my guns. If the other guy is nice, I am nice too. Anyways, my 2 100W lamps are no match for the 6 headlights that most buses use on the highway.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Instead of taking all this trouble, you could have just driven on with the normal beam lights. More so because you have 90W instead of the stock 55W that we all have and with which we still manage.

Have you realised that the problem with low beam is not the wattage, but the light beam gets cut off and only illuminates a certain distance. i.e it does not have the spread of the high beam. Very hard to drive 600km with that kind of visibility, I would take ages to reach my destination and even then I dont think it would be safe.

[suman]

Originally Posted by kuttapan

@SupremeBaleno and others who think using High beam on highway is a crime - All I can say is, you guys hardly do any driving at night on highways, or drive very slow. Or have superhuman eyesight and some kind of glare resistance built into your retinas. Or all of these. Me, I am an ordinary guy, fairly good eyesight(no glasses) who drives somewhat fast(wrong side of 80 most of the time). I need the 100/90 watts and I am mostly on high beam.

Amen, I agree with you & support your stand. After reading some of the posts, I'm now wondering if we are supposed to be using high beams at any stage of our lives at all

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by kuttapan

@SupremeBaleno and others who think using High beam on highway is a crime - All I can say is, you guys hardly do any driving at night on highways, or drive very slow. Or have superhuman eyesight and some kind of glare resistance built into your retinas. Or all of these.

I have normal eyesight, have done (and still do) enough highway driving, at speeds around 100 (only at night) and I have found low beam lights quite good. Ofcourse, it would be better to be driving in hi-beam - maybe can go more faster - but the inconvenience to others does not make it worth it.

[tsk1979]

High beam should not be used when a vehicle is coming in the opposite direction.
On dual carriageways you should not use high beam when behind a vehicle.
Even in the west, at night most people are on high beams, and when they approach you, they dip their lights, and you dip yours.

Its dangrous to drive on low beam on a dark empty highway, esp above 60kmph, because a low beam gives you a view of atmost 20 meters.
20 meters/second = 72kmph.
So by the time you react, you have already collided.

@supremebaleno, I really doubt your claims
96 kmph = 30meters/second.
A high beam coverage(100W halogen) properly aimed is about 45 meters, and at this speed even high beams are not enough(unless you are a on a well painted expressway).

Low beam coverage is around 15 meters.
Even if you have a reaction time of a robot, panic braking at 100kmph will see you skidding for 30+ meters, well beyond the obstacle.

If you are really driving blind at night, its very dangerous.
there can be anything on our highways.
Rocks, parked trucks, kids, goats, elephants and in some cases trees.