[srishiva]

Its mostly because of the cost. You need to replace the entire unit which is not cheap. Also, since its the rear, I guess people don't think it looks bad on the car.

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by arvind71181

Forget rear lamps, there are people who travel with their front head lights broken and not working. And the broken light almost always happens to be the right side one so the driver on the opposite side only realizes at the last moment that it is a car

that is so true. Infact i have now seen some car fellows driving without the h/l turned on at night, not even the fogs are on, so it becomes quite a challenge to know if someone is behind you or not.

Changing bulbs should not be too costly as even bike bulbs would do if you can't find the car ones.

A new fad specially among cabbies are the flashing reverse + brake + turn signal lights when the car is braking, that is so irritating to the eye.

[arunkk]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

A new fad specially among cabbies are the flashing reverse + brake + turn signal lights when the car is braking, that is so irritating to the eye.

+1 to that. I have seen this only in Bangalore. They think its cool, but its damn irritating for the vehicle behind.

[libranof1987]

As a kid, I remember after washing the car, my dad would ensure all the lamps were working; he'd sit in the car and I'd run around checking each lamp! Once on the 800, on the those side-lamps at the rear number-plate was malfunctioning (you had to tap it to make it light), we travelled 15km to the A.S.S to set it right!

I think cost of the entire assembly is what discourages people from ensuring the tail-lights are in working order. For cab drivers where spending money on a tail-light means spending some part of the profit for a tail-lamp; something they can happily live without. Also, for those who drive in bottleneck traffic every day, they worry about the cost of changing the assembly if it's broken again. (Most don't even bother if one headlight isn't working so a tail-lamp is like luxury for them!)

As most have mentioned, not being aware is also a frequent cause.

About buses and trucks, is there a reason why the life of the tail-lamps is so short? I have seen seemingly new Volvo/other buses who have some or the other tail-lamp working. Trucks, well most of them don't even have a tail-lamp assembly!

[kkg]

I don't think that the cost of the new assembly is the factor with most of the people. Rather they don't understand the utility and importance of these things. I remember few years back, I was with my friend in his Alto, a bus kissed his tail light and the glass was shattered. We managed to get Rs 500 from the bus driver. Only thing is the light never got replaced with the new one.

Also their is this bike which has no tail light assembly leave alone the light bulb. I have been watching this bike for the last 10 months and the owner doesn't seem to bother. With winters now here and fog a daily routine, I wonder would this change his attitude??

[mmxylorider]

Indian MVA probably has provisions for fines in case of non-functioning lamps. I don't understand why traffic cops do not catch for this - Easy Money!!

Even if the car driver thinks about greasing palms, the amount would be close to what he would spend on new bulbs (if those are fused) rather than risk getting caught again. Makes driving safer for all.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Piche ki ek batti chalti hai na toh chalta hai agar dono band ho gai hai to fir sochenge. Waise bhi main aajkal raat ko gaadi nahin chalata hoon. This is a common saying in indian motoring minds,especially public transport and taxies.

[Klub Class]

I find it very irritating when the car in front have a damaged rear lamp cluster just because of the fact I become blind for a fraction of second when he applies the brake!!

PS: I guess I didn't end up confusing you!

Originally Posted by motomaverick

A new fad specially among cabbies are the flashing reverse + brake + turn signal lights when the car is braking, that is so irritating to the eye.

Originally Posted by arunkk

+1 to that. I have seen this only in Bangalore. They think its cool, but its damn irritating for the vehicle behind.

Arun, if you're visiting Malappuram,(Kerala) in the near future, do let me know! I will show you many auto rickshaws, taxis and other vehicles with similar rear light setup.

[raj_5004]

I am quite particular about this. My scorpio rear's lights had some water accumulated in it which made it look misty, i replaced it. No compromise on my car's looks & functioning.

[ghodlur]

What about the dangling broken OVRM's? Thats one imp thing which people fail to replace. Understandably they may be costly but they serve a great purpose of keeping track of the tail gating vehicles and a good view of the road behind.

One of the casual explanations given by a known driver is that "If its broken once, it will break again. No point in spending money now, will do when the car is ready for sale" and this guy goes around the town driving with a broken OVRM.

[para_7k]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

What about the dangling broken OVRM's? Thats one imp thing which people fail to replace. Understandably they may be costly but they serve a great purpose of keeping track of the tail gating vehicles and a good view of the road behind.

One of the casual explanations given by a known driver is that "If its broken once, it will break again. No point in spending money now, will do when the car is ready for sale" and this guy goes around the town driving with a broken OVRM.

The only way out is to buy a car that has ORVMs folding both ways.

[raghav.carfreak]

^^ Isn't this a feature on the ford figo if i'm not mistaken?

[para_7k]

Originally Posted by raghav.carfreak

^^ Isn't this a feature on the ford figo if i'm not mistaken?

This is from an i10. I reckon most of the new cars have this.

[JustCause]

Reasons why I think people use broken tail lamp assemblies/bulbs:

Cost- Tail lamp assemblies for small cars are still about 1K, and that is a good enough amount to defer from buying a new one & packing the broken assembly in Packing tape. If one owns an exotic/extinct car(read- FIAT Siena/Petra/Adventure, Opel Astra, Maruti Baleno etc.) the parts are even more costly and hard-to-get.

Ignorance- I know of people who might not even know that their tail lamps are broken unless some 'good samaritan' follows them & tells them so when they enter the office parking.

Please spare the 'Dangling ORVMs' as the people who mend their front quarter glass with a piece of curtain/cardboard or decorate it with a nice opaque plastic sticker are the ones to blame.

I replace any faulty functional component in my car on a priority basis.

[nandans2005]

well, we are taking about cars here. what about the trucks plying on the highways without a tail lamp ON. Most of the trucks, i mean 90% of our pre-independence trucks on highways dont have the light lamps ON or in working condition. Either the tail lamps are not working or its fully covered with dust and what not.