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Snowdens Secret posted:There are a lot of idiots around New England who drive in the rain/fog, in their silver cars, with their lights off. Turn on your loving lights, no I don't care that there's no state law, no I don't care that you think you can see just fine, you're like a loving ghost ship coming out of the mists, turn on your loving lights. This actually goes for most any color, but silver is the worst. This is a rampant problem in the Northwest as well. Every day I see multiple people driving around in our misty, rainy, flat-light conditions in silver/gray cars without any lights on at all. It's like a cloaking device and it's loving dangerous. All color cars are guilty, but it's especially dangerous with silver/gray cars. Or idiots that only have their DRLs on at dusk/dark - meaning that their tail lamps are not on and their headlights are barely bright enough to be seen more than 30 yards away if its at all misty/rainy/foggy out. It's even state law that if it's dawn/dusk or raining even a little bit you must have your lights on. I hate people. I partially blame cars with permanently/automatically lit gauge clusters no longer being a retard reminder for "hey dummy turn your lights on". Guinness fucked around with this message at 07:47 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 07:43
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Snowdens Secret posted:A lot of cars just straight up aren't available in anything but white/black/silver/grey. See: Hyundai / Kia. When I bought my Audi all the colorful, uh, colors were all special orders. When we ordered our Q5 we were offered any color in Audi's back catalog for $2500. We nearly went with a beautiful blue that was only officially offered on the S4. There's another Q5 running around Austin that I believe was painted Aqua Green. There's photos of it online, but I'll be damned if I can find them. Looks really weird to see an odd mid 90's color on a modern car. The guy who ordered it had to put extra down because the dealership was sure that if he didn't buy it, no one else would.
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Jan 7, 2013 07:48
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some texas redneck posted:
What's so special about a 10 year old appliance?
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Jan 7, 2013 08:42
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especially a ~2003 Civic..
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Orange cars are the best cars. 
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Jan 7, 2013 09:26
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MikeyTsi posted:Silver cars are the worst idea in Seattle. I had one as a work car, and got ran in to by random vehicles two or three times before I just started leaving the lights on all the time. I see at least one person every day on the road in Seattle driving a black or dark blue car at night with no headlights. Maybe 1/10 of them will react when I flash my lights. I make a point to keep track of how often I see it, and it's honestly a little closer to 2-3 a day average sadly. Now that it's winter, I'll notice every other driver is doing that poo poo within the first few hours of it getting dark. I will only ever buy a bright, loudly colored vehicle because of the amount of drunk and distracted drivers in Seattle. Drunken Lullabies fucked around with this message at 11:47 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 11:45
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Guinness posted:I partially blame cars with permanently/automatically lit gauge clusters no longer being a retard reminder for "hey dummy turn your lights on".
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Jan 7, 2013 15:13
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While we're on the topic, last night I kept getting repeatedly blinded by a Ford something or other truck until I abruptly changed lanes before a red light, rolled down my window and yelled at the driver that they had their high beams on. After some consternation and frequent repetitions of waving my arm around so they could roll down their window I told them they had their high beams on. "What's that?" came the reply. "Do you have a little blue headlight picture on your dashboard? Push the headlight stalk away from you until it turns off." (high beams turn off) "Oh, now it's not as bright. I'll leave it on, it's dark, I don't know." (flicks high beams back on, rolls up window) 
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Jan 7, 2013 16:23
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:Do modern cars do that? That is a seriously bad idea. My '12 Jeep doesn't. I've never heard of this.
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Jan 7, 2013 17:27
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:Do modern cars do that? That is a seriously bad idea. The Mazda3 (in fact, most Mazdas these days?) is permanently lit - brightly in the day, and it's supposed to dim at night. One would think that getting near blinded by your gauge cluster at night would be an indicator that your lights aren't on, but who knows.
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Jan 7, 2013 17:34
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:Do modern cars do that? That is a seriously bad idea. My 2010 VW Jetta has running lights and a lit dash cluster which handles it pretty well. The light intensity is directly related to the outside light level. In sunlight it is very bright, but as you approach dusk the cluster gets basically unreadable unless you turn on the lights, with a pretty sharp cut off as it just starts to dim so all you see is the bright "DRL" indicator. Texas does not have any "headlights on when raining" laws because  and seriously 25% of drivers don't bother with turning on lights when they are driving their silver cars on the misty rainy days.
Shifty Pony fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 17:54
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Seat Safety Switch posted:While we're on the topic, last night I kept getting repeatedly blinded by a Ford something or other truck until I abruptly changed lanes before a red light, rolled down my window and yelled at the driver that they had their high beams on. Sounds like my mom. She also drives a Dodge Ram with the foglights on AT ALL TIMES. I tried to explain to her that running your fogs when the weather is perfect is dumb, annoying, and fucks up your ability to see in the dark well. She also loves to keep all the instrument panels at full brightness too. I figured out a few years ago that my grey car is invisible to the average driver, which is why my bug is being painted the brighest red I could find. Really didn't want another grey car, but it was what they had and I got a drat good deal on it. Finding a manual these days is hard enough. Finding one that has a sunroof and the correct engine more so. I took whatever color I could find.
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Jan 7, 2013 17:56
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Fog lights on probably nearly as annoying. I have used the Subaru's fog lights a single time in really dense fog, said "these are stupid" and haven't turned them on since. I swear its Ford and Dodge full size trucks and Audis that have them on all the time. They actually reduce vision!
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Jan 7, 2013 18:02
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IOwnCalculus posted:The Mazda3 (in fact, most Mazdas these days?) is permanently lit - brightly in the day, and it's supposed to dim at night. One would think that getting near blinded by your gauge cluster at night would be an indicator that your lights aren't on, but who knows. I think my CX-5 gauges are permanently lit, but then again, while it does not have automatic headlights [the one thing I miss from the Grand Prix] it also turns off the headlights automatically after 15 seconds of the car being off. I turned the headlights on when I bought it, have never turned them off since, and I don't even have to think about it! Thanks Mazda!
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Jan 7, 2013 18:05
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Mine turns on the lights automatically when I start it, but doesn't light up the instruments. If I turn the stalk one click, it goes to parking lights only, but turns the instrument lights on. Two clicks and I get full lights and instrument lights. Also, I can't light up the rear fog light without turning the front fogs on as well. The options are off, front fogs only and front+rear fogs. French cars 
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Jan 7, 2013 18:21
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Shifty Pony posted:Texas does not have any "headlights on when raining" laws because 25% of Texan cars don't even have windshields.
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Jan 7, 2013 18:21
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VikingSkull posted:25% of Texan cars don't even have windshields. But we all have wipers without nicks and working horns because those are inspection items! 
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Jan 7, 2013 18:28
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Shifty Pony posted:Texas does not have any "headlights on when raining" laws because This is factually incorrect, but good luck getting hick officers to enforce it correctly.
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Jan 7, 2013 18:28
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Shifty Pony posted:But we all have wipers without nicks and working horns because those are inspection items! Somehow, this doesn't surprise me. 
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Jan 7, 2013 18:35
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KozmoNaut posted:Somehow, this doesn't surprise me. No really, when you get inspected here they get in your car, drive 10 feet and hit the brakes, honk your horn and pull it in to replace the sticker. It's a joke and takes maybe 5 minutes TOPS including registering the sticker and scraping the old one off.
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Jan 7, 2013 18:47
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EightBit posted:This is factually incorrect, but good luck getting hick officers to enforce it correctly. There is nothing tying headlight use directly to wiper use or specific weather conditions such as rain. The law is headlights must be on when a person or vehicle on the highway is not clearly visible at 1000ft. Good luck enforcing that.
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Jan 7, 2013 18:52
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JP Money posted:No really, when you get inspected here they get in your car, drive 10 feet and hit the brakes, honk your horn and pull it in to replace the sticker. It's a joke and takes maybe 5 minutes TOPS including registering the sticker and scraping the old one off. they didnt even drive mine, just plugged in the OBD2, checked for faults and then print sticker.
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Jan 7, 2013 19:08
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shoopeach posted:they didnt even drive mine, just plugged in the OBD2, checked for faults and then print sticker. Pretty much all Washington does, too. e. well they checked my lights too, that's something
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Jan 7, 2013 19:15
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shoopeach posted:they didnt even drive mine, just plugged in the OBD2, checked for faults and then print sticker. CEL's don't even matter here. It's all visual.
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Jan 7, 2013 19:30
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The CT inspection is an OBD II check, as well. That and they see if you have a check engine light. There are a ridiculous number of cars driving around up here with a headlight or taillight out - as in, I will pass multiple ones on my ten minute drive to work. A visual inspection would be more effective.
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Jan 7, 2013 19:31
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I thought NC was one of the last places to use an actual sticker, but they went electronic a couple years ago. Y'all need to catch up!
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Jan 7, 2013 19:57
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Most of New England as far as I know still uses physical stickers. Hew Hampshire and Massachusetts for sure, but I have a feeling they keep an electronic record as well.
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Jan 7, 2013 19:59
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JP Money posted:No really, when you get inspected here they get in your car, drive 10 feet and hit the brakes, honk your horn and pull it in to replace the sticker. It's a joke and takes maybe 5 minutes TOPS including registering the sticker and scraping the old one off. I must be doing something wrong. Even the Mexican used tire place that only accepts cash checks checks everything, including the license plate lights and connects to the OBD port. I had a bad fuel sending unit and didn't have the desire to drop the gas tank to replace right then and thought I could get away with clearing the code. Queue the 10 minute broken english on their part and broken spanish on my part trying to figure out why he kept telling me "no bueno." I saw a chrome wrapped Panamera today on my way to the office. I took a pic but with the movement as the light turned green and all the reflected light it just looks like something is completing its descent from the heavens. What is the fascination with chrome? I don't get it. It's high maintenance, causes unnecessary glare, not to mention it looks like poo poo. If it was a matter of having a functionally tough coating on metal, like in gun barrels I'd understand but it's just people trying to be flashy? or having pseudo status? Real, triple plated chrome is kind of expensive and very durable but none of what you see is actually that. My brain is powering down just typing this.
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Jan 7, 2013 20:48
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Snowdens Secret posted:
Suuuure it wasn't.  MY car is a nice metallic purple though that seems to show up rather well. The only two hits I've had on that one was when some bozo misjudged in a parking lot and hit a quarter panel (I was in the car, and it actually buffed out instead of needing paint work), and that one time I decided to back in to a rock when camping once.
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Jan 7, 2013 20:52
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delpheye posted:What is the fascination with chrome? I don't get it. It's high maintenance, causes unnecessary glare, not to mention it looks like poo poo. If it was a matter of having a functionally tough coating on metal, like in gun barrels I'd understand but it's just people trying to be flashy? or having pseudo status? People like flashy, attention-getting cars; scroll up for why dull silver is a boring and less-safe color than something obnoxious. I got a vivid red car because it's a bit flashy and obnoxious in the bright Miami sun.
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Jan 7, 2013 20:53
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delpheye posted:I must be doing something wrong. Even the Mexican used tire place that only accepts cash checks checks everything, including the license plate lights and connects to the OBD port. I had a bad fuel sending unit and didn't have the desire to drop the gas tank to replace right then and thought I could get away with clearing the code. Queue the 10 minute broken english on their part and broken spanish on my part trying to figure out why he kept telling me "no bueno." In TX? I know all counties aren't the same but here we have what are called Quicker Sticker's. You literally roll up and they get you out ASAP. I took my motorcycle there and they wouldn't even allow the employee to touch it since they didn't wanna be liable for a drop. They had me ride it the 10ft and hit the horn, turn signals, etc. 15 bucks is all it costs and you're out in less than 10 minutes unless it's crazy busy. Then you're out in 15 minutes.
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Jan 7, 2013 20:58
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Our Civic was bright red and got repeatedly rear-ended on beautiful sunny days. People are just loving stupid.
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Jan 7, 2013 21:15
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SierraEchoBravo posted:Most of New England as far as I know still uses physical stickers. Hew Hampshire and Massachusetts for sure, but I have a feeling they keep an electronic record as well.
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Jan 7, 2013 21:24
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JP Money posted:In TX? I know all counties aren't the same but here we have what are called Quicker Sticker's. You literally roll up and they get you out ASAP. I took my motorcycle there and they wouldn't even allow the employee to touch it since they didn't wanna be liable for a drop. They had me ride it the 10ft and hit the horn, turn signals, etc. Yeah, TX. I need to find something like that in DFW. As far as my motorcycle goes, it gets passed without so much as a second look. They make sure my tail light and blinkers work and they hand me a sticker. That probably has more to do with the fact that it's a 1980 Harley converted to a rigid with straight pipes that they don't even know what to do about it, but inspection is literally more time spent paying than on the actual inspection. Though a few places have tried to impose modern rules on it and swear it can't be inspected as is, demanding I have exhaust on it and whatever. Cocoa Crispies posted:People like flashy, attention-getting cars; scroll up for why dull silver is a boring and less-safe color than something obnoxious. I got a vivid red car because it's a bit flashy and obnoxious in the bright Miami sun. Every car I own is some form of black, but my second choice would be gray/silver, but I also know when my lights are supposed to be on, and when fog lights are appropriate. To each their own, but gently caress chrome.
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Jan 7, 2013 22:07
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Shifty Pony posted:My 2010 VW Jetta has running lights and a lit dash cluster which handles it pretty well. The light intensity is directly related to the outside light level. In sunlight it is very bright, but as you approach dusk the cluster gets basically unreadable unless you turn on the lights, with a pretty sharp cut off as it just starts to dim so all you see is the bright "DRL" indicator. I think having gauge lights work like this really confuses newer drivers. I've had two cars completely totaled and a bunch of medical problems caused by people driving without headlights at night. Not right at dusk, in the dead of night. Not to sound racist at all, but the drivers involved both times were first generation immigrants who had only been driving in America for a month or two. If you go on google and search "driving in _country name_" It's no surprise to me that they're completely confused with how the roads work here. But my point is that every time it's happened (I've also witnessed & been in a few more fender bendery no headlights situations) it's a newer black VW for some reason. Every time.
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Jan 7, 2013 22:16
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SierraEchoBravo posted:Most of New England as far as I know still uses physical stickers. Hew Hampshire and Massachusetts for sure, but I have a feeling they keep an electronic record as well. Yep, I know they have electronic record of stickers in Mass, not sure about NH. Car color chat... I have all patriotic colors (no seriously, a red one, a white one, a blue one, and a camo one  ) and people try to merge into me about the same amount no matter what I'm driving.People drive like stupid dickheads around here, but I think that's a constant everywhere.
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Jan 7, 2013 23:24
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kastein posted:Yep, I know they have electronic record of stickers in Mass, not sure about NH. Yep. Although they don't seem to do it as often if they know they'll come out of it worse off / can't get any money out of the person they are ramming. Still on my list for the right vehicle is a full external cage. There's a town I still have to visit occasionally. Lived there for a while. Being there is like watching one of those Eastern European accident video compilations. It's such a goddamn disaster. Even seen a couple of bicycle riders get hit at different times. One of the most classic was at a crossing of sorts. There's a factory that is split up on either side of the road. They have traffic lights and boom gates which lower to let forklifts cross the road. The traffic was stopped because the gates were down. A gap was left at the adjacent car park entrance so a worker going home or something pulled out into the gap, which is fair enough. His car was still at a bit of an angle because of the car in front. Maybe 20 seconds later the car behind him released the brakes and slowly accelerated into the side of this poor bastard's car. None of the traffic was moving still because the gates were still down / the lights were red. These people make Melbourne drivers look like goddamn pros.
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Jan 7, 2013 23:35
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IOwnCalculus posted:The Mazda3 (in fact, most Mazdas these days?) is permanently lit - brightly in the day, and it's supposed to dim at night. One would think that getting near blinded by your gauge cluster at night would be an indicator that your lights aren't on, but who knows. It doesn't dim automatically at night, there is a switch you need to press at the top of the cluster to do it manually, and when the headlights are off, there are four levels of dimming. At least that's how it is on the first generation Mazda3, far as I know (I drive an '04). Dunno about current models.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:11
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You can toggle it on my '06 and it remembers the setting. I was driving from Grants Pass Oregon to Seattle yesterday and saw a Ford SUV doing 80 in the carpool lane in Bellevue with no lights on, in the rain.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:19
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Pseudonym posted:It doesn't dim automatically at night, there is a switch you need to press at the top of the cluster to do it manually, and when the headlights are off, there are four levels of dimming. At least that's how it is on the first generation Mazda3, far as I know (I drive an '04). Dunno about current models. I drive a poverty-spec '04 Mazda 3i and there's nothing permanently illuminated. You have to turn the stalk to turn on the headlights and light up the dash.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:41
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On my Nissan the instrument lights will dim automatically regardless of whether the headlights are on or off. There is an automatic headlight setting but I prefer not to use it as it doesn't turn the lights on until it's far darker than I'd like (especially important as the car is silver) Also the rear fog lamps can only be activated if the fronts are already on, think this is fairly standard on Japanese cars so its not just the French.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:45
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