Check your Stop lights - Or else !! Why read on

[Blue Shadow]

Yeah but you would't load them up if 2 thirds of the lights were working. With one not working the cop should hust say "mate one of your brske lights is not working" log a warning notice to the rego and leave it at that, im sure there are plenty tools on the road they can go sort out

[lucas2]

Surely something like that could have been a simple warning with the cop attaching a note with your number plate details on their system e.g. "Blown center brake light must repair by 08/02/16" and if it's not repaired then you get a defect. Seems such a trivial reason to have to waste a day going to Vic Roads.

[SYZ]

Originally Posted by Blue Shadow

Common sense needs to used, the car has 3 stop lights, surely safety is not compromised as 2 are still working. [...]

What makes this so silly is that the old Holden 48-215 only had a single tail light as standard. So now the cops reckon a vehicle with better tyres, brakes, suspension and steering needs three times the brake lights to be safe? Yeah... that makes sense. Not.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by lucas2

Surely something like that could have been a simple warning with the cop attaching a note with your number plate details on their system e.g. "Blown center brake light must repair by 08/02/16" and if it's not repaired then you get a defect. Seems such a trivial reason to have to waste a day going to Vic Roads.

Problem is these days companies or organizations choose to run on kpi's (key performance indicators) which removes the personal factor, it's more about how manyou tickets you write as opposed to how many people you help. Its a revenue raising thing. Sad in my opinion

[Beastie]

So here is a thought...

Keep a couple of spare bulbs and a screwdriver in your glovebox!

Next time the HP pull you over, you can say "thanks officer, I checked them this morning before I left home (which he can't prove you didn't), but I know that Ford's bulbs blow all the time, so I carry a couple of spares. Give me 5 and I'll change it right now."

Surely......no defect notice would be given.

Edit: Not having a go at the OP either - just saying

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by The Beast

So here is a thought...

Keep a couple of spare bulbs and a screwdriver in your glovebox!

Next time the HP pull you over, you can say "thanks officer, I checked them this morning before I left home (which he can't prove you didn't), but I know that Ford's bulbs blow all the time, so I carry a couple of spares. Give me 5 and I'll change it right now."

Surely......no defect notice would be given.

My XB Coupe used to eat brake light bulbs when it was my daily driver, they seemed to blow all the time.

Used to carry a few spares all the time.

Now I just use LED globes, issue solved.

Apart from that it would seem strange for a cop to issue defect for a single blown bulb, the paper work would be more work than it's worth, unless warnings were issued previously or the attitude test was failed.

It would appear in 99.9% of cases a warning would be issued.

Even my XB ute runs LED brake and tail lights, best upgrade ever:

[new2ford]

Our Territory's cruise control stopped working if a light was gone. Pretty cryptic!

[CyberWasp]

Meanwhile as the policeman is defecting you for a blown bulb, some old lady is getting beat up and having her bag snatched around the corner.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by lucas2

Surely something like that could have been a simple warning with the cop attaching a note with your number plate details on their system e.g. "Blown center brake light must repair by 08/02/16" and if it's not repaired then you get a defect. Seems such a trivial reason to have to waste a day going to Vic Roads.

This use to be commonplace many years ago when police would pull you up & issue a defect notice to have the item repaired & your car presented at police station by certain date for inspection, non compliance meant another visit to you to issues an un-roadworthy notice & fine.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by The Beast

So here is a thought...

Keep a couple of spare bulbs and a screwdriver in your glovebox!

Next time the HP pull you over, you can say "thanks officer, I checked them this morning before I left home (which he can't prove you didn't), but I know that Ford's bulbs blow all the time, so I carry a couple of spares. Give me 5 and I'll change it right now."

Surely......no defect notice would be given.

Edit: Not having a go at the OP either - just saying

It's possible, but highly unlikely, that the OP's wife wouldn't know how to change a brake light globe.

[Silver Ghia]

I'm pretty sure Falcon FG drivers would know if a stop light is not working, as the cruise control wont work.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

I'm pretty sure Falcon FG drivers would know if a stop light is not working, as the cruise control wont work.

Thats a bit of a grey area, if you aren't hitting the freeway and are just heading to the shop in traffic, are you going to hit cruise?

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

It's possible, but highly unlikely, that the OP's wife wouldn't know how to change a brake light globe.

Yeah, I thought about that after I posted...so I edited my post to make sure that the OP wasn't offended, as everyone was going off on the 'bad cop' tangent

[Sabantien]

Funnily enough I've seen quite a few police cars with brake lights and headlights not working lately.

[Cobrajet03]

Many, many years ago got done on the highway for 1 of 2 number plate bulbs out.
Waste of everyone's time, money and resources!

[ratter]

Originally Posted by SYZ

What makes this so silly is that the old Holden 48-215 only had a single tail light as standard. So now the cops reckon a vehicle with better tyres, brakes, suspension and steering needs three times the brake lights to be safe? Yeah... that makes sense. Not.

cops don't reckon it, the Australian Design Rules for the car dictate it.

[snopony]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

It's possible, but highly unlikely, that the OP's wife wouldn't know how to change a brake light globe.

Hmm. I carry spare globes for my car. And a screwdriver. And have changed two bulbs previous including the light bar at the top.

And I'm a girl.

[Thaddeus]

dogs with nothing better to do

[Feathers]

I have a spare set of bulbs in the glovebox, but I still check mine quite often.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by snopony

Hmm. I carry spare globes for my car. And a screwdriver. And have changed two bulbs previous including the light bar at the top.

And I'm a girl.

As I said 'most' women wouldn't know how to change one.

My wife doesn't and it doesn't require any tools to got to our brake lights.

[superfly]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

As I said 'most' women wouldn't know how to change one.

My wife doesn't and it doesn't require any tools to got to our brake lights.

My wife wouldn't know how to do it either. On her WRX is very easy to change a bulb. On the XR50 it is a PITA.

But I always check my brake lights (and the others) when backed up against a wall/window etc. I just look for the reflection.

[mik]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

The WB Caprice in 1980 had it... and the control module that monitored the bulbs was desiigned so well, that if it failed, you could unplug it, rotate the plug 180 degrees, and it bypassed the module.

After that 5 year run in the WB, Holden released it again in 1993 - this time in the VR Calais, Statesman & Caprice - all tail lights & brake lights are covered by the blown bulb light on the dash.

i think Supras had bulb monitoring from the first model in 1979, even had 4 speed auto back then.

[snopony]

Daily is a tribute. Whole light casing gotta be unscrewed. The xB is good tho...

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

As I said 'most' women wouldn't know how to change one.

My wife doesn't and it doesn't require any tools to got to our brake lights.

My wife wouldn't know either, but maybe I should show her so she doesn't end up like the OP's wife

[Yellow_Festiva]

All this talk of carrying a spare. The offence is driving with a blown light not for not carrying a spare.

Bit like you getting done for speeding and then saying that slowing down after you see the flashing lights makes it all ok.

If you get done for a bald tyre can you tell the cop to turn away for 5 min while its swapped with the spare to avoid the fine?

I think cop was having a bad day and just wanted to take it out on the next person.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

All this talk of carrying a spare. The offence is driving with a blown light not for not carrying a spare.

Bit like you getting done for speeding and then saying that slowing down after you see the flashing lights makes it all ok.

If you get done for a bald tyre can you tell the cop to turn away for 5 min while its swapped with the spare to avoid the fine?

I think cop was having a bad day and just wanted to take it out on the next person.

Maybe, maybe not - IMO I think it's a little different to the examples you have given, but I agree that it looks like old mate was having a bad day.

I'd even suggest that if the OP's mrs had a spare in the glovebox and asked the HP to change it, it may be a different story being told?

Don't know, wasn't there, just say'n

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by ratter

I have seen several weird electrical and running issues from the use of LED's

Anyone got a BA-FG and got LED globes in the rear? I reckon cruise control would stop working, if one of those brake lights is blown then cruise wont work.

I had the same issue on a Subaru Forester, blown brake light bought up stability control light and disabled cruise control.

[ratter]

Have seen boost issues even with leds

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Thats a bit of a grey area, if you aren't hitting the freeway and are just heading to the shop in traffic, are you going to hit cruise?

Just as you may not be using the cruise control each time you go for a drive, you probably wont be checking your stop lights each time either. But I'm sure I use the cruise control a lot more often than if I check the stop lights say once a week.

[FPV GTHO]

If the cops are going to be petty, why cant they target the idiots who drive around in the rain with their headlights off?