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

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by sprintman1

You're obviously taking the ****, but just in case shop windows are everywhere.............

So it's ok to drive to the shops with a non functioning brake light? Because you won't know it's not working until you get there...

[sprintman1]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

So it's ok to drive to the shops with a non functioning brake light? Because you won't know it's not working until you get there...

This is obviously way to hard for you

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by sprintman1

This is obviously way to hard for you

You didn't answer the question.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

...and any suggestions on exactly how you check your own brake lights if you're on your own...? Especially in daylight...?

In the garage with the door shut.

[baboon]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

...and any suggestions on exactly how you check your own brake lights if you're on your own...? Especially in daylight...?

If you have iphone or android phone download the app called camera and record the back, and jump in and press the brake 3 times. Then check recording for lights on playback.

Good luck.

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by baboon

If you have iphone or android phone download the app called camera and record the back, and jump in and press the brake 3 times. Then check recording for lights on playback.

Good luck.

Wonder if the hwp would get the app, put the car in the garage. No they wouldn't. What is good for the goode os good for the gander

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

In the garage with the door shut.

And for those who park on the road?


I think a canary for 1 of 3 brake lights being out is a bit over the top, unless the driver was carrying on to the cop as soon as he approached the window.

[CyberWasp]

What are you meant to do. Get out and check your brake lights every time you brake?
A globe can blow at any time when in use. You can check it before you depart and have it blow on the 1st brake application down the road.
1 Light out should be a warning fix it now. Obviously it is dangerous and must be fixed because if a 2nd one goes out as well, serious accidents can result.

Not all that many years ago people would pull up beside you at the lights and tell you, that you had a light out. Nowadays nobody is game because of road rage ect, and how some nutter might react when you try to help them.

[.:4:.]

What happens to a guy who removes the spoiler from an xr6? They had no high mount brake light in the rear window, as it was on the spoiler. But if your had a regular falcon or a fairmont, g6 or whatever, does that make it illegal to not have an additional stop light? A warning for a blown globe is reasonable but if you remove the additional globe.... I have never seen an escort getting questioned over why there is only 2 lights, so why do people with 3, effectively double redundancy, stop lights get pinged?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

What happens to a guy who removes the spoiler from an xr6? They had no high mount brake light in the rear window, as it was on the spoiler. But if your had a regular falcon or a fairmont, g6 or whatever, does that make it illegal to not have an additional stop light? A warning for a blown globe is reasonable but if you remove the additional globe.... I have never seen an escort getting questioned over why there is only 2 lights, so why do people with 3, effectively double redundancy, stop lights get pinged?

In NSW, regardless of how many lights you have, if the light is there it has to work.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

In NSW, regardless of how many lights you have, if the light is there it has to work.

Fair call, I won't comment any futher

[ratter]

If a car is produced that had 3 lights to meet the adr's it was designed to meet then it has to have that amount, Traffic Management Unit police primarily deal in traffic matters, it seems many can not come to terms with these facts

[Mondaveo]

I would welcome it if this kind of enforcement came to the ACT (moderated with warnings as others have said).

There being no annual roadworthy check here, it seems many drivers are content to let their vehicles go to wreck and ruin. So many times I've been behind a car with only one operative taillight or the high-mounted stop light working.

Doesn't have to be old bombs either, I've seen it on a handful of newish cars including at least one prestige SUV.

Then there are the ones where the lights have been bodged in bizarre and creative ways. I once followed a Commodore where the right side and centre brake lights were on as taillights; then when the driver braked, they went out and the left side came on...!!

[Gothefalcon]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

What happens to a guy who removes the spoiler from an xr6? They had no high mount brake light in the rear window, as it was on the spoiler. But if your had a regular falcon or a fairmont, g6 or whatever, does that make it illegal to not have an additional stop light? A warning for a blown globe is reasonable but if you remove the additional globe.... I have never seen an escort getting questioned over why there is only 2 lights, so why do people with 3, effectively double redundancy, stop lights get pinged?

Vehicles must comply to the ADRs (Aust Design Rules) they are manufactured too at the time. If someone removes the rear spoiler from an XR6 (as in your example) and thus removes the high mount centre brake light that was fitted to it.... they must replace that with another one (most likely they would fit a "standard" rear parcel shelf version). But they must have one.

Conversely... if you retro fit a rear spoiler to a car with an in parcel shelf high mount centre brake light... and that light is now obscured... then the spoiler will have to have one included (or other similar solution).... and the original one must be disabled (not allowed to have the two together)

Older cars built before the ADR requirement for high mount centre stop light... are not required to have one. So even if you have retro fitted a rear spoiler with one in it... there is no requirement to make it work. Conversely... there's no rule which says it can't be connected up to work either.

D

[baboon]

Originally Posted by Blue Shadow

Wonder if the hwp would get the app, put the car in the garage. No they wouldn't. What is good for the goode os good for the gander

I dont understand your answer, I was offering a way to check your stop lights by yourself. More then one way to skin a cat.

[Mondaveo]

Originally Posted by Gothefalcon

if you retro fit a rear spoiler to a car with an in parcel shelf high mount centre brake light... and that light is now obscured... then the spoiler will have to have one included (or other similar solution).... and the original one must be disabled (not allowed to have the two together)

Hmm, I'll have to check my brother's old Vectra - pretty sure he has both bootlid spoiler and parcel shelf centre stop lights (completely stock btw). Did the ADRs change after the turn of the century?

[Gothefalcon]

A mate of mine borrowed my spare BA Wagon last year (& still has it)... before I handed over the keys, I made sure it was serviced, and everything worked (had to replace a front parker globe... which I'd only replaced about 3 months before )
Some months later, just after Xmas... when he was driving off from the pub... I noticed that the RH tail light was out (but the brake light still worked).
I thought "bugger.. better tell him to fix it tomorrow". The next day I called to tell him and he said he got pulled over by Mr Plod on the way home... just so they could let him know. No fine... no warning... just good public service !

This is how it should be ! Having said that... if they then put a note in their computer against the rego, that they'd pulled that car over to advise of this on such n such a date/time etc.. so that if a cop was to notice this again in a few weeks time... and checked the computer to find that most likely it hadn't been fixed... then decided to issue a warning etc... I'd have no problem with that !

Of course, the more serious the problem... the sterner they need to be... also no problem with that !

D

[ratter]

Originally Posted by Mondaveo

Hmm, I'll have to check my brother's old Vectra - pretty sure he has both bootlid spoiler and parcel shelf centre stop lights (completely stock btw). Did the ADRs change after the turn of the century?

If he has 2 centre stops light then the spoiler would have been fitted aftermarket

[Gothefalcon]

Originally Posted by Mondaveo

Hmm, I'll have to check my brother's old Vectra - pretty sure he has both bootlid spoiler and parcel shelf centre stop lights (completely stock btw). Did the ADRs change after the turn of the century?

Originally Posted by ratter

If he has 2 centre stops light then the spoiler would have been fitted aftermarket

Or perhaps it's a dealer fit ?... at which point they should have disabled the in parcel shelf light (ie: removed the globe)

D

[Captain Stubing]

Originally Posted by JC

My in-laws merc has a dash warning come one if any light is blown (I think it even tells you which one is gone). That's in a 2003 model car - wouldn't be too hard for Ford, Holden etc to do the same thing in these "modern" cars....

I have a 1985 Ford Sierra, and it has warning lights on the dash for blown brake, park and headlights!

It's something they've included in some cars, and possibly decided it wasn't cost effective to include in the modern day vehicle.

[sprintman1]

Originally Posted by Mondaveo

I would welcome it if this kind of enforcement came to the ACT (moderated with warnings as others have said).

There being no annual roadworthy check here, it seems many drivers are content to let their vehicles go to wreck and ruin. So many times I've been behind a car with only one operative taillight or the high-mounted stop light working.

Doesn't have to be old bombs either, I've seen it on a handful of newish cars including at least one prestige SUV.

Then there are the ones where the lights have been bodged in bizarre and creative ways. I once followed a Commodore where the right side and centre brake lights were on as taillights; then when the driver braked, they went out and the left side came on...!!

The ACT used to have the toughest regime with the dreaded annual visit to 'rego' for full pit inspection and roller brake test for all vehicles. What a reversal eh?

[Boosted8]

I used to lean a couple of bricks against the brake pedal to check my brake lights. Worked just fine for me, I don't get why people have to make this so difficult.

[EB#]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

How proud this copper must be, going home saying 'I made a difference today'....

Yep, he got $45.10 added to the state coffers. Awesome job.

[TER2BO]

Glad I posted this thread its been interesting reading all the posts.
Just want to make some comments on some of them.
Firstly, my wife did not give the Police any attitude -she isn't that sort of person. The Territory was in otherwise excellent condition (not a bomb which would attract attention.)
When pulled over she was only 200 meters from Home which they would have known.
Ducatti 888 said put LED's in. Tried that a couple of years ago -caused havoc -had to take them out. As Ratter said "causes weird electrics".
Some European cars have to have a special towing harness with a inbuilt control module to tow a trailer/caravan with LED's
The Beast posted -carry spares and screwdriver. Gasolane quite rightly posted that op's wife wouldn't know how to change the Bulb.

Lots of posts about checking them and how to check them.

But they can blow at any time . As I mentioned not sure where the bulbs are manufactured these days but they don't seem to last that long anymore. Maybe its all the stop/start traffic on the Motorways.

[Blue Shadow]

Excellant reply champ

[ratter]

Originally Posted by Gothefalcon

Or perhaps it's a dealer fit ?... at which point they should have disabled the in parcel shelf light (ie: removed the globe)

D

exactly,
pretty much most dealerships will use aftermarket companies to supply and fit aftermarket spoilers, they still have to comply with ADR's though

[Blue Shadow]

Aftermarket parts don't have to comply with the ADR, they only have to say they meet ADR. They are not tested and don't have a compliance certificate. Take an MQ Triton it has a 5 star ancap if you put on a factory bullbar it keep the rating if you put on an aftermarket it looses the 5 star. To comply with ancap you need to crash cars.

[ratter]

comply or meet?
if they meet them, don't they then comply with them?

so your saying fitting a spoiler means the Brake light ADR can be overlooked?

[Mondaveo]

Originally Posted by Gothefalcon

Or perhaps it's a dealer fit ?... at which point they should have disabled the in parcel shelf light (ie: removed the globe)

D

Originally Posted by ratter

exactly,
pretty much most dealerships will use aftermarket companies to supply and fit aftermarket spoilers, they still have to comply with ADR's though

I was fairly sure it was OEM, but dealer fitted is a possibility. Always possible my recollection is wrong
It might be notable that the paint started peeling off the spoiler due to sun exposure but has yet to happen anywhere else on the car.

On the topic of Vectra, it too has a diagnostic system that will alert you of blown lights. But as anyone familiar with these cars will know, the electronics can be... niggly. Seeing the message "Brake light check" could just as often signify a problem with the diagnostics as a problem with your lights

Originally Posted by sprintman1

The ACT used to have the toughest regime with the dreaded annual visit to 'rego' for full pit inspection and roller brake test for all vehicles. What a reversal eh?

Thanks for that, I didn't know. I'm guessing that came about from the change to self-governance - now I'm curious...

[Makovic]

Originally Posted by sprintman1

The ACT used to have the toughest regime with the dreaded annual visit to 'rego' for full pit inspection and roller brake test for all vehicles. What a reversal eh?

The cops in ACT are not like dogs in Melbourne.

ACT cops are a whole different breed. There are layers of them. And this is reflected in the different cars and uniforms. The lowly highway or traffic cop, from what I've seen, wears what looks like a Gestapo uniform but they really are quite a civilised bunch which reflects the rather civilised ACT population. The Canberra cops seem more tolerant of unroadworthy cars. Like they avert their attention from the poor. The famous American writer, Norman Mailer, said "all cops are punks". ACT cops aren't punks