Keep cleaning those mirrors and lights people

[Zak33]

Don't forget to clean them often, good people of HEXUS.

All that salt, slush and road traffic film is BAD at the moment. It's sticking to everything.

Mirrors and headlamps, side windows in line with those mirrors and rear lamps... gettem' clean people, every day if need be.

[Hoonigan]

Went and gave the car a quick power wash on Saturday. What a complete and utter waste of time that was! Covered in grit and salt within 5 minutes.

[kalniel]

Went and gave the car a quick power wash on Saturday. What a complete and utter waste of time that was! Covered in grit and salt within 5 minutes.

Only a waste from a looks perspective. Keeping the wax topped up will help protect the paint.

[peterb]

Its fine cleaning them if only people would use them.

<rant> It really grinds my gears to see vehicles being used without lights (or only side position lights) in poor visibility, twilight, haze, mist/fog heavy rain or driving with the sun behind them. They don't realise that it to help them be seen! The same goes for rear fog lights too</rant>

[Smudger]

Its fine cleaning them if only people would use them.

<rant> It really grinds my gears to see vehicles being used without lights (or only side position lights) in poor visibility, twilight, haze, mist/fog heavy rain or driving with the sun behind them. They don't realise that it to help them be seen! The same goes for rear fog lights too</rant>

On the flip side, using rear fogs when there's rain or drizzle really grind my gears. And those that don't turn them off when they're in a line of traffic, or in an urban area.

[Hoonigan]

On the flip side, using rear fogs when there's rain or drizzle really grind my gears. And those that don't turn them off when they're in a line of traffic, or in an urban area.

And people that sit with their foot on the brake instead of sticking the handbrake on!

[peterb]

On the flip side, using rear fogs when there's rain or drizzle really grind my gears. And those that don't turn them off when they're in a line of traffic, or in an urban area.

They can be useful when there is a lot of spray, but yes, they aren't usually appropriate in drizzle.

[DDY]

Its fine cleaning them if only people would use them...

My thoughts exactly.

Just this morning on my commute over the South Downs.

Just about hitting the patch of fog around the corner:


Seconds later the visibility drops to less than 100m:


Lots of cyclist use this route and it's a NSL, so I hung as far back as I could while keeping the unlit car in sight, in case an oncoming vehicle overtaking a cyclist doesn't see the unlit car in front of me. Butt clenching stuff.

[Gerrard]

And people that sit with their foot on the brake instead of sticking the handbrake on!

I thought that until I drove an automatic. I found myself preferring to sit with the foot brake on rather than moving to Park a lot of the time. And since it was a Mercedes, I almost never used the handbrake as it was a foot operated one! However, in a manual I am much more likely to apply the manual handbrake. Electronic ones are a bit more hit and miss as I have only ever had them in hire cars and am never sure when/how they are configured to release.

[Hoonigan]

Electronic ones are a bit more hit and miss as I have only ever had them in hire cars and am never sure when/how they are configured to release.

I've got an automatic handbrake in my motor, comes on once you're at a stop and out of gear. Then when setting off, it disengages just before the bite point on the clutch, resulting in a smooth pull away. This is a VW Golf.

I can kinda understand that about automatic cars - I hadn't considered that. I was behind a Kia Sportage the other day, the lights on the back of them are bright!

[Butcher]

Went and gave the car a quick power wash on Saturday. What a complete and utter waste of time that was! Covered in grit and salt within 5 minutes.

Wish I had the ability to use my power washer at the moment. My back windscreen is horrific.

[Hoonigan]

Wish I had the ability to use my power washer at the moment. My back windscreen is horrific.

I had to go to the 24 hour car wash place and gave them £4 for a pressure wash and quick soap. Was gritty by the time it was home.

My girlfriend will drive it for mile after mile without cleaning the back window with the screenwash jets. It drives me batty!

[badass]

I thought that until I drove an automatic. I found myself preferring to sit with the foot brake on rather than moving to Park a lot of the time. And since it was a Mercedes, I almost never used the handbrake as it was a foot operated one! However, in a manual I am much more likely to apply the manual handbrake. Electronic ones are a bit more hit and miss as I have only ever had them in hire cars and am never sure when/how they are configured to release.

The clue's in the name - park.

Stick it in neutral. That way people behind don't think you're reversing when every time the traffic lights go green

[Hoonigan]

The clue's in the name - park.

Stick it in neutral. That way people behind don't think you're reversing when every time the traffic lights go green

So, if I'm understanding this rightly, when you stick it in Park, you then have to go past Reverse to get to Drive? Meaning your whites on the rear will flash on, scaring the driver behind you? HAHA!

[Gerrard]

I was behind a Kia Sportage the other day, the lights on the back of them are bright!

Funny you should mention that, I noticed something similar with a couple of other cars (an Audi and Mini I think). Just figured it was me or the lighting conditions.

The clue's in the name - park.

Stick it in neutral. That way people behind don't think you're reversing when every time the traffic lights go green

If you're nuetral, you still either need to keep your foot on the brake or use the handbrake, which as I said was a PITA being a foot operated one. I did a quick Google when I first started to drive it if leaving it in gear would do any damage and the general concensus was that it wouldn't for modern transmissions.

So, if I'm understanding this rightly, when you stick it in Park, you then have to go past Reverse to get to Drive? Meaning your whites on the rear will flash on, scaring the driver behind you? HAHA!

Yep. Normally from the top it goes P-R-N-D. There may be a couple of other gears as well to help in low traction. Although I would have thought manufacturers would implement a delay to the reverse lights just for this situation.

[Xlucine]

And people that sit with their foot on the brake instead of sticking the handbrake on!

I do that, because it's not impossible for someone to rear-end a line of stationary traffic. Trying to push me forwards while I'm resting on the footbrake means getting all four tyres unstuck, whereas on the handbrake that's only the back two that need to be dragged. This extra friction acting while they're pushing me forward over the 1-1.5m between me and the car in front means that we lose some momentum, and over an entire line of traffic that means less chance of the unlucky person at the front getting newtons-cradled into the middle of the junction. More glare for the person behind me, but the bit they need to look around for (moving off) comes after I've started moving, which means I've already turned off my brake lights.

Totally different to leaving the fog lights on when they're not needed, since that involves glare for moving traffic