Must cars have sidelights?

[BenW]

I'm writting my personal statement at the moment with a view of doing mechanical or automotive engineering at uni. I've read various articles that say giving an example of a problem is good, it gives you something to talk about in an interview and it gets the reader interested.

One issue i know of with current cars is they're very inefficient, weight obviously has a role in this. Sidelights were introduced on old cars as the batteries weren't upto the job of running proper headlights but current batteries can cope with this. And, when i was learning to drive my instructor told me to always use headlights rather than sidelights.

So, why is it that current cars have sidelights? Are they required to make the car road legal? I don't want to write something and look like a total tit because it's a legal requirement.

Thanks

[J4MES]

One issue i know of with current cars is they're very inefficient, weight obviously has a role in this

i might be wrong, but i'm sure cars are more efficient than ever, despite the increased weight, due partly to safety constraints (crash protection and active safety devices) and partly due to the amount of standard equipment expected (PAS, Aircon etc.)...

and afaik sidelights are a legal requirement - but it maybe a legacy of power management issues, as you mentioned...

[J4MES]

and do automotive engineering, unless you want to spend hours doing thermo/fluid dynamics (mech eng) rather than a more vocational degree such as automotive eng.

[midzt]

er not really much help to you , but im starting automotive engineering later this month!! woo!!

my interviews didnt really last long and werent to grilling (apart from imperial whcih was a little harder but still not too bad, i acutlly learned something from it), and the technical question they asked me in an interview was why a 4-stroke engine called 4-stroke....

altho i didn't really put it in my ps, sounds like a good idea to.

im pretty sure sidelights are a legal requiremnt, altho thats just a guess from memory, but i guess the question stands either way. if they are needed as a legal requiremnt, why are they a legal requirment kinda thing.

[filbert]

The law as I know is if you park at the side of the road in an area that has a speed limit over 30mph, you must use a parking light.
Sidelights are a legal requirement if lights are fitted, but if no lights are fitted a car can be used in daylight, and will pass a mot, even without a brake light.

[BenW]

Thanks everyone, guess i'll leave that bit out of my statement then!

Midzt, where are you going? Let me know how you get on

[chriswood_7]

Dont do Automotive Engineering, do Mechanical Engineering. When it comes to job time at the end of your course, its much harder to get a job. I decided to do Automotive, and as much as I enjoyed it, I was one of the last ones to get work out of my group of friends...

Good luck

[BenW]

Which is why i would do a sandwich course. It seems that most people who work hard on their year of work experience get offered a job after their 4th year. Plus i'd have a years experience in the industry if i wasn't offered a job.

The problem i see with mechanical is that it's a very large subject, surely an employer wants a more specialised employee

[greektony]

i agree with chriswood. I did a mechanical engineering degree, and mechs and civil graduates found it alot easier to find a job than aero or auto students. I have a job, and my friends on auto and aero don't

[greektony]

The problem I would say with auto and aero degrees, are that they are too specialised. with mechanical engineering you do a bit of both of them. For example, my final year group project was working with Lotus on desigining a scotch yoke engine. So there was quite a bit of automotive engineering in my course! BTW i went to Kingston Uni. A very good Uni for engineering

[midzt]

I'm going Loughborough, I did apply for mechanical at Imperial tho, but unfortunately didn't get the grades to get in. I was thinking of concentrating on automotive modules if I got into Imperial.

[J4MES]

The law as I know is if you park at the side of the road in an area that has a speed limit over 30mph, you must use a parking light

What if your car doesn't have parking lights??

[filbert]

What if your car doesn't have parking lights??

Then I would say it's illegal to park there.

[BenW]

The problem I would say with auto and aero degrees, are that they are too specialised. with mechanical engineering you do a bit of both of them. For example, my final year group project was working with Lotus on desigining a scotch yoke engine. So there was quite a bit of automotive engineering in my course! BTW i went to Kingston Uni. A very good Uni for engineering

Thanks Tony, did you do a sandwhich course? And how did you get to work with lotus? Thanks

[Neo_VR]

Its a legal requirement in some EU countries (so will probably be made EU law sooner or later) to have daytime running lights... which is why volvos always have their lights on..