Auto lights and wipers a year on
in [UK Drivers]
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From: Bagpuss on 6 Jul 2010 11:10 On 6 July, 16:09, Adrian <toomany2...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Bagpuss <hairycatp...(a)gmail.com> gurgled happily, sounding much like they > were saying: > > >> Anyway, what's "fiddly" about extending one finger and flicking - > >> without looking? > > Nothing. I'm pretty sure the Xantia has variable intermittent wipe - it > > has a slidy thing on the stalk anyway. I've never used it yet. > > Same as the XM's, then. I used it all the time. I'll give it a go. The tat I usually drive around in doesn't have such fripperies, so I've never really got used to them Miaow!
From: Mortimer on 6 Jul 2010 11:11 "Adrian" <toomany2cvs(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:89gtq7F6n3U34(a)mid.individual.net... > What about lane-departure bottomwobblers? Road sign echoing in the dash? > IR night-vision displays in the dash? IR night vision would be very useful, especially with the puny reversing light (singular!) on my Pug 308 which makes it very difficult at night to reverse down a drive with hedges either side of the entrance, where the reversing lights don't illuminate it very well on one side as you are approaching, and don't illuminate it at all once your back end has gone past the hedge and you need to check that you are still keeping a safe distance between your front wings and the hedge as you continue to reverse. Road sign echoing could be useful to confirm what the speed limit is when it's not obvious by the presence of street lights. Lane departure is less useful: usually you hear the cats eyes drumming under your tyres if you cross the line and can quickly correct the situation - but then you have to have lost attention or started to doze off to get into that situation in the first place.
From: Adrian on 6 Jul 2010 11:14 "Mortimer" <me(a)privacy.net> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying: >> What about lane-departure bottomwobblers? Road sign echoing in the >> dash? IR night-vision displays in the dash? > IR night vision would be very useful, especially with the puny reversing > light (singular!) on my Pug 308 No, no. Forward facing. http://www.familycar.com/roadtests/MercedesS550/Images/NightVision-md.jpg > Road sign echoing could be useful to confirm what the speed limit is > when it's not obvious by the presence of street lights. Are we back to whether your driving test should be regarded as a once-in- a-lifetime-skill-highpoint again so quickly? > Lane departure is less useful: usually you hear the cats eyes drumming > under your tyres if you cross the line and can quickly correct the > situation - but then you have to have lost attention or started to doze > off to get into that situation in the first place. Quite.
From: Bagpuss on 6 Jul 2010 11:23 On 6 July, 16:11, Chelsea Tractor Man <mr.c.trac...(a)hotmail.co.uk> wrote: > On Tue, 6 Jul 2010 08:03:16 -0700 (PDT), Bagpuss wrote: > > What's so hard about overtaking a truck in a downpour anyway? > > the large amount of spray means you will not be able to see puddles as you > go past, both hands on the wheel will be a good idea Learning to read the road ahead might be a good idea for you then. If you're only noticing puddles in the road at that small distance, you are doing something wrong. Miaow!
From: Mike Barnes on 6 Jul 2010 11:02
Adrian <toomany2cvs(a)gmail.com>: >Chelsea Tractor Man <mr.c.tractor(a)hotmail.co.uk> gurgled happily, sounding >much like they were saying: >> and one of the times you do not want to be fiddling with minor controls >> is as you overtake a truck in a downpour. > >The only reason to be concerned is because you can't see for that brief >moment until the little wiper elf in the dashboard decides he can't see >either. Actually my wipers start before the water hits the screen. The only time I don't like the auto wipers is when there's more dirt than water - they come on too often and produce an unhelpful smear. But as soon as that starts happening it's no trouble to turn them off. Auto lights: I've never felt the need to turn them off, though obviously I've had to override them on in fog etc. If you go through a lot of tunnels they're very handy indeed. Both features leave more of my attention for other matters. The same goes for the automatic gearbox. Obviously not everyone feels the same way, but I prefer my machines to do as much as possible for themselves. -- Mike Barnes |