Only One Reversing Light?

[monya]

Discovered the offside reversing light not working to be told there is only one fitted, nearside. Pay 25k for a car with bits missing? My old T Spirit had two and as far as I'm concerned two is better than one. Obviously not illegal then. Disappointed nevertheless.

[Parts-King]

Not missing, they only have one, very common to have one reverse light on the nearside and one fog lamp on the offside, no matter what marque of car

[Heidfirst]

My £30k at list Avensis only has one as well. It seems to be fairly common these days & not just from Toyota. At least the actual reverse light is better than on the Focus that we had (next to useless on that).

Also the same with rear foglight. I would prefer to have 2 of both.

I guess if you save £10 a car & you make 10 million cars a year ...

[johalareewi]

You could always use a reversing light bulb that is twice as bright.

BTW my first car had no reversing lights. I had to fit a set myself.

[Parts-King]

You could always use a reversing light bulb that is twice as bright.

BTW my first car had no reversing lights. I had to fit a set myself.

Have heard that done plenty of times to good effect............

[FROSTYBALLS]

Legally manufacturers are only required to have one rear foglight and one reversing light, so most balance up the rear light clusters by having the rear foglight in the offside cluster and the reversing light in the corresponding place in the nearside light cluster.

Two of each would be preferable to some people, but others prefer only having one rear foglight as that denotes where the offside is.

[Heidfirst]

You could always use a reversing light bulb that is twice as bright.

actually you can't (at least road legally, Road Vehicle Lighting 1989 "Wattage: no requirement if displaying an approved mark otherwise one lamp not to exceed 24 watts"). & that does nothing regarding beam spread.

you can fit an additional though ( a common modification on the Focus was to fit an lhd rear offside light cluster & modify the bulb mount to accept both bulbs).

[Duffryn]

I remember fitting one to my little Thames 5cwt van in 1963! Manual switch in cabin combining legally necessary little warning light. Those were the days when one could happily tinker ad infinitum....

[PeteB]

You see enough cheap and nasty cars with two of each - I think manufacturers that scrimp in this way on cars in this price range are letting go of any quality image they may have aspired to in the past.

I notice since the Gen 2 Prius little wheels to control flow of air from each air vent have gone too - another shame.

I see the Gen 4 has also lost some interior stowage space too.

[TomdeGuerre]

You see enough cheap and nasty cars with two of each - I think manufacturers that scrimp in this way on cars in this price range are letting go of any quality image they may have aspired to in the past.

I notice since the Gen 2 Prius little wheels to control flow of air from each air vent have gone too - another shame.

I see the Gen 4 has also lost some interior stowage space too.

Totally agree, it gives a nice balanced view of the rear of the car where's there's two reversing lights and two fog warning lights fitted. You see that on the backs of Range Rovers and Freelanders for example. Incidentally i saw a tiny little Skoda reversing out someone's drive the other night and even it had two reversing lights fitted.

Having said all that, reversing lights are just about useless when you're using the rear view camera on the Auris. As I've said before on here, i throw my arm over the seat and physically watch where I'm reversing and btw not the first time I've used the emergency flashers to help see what's behind.

[TomdeGuerre]

I remember fitting one to my little Thames 5cwt van in 1963! Manual switch in cabin combining legally necessary little warning light. Those were the days when one could happily tinker ad infinitum....

LOL, Ford 5 cwt vans with side valve engines, those were the days. I'm sure I have one of those little switches with the white light "button" in the middle lying in my garage somewhere, meant to donate it to a museum somewhere.

Up here in my neck of the woods it was popular to fit a fog lamp to your rear bumper not so much for reversing, more to flash anybody coming up behind you who wouldn't dip their main beams. I had one fitted to the back of my Ford Consul and was itching for somebody to come up behind me with their MB's on so when somebody did, I switched this on and the guy dipped. Then he passed me and he switched his on, it was one of those Lucas lamps with the blue spot in the middle, very powerful and very blinding! To his credit he only flashed me so I didn't wind up in the dirch but never again to flash ppl.

[kithmo]

The Prius + only has one of each, but the reversing light is much better than the Gen3 was and works well with the camera.

[PeteB]

One of the reasons I like 2 is that when using those oblique parking spaces outside some shopping parades, when wanting to reverse out the left reversing light is hidden by the cars to the left, whereas a right hand one would be more visible.

[Sagitar]

Aren't we thoroughly pampered these days . . . . . :D

I wonder how many people realise that until 1954 (Oct 1957 for vehicles made before 1954) you could have driven with just a single rear-light showing. Many of them no brighter than a glow-worm. I can remember doing the rounds of the local car breakers in 1957 with a friend, looking for a second rear light for his pre-war mighty Morris.

I remember fitting one to my little Thames 5cwt van in 1963! Manual switch in cabin combining legally necessary little warning light. Those were the days when one could happily tinker ad infinitum....

LOL, Ford 5 cwt vans with side valve engines, those were the days. I'm sure I have one of those little switches with the white light "button" in the middle lying in my garage somewhere, meant to donate it to a museum somewhere.

Up here in my neck of the woods it was popular to fit a fog lamp to your rear bumper not so much for reversing, more to flash anybody coming up behind you who wouldn't dip their main beams. I had one fitted to the back of my Ford Consul and was itching for somebody to come up behind me with their MB's on so when somebody did, I switched this on and the guy dipped. Then he passed me and he switched his on, it was one of those Lucas lamps with the blue spot in the middle, very powerful and very blinding! To his credit he only flashed me so I didn't wind up in the dirch but never again to flash ppl.

[Duffryn]

Blimey, this thread's beginning to sound like Last of the Summer Wine revisited!

[monya]

Seems some Lexus models are similarly afflicted and I thought these were supposed to be posh despite only a three year warranty??

For those nay Sayers out there - all my previous cars had two which seems sensible and balanced. There can be no practical reason bar cost cutting as usual. Ok, it's not a game changer but symptomatic of the mindset of industry these days.

[PeteB]

Aren't we thoroughly pampered these days . . . . . :D

... just a single rear-light showing. Many of them no brighter than a glow-worm...

as reinvented by cyclists!

My first car was an original Mini made in 1960 (although it was so old it said Austin 7 on the registration document) which I bought in 1974 for £15 when I was 17 - it had the following 'features'!:

• no seat belts
• unsecured tipping front seats that worked as a catapult in a crash
• push button start (on the floor, to avoid expense of a solenoid)
• foot operated dip switch
• non self-cancelling indicators
• aftermarket screen washer (very crude, rubber membrane with the water the other side of the rubber)
• single speed wipers that stopped where they were when turned off
• aftermarket heater (recirculating only, no fresh air unless sliding window was open)
• just a speedo and fuel gauge - only indication of high engine temperature (common in traffic jams) was steam coming from under bonnet!
• drum brakes all round that could easily lock up
• no hazard (park anywhere) lights
• no fog lights (either end)
• aftermarket reversing light (round knob on dash with little light in middle when on)

Also needed to carry an obligatory sponge to soak up moisture on windows if anyone had the bad taste to continue breathing if the air was even slightly damp, never mind raining.

[johalareewi]

You forgot to mention the choke and lack of syncromesh gears.

[johalareewi]

You could always use a reversing light bulb that is twice as bright.

actually you can't (at least road legally, Road Vehicle Lighting 1989 "Wattage: no requirement if displaying an approved mark otherwise one lamp not to exceed 24 watts").

You can get LED replacements, fewer watts more light.

[Heidfirst]

but afaik they aren't, strictly speaking, road legal (unless E marked which I doubt many, if any are) . My understanding is that LED bulbs are currently only road legal in cars type approved with them or where they are E marked (which keeps the E marked light unit compliant with regs.) .

[PeteB]

You forgot to mention the choke and lack of syncromesh gears.

OMG - the Choke - what fun that was!

It DID actually have synchromesh, just on not 1st gear.

[kithmo]

You forgot to mention the choke and lack of syncromesh gears.

OMG - the Choke - what fun that was!

It DID actually have synchromesh, just on not 1st gear.

and the clothes peg to hold it out

[johalareewi]

My mini also had no syncromesh on 1st gear but it was a lot newer than yours.

It was an estate and the 12V lead acid Battery was under the back seat!

[TomdeGuerre]

Was it under the back seat or in the boot? I seem to remember mine (Mini saloon) as being in a metal box under the boot floor.

Don't know what you guys are complaining about with the Mini, it had 12v electrics, hydraulic brakes and rack and pinion steering - everything my 1953 Popular didn't have.

[Duffryn]

I don't think anyone's complaining Tom. Somehow motoring and mucking about with cars was so much more enjoyable in those days.

In 1966 I bought a brand new Austin Minivan for £395 + £10 for undersealing. Battery was just behind the seat IIRC. Kept it 5 years, and it broke down a week before my honeymoon!