Evening all

[Tim Hunt]

I recently found this forum and would like to introduce myself as TimH. My late father was a keen driver and very early IAM member, no. 3461, passing his test in 1957. In turn he encouraged me to take the test, which I passed 40 years ago, after first having a couple of runs observed by a Class 1 police driver I met through a local motor club.

I am now retired, living in Hertfordshire. I have clocked up about a million miles involving a succession of company cars, my own cars, hire cars and father's. Frequent trips to France and Belgium and holidays in the US give me extensive experience of driving outside the UK. I always aim to drive with skill, consideration, restraint and mechanical sympathy, as, I am sure, do all on this forum. My style is: first to slow at any hint of danger and first to go when it is again safe to get on with it. I am my own worst critic should I fall below the standard I set myself by, e.g., being in the wrong lane in an unfamiliar town or city due to a failure in observation or slightly unbalancing my car by sharp steering or a late secondary brake application.

CURRENT CARS:

VOLVO V70 D5 -- Safe,comfortable,highly practical, good mid-range urge and reasonably frugal for a large estate. On the downside somewhat wallowy and uninvolving, not really a driver's car. The headlamp dip switch design is a persistent annoyance; it's spring loaded, flick for dip and flick for main beam. WHY oh WHY not just a simple two position switch?

HONDA JAZZ -- The wife's car, which I mostly drive when we are out together. Cleverly provides great interior space in a small overall package, a smooth gem of an engine, very frugal but no ball of fire. Exceptionally thick "A" pillars call for vigilance.

TRIUMPH TR4A -- Bought new by my father in 1966 and now my pride and joy. Modified by me over the years to improve comfort, safety, reliability and performance. Overdrive on 2,3 and 4 gives seven forward ratios and a gear for every occasion. On Club Triumph's recent biennial 2,000 mile 48-hour Round Britain Reliability Run (my nineteenth in this car) it returned 32.5mpg at a running average speed of 50.6mph, not bad for a basic four-cylinder wet liner engine design dating back almost 70 years. I do 5,000+ miles annually in the TR. it is never SORNed, I'd much rather be driving it!

As for dislikes, I wish that more drivers would restrict the use of front and rear fog lights to conditions of poor visibility (i.e. less than 100 metres) HC 114/226/236. Having come to a halt, particularly at night, why cannot a driver set the parking brake and come off the foot brake, once another vehicle has stopped behind, as a simple courtesy to reduce glare for the other driver? (The wonderful HC114 again) For the same reason, if stationary at night and signalling a turn then when another vehicle has come to a halt behind you in your lane why not cancel the flashing indicator and reapply it before moving off? On the rare occasion another driver does this for me I really appreciate their thoughtfulness.

Regards to all,

Tim

[jameslb101]

VOLVO V70 D5 -- The headlamp dip switch design is a persistent annoyance; it's spring loaded, flick for dip and flick for main beam. WHY oh WHY not just a simple two position switch?

Hi Tim and welcome to ADUK - hopefully we'll see you at a driving day soon.

I've got to agree with you on the Volvo dip switch design. As you probably realise it uses a small flick for a flash and big flick to leave main on/off. The problem is that it it's very sensitive, making it all too easy to leave on main beam when aiming just to flash. Therefore, during day time I found it easier to put the main light switch to 0, which leaves the dipped beam on and will let you flash, but stops you from leaving main beam on.

[Tim Hunt]

Thanks for your reply James. My car is an '07 model, I must admit that I had my local friendly independent Volvo specialist deactivate the daylight running lights function. I have never seen the value of these in good daylight but i guess if i buy a newer car i am going to have to live with them. I have always preferred to decide for myself when dipped headlights would enhance the visibility of my car in daytime, in the same way that I am perfectly capable of deciding for myself to use windscreen wipers should it start raining! I agree however that flashing the main beams in daylight is no problem. It is of course possible at night, with care, just gently moving the stalk to the first sprung return position but when changing repeatedly from dip to main beams on a winding road with frequent opposing traffic my sense is that the change is not as immediate as with a simple on/on switch.
i will be away until early March but certainly hope to find a driving day somewhere near me come the spring.

Tim

[martine]

Welcome Tim.

Nice to see a TR being appreciated and driven...better make sure though if you do come along to a driving day, you turn in this and not the Jazz (good though they are for what they do).

[kfae8959]

Hi Tim, and welcome to the forum. One or two of us also live in Hertfordshire, so feel free to post a message if you feel like a drive with someone near you.

David