Anyone else think the reversing light is not bright enough.

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Dermottdog
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Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:39 pm
Location: Orpington, Kent

Post by Dermottdog »

hdasmith wrote: Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:16 pm I’m surprised so many have difficulty with them,I find them perfectly bright enough. No good for driving at 70mph, but great for 5 mph
Exactly!!

If they were too bright, they would leave you dazzled. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve driven behind a car at night with the rear fog lights on when there is no fog. The rear fog light is designed to be of high intensity. Staring at them while waiting for the lights to change puts a strain on the eyes but they are designed to be extra bright. The reversing lamps are not.
R Design Pro T5 AWD in Crystal White. Convenience Pack, Front Parking and Apple Car. Couldn’t afford anything else!! Arriving late September 2019.

Gnomeface
Posts: 62
Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2019 8:15 pm

Post by Gnomeface »

I can't believe that some people believe that reversing lights are there to indicate to others that you are reversing! They are there so that the driver can see when going backward after dark - at least, that's what they were for on every other car I've owned. Unfortunately on the XC40 the light is totally useless, as I discovered tonight in the rain when trying to reverse out of my daughter's drive which has a high stone wall on both sides and no street lights. Even with my brake lights on I could see nothing in the wing mirrors or camera and had to hang out of the window looking backward - not easy. Next time I'll try putting the (single) rear fog lamp on as well but I doubt it will help much.

If there's any way of increasing the brightness of the reversing light or adding a second one I'd jump at it.
Family car - XC40 T5 Inscription Pro, Glacier Silver, charcoal leather, Intellisafe Pro and Xenium packs. Dog guard and mud flaps added since.
Fun car - Mercedes SLC
EdK
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 5:09 pm
Location: Hertfordshire UK

Post by EdK »

For the U.K. the relevant legislation is the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, which defines a reversing lamp as:
“A lamp used to illuminate the road to the rear of a vehicle for the purpose of reversing and to warn other road users that the vehicle is reversing or about to reverse.”
So it is there for both purposes.
Inscription Pro T4 in denim blue, ordered 2 Jan 2019, collected 30 March 2019. Intellisafe pro, 360 camera, convenience pack, spare wheel, smartphone integration
Handyman
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 6:47 pm
Location: Sheffield

Post by Handyman »

Hi, Took delivery of my XC40 Inscription Pro (with many extras) 3rd September (2019) and Couldn't agree more, my drive is fairly dark especially when away from the security light and like other owners I had to get out of the car to make sure it was working when first used.

Reversing light certainly needs to be much brighter. any suggestions?

Regards DT (UK)
K1t
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 1:08 pm
Location: Leamington Spa, Warks

Post by K1t »

Gnomeface wrote: Thu Nov 07, 2019 1:45 am I can't believe that some people believe that reversing lights are there to indicate to others that you are reversing! They are there so that the driver can see when going backward after dark - at least, that's what they were for on every other car I've owned. Unfortunately on the XC40 the light is totally useless, as I discovered tonight in the rain when trying to reverse out of my daughter's drive which has a high stone wall on both sides and no street lights. Even with my brake lights on I could see nothing in the wing mirrors or camera and had to hang out of the window looking backward - not easy. Next time I'll try putting the (single) rear fog lamp on as well but I doubt it will help much.

If there's any way of increasing the brightness of the reversing light or adding a second one I'd jump at it.
On the odd occasion I needed to reverse into a dark area, I not only put on the rear fog warning light, but the hazard flashers as well.......sort of worked for me.
XC40 T3 R-Design (as it comes, no frills) FWD, Manual, my2020, 163bhp, Crystal White, Tempa Spare Wheel Kit, Folding boot floor, Sunglasses Holder. Paintwork/Trim sealed with Zirconite Quartz Nano Coating, Park assist camera kit (self fit)
pspbricker
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:36 pm

Post by pspbricker »

I noticed this complaint on a few XC40 forums, and on the Swedish one there was a nice solution which needs basic wiring skills. The link is in Swedish, but the photos are self explanatory.

[url]https://www.jagrullar.se/forum/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=152320&hilit=backljus&start=10[/url]

Image

Inkedklart_LI.jpg

Dermottdog
Posts: 768
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:39 pm
Location: Orpington, Kent

Post by Dermottdog »

Each reversing lamp must be no more than 24 watts. It’s the law. 🙄
R Design Pro T5 AWD in Crystal White. Convenience Pack, Front Parking and Apple Car. Couldn’t afford anything else!! Arriving late September 2019.
pspbricker
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:36 pm

Post by pspbricker »

@dermottdogg Those in the link are 14.4W, so no problem there.... TYRI VL4 LEDS.
Dermottdog
Posts: 768
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:39 pm
Location: Orpington, Kent

Post by Dermottdog »

Hmm, not sure on this one. As LED’s run at low wattage, the rules might be different. I would assume that the LED set up on the car from Sweden would put out a great deal of light. Ok to reverse down an unlit country lane but totally inappropriate for reversing out of a space in Sainsbury’s.

9.5 watts
The Cree LED light bulb (60-watt incandescent replacement) delivers 800 lumens and consumes only 9.5 watts and is available in warm white (2700K) and day light (5000K) color temperatures.5 Mar 2013
Cree Introduces The Biggest Thing Since the Light Bulb
https://www.cree.com › news-media › news › article › cree-introduces-the-bi...
R Design Pro T5 AWD in Crystal White. Convenience Pack, Front Parking and Apple Car. Couldn’t afford anything else!! Arriving late September 2019.
pspbricker
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:36 pm

Post by pspbricker »

Heh ... yes, there's no laws here in Sweden regarding reversing lights, and those 14.4W LEDS deliver 900 lumens .... each! Almost definitely more than allowed in the UK.
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