As the "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", give way to the season of fog and murky darkfulness, it's a good time to ensure that the lighting on your pride and joy is up to standard, and working effectively. Apart from your indicators, it is unlikely that your lights have been used a great deal during the long daylight hours of the Summer months. This is all about to change as the nights start to close in and the chances of foggy conditions increase.

There are also legal requirements involved with all aspects of vehicle lighting. Basically, if it is fitted - it must work PROPERLY. So for this month’s Tool Box technical feature, let’s make sure you don’t take a dim view of your lighting.

Early vehicle lighting was deemed as something of an unnecessary inconvenience. It was very ineffective for guiding you through the darkness (being either candle or oil/paraffin) and only used to ensure that others could see you - I'm sure that the noise of the vehicle would have been a much better give-away!! With an increase in the amount of night-time driving, acetelyne/carbide lighting took over (water dripping onto Calcium Carbide gives off carbide gas, which burns very brightly when mixed with Oxygen). Once electrical systems and dynamos were of a sufficient and reliable standard, electric lighting quickly flooded the market (no pun intended!).

This idea of being seen by other road users has been recognised, more recently, as a safety measure. Having your lights on at all times has been reintroduced by some modern motor manufacturers (e.g. Volvo). Most recently, the law has also been changed to make motorcycles have their headlights on during the day.

First of all, even if the whole vehicle is not cleaned regularly (this is where concours lovers walk out in disgust) both front and rear lights should be wiped over with a damp cloth every week or so. Even if your paintwork only looks a little dusty, it is surprising just how much road dirt accumulates on the lights. This layer of dirt will definitely cut the power of the lights, and may even spoil the carefully designed shape of the beam. Indicators should also be given the same treatment, as the same sort of dirt coverage could mean that other road users may not see your intentions in murky conditions.

In reality, it makes good sense that each time you clean your lights, they should be checked to make sure they are working properly. We may be back into the "unnecessary inconvenience" time again, but it really only takes a minute or two, and you are responsible for your lights to ensure they are in working order before any journey is made. It helps if you have an assistant to check the brake lights, but this job can be completed on your own by reversing close to a reflective surface and checking the lights with the aid of your rear view mirror. Don't forget your number plate light - this used to be a favourite excuse for the police to stop your car, but now it is more likely to be lighting on trailers.

When cleaning your lights, take a close look at the glass lens to ensure that there are no cracks or stone chips. A damaged lens should be replaced immediately. Protective headlamp covers will prevent damage. Also look for any signs of condensation behind the glass lens, and dry this off if it is discovered. This condensation may have been caused by a faulty seal around the headlamp rim. It will rapidly corrode the reflector material, the bulb holder and connectors. This will cause your lights to be less effective and may lead to a failure at the MOT test. Sealed beam units, by design, are watertight, but a single penetrative stone chip is enough to allow moisture in, which will reduce its life or make it immediately ineffective.

As far as the law is concerned, the normal requirements for lighting (in Britain) are that there should be two bright white front lights, two red tail lights, two red stop lights (if fitted - originally or later), a number plate light, and some form of indicator system (two arm-type semaphores or four flashing orange lights - again, if fitted as originally or later). All cars must have two rear red reflectors fitted, even if not supplied originally. è è There are some exemptions to this list, albeit for the earlier cars. If your car was manufactured prior to 31st January 1931, you do not have to have two rear side lights. M.G.s, even from the outset, were always fitted with a complete compliment of lights, except for directional indicators.

Several other lamps are available and fitted as accessories; spot lamps, fog lamps (both front and rear), reversing lights. Although none of these are required legally, there are certain laws which relate to their use and fitment.

For "normal" cars, the fitting of headlamps is not an issue - they go where they were designed to go. However, specials builders may like to note that headlamps (as well as spot and fog lamps) must be fitted a certain distance from the ground. The minimum height from the ground for headlights is 24 inches, and the maximum height is 42 inches.

On most headlights, adjustment is effected by removing the chrome-plated rim, and turning one (or both) of the two adjustment screws (one at the top and one at the side). Turning the top screw adjusts the beam vertically, and likewise, turning the side screw adjusts the beam horizontally.

Your local MOT man will have a special alignment machine, but there is a home-made method which is easy enough to perform and will set your lights within the tolerance of the MOT guidelines. Park your car on a flat surface about 20 - 30 feet away from a wall or garage door. Turn on your main beam and adjust them until you reckon they are straight and horizontal. Check this more accurately by driving slowly, straight towards the wall, and see if the centre of the light beam moves. If they do, make the necessary adjustments and check again.

Replacing the bulb is usually a simple matter of removing the headlamp rim, and then the glass lens. Take out the broken/dead bulb by pushing in, twisting to the left and pulling out of the bulb holder, just like a household bulb. Some bulbs are capless (all glass) and they just push-fit into the sockets.

Sealed beam units have a filament fitted inside, and if the filament fails, the whole unit must be replaced. Once again, remove the rim, unclamp the glass unit from the metal surround and then unplug the wires from the back.

Quartz-halogen bulbs are generally fitted from the back or side of the lamp. Unplug the connector at the back of the bulb, and then remove the rubber cover which prevents moisture and dirt getting to the bulb. You will then have access to the back of the bulb, which is held in position by two retaining clips. Once these clips are freed, the bulb can be taken out. It is very important when fitting a new bulb, that great care is taken not to touch the quartz envelope. Any moisture on the hands contains acid which, once in contact with the bulb, may cause it to break when it heats up. If you do accidentally touch the glass envelope, carefully clean it with methylated spirits before fitting.

These must be fitted and used in pairs, and be wired into the headlamp system so they cannot be used on their own. The reason for this is that a single front light can be confused with that of an oncoming motorcycle - your side lights will be obscured by the brightness of the other lights. On older vehicles where only one single spot light was originally fitted, this is acceptable, but it must be wired into the headlamp system. There should also be a warning light fitted to tell you when your spot lights are switched on.

Spot lights should be adjusted to point straight along the road, and no higher than the light as it could cause glare for oncoming traffic. The positioning of spot lights is slightly different in that they can be mounted below 24 inches, but they still have a maximum height of 42 inches. . Roof-mounted sportslights, as seen on some rally cars, are illegal.

Many modern cars have extra lights fitted below the headlights, and quite often within the wrap-around bumper. These are accepted as, due to modern lighting techniques, they act as dual-purpose spot & fog lamps.

Similar to spot lights, i.e. used in pairs, wired in to the headlamp system and a warning light must be fitted. Unlike spot lights, fog lights should be adjusted to shine down onto the road surface, slightly in towards the curb, and some 30 - 40 feet in front of the car. This will reduce the reflection from the fog, the light and the curb. Do not use rear fog lights when there is no fog - this may sound common sense, but it is surprising just how many motorists ignore this fact. In clear conditions, the extra glare causes additional distraction to other drivers, and it is illegal. Fog lamps should only be used in foggy or misty conditions, or when snow is falling. The positioning of front fog lights is the same as spot lights they can be mounted below 24 inches, but they still have a maximum height of 42 inches.

These must be no brighter than 24 watts. Reversing lights which are not operated directly by the gear lever, must have a warning light built into, or near, the switch. There is no height limit which is why many vans (etc) have reversing lights mounted on the roof.

The fact that your indicator system was fitted by some back-street lockup merchant in the 1950s, is no excuse. As with all lighting, if it is fitted to your car (originally or not) it must be in working condition. I know of many vintage car owners who have fitted flashing indicators to their cars. It certainly increases the safety factor, and takes the mystery out of who you are waving to when you are actually signalling to turn left! Fitting trafficator semaphore indicators to your car is a widely used period option, but one that is not always noticed by the modern motorist. Flashing indicators should operate at a rate between 60 and 120 flashes per minute, in order that they are not confused with any other flashing lights. If your indicators are activated by a pod/stick on the steering column, they must be self-cancelling (normally achieved by turning the steering wheel). Again, this is an MOT failure point - and don’t forget the warning light!

As lighting technology improves and car designers continue to find more elaborate ways to place lights on cars, there are bound to be changes in the future. Add to that the changes in regulations (be they EU-based or not), we could all be in for an interesting time. Having checked the details of this article with the local Constabulary, their comment was "lighting regulations? it’s a minefield). So, if you plan on doing anything to your vehicle in lighting department, get it checked by the Police or your MOT man.
I’ll leave you with this final tale. Quite recently, a Swindon taxi driver was stopped for having blue headlights. This is different to the latest high intensity headlamps which appear on most new cars - the light is actually white, but breaks up into its constituent colours as it refracts off the multi-faceted reflector, giving blues and greens and reds at various angles. When the taxi driver appeared in court, he claimed that he spent most of his time driving at night, and the blue lamps were much more effective than any other he had tried. The case was eventually dropped when he also pointed out that the same headlamps were in use by some motorway police cars.