Modern lighting systems

[C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

Man am I p o'd about these "custom" headlights on newer cars. When I put my 
first set of Marchal halogen lights in a 1972 Datsun 510 I thought I'd died 
and gone to heaven. I insisted on upgrading every car I owned since then to 
"standard" 7 inch or 5.25 inch (??) halogen lights. Then  in 1984 I bought 
my first new car with newer non standard headlights, a 1984 SAAB 900T. No 
problem it had a set of halogen lights, also French but not Marchal or 
Cibie. Not brilliant but acceptable. Then my 1986 SAAB 9000 came along with 
halogen lights of a different design, made by Cibie. Then I bought a 1991 
Alfa 164 with halogen lights, pathetic on low beam, barely acceptable on 
high beam. My 97 SAAB Aero has worse low beams and barely acceptable high 
beams. This is progress? The Marchal lights I bought in 1975 cost me about 
$50, for the pair. My newest car requires the outlay of CAN$400 ( ($250 in 
real dollars) for ONE LIGHT without the bulb!!!

Whatever happened to that very sensible 5.25 or 7 inch standard? The 
absolute best combo was the 7 inch Hi/Lo outers with 5.25 hi beam inners as 
driving lights. Get a set of below the bumper genuine fog lights that could 
be switched on with the main headlights off, and you had the perfect 
lighting system. Wasn't this standard on the 1972 GTV?
Michael Smith
Calgary, Alberta,Canada
91 Alfa 164L

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