I agree with the comments about the lighting patterns, both from yourself here and what other people have said on another video. The locations of the lights look good as you’ve said, with good front visibility, but yes there are times when there is nothing showing and that could make a big difference in a split second decision. I also don’t like the “all blue” and “all white”, I think you’d be better with a pattern where blue and white always showed together and would just change sides. Hope T9 can reconfigure this for you easily 😊
Agreed and I commented separately on here saying a diagonal pattern of blue with white and perhaps the edge blues being on continuous flash (like the rear edge lights) would gove better visibility. Also less time gap between the two halves, like 0 seconds instead of 0.5(ish) seconds, would be extremely beneficial 👍
Agreed (and I commented the same on one of the last videos with the van pulling out) I'm also surprised to see no static blue on the rear for the likes of gatso cameras. The lights themselves are fine, but the patterns are just all wrong in my opinion
I'd only think that maybe a blue flasher on the side front quarter panel where the side turn signal is could be good, as for now from a front side only you only have the small light in the rear windows and the sides of the license plate, which both can be cut off from various view angles. Its not a thing I see often in european light patterns but I feel like it helps the car be much more visible from the side.
Great video. Definitely get T9 to change the all white to include some higher up blues into that part of the flash pattern. The storage boxes you missed and the 12v supply should be pretty easy to retrofit by Audi. You’ll have to either drive the box on the paddles/gearstick, or if you want to use auto get the gearbox ECU reprogrammed to suite your driving preferences, maybe while they’re reprogramming the ECU they could even ‘breathe’ on the engine ECU and eek out a few more ponies… 😉 Only one more thing I’d mention, those rims… Audi loves large rims for looks, we actually found them detrimental to the handling due to the car ‘twitching’ or sort of ‘tram-lining’ when we went over the central white lines due to the camber of the road, we found it very unpredictable until we fitted 18” rims instead of the 19” inch rims. And suggest keeping on top of the 4 wheel alignment (not just tracking), that makes a huge difference to them.
Definitely worth looking at getting that light pattern changed. A diagonal pattern would serve purpose better, and close the time gappings on that pattern, or get a permanent on light, otherwise youll be caught out by a speed camera sooner or later😅. Overall an absolutely beautiful car, the light coverage is beautiful! Keep us posted with any work done on the vehicle, I'd love to see how you progress with any storage solutions or upfitting.
Nice set up Chris, thanks for sharing. Tweek the lights, as you say there are brief periods of no light and personally I'd opt for some blue with the white. Staybsafe and keep posting.
Others have made comment Chris and I think from your own comments you're very switched on to understanding the patterns and how that benefits your response, I know in the UK there is use for the GATSO lights to the rear but could that also be an option for you to the front, there seems to be that 1-1.5 seconds of nothing between all blue all white (could be the camera) and whilst in my humble opinion I prefer a nice half and half enough to be able to distinguish between the white and the blue and not just a ball of light, if T9 can't for whatever reason change the patter then possibly some steady burn blue dash lights in each corner of the windshield giving that intersection priority without the risk of someone not seeing you. sort of helps create an image of the vehicle for someones eye to follow (if that makes sense) otherwise nice bit of kit, look forward to hearing how it goes for further blue light runs.
It is a very nice car. It isn't a style of vehicle with what I would associate as being an ambulance, but if it works for you and gets you safely and quickly to a patient, then it is all good! I agree about the light patterns. As well as eliminating that short span of 'nothing', I would also suggest that a combination of white and blue instead of all white in the sequence is better as there are perhaps still a lot of people like myself that will register blue faster over the white with being an emergency vehicle.
very nice car! I agree with you about the front flash pattern, could definitely do with some less 'off-time'. An 'X' pattern on the grille lights could be quite effective imo
Chris, great car, good choice going with the Audi. Now, as far as the gearbox goes; tootling around town absolutely agree that you should use Auto but as soon as you’re responding knock it into Manual mode - it gives you control over the engine & so the balance of the car going through bends & approaching hazards. It’s how we’re taught to drive in Autos. 2nd; Lights- the light fit on your new car looks good but the pattern absolutely needs updating. I’m a big fan of diagonal flashes, so on the front you get a line like “ / “ of blues followed by “ \ ” with the grille light opposite showing white. Plus I think someone else mentioned the dash light should alternate blue/white because that dash level light is the first one anyone will see in their rearview mirror so it needs to be one that shows blue. If it alternates, the white will grab their attention but then a change to blue will get them to move. At the back they should be a diagonal pattern of blues as well. That way you always have blue light shining at people which is what you’re currently missing with the “big” gaps between flashes of colour blocks.
Looks like a good car! Just needs a change in flash pattern as it can be easily missed with that 1 second in between the flash. When it comes to junctions the side light is effective but not the rear or front lights. What you've also got to remember is that there are many speed cameras about and that rear flash pattern will likely mean that bluelights won't show up on Speed camera pictures, making it a bit more difficult to fight. You do a great job though and your driving is spot on!
Would love to better understand how the system with you actually ordering the car yourself, your choices you have to pick from and what constraints you have around budgeting so fourth? Sounds like you have pretty free range, especially when you were speaking about the options that you didn’t order with (extra storage). NHS certainly sound like they have a decent take home/car option program. Great video anyway Chris, really well put together and informative!
It would be interesting to know more about the ordering process. Presumably there are some limits (e.g. you can't order a Mini or a Fiat 500), but how much choice is there, and how much freedom is there in choosing options? Presumably, checking the option for an upgraded stereo would be out of the question, given that it's taxpayer money.
@@icy_swoosh you can't just purchase a car and install lights. Only senior staff in certain roles can have them with lights/siren. Same for fire brigade
I can't speak in regards to the senior staff being able to add lights and sirens. But the lease scheme is the same as any other car lease scheme. You get a salary sacrifice of x amount and can choose whichever car you want (a hyundai i10 as the cheapest model). Of course the amount you pay is proportional to the car, includes insurance and servicing. Whether any of that changes for the few senior roles that can use it as a response vehicle with lights and sirens I couldn't tell you. @@zoid9969
Hi Chris. Fascinating as always. I saw the first vid with the Audi. My first reaction is that maybe it needs more applied colour. Being all black it is less visible. Ok the lights are putting on a good show front and clear, but drivers to your right and left as you approach may be alerted by checker board high vis panels. I appreciate that the police like unmarked vehicles for stealth and discreet presence, but essentially you need people to see you at all tmes. Might also improve awareness when stationary 'on scene' in dark or poor visibility. Thanks for these informative and entertaing productions. Good luck and stay safe. Regards Roj.
Looking great I will love to see how it goes it looks better than Australian first responders if you get a min jump on the web and look at the lights on the cars and vans we have over in Oz. Be safe brett.
Definitely agree that front pattern needs a little work those split seconds make all the difference I'd also suggest considering your an unmarked vehicle having a GATSO steady blue to the rear for speed camera activations especially as this is a personal issue car you will be driving around in your every day life as well
With regards to the gearbox, depending on what year the vRS was you may have an extra gear. I had a 17 reg 2.0 diesel Octavia with a 6 speed DSG, replaced it with a 69 reg, same engine but 7 speed DSG as they were changed late 2018
Totally love the light fitting, But I agree the block formatting of the patterns is personally not the best. Considering as you stated in the video in a lot of circumstances people will look and only see white lights and may get confused. But love the car, Looks very good and amazing job with the video and editing.
Hey Chris, changing up the patterns for more consistant output should help, maybe the lower whites should be a wigwag as well if that's an option? The periods without lighting between flashes, especially higher on the cars profile seem like they're quite lengthy when you're relying on people reacting as soon as possible to your presence, especially if you're travelling at speed. Other question I have is regarding temporary removable beacons or mini bars for the roof, I know it is an extra step but having a decent beacon that can sit as high as possible on the vehicle should help with other road users noticing you too, or is it a concern for the speeds you might travel under response conditions being too high for their speed ratings?
Chris...A nice tip for you on the auto box....when you need a lower gear when lifting or heavy braking downshift on the paddles...then under acceleration it'll resume to auto. you do not have to put the car in manual to do this.
Hi Chris, nice car 👍. I use an S4 Avant, which is actually a 3 litre diesel & torque is immense! The gear box on mine is a bit unpredictable too … but have you tried sports mode on response … tends to hold gears better! On the lights, I’m surprised they haven’t fitted dual colour LEDs, which will flash in both blue & white. I think you should go for the front & rear cross X pattern. It works well up here & there are always blue & white active to front & blue red active to rear. Have you gone for the new siren / rumbler set up? What make of LEDs have been used? I also think you could do with a under wing mirror light … as you walked around there was a time when light visibility was absent. Standby RSG do a wonderful 200W siren & rumbler package. Most manufacturers now do dual colour LEDs. We’ve had them from Jujulen, Woodway, Premier Hazard & Haztec plus Redtronic. I also now understand that it’s possible to get canbus headlights to flash too … that will bring back the good old days of traffic clearing!
Thanks for sharing Chris - nice new car. Is it a Skoda / Audi cost thing that you get storage standard with the VRS but have to tick cost options with the Audi? I can’t comment on light patterns, you’ll know better than me but do you not have to have blue all the time visible for when you get flashed by speed cameras when responding? Also, anything more that can be done to get blues on front side quarter - wing mirrors perhaps?
The early upshifting on the DSG is probably a run in thing that'll sort itself out. Flash pattern wise, keep it simple with a standard alternating double flash L/R. Maybe group the diagonal grille lightheads. If all the lightheads are sync'd together there shouldn't be any perceivable dead zone alternating one side to the other.
The DSG shift pattern is the map, not run in, being mapped for fuel efficiency. You can have the shift points remapped tho. But that'll void the drive train warranty
Just started watching the channel. Great videos, very well put together. I have a question though, why as an EMT or EMS are you driving an unmarked vehicle?
Not sure what tyres the Audi came on, but defo get some all season/winter tyres in the next month or so. The Michelin Cross Climate 2 is the best all season tyre on the market, it'll handle the cold and wet conditions we get really well, and has performance in snow that embarrasses some proper winter tyres! And if/when you put the summer tyres back on next year, see if you can swap them for the Michelin Pilot Sport 5, you'll be amazed what they do for the grip and handling, especially if the car came on Pirelli or Bridgestones!
Depends on the car. I would only ever get Pirelli on the A4/A5. Michelin PS and Continental sport contacts wear poorly on Audi’s which as you would know means it won’t be performing well for long at all. 14k on the fronts isn’t good.
Hi Chris, awesome video of an awesome car! Liking the lights very much too! Question: are those flashing white LED's standard in UK nowadays? Or do some cars also still have flashing (LED) headlights?
Just from what I see around nowadays (as someone who's head always whips round to watch passing Blue Light vehicles, and watches videos like Chris') the "wig-wag" style flashing headlights are out of fashion now and white forward facing LEDs are standard in new builds. What's interesting to me is the highway code states only Police and Highways Officers can use rear facing red flashers, but they are being installed on all kinds of emergency vehicles now.
Very much like the dark blue colour of the A4. Audi has had a very bad reputation of late for making some very conservative looking cars, but this A4 looks great. Maybe because of the saloon styling, but the wheels really do make the big difference. Seat made an altea estate which for me, was an amazing company car. Swallowed all my gear and then some! The 2.0 160BHP TDI was a tower of torque low down. Before that I had a skuda superb 2.5 V6 TDI with an auto box, which i did not like at all. Did the same as the A4 which seemed to change up at the wrong engine revs when in full automatic mode. In manual shift, it also did take half a second to change gear, which wasn't great when on the motorway trying to feed in from a junction to enter. overal, the light paterning could do with a re-work, possibly sacrificing one set of blues for a white, or vice versa. It would seem the best partern on response driving like you do Chris.
Nice car, I guess it’s not the sports model so isn’t built with the same chassis setup as the VRS, should be pretty solid though. It’s good to hear the Quattro is working well for you, I think the placement of the lights is perfect, white and blue work very well plus with a siren people will see you. It’s easy enough to fix the pattern as you want it too. Will be interesting to see how the saloon boot works for you over time.
Would prefer a couple of white LED units that replicated the old main beam wig wag that inexplicably seems to be disappearing. I always found the wig wags caught my attention first, particularly from a distance giving me more warning and time to look at how to make space.
Agreed. You could see them coming miles off behind you on the motorway. The new ERVs seem to only be noticeable when they're much closer in bright weather.
In terms of the lighting placement - looks great, however as you say the pattern choice could do with a bit of work. There is too much off time, especially between blue/white. Perhaps a faster pattern would help, with a faster switching between colours also. Maybe a fast double flash - mixed with the top windscreen blues flashing with the lower whites, and the lower blues with the dash white. Conversley I always think you can't go wrong with a crossing X pattern. While you go back to the fitters, is it worth enquiring about wig-wags as they often are the first warning lights seen on motorways/fast roads.
Great video. However I am surprised they haven’t put the lights in the wing mirrors. Even as you said to stop that half a second of maybe not seeing one of the lights at the front.
You may already know this, but if you use the paddles to drop into 2nd/3rd during a corner, you can resume full auto by holding the + paddle for a few seconds
Can you get all your kit in the boot no problem? Thought you might have gone with an estate version (like the Skoda) to give you more space and working room.
The Americans have got patterns pretty well nailed. Response moving pattern you want no Off time so a fast +300Fpm works. Stationary on scene slow it down to 75 Fpm so that the outline of the vehicle can easily be ascertained. As ex Basics, I would have 360 throw beacon especially on motorway on scene.The quarter rear panels fulfill the 360 degree requirement but I would want more protection.
The gearbox upshifting could be a break-in thing. If the car is brand new sometimes there is a soft limiter and the car will bring the RPMS back down to within specification as quickly as possible.
I'm not 100% sold on the front light pattern either. The flashing is good, but I'd need to actually see it incoming from a ways out to really know. I've said I'm a big fan of wig-wags, and I was sold on those by spotting an ambulance responder from 2 miles out on a motorway, which gave us 4 minutes to think about exactly what deviations were or were not needed (actually none; road was quiet and I was using lane 1, lane 2 for overtakes, and he could pass in lane 3). I know you've said you're not sure how possible wig-wags are; I think (not know, think) they should be possible if the main beams still use halogens, but they're certainly not possible if the main beams are plasma discharge (wrongly called xenons by a lot of people).
Would be better if the top left blue and bottom right white would flash together, alternating with the top right blue/bottom left white. So there's always blue one way or the other.
The gearbox needs to be "Thrashed" somewhat before it starts to holds revs and drive sporty. What works pretty well, is to drive in "D" and throttle it, so if you punch the throttle it should hold the rpm to around 4200 before it considers a change, and then flip it between "S" and "D" whilst driving around, so pulling up to a round about for example, flip to "S" smash a fast pull off into the round about and then flip back to "D" on the normal drive out - (This is all on a normal drive BTW) and then it should before long realise that you want higher rpm holds in "S" and it should keep it like that. In my Q5 - in "S" is will hold 1st gear right to 40mph if you keep throttling it, where it will change and revert to "D" is if your throttle inputs are gradual and not distinct, then it thinks you have the mistakenly picked the wrong drive setting. Although the S-tronic gearbox is not as good as the Tip-tronic was for aggressive driving. Something else to consider is that the Quattro on the A4 is a Torsen based full time AWD with a 60/40 split in power, meaning under normal driving 60% of you torque is driving the rear wheels, this is something you will need to adjust to from a 100% FWD VRS. In Sports mode and under aggressive acceleration the torque split is anywhere between 65% and 80% to the rear wheels before torque vectoring kicks in...
Nice car, sad to see though that Audi still charges extra for basics like seat storage, even back in the 1980's a lot of cars had that as a standard feature already 😂 The pattern isn't indeed great, wonder why they decided to go with that pattern? A random pattern should be better and is probably easily programmable (wonder which brand they are using, their site doesn't mention a brand). Regarding your gearbox: this issue is probably going to resolve itself after some mileage, it might take a bit before the car has learned your driving and how it has to shift. When I got my current car the automatic transmission was changing gears when it like it but after some mileage it sorted itself out (8-speed Ford transmission here). If it doesn't correct itself (normally it will but give it some time, I think it took the best part of 10.000km here before the transmission truly got settled in with my driving) you can go to the dealer and have them change it, however since it's a leasing they might need to obtain permission of the leasing company to do so since you nor NHS are the "owner"). Regarding the lights: I'm surprised that they didn't mount any lights on the mirrors since the housing is relatively cheap to change out after the contract runs out, it's missing some lights there tbh. Does your car comes with a set of winter tires or do you need to run a summer tires (or all seasons) the year round? Anyway, nice car and loads of safe mileage with it! EDIT: It's also missing a bull horn, it could help to get better through traffic.
It does seem that the modern Audi’s seem to be programmed to change up early for emissions reasons. Additionally the manual mode up shifts when you don’t want it. Frustrating, but it can be changed by software reprogramming. Just awaiting my S3 to be built, but I’m hopeful it’ll adapt to my driving style like yours. Beautiful black edition in Navarra blue, same spec I’ve gone for too. Hopefully you get into a rhythm with it soon. I do notice the light pattern flashing all lights at once instead of alternating between sides like I see on police setups, but again just down to programming.
The Audi looks good. In my opinion something should flash continuously at the front. Now there are too many pauses inside. Too much time passes between white and blue, where you cannot be perceived as an EMS. It should flash at a different frequency, just like on the side of the vehicle.
The light placement is great, and they provide plenty of coverage, but the pattern is a bit lacking for response. A slow pattern is find for being parked at a scene, but for response you definitely need something a bit more eye catching.
I think that dark colour cars are harder to spot on the road at normal speeds especial as the winter draws closer or with sun glare, when you are on a call out those lights need to be spot on or else you may end up not being seen. stay safe.
Chris, can I ask. Why unmarked? I understand it's lease, is that the reason why, even though livery increases visibility and can be removed without affecting paint? Or is it also your actual personal daily too? Keep up the good work and really looking forward to more videos.
I'd ask that they alter the pattern, front and back, to an "X" patern diagonally opposed because, even the rears, have moments with no light but....Nice car
Cool car & nice light pattern but would it not be better having a lighter coloured car for example white or silver so ppl can see u better in low light conditions?
Great vid, but one question though because I'm not from the UK. Is it common practice in the UK for APP-CC's to drive unmarked leased vehicles (and apparently also for private use)? What're the advantages vs using a marked vehicle stationed at your office/depot/hospital? I.e. in Belgium, emergency doctors respond from the hospital with a marked MUG (Mobile Urgency Group) vehicle which is often a SUV or estate.
In the UK these unmarked response cars (in Fire and Ambulance settings) aren't common but they're not uncommon either. It is only ever high-level area managers and supervisors who will have them or high-level critical care paramedics like Chris here. The idea is that these experts/supervisors carry pagers and so can be summoned to a scene from home if they're not on-shift, so it's more convenient if the car then also doubles as a personal car so they can respond from home. Think of it like a company car, with added blue lights! The UK does also have marked rapid response cars, both for paramedics and for doctors, who will go on shift like any other ambulance and will respond from stations or hospitals too.
Honest question Chris - I find it a bit strange that you’d pick a diesel-powered vehicle over petrol, what with their emissions systems issues - in particular wouldn’t the DPF be prone to clogging for this sort of work - a lot of short sprints, in-gear acceleration and mixed speed driving where it has little time to regenerate?
I'm just about to start a response driving course and I'm a little confused how your job role and how it works. Is this your personal car that the NHS has had fitted with blue lights so they can call you out any time? I'm interested to know how your part of emergency care works.
Correct. Chris is a Critical Care paramedic (ie, a high level paramedic with special skills and the ability to command a care scene), therefore his skill set could be needed at any time for a serious incident. He is provided a lease car via the NHS (or it sounds more like he's given a budget, given that he chose the car model and type) for his personal use off shift so he can be paged at home to respond if needed. He doesn't need to go to the station to get a marked response car, he can just use this personal vehicle straight from home. What service are you part of if you're starting response driving course? Police, Fire, Ambulance? Police obviously make use of unmarked cars for traffic patrol but those aren't taken home. Whereas often a Station Manager or Area Manager will have a personal car with blues in the Fire service. And the same for NHS.
This is probably a really niche question, but how exactly does insurance work since you use it on 999 responses whilst still, correct me if I’m wrong, being a personal vehicle? I know of RNLI volunteers who've had issues where insurance companies have been displeased with them having to respond to shouts and can only assume their must be some kind of work around with you being blue light.
I’m my opinion of the pattern, I think it needs a Blue at all times alongside the white. You have probably going on for a Second where there are no blues at all showing which, out and about, could make someone make a decision they wouldn’t make if the blues were visible.
Not nitpicking at all, hopefully some constructive comment - someone else said "ebay fake cop" and they do have a point, is there an option to have alternate headlight flashing to give the side-to-side attention grab or is that not used in the UK?
What would be a good addition would be a rear matrix board. This I am sure would indicate what service you are… eg. ADVANCED PARAMEDIC/AMBULANCE Then if 1st on scene, the vehicle could help with scene safety. Might be pushing it legally when it comes to rolling blocks😂 but at least it could help warn those approaching.
Great choice Chris but.......... why not just change the reliable and trusted 2WD Octavia estate for the 4WD version? Likewise, the saloon seems lacking in the boot, so why not the A4 Avant?
One thing to be mindful about, it looks like a Police car. As an ex cop, not everybody wants to get out of your way. Some less desirables will deliberately delay you. I don’t think it’s the flash pattern. I would add a couple of green lights to the grill to emphasise you’re medical. I bet you’ll have better clear roads then.
Not a fan of the gap in the alternating pattern at the front. As someone else said about static blue, would have expected to see a single front and rear. Not a fan of no front fend offs above the front wheel panel. Yes the side numberplate is great for junctions, but front side fend offs at scene, are much needed. The rear needs at least another pair, either in the light clusters (at the edges) or on the bumper that can give better light protection at scene. You go from a good 4, to a small 2 when the boot is up. If you are the only resource on scene, you need that extra help from your vehicle. Chris, if this is a 'temporary' vehicle, how long do you have it for and what's next ? Thank you for your clips, be safe out there 👍
I agree with the comments about the lighting patterns, both from yourself here and what other people have said on another video. The locations of the lights look good as you’ve said, with good front visibility, but yes there are times when there is nothing showing and that could make a big difference in a split second decision. I also don’t like the “all blue” and “all white”, I think you’d be better with a pattern where blue and white always showed together and would just change sides. Hope T9 can reconfigure this for you easily 😊
Agreed and I commented separately on here saying a diagonal pattern of blue with white and perhaps the edge blues being on continuous flash (like the rear edge lights) would gove better visibility.
Also less time gap between the two halves, like 0 seconds instead of 0.5(ish) seconds, would be extremely beneficial 👍
Agreed (and I commented the same on one of the last videos with the van pulling out)
I'm also surprised to see no static blue on the rear for the likes of gatso cameras. The lights themselves are fine, but the patterns are just all wrong in my opinion
I'd only think that maybe a blue flasher on the side front quarter panel where the side turn signal is could be good, as for now from a front side only you only have the small light in the rear windows and the sides of the license plate, which both can be cut off from various view angles. Its not a thing I see often in european light patterns but I feel like it helps the car be much more visible from the side.
Flash pattern needs to be sped up
Great video. Definitely get T9 to change the all white to include some higher up blues into that part of the flash pattern. The storage boxes you missed and the 12v supply should be pretty easy to retrofit by Audi. You’ll have to either drive the box on the paddles/gearstick, or if you want to use auto get the gearbox ECU reprogrammed to suite your driving preferences, maybe while they’re reprogramming the ECU they could even ‘breathe’ on the engine ECU and eek out a few more ponies… 😉 Only one more thing I’d mention, those rims… Audi loves large rims for looks, we actually found them detrimental to the handling due to the car ‘twitching’ or sort of ‘tram-lining’ when we went over the central white lines due to the camber of the road, we found it very unpredictable until we fitted 18” rims instead of the 19” inch rims. And suggest keeping on top of the 4 wheel alignment (not just tracking), that makes a huge difference to them.
Thanks for this, appreciated.
You can retrofit the back of seat nettings. The gearboxes on these units do constantly learn your style. Best to be in Dynamic mode.
I like the look of the car and the front light set-up is great. The light pattern probably needs to be tweaked alittle but still a great setup
Definitely worth looking at getting that light pattern changed. A diagonal pattern would serve purpose better, and close the time gappings on that pattern, or get a permanent on light, otherwise youll be caught out by a speed camera sooner or later😅. Overall an absolutely beautiful car, the light coverage is beautiful! Keep us posted with any work done on the vehicle, I'd love to see how you progress with any storage solutions or upfitting.
Drive safely matey . Appreciate what you guys do . Thanks again .
Nice set up Chris, thanks for sharing. Tweek the lights, as you say there are brief periods of no light and personally I'd opt for some blue with the white. Staybsafe and keep posting.
Lovely looking car Chris, love it!
Awesome video. I really like the car and the light set up. I agree with the light pattern though. Thankyou for the video
Others have made comment Chris and I think from your own comments you're very switched on to understanding the patterns and how that benefits your response, I know in the UK there is use for the GATSO lights to the rear but could that also be an option for you to the front, there seems to be that 1-1.5 seconds of nothing between all blue all white (could be the camera) and whilst in my humble opinion I prefer a nice half and half enough to be able to distinguish between the white and the blue and not just a ball of light, if T9 can't for whatever reason change the patter then possibly some steady burn blue dash lights in each corner of the windshield giving that intersection priority without the risk of someone not seeing you. sort of helps create an image of the vehicle for someones eye to follow (if that makes sense) otherwise nice bit of kit, look forward to hearing how it goes for further blue light runs.
It is a very nice car. It isn't a style of vehicle with what I would associate as being an ambulance, but if it works for you and gets you safely and quickly to a patient, then it is all good! I agree about the light patterns. As well as eliminating that short span of 'nothing', I would also suggest that a combination of white and blue instead of all white in the sequence is better as there are perhaps still a lot of people like myself that will register blue faster over the white with being an emergency vehicle.
Thought Audis handled a little bit woolly.
Good video, blues all day for me (as someone who you are approaching) 👍🇬🇧
very nice car! I agree with you about the front flash pattern, could definitely do with some less 'off-time'. An 'X' pattern on the grille lights could be quite effective imo
The car looks great. I was surprised how much stuff you can fit in the saloon. I like Audis 😊
Chris, great car, good choice going with the Audi.
Now, as far as the gearbox goes; tootling around town absolutely agree that you should use Auto but as soon as you’re responding knock it into Manual mode - it gives you control over the engine & so the balance of the car going through bends & approaching hazards. It’s how we’re taught to drive in Autos.
2nd; Lights- the light fit on your new car looks good but the pattern absolutely needs updating. I’m a big fan of diagonal flashes, so on the front you get a line like “ / “ of blues followed by “ \ ” with the grille light opposite showing white. Plus I think someone else mentioned the dash light should alternate blue/white because that dash level light is the first one anyone will see in their rearview mirror so it needs to be one that shows blue. If it alternates, the white will grab their attention but then a change to blue will get them to move.
At the back they should be a diagonal pattern of blues as well.
That way you always have blue light shining at people which is what you’re currently missing with the “big” gaps between flashes of colour blocks.
Looks like a good car! Just needs a change in flash pattern as it can be easily missed with that 1 second in between the flash. When it comes to junctions the side light is effective but not the rear or front lights.
What you've also got to remember is that there are many speed cameras about and that rear flash pattern will likely mean that bluelights won't show up on Speed camera pictures, making it a bit more difficult to fight.
You do a great job though and your driving is spot on!
This randomly popped up on my youtube for you page ngl this as an unmarked ambulance car is sick looks like an Audi S4
Would love to better understand how the system with you actually ordering the car yourself, your choices you have to pick from and what constraints you have around budgeting so fourth? Sounds like you have pretty free range, especially when you were speaking about the options that you didn’t order with (extra storage). NHS certainly sound like they have a decent take home/car option program.
Great video anyway Chris, really well put together and informative!
He's covered how the car works in previous videos.
It would be interesting to know more about the ordering process. Presumably there are some limits (e.g. you can't order a Mini or a Fiat 500), but how much choice is there, and how much freedom is there in choosing options? Presumably, checking the option for an upgraded stereo would be out of the question, given that it's taxpayer money.
And also - how does it work that you can order a car yourself, install flashing lights and sirens and use it for work
@@icy_swoosh you can't just purchase a car and install lights. Only senior staff in certain roles can have them with lights/siren. Same for fire brigade
I can't speak in regards to the senior staff being able to add lights and sirens. But the lease scheme is the same as any other car lease scheme. You get a salary sacrifice of x amount and can choose whichever car you want (a hyundai i10 as the cheapest model). Of course the amount you pay is proportional to the car, includes insurance and servicing.
Whether any of that changes for the few senior roles that can use it as a response vehicle with lights and sirens I couldn't tell you. @@zoid9969
Beautiful car
Sick audi! Hope it will work for you in the best way.
Hi Chris. Fascinating as always. I saw the first vid with the Audi. My first reaction is that maybe it needs more applied colour. Being all black it is less visible. Ok the lights are putting on a good show front and clear, but drivers to your right and left as you approach may be alerted by checker board high vis panels. I appreciate that the police like unmarked vehicles for stealth and discreet presence, but essentially you need people to see you at all tmes. Might also improve awareness when stationary 'on scene' in dark or poor visibility. Thanks for these informative and entertaing productions. Good luck and stay safe. Regards Roj.
Looking great I will love to see how it goes it looks better than Australian first responders if you get a min jump on the web and look at the lights on the cars and vans we have over in Oz. Be safe brett.
Definitely agree that front pattern needs a little work those split seconds make all the difference I'd also suggest considering your an unmarked vehicle having a GATSO steady blue to the rear for speed camera activations especially as this is a personal issue car you will be driving around in your every day life as well
With regards to the gearbox, depending on what year the vRS was you may have an extra gear. I had a 17 reg 2.0 diesel Octavia with a 6 speed DSG, replaced it with a 69 reg, same engine but 7 speed DSG as they were changed late 2018
Totally love the light fitting, But I agree the block formatting of the patterns is personally not the best. Considering as you stated in the video in a lot of circumstances people will look and only see white lights and may get confused. But love the car, Looks very good and amazing job with the video and editing.
Hey Chris, changing up the patterns for more consistant output should help, maybe the lower whites should be a wigwag as well if that's an option? The periods without lighting between flashes, especially higher on the cars profile seem like they're quite lengthy when you're relying on people reacting as soon as possible to your presence, especially if you're travelling at speed.
Other question I have is regarding temporary removable beacons or mini bars for the roof, I know it is an extra step but having a decent beacon that can sit as high as possible on the vehicle should help with other road users noticing you too, or is it a concern for the speeds you might travel under response conditions being too high for their speed ratings?
Chris...A nice tip for you on the auto box....when you need a lower gear when lifting or heavy braking downshift on the paddles...then under acceleration it'll resume to auto. you do not have to put the car in manual to do this.
Smashing vehicle and setup but do agree about the pattern issue.
Valid point about the forward projection. 3 whites might be a bit insufficient when at that moment you need to be seen...
I suggest you talk to an audi dealership about the gear box. they might be able to tweak some settings for you.
Hi Chris, nice car 👍. I use an S4 Avant, which is actually a 3 litre diesel & torque is immense! The gear box on mine is a bit unpredictable too … but have you tried sports mode on response … tends to hold gears better!
On the lights, I’m surprised they haven’t fitted dual colour LEDs, which will flash in both blue & white. I think you should go for the front & rear cross X pattern. It works well up here & there are always blue & white active to front & blue red active to rear. Have you gone for the new siren / rumbler set up?
What make of LEDs have been used? I also think you could do with a under wing mirror light … as you walked around there was a time when light visibility was absent. Standby RSG do a wonderful 200W siren & rumbler package. Most manufacturers now do dual colour LEDs. We’ve had them from Jujulen, Woodway, Premier Hazard & Haztec plus Redtronic. I also now understand that it’s possible to get canbus headlights to flash too … that will bring back the good old days of traffic clearing!
Thanks for sharing Chris - nice new car. Is it a Skoda / Audi cost thing that you get storage standard with the VRS but have to tick cost options with the Audi? I can’t comment on light patterns, you’ll know better than me but do you not have to have blue all the time visible for when you get flashed by speed cameras when responding? Also, anything more that can be done to get blues on front side quarter - wing mirrors perhaps?
The lights are amazing!! The patern needs to be changed indeed so there atleast some blue flashing at all times
The early upshifting on the DSG is probably a run in thing that'll sort itself out.
Flash pattern wise, keep it simple with a standard alternating double flash L/R. Maybe group the diagonal grille lightheads. If all the lightheads are sync'd together there shouldn't be any perceivable dead zone alternating one side to the other.
The DSG shift pattern is the map, not run in, being mapped for fuel efficiency. You can have the shift points remapped tho. But that'll void the drive train warranty
Won’t sport mode hold the gear for you longer with less short shifting?
Can you not get the storage retro fitted? Seems to need another set of side lights on the central pillar to complement the rear 3/4 lights.
Good video, nice car. What was the decision not to go for a roof bar unlike the VRS?
Just started watching the channel. Great videos, very well put together. I have a question though, why as an EMT or EMS are you driving an unmarked vehicle?
Not sure what tyres the Audi came on, but defo get some all season/winter tyres in the next month or so. The Michelin Cross Climate 2 is the best all season tyre on the market, it'll handle the cold and wet conditions we get really well, and has performance in snow that embarrasses some proper winter tyres! And if/when you put the summer tyres back on next year, see if you can swap them for the Michelin Pilot Sport 5, you'll be amazed what they do for the grip and handling, especially if the car came on Pirelli or Bridgestones!
Depends on the car. I would only ever get Pirelli on the A4/A5. Michelin PS and Continental sport contacts wear poorly on Audi’s which as you would know means it won’t be performing well for long at all. 14k on the fronts isn’t good.
Hi Chris, awesome video of an awesome car! Liking the lights very much too!
Question: are those flashing white LED's standard in UK nowadays? Or do some cars also still have flashing (LED) headlights?
Just from what I see around nowadays (as someone who's head always whips round to watch passing Blue Light vehicles, and watches videos like Chris') the "wig-wag" style flashing headlights are out of fashion now and white forward facing LEDs are standard in new builds.
What's interesting to me is the highway code states only Police and Highways Officers can use rear facing red flashers, but they are being installed on all kinds of emergency vehicles now.
Very much like the dark blue colour of the A4. Audi has had a very bad reputation of late for making some very conservative looking cars, but this A4 looks great. Maybe because of the saloon styling, but the wheels really do make the big difference.
Seat made an altea estate which for me, was an amazing company car. Swallowed all my gear and then some! The 2.0 160BHP TDI was a tower of torque low down. Before that I had a skuda superb 2.5 V6 TDI with an auto box, which i did not like at all. Did the same as the A4 which seemed to change up at the wrong engine revs when in full automatic mode. In manual shift, it also did take half a second to change gear, which wasn't great when on the motorway trying to feed in from a junction to enter.
overal, the light paterning could do with a re-work, possibly sacrificing one set of blues for a white, or vice versa.
It would seem the best partern on response driving like you do Chris.
Nice car, I guess it’s not the sports model so isn’t built with the same chassis setup as the VRS, should be pretty solid though. It’s good to hear the Quattro is working well for you, I think the placement of the lights is perfect, white and blue work very well plus with a siren people will see you. It’s easy enough to fix the pattern as you want it too. Will be interesting to see how the saloon boot works for you over time.
From what I see it's the S-Line so it has the sport "chassis". ;)
I love that paint job it looks amazing
Great car! But i looks like they used horizontal led units for vertical mounting?
Great looking car... do you just prefer darker colours or some science behind blue/white lights showing up better on darker car?
Would prefer a couple of white LED units that replicated the old main beam wig wag that inexplicably seems to be disappearing. I always found the wig wags caught my attention first, particularly from a distance giving me more warning and time to look at how to make space.
Agreed. You could see them coming miles off behind you on the motorway. The new ERVs seem to only be noticeable when they're much closer in bright weather.
Regarding the gearbox. The vrs was a 6 gear and this is a 7 or 8. That could explain the shorter gears
In terms of the lighting placement - looks great, however as you say the pattern choice could do with a bit of work. There is too much off time, especially between blue/white. Perhaps a faster pattern would help, with a faster switching between colours also. Maybe a fast double flash - mixed with the top windscreen blues flashing with the lower whites, and the lower blues with the dash white. Conversley I always think you can't go wrong with a crossing X pattern. While you go back to the fitters, is it worth enquiring about wig-wags as they often are the first warning lights seen on motorways/fast roads.
Really like the dark blue finish on this Audi, stands out from the millions of black, white and grey cars on the road nowadays
This is a bit off topic of the car, but may I ask what you use to fade yourself in and out, what editing software or what the effect is called please?
Can't wait for more responses with this car
Lovely car glad you went for Audi 😊
How come you picked the car and the car spec? Isn’t that down to the nhs to provide the cars?
Great video. However I am surprised they haven’t put the lights in the wing mirrors. Even as you said to stop that half a second of maybe not seeing one of the lights at the front.
You may already know this, but if you use the paddles to drop into 2nd/3rd during a corner, you can resume full auto by holding the + paddle for a few seconds
Any reason why you guys don’t use the allroad version of the a4?
Can you get all your kit in the boot no problem? Thought you might have gone with an estate version (like the Skoda) to give you more space and working room.
The Americans have got patterns pretty well nailed. Response moving pattern you want no Off time so a fast +300Fpm works. Stationary on scene slow it down to 75 Fpm so that the outline of the vehicle can easily be ascertained. As ex Basics, I would have 360 throw beacon especially on motorway on scene.The quarter rear panels fulfill the 360 degree requirement but I would want more protection.
Curious to know what kit you’re cramming in that boot
The gearbox upshifting could be a break-in thing. If the car is brand new sometimes there is a soft limiter and the car will bring the RPMS back down to within specification as quickly as possible.
It's just the gearbox map being coded for fuel efficiency. You can have the DSG remapped.
🔥
I'm not 100% sold on the front light pattern either. The flashing is good, but I'd need to actually see it incoming from a ways out to really know. I've said I'm a big fan of wig-wags, and I was sold on those by spotting an ambulance responder from 2 miles out on a motorway, which gave us 4 minutes to think about exactly what deviations were or were not needed (actually none; road was quiet and I was using lane 1, lane 2 for overtakes, and he could pass in lane 3).
I know you've said you're not sure how possible wig-wags are; I think (not know, think) they should be possible if the main beams still use halogens, but they're certainly not possible if the main beams are plasma discharge (wrongly called xenons by a lot of people).
Would be better if the top left blue and bottom right white would flash together, alternating with the top right blue/bottom left white. So there's always blue one way or the other.
Nice
Definitely needs a more rapid changing pattern, i thought that was the stationary pattern before you said it was for responding, needs a change.
The gearbox needs to be "Thrashed" somewhat before it starts to holds revs and drive sporty.
What works pretty well, is to drive in "D" and throttle it, so if you punch the throttle it should hold the rpm to around 4200 before it considers a change, and then flip it between "S" and "D" whilst driving around, so pulling up to a round about for example, flip to "S" smash a fast pull off into the round about and then flip back to "D" on the normal drive out - (This is all on a normal drive BTW) and then it should before long realise that you want higher rpm holds in "S" and it should keep it like that.
In my Q5 - in "S" is will hold 1st gear right to 40mph if you keep throttling it, where it will change and revert to "D" is if your throttle inputs are gradual and not distinct, then it thinks you have the mistakenly picked the wrong drive setting. Although the S-tronic gearbox is not as good as the Tip-tronic was for aggressive driving.
Something else to consider is that the Quattro on the A4 is a Torsen based full time AWD with a 60/40 split in power, meaning under normal driving 60% of you torque is driving the rear wheels, this is something you will need to adjust to from a 100% FWD VRS. In Sports mode and under aggressive acceleration the torque split is anywhere between 65% and 80% to the rear wheels before torque vectoring kicks in...
Nice car, sad to see though that Audi still charges extra for basics like seat storage, even back in the 1980's a lot of cars had that as a standard feature already 😂 The pattern isn't indeed great, wonder why they decided to go with that pattern? A random pattern should be better and is probably easily programmable (wonder which brand they are using, their site doesn't mention a brand). Regarding your gearbox: this issue is probably going to resolve itself after some mileage, it might take a bit before the car has learned your driving and how it has to shift. When I got my current car the automatic transmission was changing gears when it like it but after some mileage it sorted itself out (8-speed Ford transmission here). If it doesn't correct itself (normally it will but give it some time, I think it took the best part of 10.000km here before the transmission truly got settled in with my driving) you can go to the dealer and have them change it, however since it's a leasing they might need to obtain permission of the leasing company to do so since you nor NHS are the "owner"). Regarding the lights: I'm surprised that they didn't mount any lights on the mirrors since the housing is relatively cheap to change out after the contract runs out, it's missing some lights there tbh. Does your car comes with a set of winter tires or do you need to run a summer tires (or all seasons) the year round? Anyway, nice car and loads of safe mileage with it! EDIT: It's also missing a bull horn, it could help to get better through traffic.
@chrismartinems what boots are you wearing mate? Look comfy
It does seem that the modern Audi’s seem to be programmed to change up early for emissions reasons. Additionally the manual mode up shifts when you don’t want it. Frustrating, but it can be changed by software reprogramming. Just awaiting my S3 to be built, but I’m hopeful it’ll adapt to my driving style like yours. Beautiful black edition in Navarra blue, same spec I’ve gone for too. Hopefully you get into a rhythm with it soon. I do notice the light pattern flashing all lights at once instead of alternating between sides like I see on police setups, but again just down to programming.
Have you ever thought about sticking a cherry on top to give 360? The magnetic ones are pretty useful
The Audi looks good. In my opinion something should flash continuously at the front. Now there are too many pauses inside. Too much time passes between white and blue, where you cannot be perceived as an EMS. It should flash at a different frequency, just like on the side of the vehicle.
The light placement is great, and they provide plenty of coverage, but the pattern is a bit lacking for response. A slow pattern is find for being parked at a scene, but for response you definitely need something a bit more eye catching.
I think that dark colour cars are harder to spot on the road at normal speeds especial as the winter draws closer or with sun glare, when you are on a call out those lights need to be spot on or else you may end up not being seen. stay safe.
Chris, can I ask. Why unmarked? I understand it's lease, is that the reason why, even though livery increases visibility and can be removed without affecting paint? Or is it also your actual personal daily too? Keep up the good work and really looking forward to more videos.
Chris uses it as a personal car too, hence the lack of markings 👍
When comparing the boot space, Chris mentioned doing football at the weekend. So this is also a personal use vehicle too.
I was thinking that about being unmarked so less visibility and looks more like a RPU unmarked police vehicle ?
@steviez110 the fire service also use unmarked vehicles, but many assume anything unmarked is undercover police.
I'd ask that they alter the pattern, front and back, to an "X" patern diagonally opposed because, even the rears, have moments with no light but....Nice car
Cool car & nice light pattern but would it not be better having a lighter coloured car for example white or silver so ppl can see u better in low light conditions?
Is there a reason why it's dark blue? I would have assumed that a bright colour is best for visibility.
Is this classed as a company car? Do you have personal use of it?
Great vid, but one question though because I'm not from the UK. Is it common practice in the UK for APP-CC's to drive unmarked leased vehicles (and apparently also for private use)? What're the advantages vs using a marked vehicle stationed at your office/depot/hospital? I.e. in Belgium, emergency doctors respond from the hospital with a marked MUG (Mobile Urgency Group) vehicle which is often a SUV or estate.
In the UK these unmarked response cars (in Fire and Ambulance settings) aren't common but they're not uncommon either. It is only ever high-level area managers and supervisors who will have them or high-level critical care paramedics like Chris here. The idea is that these experts/supervisors carry pagers and so can be summoned to a scene from home if they're not on-shift, so it's more convenient if the car then also doubles as a personal car so they can respond from home. Think of it like a company car, with added blue lights!
The UK does also have marked rapid response cars, both for paramedics and for doctors, who will go on shift like any other ambulance and will respond from stations or hospitals too.
@@GeorgeThoughts Great reply, thanks!
@@GeorgeThoughts Yes, from his videos Chris frequently responds from home.
Honest question Chris - I find it a bit strange that you’d pick a diesel-powered vehicle over petrol, what with their emissions systems issues - in particular wouldn’t the DPF be prone to clogging for this sort of work - a lot of short sprints, in-gear acceleration and mixed speed driving where it has little time to regenerate?
I'm just about to start a response driving course and I'm a little confused how your job role and how it works. Is this your personal car that the NHS has had fitted with blue lights so they can call you out any time? I'm interested to know how your part of emergency care works.
Correct. Chris is a Critical Care paramedic (ie, a high level paramedic with special skills and the ability to command a care scene), therefore his skill set could be needed at any time for a serious incident. He is provided a lease car via the NHS (or it sounds more like he's given a budget, given that he chose the car model and type) for his personal use off shift so he can be paged at home to respond if needed. He doesn't need to go to the station to get a marked response car, he can just use this personal vehicle straight from home.
What service are you part of if you're starting response driving course? Police, Fire, Ambulance? Police obviously make use of unmarked cars for traffic patrol but those aren't taken home. Whereas often a Station Manager or Area Manager will have a personal car with blues in the Fire service. And the same for NHS.
This is probably a really niche question, but how exactly does insurance work since you use it on 999 responses whilst still, correct me if I’m wrong, being a personal vehicle? I know of RNLI volunteers who've had issues where insurance companies have been displeased with them having to respond to shouts and can only assume their must be some kind of work around with you being blue light.
Lovely car, the light pattern definitely needs adjusting, needs to be faster with no gaps in light displaying.
Does it have driver aids - lane keep assist / braking assist etc? is it easy to disable / have you found it a hindrance at all?
I should imagine it has been deactivated by a dealer. Audi dealer that is.
Seems like quick acceleration would be very important for you, how come you don't go for something like a tesla model 3 performance?
Wouldn’t you want a solid blue light on the back to show you’re on blues when going through a speed camera?
What’s with the white lights?
Never been a fan of the block lighting, definetly should mix it up a bit to having the els on at all times
black edition, its damn blue :D
I’m my opinion of the pattern, I think it needs a Blue at all times alongside the white. You have probably going on for a Second where there are no blues at all showing which, out and about, could make someone make a decision they wouldn’t make if the blues were visible.
X Lights required Chris for your safety and other Road Users but the Audi has always had the best ever reputation for road holding
Not nitpicking at all, hopefully some constructive comment - someone else said "ebay fake cop" and they do have a point, is there an option to have alternate headlight flashing to give the side-to-side attention grab or is that not used in the UK?
Chris mentioned in another video that because of the wiring, alternate headlight flashing wasn't possible :)
What would be a good addition would be a rear matrix board.
This I am sure would indicate what service you are… eg. ADVANCED PARAMEDIC/AMBULANCE
Then if 1st on scene, the vehicle could help with scene safety.
Might be pushing it legally when it comes to rolling blocks😂 but at least it could help warn those approaching.
Is there no head lamp flash.
Great choice Chris but.......... why not just change the reliable and trusted 2WD Octavia estate for the 4WD version? Likewise, the saloon seems lacking in the boot, so why not the A4 Avant?
One thing to be mindful about, it looks like a Police car. As an ex cop, not everybody wants to get out of your way. Some less desirables will deliberately delay you. I don’t think it’s the flash pattern. I would add a couple of green lights to the grill to emphasise you’re medical. I bet you’ll have better clear roads then.
Some lights on the mirrors would be great and be better for the surrounding area
Chris, do you work for NHS east ambulance service & then volunteer for BHECCS ?
Yes
With your job, i feel bad for those 19 inch wheels 😅
Not a fan of the gap in the alternating pattern at the front. As someone else said about static blue, would have expected to see a single front and rear. Not a fan of no front fend offs above the front wheel panel. Yes the side numberplate is great for junctions, but front side fend offs at scene, are much needed.
The rear needs at least another pair, either in the light clusters (at the edges) or on the bumper that can give better light protection at scene.
You go from a good 4, to a small 2 when the boot is up.
If you are the only resource on scene, you need that extra help from your vehicle.
Chris, if this is a 'temporary' vehicle, how long do you have it for and what's next ?
Thank you for your clips, be safe out there 👍
Also, would have thought dual colour light heads might have been on this as seeing a lot of these nowadays. But that is your installer's choice
We could have snow this winter and that 4Wd system will really pay off then.