Accidentally left my daytime running lights on...

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Rhita Colby, Mar 30, 2013.

  1. Rhita Colby

    Rhita Colby New Member

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    I accidentally left my daytime running lights on today for about 6 hours. My car is fairly new - only a month old. Will this drain my battery? I have driven it several times since I noticed it but am wondering if it will drain within the next few days. Had that happen on a non-hybrid vehicle when I left the interior light on all night - battery died a day or two after that. I know the batteries on the Prius C are different than in non-hybrid cars though I admit I don't really understand what's inside my Prius. I've read the owner's manual but in all honesty, it's pretty Greek to me. Seems like it has both an electric battery and a "regular" battery. Anyone know if I've done some major damage to it?
     
    #1 Rhita Colby, Mar 30, 2013
  2. iClaudius

    iClaudius Active Member

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    If it started up, you did fine. Don't the DRL's turn off automatically? Check the manual for that. On the Prius hatchback, they turn on and off automatically if you have them selected on the lights control rod.

    Prius has a small starter battery, same as regular car, if that goes down, it freaks out the controls on the car and that causes issues.
     
    #2 iClaudius, Mar 30, 2013
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  3. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    I want to say there is a timeout function. The lights turn off about 10 minutes after you power off... if I remember correctly. I know I've read it on a few threads.
     
    #3 ztanos, Mar 30, 2013
  4. karabits

    karabits Member

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    The DRLs go off automatically when the car is shut off. No damage done.
     
    #4 karabits, Mar 30, 2013
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  5. Rhita Colby

    Rhita Colby New Member

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    Thanks, everyone. I feel so stupid - yes, they turn off automatically when the car is off. I didn't realize that but tested it this morning after reading your posts. So I guess I didn't actually leave my DRL on after all. Thank you again!
     
    #5 Rhita Colby, Mar 31, 2013
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  6. Ashley7

    Ashley7 Active Member

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    Also, just for you information: The regular headlights don't turn off automatically when you shut off the car, but they will turn off after 20 minutes in order to prevent you from draining your battery! :)
     
    #6 Ashley7, Mar 31, 2013
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  7. RocMills

    RocMills Active Member

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    Karabits is right, the DRLs take care of themselves. I never put my headlights in the off position, always just leave them at DRL.
     
    #7 RocMills, Apr 1, 2013
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