Auto Headlights

They never came on my 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid or several of my cars....I am happy with the AutoOff...just seems they could have had them come on AUTO too! But at least they go off!

 

While annoying, the lack of Auto On is hardly a safety option, as most of us have a brain that enables us to turn it on manually when it gets dark.

If you really want DRL (which many dislike), you already have it with Auto Off. Just leave them on and customize to have them shut off after 0 second.

 

The only complaints that I got from my wife was the fact that the Prius does not have auto-on headlights and also the position and single on/off control of the heated seats. In addition to those two I would of liked a better quality NAV system display as it really, really looks cheap. Sorry to say that for a $30K + vehicle I expected better.... out:

In spite of these deficiencies I still made the right decision to buy one...

 

I'd REALLY be nuts to simply use the Lexus system ... where they come on when it's dark ... go out when it's light ... as well as auto off/on when the car's ignition changes from off/on.

.

 

Hi 32colors, Are you sure, about everyone having a brain? Your comment made me think of a consumer product warning I saw a few years ago. . .

I had a window shield, it wasn't nearly as nice as the HeatShield, but it contained a consumer warning: "Remove before Driving"

Just how dumb do some manufacturers think we really are? - --TK

 

Do you know anything about floor mats?

Tom

 

Well, this Prius owner is certainly grateful for having self-cleaning headlights. They may be superfluous in North Carolina, but up here in the Great White North, when I'm driving down I-57 in the dark going to my sister's and the headlights are coated with salt and whatever else they put in that schmee to de-ice the roads, I'm glad I can clean my headlights without having to stop at a gas station.

 

Thanks Chrisj428!

Someone who mirrors my sentiments. After listening to how some hate it, I have to admit they are typically located in the WARM Southern or Western States, but I couldn't agree more. When winter comes, I look forward to not be standing out in the MUCK to wipe them off after be sprayed with inevitable salt and road yuck!

I am sure it will keep the lenses cleaner for better visibility as well.

Thank god someone else likes them like me!

 

Hence why I said most of us have a brain.

 

I also agree. Headlight washers were a good selling point for me.

Funny though how one can complain about not having lights that come on automatically and in the same breath claim that NOBODY wants help keeping those same lights clean. Turning the lights on (whether automatic or not) is useless unless you can actually see and be seen. That's especially true during and after snow storms, which most people in the US have to deal with.

 

hotbrass, this is true and not true. You are right that we expend a lot of resources on market research - mostly the quantitative kind that offers a representative sample of the US market. Sometimes we base a lot of our decisions primarily on that type of data. That said, the PC forum members are also a great qualitative check on that data. So don't discount what you are saying here - we are listening.

That's generally true, but boy does that leave a bad taste in my mouth. We honestly believe that if we satisfy customer needs better than anybody else, then profit will be the result. It's an if/then statement. We're not driving toward profit directly. We can't there get unless we satisfy you.

dchev, really sorry you're frustrated. There are two things that usually prevent us from putting certain equipment on a vehicle. One is there is a design or production issue: can't be designed in, there is no room on the mfg line to add it, or not enough can be built. The other is cost. We can add Auto Headlights and satisfy you, but we might add $X of cost for it for everybody who doesn't want it. That's the fun balancing act we have to play.

FYI - our engineers have deemed the headlight cleaners are necessary on LEDs because their key benefit is better concentrated light patterns. Dirty lamps make them diffuse improperly, removing the advantage. (Hey, it's what they tell me.)

At the end of the day, we deploy a vehicle like Prius, then do MORE research to find out what's working and what's not. Just today, I was visiting dealers with CE Otsuka to help him understand what he needs to improve on the car for the future. Fear not, we have specifically mentioned auto-on headlamps as a possible future feature to look at. No promises, but there it is.

Hope that helps

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

Thanks Doug!

My statement was a gross generalization. Profitablility is of course the goal, but to get there you do ultimately have to satisfy the consumer. So obviously customer satisfaction is what drives the bottom line, not the other way around, as in my generalized statement.

Keep up the great work!

Tom

 

I would have thought the headlight washers were primarily for snow and ice buildup prevention since LEDs emit almost no heat, especially compared to halogen.

 

Thanks Prius Team for the explanation!
I as well as the other Model V owners appreciate it

 

FWIW, I bet talking to a Canadian dealer will help. But be sure to do it in a town that has lots of immigrants from the States (like Vancouver). Most of the dealers here regularly deal with people bringing cars in from the states and then converting them to have daytime running lights. The addition of the daytime running lights is required by the Registrar of Imported Vehicles as detailed here: Registrar of Imported Vehicles - Vehicle Modifications

Most dealers handle it in Vancouver.

 

Doug,

My apologies! :embarassed: Certainly the last thing I wish to do is offend! As I post more, I anticipate people will become more accustomed to my dry wit and less-than-subtle way of making a point.

Having said that, I don't believe for one minute that overall customer satisfaction isn't paramount in Toyota's eyes. As a service provider myself, I firmly believe that the most important thing is to build a relationship and the money will follow. I guess my point, like Tom iterated, was painted with a broad brush. To put not too fine a point on it, while you're all there at work every day to work towards the ultimate happiness of the end user, you're not just there for your health, either.

Now, :focus:. In your estimation (and perhaps Ken might be able to shed insight should he come across this thread), are there any radical wiring changes which would prevent me from installing my aforementioned mod in order to elicit automatic headlight control (as well as my rain-sensing wipers)?