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Automatic lights off

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by zdenok, Aug 12, 2011.

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  1. zdenok

    zdenok Junior Member

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    I've found in manual and also on this great forum that the headlights should switch off in 30 sec (in Europe's manual default stated is 60) after switching off and leaving the car. My main lights go off immediately after powering off, but parking lights stay on and never go off. Can someone confirm that it should switch all lights off?


    ---
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    Zdenok
     
    #1 zdenok, Aug 12, 2011
  2. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    That is very odd. All lights should go off after the delay. I guess you should visit your dealership/service and ask.
     
    #2 spiderman, Aug 13, 2011
  3. gliderman

    gliderman Active Member

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    On mine if I turn on only the parking lights, they will not go off when I turn the car off. But all lights go off if the headlights are on. Maybe I need to see the dealer also.
     
    #3 gliderman, Aug 13, 2011
  4. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    That would make sense if just the parking lights are set (e,g, disabled car on side of road). From the OP, I got the impression his headlights went off but not the parking lights also (switch in the headlight position).
     
    #4 spiderman, Aug 13, 2011
  5. Prius 06

    Prius 06 Member

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    Mine never go off after the car has been turned off (no delay?)
    However, they do shut off as soon as the drivers door is opened.
     
    #5 Prius 06, Aug 13, 2011
  6. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Yup, there are places and conditions where parking light are required. In some states, parked alongside a highway in a no parking area is one of hem. The laws are there to make cars that might be a hazard to traffic more visible.

    Whether parking lights on or off is more dangerous as long as you are off to the side far enough to be out of traffic is debatable, but the law is the law.
     
    #6 xs650, Aug 13, 2011
  7. Teakwood

    Teakwood Member

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    Dobrý deň, bratranec.
    The headlights turn off automatically when you turn the the vehicle off and exit. The parking lights must be turned off manually. After all, they are "parking" lights.
     
    #7 Teakwood, Aug 13, 2011
  8. zdenok

    zdenok Junior Member

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    spiderman got it right, I leave the switch in headlights on position and powering the car off I expected that after the preset delay after leaving the car all the lights will go off but it's not working that way...
     
    #8 zdenok, Aug 13, 2011
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It's different on the Gen 3. We get the "Follow-Me-Home" function where the headlights stay on for 30 secs (default) then switch off. If you have the parking lights on, then they turn off when the driver's door is open. The headlights delay is configurable (it can go off when the door is open like the Gen 2 or stay on for 30 or 60 secs)

    Maybe it's a European thing? Our (Canadian) automatic headlights turn all the lights off after 30 secs, which is our default setting. (then again, we don't park with our parking lights on since our roads and alleys are usually wide enough). I know some cars can turn on only the left or the right set of parking lights ween parked in a narrow alley but they're mostly European-spec vehicles (a few do make it across to North America)

    Check with your dealer or try out another Prius at the dealer
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Aug 13, 2011
  10. Russpauly

    Russpauly New Member

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    Really? My Scion had it where the light's would go off when I opened the door and I really liked that. How do you configure it?
     
    #10 Russpauly, Aug 17, 2011
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It might be one of those that's dealer-configurable, so you'll have to go to the dealer to have them change the settings for you.
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Aug 17, 2011
  12. henry henry

    henry henry New Member

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    I have a 2011 Prius IV, with Nag & Solar. I assumed, naively, that my headlights would turn off automatically (just like my 2006 Gen2 Prius). They don't. I asked the Dealer about this and she said that in my car, I have to hit the lock button on the remote twice. Otherwise they stay on.

    I told her ... this wasn't nice ... that I thought any car that cost over $10.00 would have automatic off lights by default.

    Next time I guess I'll read the manual before I buy the car!
     
    #12 henry henry, Aug 21, 2011
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Umm.... They probably do but you have to wait 30 secs. The Gen 3 Prius comes with a "Follow-Me-Home" function which means the headlights stay on for a while, providing some extra illumination (e.g. if you parked head first on the driveway, the headlights can give you some light to lead you to your doorstep). It can be customized by the dealer to function the way the Gen 2 did which is to turn off when the driver's door is open.

    The "Press LOCK twice" trick is mostly for convenience for the times you don't need the follow-me-home function .

    And no, most cars below the Prius do not have auto-off. They are getting more common but it's not widespread.
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Aug 21, 2011
  14. zdenok

    zdenok Junior Member

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    I was told by the Toyota technician that it works the way I§ve discovered, when in Auto mode, all the lights will go off, when in headlights position, parking lights will stay on.
    They will install DRL module that will turn the lights on 5 sec after putting the car to Power On mode and switch off when shutting down the car.
     
    #14 zdenok, Aug 22, 2011
  15. tonyrenier

    tonyrenier I grew up, but it's still red!

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    That is wierd! My parking and fog lights go off when I open the driver's door. My Headlights and Fogs go off after 30 seconds (that's providing the fogs are on, I have the OEMs from here, they have their own switch but once on, operate with the stalk).
     
    #15 tonyrenier, Aug 22, 2011
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    See my response above to his situation.

    Yours is functioning as it should (with a Toyota auto-off setup). My full automatic headlights function the same (with the added feature of auto-on of course)
     
    #16 Tideland Prius, Aug 23, 2011
  17. Bootjacker

    Bootjacker New Member

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    If you leave the lights on BEFORE you turn off the ignition, they will go off automatically (time before lights go off can be set by you, see owners manual). If the ignition is off and you turn the lights on, they won't go out automatically. Found that out the hard way.
     
    #17 Bootjacker, Aug 23, 2011
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  18. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    It's one of three options for auto off headlights. They can be set to turn off when the car is off and the driver's door is opened after 0, 30, or 60 seconds. 30 seconds is the default. Unfortunately there is no way to do this with a ScanGauge but a good dealer should do it free, it only takes them a couple of minutes.
     
    #18 tumbleweed, Aug 28, 2011
  19. laki007

    laki007 Junior Member

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    In Poland, the lights are required all the time.
    In AUTO mode the lights go out during the day.
    What can I do?
     
    #19 laki007, Nov 1, 2011
  20. Sergio-PL

    Sergio-PL Member

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    In our region Toyotas are set up by default with always on lights mode even if you switch to "off" position.
    I think that it is impossible to use AUTO feature in our region without additional DRL's. But I have no experience with Prius yet...
    Will ask my dealer next time I do maintenance.

    S.
     
    #20 Sergio-PL, Nov 8, 2011
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