How to turn on the headlights, a detailed step-by-step guide.

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by chogan2, Feb 24, 2023.

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  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That's the case with our 2010 CDN Touring at least, with LED low beams.
     
    #21 Mendel Leisk, Feb 25, 2023
  2. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    I can confirm this is how the DRL’s work on my Canadian Gen 3 - I have the LED low beams and halogen high beams, and it is the latter that runs at low intensity as DRL.

    They come on anytime the car is “on” (even if the headlight switch is set to “OFF”); the only way to turn them off temporarily is to engage the parking brake BEFORE starting the car, and they will come on as soon as it is released. If they are on, the only way to turn them off is to shut the car off and start it again with the parking brake engaged.
     
    #22 Sarge, Feb 25, 2023
  3. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    If it is low light conditions, wouldn’t it make more sense to put it in ON rather than Parking, to have the full lights?
     
    #23 Sarge, Feb 25, 2023
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  4. chogan2

    chogan2 Senior Member

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    Hey, I resemble that remark.

    But also, in my defense, when I turn it that second click -- to parking lights -- the car puts the dash into nighttime mode. The flat-panel display goes to "dark" mode, and all the buttons and such on the dash light up.

    I get every visual clue that I'm good-to-go for nighttime driving. The headlights are lit, the dash is in nighttime mode. I just have to remember that the headlights are only at half-power until I give it that final, third, click.
     
    #24 chogan2, Feb 25, 2023
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2023
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  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Sorry that line was for the current generations of those cars.

    Yes the Gen 1 and 2 used the low beam at reduced intensity for the halogens. HIDs were never offered here for that reason that they would've had to add an additional light somewhere for DRLs. Gen 3 went to reduced high beams as DRLs when it went to a dual headlight setup (I recall members concerned that it would increase the wear on those headlights. I never had to replace my high beams bulbs even though they were used for DRLs for 9.5 years and over 100,000 miles). For Gen 4 and Prime, it was the low beam LEDs at reduced intensity.

    Oh I recall a "robust" discussion on that on PriusChat a while back (probably nearly a decade ago now).
     
    #25 Tideland Prius, Feb 25, 2023
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Incandescent bulb lifetimes have a very steep relationship to power; dimmed a little, they last a lot longer.

    As to how low they are dimmed, I don't have the Gen 3 New Car Features manual handy, but the Gen 2 one says both "dimming them 80%" in one paragraph, and "dims ... to approximately 80%" in the next paragraph.

    Dimming them to 80% ought to make them last around 4¼ times as long as they do at full power.

    Dimming them 80% ought to make them last around 35,000 times as long as they do at full power, or effectively forever.
     
    #26 ChapmanF, Feb 25, 2023
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The high beam bulbs on ours do look a little burnished, at 12+ years and 96K kms:

    7BC2F648-9B4F-4AF0-81A5-6EFD44A9D7B4.jpeg
     
    #27 Mendel Leisk, Feb 25, 2023
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  8. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    I base that on whether I need my headlights to illuminate the road for me. If I can see the road, I'm only interested in other people seeing me coming and the dimmer lights are just fine for that. If I'm in AUTO, the full headlights would not be on anyway, and my taillights would be OFF. So all I'm doing is adding my taillights to what AUTO would be doing for me with the front lights.
     
    #28 FuelMiser, Feb 26, 2023
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