New headlights are a major problem

Isn't it illegal in CA to drive with only parking lights? I found this on DriversEd.com: "It is never legal to drive with your parking lights on; they are only to be used during parking." Why would you use them to park??

 

The bright white LEDs are being used as daytime running lights, so they're on in any position other than DRL Off (this only applies to US cars, other markets mandate they be on at all times), when the vehicle is running. In Auto when it's dark, or in on, they go to full brightness. I don't recall seeing anything in Techstream about headlights (like disabling them in any position other than DRL Off) along those lines on my car, but maybe I missed it.

In any case, parking lights exist so that you can have the vehicle illuminated when parking on an unlit street - they're relatively low power, so they're unlikely to drain the 12 volt battery overnight. However, in practice, with US reflector standards, this is rather unnecessary. And, if the manual's accurate, the lights will shut off after 20 minutes even in the parking light position.

Europe will be another story in this regard - parking lights there are activated on one side only (IIRC it's done with the turn signal and enabling the parking light position), at least in German cars), and must be able to be left on overnight, because reflectors historically weren't mandated the way that they are in the US.

 

By "parking" I think they mean if you're pulled over to the side of the road, somewhere where you want the car to be visible, but don't need headlights. But yeah, I never do that, because when I do, then I invariably drive away without noticing the headlights are still off.

 

Yes it's illegal in CA to drive with only yellow parking lights. But I see it every early morning, before sun up. And sometimes at night. And also all day long! It always seems to be guys in newer Toyota Tacoma pickups. I think it's a "being cool" thing.

I'd like to dim my lights at night (but can't) when I'm in a drive-thru lane, stuck behind another car. The Prius LED's reflect back, and they're pretty blinding. If the car ahead is white, silver, grey, or a truck with a chrome bumper, I just turn my lights off. (Putting the sun visor down doesn't even help much.) Same thing happens at a long red light... I'm blinded by my own light's reflection. But the LED lights are great. I really like them on the road.

 

I like to go to parking lights only, if I'm doing something like a U-turn, rolling a bit into someone's driveway.

When you've got parking lights only the dash still indicates your headlights are on. Not sure this is great as-is, can mask that you're driving with just the parking lights.

 

I can't figure it out!

This morning, I drove around with the light switch set in "Parking Lights." (2nd position.) I had yellow lights up front, but the DRL's come on too. And the Z tail lights are on as well (which I like.)

Parked for awhile, came back and powered up. I again turned the switch to "Parking Lights." But this time, there were NO DRL's, just the yellow lights up front, along with the Z tail lights. Why the difference this time?!
Very strange. I had all yellow up front... I was "cool."

Switched everything off... Powered up again, turned on the Parking Lights, and the darn DRL's were on again! (along with the yellow lights and the Z tail lights.) Just another Prius oddity....

(I also noticed that no lights work unless the Prius is powered up. Unlike a "normal" car, where you can turn the lights on any time.)

 

ambient light?

 

No. The DRL's were definitely ON the first time I switched to Parking lights. But then they were OFF when I tried again later. Strange.

I'm going to go into the "settings" menu on the big screen, and deactivate the DRL's. Then try the Parking Lights again and see if I get all "cool" yellow.

 

So how does it feel to be like a BMW driver and not give a shit about anyone else on the road ?
Just kidding, I have the same problem, the headlights put everything else on the road to shame. You can use them to make people believe they've just been caught by a speed camera.

 

Well, for a little while today I became California Cool....

I drove around with just the FRONT YELLOW parking lights on, and the REAR RED "Z" tail lights. No DRL's.
Went into the Vehicle Settings on the big screen, and temporarily deactivated the DRL's. (Just temporary guys... I'm not that "cool." )

 

Wife 4 doesn't have the Chevron led lights .

SM-G928T

 

Hey Pete; I shared your concern about the lights at first. My dark grey 2016 Prius III has all the bells and whistles. Having aircraft and water craft licenses, I am a fan of "BEING VISIBLE", day and night, under all conditions. ...especially in a craft as small as the Prius. For that reason, I like the low intensity headlight and the parking lights during daylight operation. Regarding your concern with the night-time operation of the full headlights, I was having the same problem with being "flashed" by oncoming night-time drivers. I experimented by setting the lowbeam direction adjustment "down one centimeter". In the past week, I've had no complaining oncoming drivers "flash me". It still provides me with superior forward visibility with the headlamp lowbeam. And my bright light setting will still burn the hair off of a varmint crossing the road.

 

It's such a shame Toyota didn't include an auto-leveling kit with the Prius and Corolla LED headlights. In almost all european countries it is mandated by law, but not in the US. So, Toyota chose to not include it as a cost saving

 

At least you guys have a working navigation /audio system with recent tech like mirrorlink. We have to make do with shitty Harman/JBL/Panasonic crap that crashes all the time.

 

We don't get MirrorLink/CarPlay/Android Auto, we get Entune App Suite, which is so not the same thing.

 

Oh how I long for any other audio/nav system that isn't entune. The iPhone app is so out of date and clunky. Going back and forth between entune and a modern smartphone feels like such a technological leap.

 

I drove in front of another G4 this morning and the headlights aren't that bad. They are brighter than other cars, but not blinding.

 

Just give me a cheap Toyota Yaris, with an AM radio and the Dodgers game... And I'm good.