what happens if you leave the headlight switch on?

[spchaser]

i couldn't find an answer to this by searching the forum. I left my headlight switch on accidentally, and wont be back to start the car in 4 days, will the battery be ok?

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(spchaser @ Oct 4 2007, 09:50 PM) [snapback]521581[/snapback]</div>

i couldn't find an answer to this by searching the forum. I left my headlight switch on accidentally, and wont be back to start the car in 4 days, will the battery be ok?[/b]

Yes, provided you turned off the car and then opened the driver door - at which point the headlights will go out.

[pingman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(spchaser @ Oct 4 2007, 11:50 PM) [snapback]521581[/snapback]</div>

i couldn't find an answer to this by searching the forum. I left my headlight switch on accidentally, and wont be back to start the car in 4 days, will the battery be ok?
[/b]

I would think it would be fine. I have turned the car off with the headlights on before,nothing wrong except the "oh yeah" they were on when i shut er down.

[efusco]

It should be fine as long as you exited via the driver's side door and turned off the car. There's a slight drain if you leave the switch on, but 4 days should be no problem at all.

If you leave the lights on and then turn off the car and exit through the passenger door the headlights will stay on and kill your battery in very short order.

[apriusfan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Oct 4 2007, 09:53 PM) [snapback]521583[/snapback]</div>

Yes, provided you turned off the car and then opened the driver door - at which point the headlights will go out.
[/b]

+1. I have left the headlights on too many times to count. But if you turned the car off, the lights will automatically turn off when you exit the car.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 4 2007, 09:53 PM) [snapback]521585[/snapback]</div>

It should be fine as long as you exited via the driver's side door and turned off the car. There's a slight drain if you leave the switch on, but 4 days should be no problem at all.[/b]

Out of curiosity, where does the drain come from? The switch? If it is the switch, what about the switch causes the drain? I don't recall any illumination of the switch, so I am trying to understand where the drain would occur.

[PriuStorm]

I typically leave the switch on so I have 'daytime running lights' on when I fire it up again. Is there anything wrong with doing that?

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(apriusfan @ Oct 5 2007, 03:01 AM) [snapback]521623[/snapback]</div>

Out of curiosity, where does the drain come from? The switch? If it is the switch, what about the switch causes the drain? I don't recall any illumination of the switch, so I am trying to understand where the drain would occur.
[/b]

I'll let one of the more technical guys explain, It's been covered before on the forum and I'm regurgitating what I remember, but I won't claim to understand the exact where/why of the drain.

[qbee42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 5 2007, 11:39 AM) [snapback]521752[/snapback]</div>

I'll let one of the more technical guys explain, It's been covered before on the forum and I'm regurgitating what I remember, but I won't claim to understand the exact where/why of the drain.
[/b]

There is a small amount of logic circuitry running to support the switch, and it draws a little current. The logic circuitry is the part that figures out if the car is on or off, and whether the driver's door has been opened.

Tom

[apriusfan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Oct 5 2007, 08:47 AM) [snapback]521757[/snapback]</div>

There is a small amount of logic circuitry running to support the switch, and it draws a little current. The logic circuitry is the part that figures out if the car is on or off, and whether the driver's door has been opened.

Tom
[/b]

But is the logic circuitry dedicated to the light switch? Or, shared between all of the electrical functions of the car? I was under the impression that it was shared.

[lgamber1]

*waiting anxiously to find out whether there is a drain or not*

i never leave the lights on, but my husband always does.