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Headlights and Running Lights in AUTO

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by bilofsky, Apr 30, 2012.

  1. bilofsky

    bilofsky Privolting Member

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    When the headlight switch is in AUTO, exactly what do the headlights and parking lights do, and when do they do it? Are they on all the time when power is on, or does daylight have anything to do with it?

    The manual says:

    [​IMG]

    (This is the control on my Advanced.)

    California Vehicle Code Sec. 24800 says: No vehicle shall be driven at any time with the parking lamps lighted except when the lamps are being used as turn signal lamps or when the headlamps are also lighted.

    The nav system can be used to customize daytime running lights off. Is that a good idea in California?

    If the lights are left in AUTO, is the electric consumption significant on my Advanced with LED headlamps?
     
    #1 bilofsky, Apr 30, 2012
  2. SKrueger

    SKrueger New Member

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    When in AUTO the daytime running lamps are on all the time. Note that daytime running lamps are not parking lamps. The headlights will turn on and off automatically based upon ambient light.
     
    #2 SKrueger, Apr 30, 2012
  3. John in LB

    John in LB Life is good

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    In AUTO, the photo sensor (The bulbous 1/2" diameter sensor is on top of the dashboard in front of the passenger seat) drives the system. If it is bright enough (including, for example, your garage overhead lights), then the system considers it day time. If dark, then it considers it night time.

    During day time, the default setup is the LED lamps are on. At night time, these lamps switch off and the headlights / parking lamps come on.

    In the NAV system setup menu, you have the option of letting AUTO turn on the daytime LED lamps on at all... (so that in day time, no lights would be on at all.) In addition, in the setup menu, you can also set the sensitivity of the sensor which decides when it is day time or night. I have mine set to minimum and that seems to let the system switch from day to night setting halfway through the dusk period.

    In addition to all of the above, there is a separate ring on the light stalk which also control the Fog lights. These are not controlled by the AUTO selection and are a totally different set of lights, adjacent to the LED lights.
     
    #3 John in LB, May 1, 2012
    SAronian and bilofsky like this.
  4. bilofsky

    bilofsky Privolting Member

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    Apparently true, even though the owner's manual talks about AUTO controlling "headlights, parking lights and so on."
    CVC 25109. Any motor vehicle may be equipped with two white or amber running lamps mounted on the front, one at each side, which shall not be lighted during darkness except while the motor vehicle is parked.

    CVC 24801. Parking lamps are those lamps permitted by Section 25106, or any lamps mounted on the front of a vehicle, designed to be displayed primarily when the vehicle is parked.
    ​
    So under CVC 24801, a conviction for CVC 24800 (parking lamps in motion) would have to look to the state of mind of the lamps. (No, I'm not a lawyer. Or a Ph.D. But my wife is a J.D.)

    Is the power drain from the daytime running lamps significant?
     
    #4 bilofsky, May 1, 2012
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    No. They're the 4 LEDs (on each side, so 8 in total) below the indicators. Your parking lights are the 5W bulb behind the yellow reflector and that boomerang-shaped LED parking light above the low & high beams.


    Interesting that California doesn't allow parking lights to be operated on their own and must be accompanied by the low beams (or high beams). Never heard of such a law before.

    The parking lights are usually just 5W bulbs on most cars anyway.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, May 1, 2012
  6. CharlesH

    CharlesH CA HOV Decal #5 on former PiP

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    Well, they are called "parking" lights, after all. :) The "no driving with only the parking lights" has been the law here for decades.

    So as I understand it, we have:

    1) High beam headlights

    2) Low beam headlights

    3) Daylight running lights

    4) Fog lights

    5) Parking lights

    6) Turn signal lights

    7) Brake lights (in the rear).

    In the Advanced, are all of these LEDs?
     
    #6 CharlesH, May 2, 2012
  7. bilofsky

    bilofsky Privolting Member

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    Haven't looked at all of them, but of the ones I can see in the front, I think just the running lights and headlights are LEDs. The high beams and fog lights are bulbs. The brochure says both the Base and Advanced have LED tail and stop lamps. The rear yellow light (emergency flasher?) isa bulb.
     
    #7 bilofsky, May 2, 2012
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