Headlights Auto Off Question

At least on my Liftback, the countdown timer (which I have customized to 0 seconds) starts with either opening or closing the driver's door. If you never open it, the timer never starts.

Likewise, if you exit instead through the passenger door, never opening the driver door, the auto-off won't work.

 

The ferry system here in BC has routes that run from an hour and a half to 2 hours. People never open the driver's door to exit, the vehicle lights stay on but are not visible in the daytime. They tow the offending Prius off and will not boost it because they fear something drastic will happen. If you remain in the car when it is powered down open the driver's door and then the lights switch off. Then close it and you are all set.

 

Why not just get in the habit of turning the light on and off.

When on the ferry, you sit for up to two hours and don't get out to stretch your legs, go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, talk to people?

 

On my pre-DRL cars that had auto-off, I intentionally made it a habit to not turn the lights off when shutting down. This helps ensure that the lights are on the next time the vehicle is driven.

The enhanced traffic safety greatly outweighs the rare risk of OP's situation.

 

www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-Compact-8000mAh-Portable-Flashlight/dp/B07CVF7L77

There is a pocket right below the USB port on my v, plugging this in there makes it an "always on USB" out of the charger.

I confess, I have not used it to jump yet.

 

I never use the auto headlights function, for a variety of reasons. Maybe foremost: it's clinically impossible for me to walk away from a car with the headlights ablaze. Also, I sometimes like to run full headlights in daylight, overcast days in particular, I think auto headlights just turns them on at dusk, off at dawn?

I have a Clore Jump-N-Carry JNC660 stowed in the tray under the hatch floor, fits nicely. Never needed it for our car, have jump started a few others, once in a blue moon.

We've been on our share of BC ferries, but of late have been finding it too expensive, mostly staycation.

 

That would be an auto-on issue. I believe OP's car lacks that feature, but merely has auto-off. I.e. it doesn't turn headlights on in response to darkness, but simply turns them off when the car is shut down.

Not impossible for me, but still not easy either. That is one of the reasons I turned the delay, set at the factory to 30 seconds, down to 0.

 

I installed a $$$ DRL kit from Toyota on mine so I am always visible from the front. And in the rear, unless it is rain, snow or dark, I prefer the contrast between my white car and the suddenly red taillights. Having had an accident partially because the truck in front of me was red and I didn't pick up the contrast due to the position of the sun. So on a pre DRL I agree. I'm constantly amazed at the number of cars with no light on just after dusk as it starts to get truly dark. Or the number of cars with only one taillight or headlight. A week doesn't go by without me pulling up beside someone and getting their attention to tell them. I get the strangest looks sometimes before they tumble to the fact that I'm asking them to roll their window down so I can talk to them.

 

There's no need to keep to those lithium-ion battery jumper packs topped up like you would if they contained a lead-acid or NiCad battery -- in fact, it's not good for their battery.
If you charge it up to full capacity, you could leave it sitting in your car for several years and it would still have enough power to start a conventional vehicle that uses an electic starter. When you consider the Prius just needs it to cycle on the electronics for a few seconds, it would probably have enough power to start a Prius after sitting for 5+ years.
Having said that, it would probably be prudent to charge it once/year if you never used it. Take it out, and charge it overnight in your house, or leave it plugged in to the cigarette socket on a several hour trip... then leave it for another year. Doing so will extend the battery life.

 

Great Joules of Fire!

 

That looks like a good one. Sure it's overkill for starting our cars but as you say, part of the reason for having a jumper like this -- or for carrying jumper cables in a conventional car -- is to be able to help others in need.
Another use for these jumper packs is if you go off grid camping, or if you lose power during a storm, they work great for charging cell phones and other small electronics. You could charge your family's cell phones for weeks with the pack you got from Cosco.