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Auto headlights - how do they work?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by glennonrp, Mar 18, 2016.

  1. glennonrp

    glennonrp Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Fontana, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    I hope this question isn't as dumb as I think it is. But, I will ask anyway. I have the Auto headlights. I like to set the switch on Auto. I'm under the impression that this means in the daytime, the daytime running lights (DRLs) will be on when it is, well, day time. But, at night, or in dark conditions, the headlights switch on.

    So, my confusion is what is really happening? Today, my wife was using the car and I happened to look outside as she was driving home. No lights on at all. It was right around noon and clear out, so very bright. I thought, at least, some DRLs would be on. In the garage, the headlights are on.

    I noticed that the headlights have an "eyebrow" of light. And there are three LEDs down low, below the fog lights. These, I thought, were the DRLs. So, do these not turn on in the daylight? They were definitely not on this afternoon. And I just went out to look at the car; the headlight switch was set to AUTO. Next setting the DRLs, and then headlights. The only other setting, below AUTO, is DRLs off.

    Are my headlights functioning the way they are supposed to? Am I seriously confused?
     
    #1 glennonrp, Mar 18, 2016
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Keep in mind that the LED headlights are difficult to see during the day unless you look almost directly at them (but please be careful and don't actually look directly at them). They're not as noticeable as halogens when they're on during the day. The DRLs in Canada are the headlights at reduced output. I would physically have the car on with the parking brake released (have your wife sit in the car with her foot on the brake pedal of course) and carefully look at the headlight.

    The eyebrow or boomerang or chevron light is part of the parking lights. The 3 LEDs are the "Clearance lights" and are also part of the parking lights so they come on when you rotate the headlight switch to the parking lights or if the headlights are on (manually or in AUTO)
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Mar 19, 2016
    glennonrp likes this.
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