Smart Start night time interior light trick

wow.. you only just noticed that? I noticed that when i had the test car overnight before I bought one..

Weird how some things we don't discover until later on... makes me wonder what I havent noticed yet! although I did read the manual from cover to cover (naturally) so maybe there isn't anything

oh, and... what light sensor on the left front dash? only thing I have there is the gps thingys.. the interior light coming on would have nothing to do with any light sensor anhoo.. it is just activated by the fob

 

Except that it doesn't happen when it is light out.

 

are you sure?

 

I guess I can look at the interior lights this afternoon before I open the door. Can't do it in the mornings as it is DARK.

 

ya, I'll check mine in the morning too.. I just assumed it would come one every time because I thought installing a light sensor just so the interior light doesnt come on during the daytime when you approach the car would be a bit much, unless you can think of some other use for the light sensor?

 

I don't know about the Prius, but cars with automatic climate control generally have light sensors (if the sun is shining directly on you, it needs to work harder so you feel the same temperature)

 

a light sensor for that? surely that would be prone to false readings.. and what about in winter when it is sunny but really cold? would it turn the heater off and start the air con to cool you down because the sun hit the light sensor??

I think the prius uses temp sensors for that. One at foot level and one higher up, because I have noticed that after a while of cooling, it will change the air con to come from the top vents only, as the lower ones are no longer needed because the cooler temp has been reached at floor level first.

 

captnslur !

Now you know why I'm a big advocate of never reading the owner's manual and not paying attention during the walk-around with the salesperson. You get all these little surprises for the next few weeks!

I think I had mine for a month before I realized that the little black button on the door handle would lock the car! I kept using the inside switch or the fob

A lot of folks are discovering the hidden drawer in the console MONTHS after taking ownership! I bet some people will NEVER even know that it's there. Or that ALL the seats fold flat, creating an undriveable but HUGE storage box. :mrgreen:

 

I had a couple of people lock the car trying to open it, thinking the black button was supposed to be pushed with your thumb as a catch release.

It can store sleeping people who can then reset the seats and drive it later!
I used that feature this weekend ( but not the driver's seat ;-) ) taking stuff to cover the boat. My friend had borrowed her partner's Matrix and tried to do the same. Found out it doesn't work. Another Prius Plus!

 

I believe both are used. The light sensor lets the climate control compensate for the sunlight. (After all, the temp sensors aren't in the sun and wouldn't be reading what you actually feel.)

Or maybe I'm nuts. Try blocking it with an envelope or something, see what happens ;-)

 

If that is all it is for, then it seems wasteful to stick it in U.S. cars. There must be SOME reason to have it there!

 

hmmm.. My manual calls it a light sensor too.. so it is a mystery.

 

what's it for on cars without the automatic headlights then?

 

Daytime running lights come on as soon as you have the motor running and release the parking brake in any Canadian Toyota. The panel lights don't come on at all in this situation, but anything that is lit up, like the clock is really bright. Turn on the lights manually and the clock etc dims. Bottom line...I still haven't got a clue what that light sensor would be for.