Running Lights

[GraemeWms]

I purchased our second Aygo in October, having just sold our previous one at 14 yrs old. The new one has very bright daytime running lights which work, of course, without rear lights on. However, the instrument lighting is also on when the engine is running in daylight. My concern is that it seems very easy to drive away at night and forget to turn the main lights on, which is obviously dangerous. The very bright running lights make you think the lights are on if you are parked up against a garage door or wall, and the bright instrument lights don't remind you in the same way as they would if they only came on with side or headlamps. Has anyone found a way round this?

[Cyker]

Nope - It's something I've always complained about and you see it all the time at dusk, with people running on DRLs only when they should have their sidelights or dipped beams on. The way 'around' it is most new cars have auto-lights (My Mk4 ONLY has auto-lights; Can't turn them off at night at all!), but that's almost worse as it's turned into a brightness war, with halogen-equipped cars being swamped out by seas of HID and LED beams.

I seem to be in the minority with my anti-DRL stance tho' so it won't be changing any time soon...!

You'll just have to pay more attention to the dash and look out for that dipped beam symbol!

[FROSTYBALLS]

The issue is that, to overcome daylight, the daytime running lights have to be bright. 

Of course when the headlights are turned on, the lights symbol in the instrument cluster illuminates - so that is one thing you can always check.

Could also try turning down the brightness of the instrument lighting. With the sidelights on, push one of the DISP buttons. Push and hold one of the DISP buttons until the inxtrumet light control  display (looks like a series of dashes) flashes. Pushing the righthand button increases brightness, and the left button decreases brightness. Turn off the sidelights to set the level.

Must confess I've never had a problem with the brightness of the DRL's, nor remembering to turn the headlights on.

[Bitch1001]

You can change the brightness of the instrument Panel If that would help 

[Stopeter44]

5 hours ago, Bitch1001 said:

You can change the brightness of the instrument Panel If that would help 

I often find the instrument panels are turned up to 11, when getting into a car that isn't mine (rentals, new car, etc).

[TonyHSD]

Does your car have automatic headlights? If yes you can use this function, if not then when dark you know by default that you have to flip the stalk to turn your headlights ON as always has been on cars without auto lights. The DRL although produce a very bright light they lack of projection ahead and easily can be picked by the driver if look ahead and down, plus they have more blueish colour then led or halogen bulb lights. 

[Catlover]

It is a bit worrying to think that some drivers don’t know if they have headlamps on.  It must be real as I seen a few on the road in the evening just running on street lights, that is, cars with no DRL on, nothing.

[Stopeter44]

3 minutes ago, Catlover said:

It is a bit worrying to think that some drivers don’t know if they have headlamps on.  It must be real as I seen a few on the road in the evening just running on street lights, that is, cars with no DRL on, nothing.

Ah yes, saving electricity I guess. Staggers me, too, and especially so in tunnels! Some people are just completely unaware of their surroundings, you end up with some accidents waiting, or rushing, even, to happen.  To be fair, though, even the best of us have moments of inattention, and also moments when we are stressed/distracted by other things.

[GraemeWms]

The point I am making is this: On a typical vehicle (like all others I have owned), when I start the engine I automatically look at the instrument panel. At night, it would normally be too dark to see the instruments (no panel lights on) so if I hadn't thought of it already, it reminds me to put the lights on (that plus in front of the car its dark!). Now, I start the engine and the panel is illuminated and low and behold, its pretty bright in front too because the output from the running lights is even brighter in the dark. I have no reminder and so there is a risk I will not realise because I am driving in well illuminated roads. It is caused to a certain extent by my main car which has auto lights and so one can get out of the habit. Same problem with the handbrake when the other vehicle has an electronic one. It seems quite simple - why do the lights in the instruments need to be on in daylight?

 

[Stopeter44]

1 minute ago, GraemeWms said:

I have no reminder and so there is a risk I will not realise because I am driving in well illuminated roads. It is caused to a certain extent by my main car which has auto lights and so one can get out of the habit.

Your dilemma becomes clear. The Aygo does not have an auto light setting ?

[FROSTYBALLS]

 

17 minutes ago, GraemeWms said:

I start the engine and the panel is illuminated and low and behold, its pretty bright in front too because the output from the running lights is even brighter in the dark. I have no reminder and so there is a risk I will not realise because I am driving in well illuminated roads.

We've had 22 new cars, and the last 12 we've had (since 1998) from a variety of Japanese/Korean manufacturers have all had their instruments illuminated when the ignition is turned on, whether or not it is daylight or nighttime.

As I said in my first post of this topic, you can adjust the level of instrument lighting.

In the second generation Aygo, you have a warning light that comes on when the tail lights are turned on - it is just left of the 12 O'Clock position - which operates when you turn the light switch to the first position, and the daylight running lights turn off.

So you do have a reminder.

Conversely, you also have a warning buzzer, which, if the engine is turned off, the headlights are left on, and you open the door, lets you know the headlights are still on.

At the end of the day, if you cannot remember to turn the headlights on because you're used to the other car, isn't a fault with the car, it is you!

[GraemeWms]

1 hour ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

 

 

In the second generation Aygo, you have a warning light that comes on when the tail lights are turned on - it is just left of the 12 O'Clock position - which operates when you turn the light switch to the first position, and the daylight running lights turn off.

I KNOW there is a light telling me lights are on. The point is I would have to look for it. I am not saying to myself "are my lights on?" .  I always check the instruments when I start up. If I can't see them, then I get an automatic reminder "lights!". Dimming the panel lights isn't going to help. On my Golf, the dtrl's also had the rears illuminated.

[GraemeWms]

3 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Does your car have automatic headlights? If yes you can use this function, if not then when dark you know by default that you have to flip the stalk to turn your headlights ON as always has been on cars without auto lights. The DRL although produce a very bright light they lack of projection ahead and easily can be picked by the driver if look ahead and down, plus they have more blueish colour then led or halogen bulb lights. 

If I did, I would - I do on my other car. As I said elsewhere, my other car has an electronic handbrake which means you get out of the habit of putting it on in a more basic car.  Probably auto headlamps lead to the same problem but the natural reminder of dark panel isn't there.

[Catlover]

My car doesn’t have an electric “hand” brake, neither does it have a hand operated handbrake….. my Prius has a foot operated “handbrake”…….. that would really blow your mind. 😂

by the way….. welcome to the Toyota Owners Club. Enjoy.

[PetrolDave]

1 hour ago, Catlover said:

 my Prius has a foot operated “handbrake”

So did some older Mercedes too...

[TonyHSD]

4 hours ago, GraemeWms said:

The point I am making is this: On a typical vehicle (like all others I have owned), when I start the engine I automatically look at the instrument panel. At night, it would normally be too dark to see the instruments (no panel lights on) so if I hadn't thought of it already, it reminds me to put the lights on (that plus in front of the car its dark!). Now, I start the engine and the panel is illuminated and low and behold, its pretty bright in front too because the output from the running lights is even brighter in the dark. I have no reminder and so there is a risk I will not realise because I am driving in well illuminated roads. It is caused to a certain extent by my main car which has auto lights and so one can get out of the habit. Same problem with the handbrake when the other vehicle has an electronic one. It seems quite simple - why do the lights in the instruments need to be on in daylight?

 

If the car is new to you, you may need some more time and you will get use to it and won’t have any problems., or perhaps you can switch to  manual mode for operating your other car headlights and so you know that when is dark you have to turn on headlights manually, no error like that 👌 I am a night driver and I use manual mode to turn lights on and off a couple of times per night and even so sometimes I have a habit to turn the stalk again to make sure my lights are on, because  in some places the roads are very well lit and it’s difficult to see the lights are working, especially on wet roads. Double checking is the way to go. 👍

[Stopeter44]

2 hours ago, Catlover said:

my Prius has a foot operated “handbrake”…….. that would really blow your mind. 😂

That was pretty much standard on all US made cars, manual transmission and automatics. I never did figure out how to hill start on a manual transmission car with only a foot operated parking brake!

[FROSTYBALLS]

How about a simple solution.

When it is dark and you get in the Aygo, try turning the lights on before you put the key in the ignition.

That way, your lights are on, the drl's are off, and you don't need a reminder.

[Cyker]

12 hours ago, Catlover said:

It is a bit worrying to think that some drivers don’t know if they have headlamps on.  It must be real as I seen a few on the road in the evening just running on street lights, that is, cars with no DRL on, nothing.

Yeah I see this alarmingly often too. Had one guy on the motorway on the way home in a black car with no lights on at all! Wasn't 'til we got to an unlit part that they finally realised and switched their lights on!!  

To be fair, the brightness war is partly to blame for this - In my halogen-equipped Mk2, I literally couldn't tell if my dipped beams were on or not from just looking outside, as they'd be swamped by everyone else's super-bright HID/LED lights, and also the new LED street lighting that has been rolled out.

It's less of a problem (for me at least!) now that I've joined the dark-side with my Mk4's super-bright LEDs (Or should that be the light-side??  )

 

10 hours ago, GraemeWms said:

The point I am making is this: On a typical vehicle (like all others I have owned), when I start the engine I automatically look at the instrument panel. At night, it would normally be too dark to see the instruments (no panel lights on) so if I hadn't thought of it already, it reminds me to put the lights on (that plus in front of the car its dark!). Now, I start the engine and the panel is illuminated and low and behold, its pretty bright in front too because the output from the running lights is even brighter in the dark. I have no reminder and so there is a risk I will not realise because I am driving in well illuminated roads. It is caused to a certain extent by my main car which has auto lights and so one can get out of the habit. Same problem with the handbrake when the other vehicle has an electronic one. It seems quite simple - why do the lights in the instruments need to be on in daylight?

 

It's just something you'll need to get used to I'm afraid! You'll run into this more and more, as more and more cars start using digital displays which are, by nature, always illuminated.

I got used to it pretty quick as, aside from the Fiesta, all my cars have been some sort of Yaris, and they use EL dash displays so they're illuminated by nature anyway!

 

[PetrolDave]

VW have a neat system with a light sensor in the instruments that turns off the instrument illumination after dark if you haven't turned the lights on - so if you can't read the instruments then you know you need to turn the lights on.