Lights on the Jazz

[Jeff15]

The lights seem to have a mind of their own....Spooky

[Jazzik]

                     
What do you mean?

                                        Something like this? 

[Kremmen]

The only issue I have is that I'd like to see them turn off sooner in daylight.

[Jazzik]

Maybe, but even that doesn't really bother me. Better too late switched off than too late switched on!

[nowster]

The only issue I have is that I'd like to see them turn off sooner in daylight.

Actually, in the misty gloom this morning there were more cars driving around without lights than I was comfortable with (as a pedestrian). The drivers probably thought they were perfectly visible.

[Jazzik]

I suppose the vast majority of these unlit cars were grey? 

[Kremmen]

The issue I'm referring to was 11:00 in the morning. It was far from dark and not misty at all, visibility was almost perfect. Agreed it was a tiny bit overcast but I felt uneasy in places being the only car on a busy motorway with main lights on.

I fully agree that there are a lot of drivers who use lights to see, not to be seen, but this was extreme.

[sportse]

I finally found another Mk4 driver in the local area - unfortunately she seems to have manually switched her light switch to sidelights only whenever she drives.

The first time I saw her it was dark and foggy and she could barely be seen.

I’ve seen her since then and she had sidelights only too - it looks like Honda have programmed the lights to stay on longer than usual for people like her… except she has overridden the auto settings.

[Kremmen]

I wonder how?

I was unaware we had sidelights.

Edit:

Just been out to investigate .....



Top to bottom :

Top, Off, spring loaded and only works in "P" to turn lights off.

2nd, Auto, Big brother.

3rd, "Position Lights", looks to me like DRL's and Tail lights, difficult to tell the position lights power when I can't get the full power DRL to trigger at the moment.

4th Dipped headlights.


So if I ever get another daytime instance where the light sensor seems to think it knows better I'm switching to position lights.

[ColinB]

... she seems to have manually switched her light switch to sidelights only whenever she drives.

I suspect no-one’s told her the lights are automatic and she thinks she has to switch them on and off, but is getting it wrong (see below). When we first got a car with auto wipers several years ago, my wife insisted on continually switching them on and off manually, it took some time to get her to realise that she didn’t have to do that, it was just habit because she’d always done it that way.

I wonder how?

I was unaware we had sidelights.

If it’s like the Mk3, then the rotary switch on the end of the lighting stalk has several positions. It’s too easy to turn it just one click to the sidelight position and think you’ve turned the headlights on because the dashboard indication will tell you the lights are on. But you need to turn it to the second position to get the headlights.

Given that modern cars have DRLs I’m not sure of the point of sidelights, the only thing I can think of is that the taillights will come on with the sidelights. Do the DRLs go off and get replaced with less bright lights at the front when you manually switch the sidelights on?

[Kremmen]

As in my post above, I need to assess the relative brightness, but in my posted midday experience position lights would be a far better solution than full LED headlights.

At the moment my guess is that position lights are dimmed DRL's, looks like the same lens surround.

[aphybrid]

The only issue I have is that I'd like to see them turn off sooner in daylight.

Actually, in the misty gloom this morning there were more cars driving around without lights than I was comfortable with (as a pedestrian). The drivers probably thought they were perfectly visible.

Generally I agree with that delayed switch on preferred however similar to other comment in morning in that strange evening light we call the 'gloaming' (twilight)  with a little mist my lights went off and everyone else's who had auto lights) stayed/came on. Also my car shining grey.

[ColinS]

The only time my lights fail to come on is in fog and then I switch them on manually.  As for them being on when I wouldn't normally expect them to be, so what! I couldn't care less.

[ColinB]

As in my post above, I need to assess the relative brightness, but in my posted midday experience position lights would be a far better solution than full LED headlights.

At the moment my guess is that position lights are dimmed DRL's, looks like the same lens surround.

The edit with the picture wasn't there when I looked earlier ... that's exactly the same as on the Mk3.

BTW the position lights are only intended for use when parked in dimly-lit areas (hence the name). Using them in lieu of dipped headlights when driving seems fraught to me. Highway Code Rule 113 says it's OK but only on roads with <30 limit, although that's confused by Rule 115 which says you must use dipped headlights. Any car with only (dim) position lights showing risks being lost in the glare of the searchlights of the other cars on the road.

[culzean]

The only issue I have is that I'd like to see them turn off sooner in daylight.

Actually, in the misty gloom this morning there were more cars driving around without lights than I was comfortable with (as a pedestrian). The drivers probably thought they were perfectly visible.

I think the thought process goes like this ' driver without lights sees a a car with lights on and assumes because he can see them that they can see him/her'.   I am assuming that they think at all 

But why is always the darker / battleship grey vehicles that do not have lights on,  maybe because the owners of lighter more visible coloured cars bought the colour because they are more 'safety minded' anyway, and more likely to put lights on when needed.