khiroshima

Did a search in this forum as well as Club Lexus, I must have used lame key words, but I can 't believe I am the first to wonder . . .

Is there a way to leave my headlights in AUTO mode, but not have them flip on every time I start my car in the morning?

I have always switched my headlight manually as it annoys me that my headlights switch on every morning when I start the car and then they turn off 10 seconds later (of course when it's light outside) when I pull out of the garage. I have set the Light Sensor Sensitivity all the way left (very dark), but it doesn't seem to have any effect . . .

I have resorted to selecting the "DRL off" setting, as that seems to be the most manual, but I really don't want the DRLs off. I guess now that I drive such a monstrous vehicle now, maybe DRLs aren't required to make me more visible. Thanks! KH

T4Fun

i just leave mine on the setting above auto. in this setting, the drls and tail lights are on always with the car.

when it gets dark, I switch it so the hids come on.

i too hate the fact driving in daytime lights go on and off. good way to burn out the hid ballast with on/off action constant action..

SaniDel

There may be a way to leave your headlights in the AUTO mode without having them come on "at the wrong time" but adjusting the sensitivity probably isn't the answer. We back our GX into our garage so we are facing daylight and still the headlights come on most days! They also come on if we stop under a bridge or simply drive under a deep overpass, regardless of the outside brightness. We deal with it by adjusting the delay to the minimum (30 seconds?) so they only stay on a short time after we shut down AND close the last door. Expect the lights to stay on in the garage as long as you are opening and shutting doors, plus the delay time.

You will also discover that the sensor that turns on the headlights is NOT the sensor that switches the navigation display into night mode, i.e., reverses the display contrast. That works well, reversing the contrast only as dusk fades into night. I wish there was a way to make the headlight sensor work the same!

One last detail for your consideration, depending on the laws in your state. Many eastern states require the use of headlights when it rains, i.e., if you need windshield wipers you also need headlights. Your AUTO mode may or may not take care of that for you as it may be overcast enough for rain and wipers, but not dark enough to turn on your headlights. When it rains, we manually turn on the headlights, which also gives us taillights… an important safety feature.
Regards,

SaniDel

Koz

The DRL will qualify for lights on when wipers are needed.

Koz

SaniDel

That's the letter of the law, but I am more concerned with safety than with legalities. When it rains, snows and obviously at night, you need more then lights on the front of the car… you also need lights on the back of the car, which DRL does not provide.

The AUTO mode turns on the headlights and the taillights depending on ambient light, but as we know the sensor that controls this is finicky and tends to switch too frequently. I am not comfortable knowing that my headlights AND my taillights are going off and on on a cloudy or rainy day as the ambient light slightly changes. My suggestion was to manually turn on headlights (which also provides taillights) rather than to rely on the AUTO mode on cloudy or rainy days when it is as important to be seen by other drivers as it is to see them.
Regards,

SaniDel

CdeFabio

This is why I leave mine on manual, I never liked the fact that they turn on in the garage. Plus I park in a garage at work so it would happen twice each day. I do miss the DRL's ...on my 2004 when the lights were off, the DRL's would always be on which was very nice.

Eppieguy

My 2012 has DRL's, you can switch them on / off through the custom setting through the Nav screen.

SW17LS

If you guys are worried about HID failure, I've had several Lexus vehicles with auto lamps and HIDs well over 150k miles that were started every morning in a garage, and parked during the day in a garage where the lights came on and off...never had an HID failure I considered premature. I did have one HID bulb go out on my old ES300 around 8 years/150k miles...but I don't consider that to be premature.

khiroshima

I guess that's the long and the short of it, failure and undo wear . . . The funny thing is that I always take care of and treat my cars as if I'm going to keep them for 20+ years, but I rarely ever get there, maybe I should stop being so concerned about the small stuff . . . If I have to replace a bulb at 150k, who cares? I was more worried about the ballasts, which I assume to be more expensive.

These are high-class problems, my friends . . . KH

SaniDel

That's what we discuss here ... problems that most car owners would love to have, but they are too busy with chronic breakdowns, poor dealer service and lousy resale value. We paid the "Lexus premium" willingly to avoid what others have to deal with. The only downside is that we have little to discuss and even less to complain about! ;-)
Regards,

SaniDel

CdeFabio

Thanks for the tip, I will have to check that tonight! I know you can turn the dial on the lights to the top and turn them on but when you do that you also have to cycle past auto, and on which turns on the HIDS for only a sec which is what I am trying to avoid to begin with.

CdeFabio

Update, the setting in the NAV screeen is on. It appears only to apply when the system is set to Auto, the DRL's are on. Otherwise, they are off.

Eppieguy

Ahhh..., Did not know that. Interesting.

SW17LS

Yeah, you have to enjoy the car, and to me I want to enjoy all the features on the car. I like the automatic lights, I like the auto tilt steering wheel, whether using these things may wear something out faster or not...these things are the reason I bought a luxury car in the first place IMHO.

SaniDel

Amen to that!

The only thing missing is auto-folding side view mirrors. The only thing we control manually is the "Micro Dust and Pollen Filter" feature, which reverts to automatic after three minutes:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...en-filter.html


Otherwise ... our GX 460 is "set and forget"!
Regards,

SaniDel