Headlights
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,216
Likes: 4,345
From: Chirper Island
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 34,916
Likes: 12,328
From: NE South Carolina
Wish all cars had to have lights come on when dark and with the wipers, automatically and no defeat switches——Why?
One of the many examples around here occurred recently when it was raining very hard and I had to take the Grand Sport into town some 20 miles. Came back using my normal back roads route.
A car was behind, on my bumper, wipers on full and no headlights. The few times I could see the windshield it obviously had a dark tint. It was riding my bumper as I was driving slower than normal in a twisty narrow section of road with dips and puddles. The Vette pulled to the right if that wheel hit a puddle. There were no shoulders and a ditch a foot or so off the road. Car behind was on my bumper the whole way. Reached a mile long straight section past farm fields and thought it might pass. No such luck and no place for me to pull over.
About 5 miles later the car pulled into a long line of cars at a school. No doubt a mom late to pick-up her kid!
At the end of my street I have to merge into a 4 lane divided highway passing over the two lanes directly in front and often having to park at a very careful angle in the narrow center divider to watch through that very small rear side window in the C7 coupe for a spot to merge. If leaving at dusk where most cars have their headlights on, it’s inevitable one does not! We live in a rural area with no street lights so it is a hazard.
When I drive and see one in 100 cars without their lights on after it just turns dark, I flip on my high beams as a signal. Never helps, folks don’t understand the meaning around here!
That is why they should be automatic! I asked a person why they don’t use daytime running lights and they said to save energy! Ridiculous. Be the first ones to complain about Start/Stop that saves so much more.
One of the many examples around here occurred recently when it was raining very hard and I had to take the Grand Sport into town some 20 miles. Came back using my normal back roads route.
A car was behind, on my bumper, wipers on full and no headlights. The few times I could see the windshield it obviously had a dark tint. It was riding my bumper as I was driving slower than normal in a twisty narrow section of road with dips and puddles. The Vette pulled to the right if that wheel hit a puddle. There were no shoulders and a ditch a foot or so off the road. Car behind was on my bumper the whole way. Reached a mile long straight section past farm fields and thought it might pass. No such luck and no place for me to pull over.
About 5 miles later the car pulled into a long line of cars at a school. No doubt a mom late to pick-up her kid!
At the end of my street I have to merge into a 4 lane divided highway passing over the two lanes directly in front and often having to park at a very careful angle in the narrow center divider to watch through that very small rear side window in the C7 coupe for a spot to merge. If leaving at dusk where most cars have their headlights on, it’s inevitable one does not! We live in a rural area with no street lights so it is a hazard.
When I drive and see one in 100 cars without their lights on after it just turns dark, I flip on my high beams as a signal. Never helps, folks don’t understand the meaning around here!
That is why they should be automatic! I asked a person why they don’t use daytime running lights and they said to save energy! Ridiculous. Be the first ones to complain about Start/Stop that saves so much more.
Last edited by JerryU; Nov 25, 2018 at 07:23 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,539
Likes: 1,170
From: C&D 10 Best loop
I'm happy to risk a burned out light in exchange for every car being brightly visible at all times.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,001
Likes: 2,701
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
On our C6, if I held the light switch to Off before hitting Start, the lights would come on anyway. So I would hit the Start button and .0001 seconds later, turn the light switch to Off and hold that way until the engine started. Need to cycle the light switch again after pulling out of the garage.
I've been using the same technique on our C7, never checked to see if holding the light switch to Off before starting would work. Anyone with experience?
Another way, probably better, to solve the problem is to screw an additional fitting into the garage door opener light receptacle and install a bright light aimed at the sensor on your dash. If you can start and back out of the garage before the opener light times out (3 minutes?) then the lights won't come on unless it's night outside. I need to set that up in our garage for all three cars.
I've been using the same technique on our C7, never checked to see if holding the light switch to Off before starting would work. Anyone with experience?
Another way, probably better, to solve the problem is to screw an additional fitting into the garage door opener light receptacle and install a bright light aimed at the sensor on your dash. If you can start and back out of the garage before the opener light times out (3 minutes?) then the lights won't come on unless it's night outside. I need to set that up in our garage for all three cars.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 136,140
Likes: 2,432
From: I live my life by 2 rules. 1) Never share everything you know. 2)
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
You do the math
Racer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 313
Likes: 107
From: N.E. Ohio
To Zaro Tundov - daytime running light have nothing to do with the design of our light switches.
To JerryU and KenHorse good luck with your lights. I have never owned another vehicle that would not allow me to back out of or enter my garage in full daylight without the lights needlessly cycling on. DRLs are another issue entirely.
To JerryU and KenHorse good luck with your lights. I have never owned another vehicle that would not allow me to back out of or enter my garage in full daylight without the lights needlessly cycling on. DRLs are another issue entirely.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,425
Likes: 3,608
From: Commerce Texas
I have 79,000 miles on my C7, my buddy has 81,000 - which means the lights have come on and gone off - a lot .... zero problems.
Tazz, you've got 184 posts - look at how many KenHorse has.... there's wisdom there....
Tazz, you've got 184 posts - look at how many KenHorse has.... there's wisdom there....
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E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 34,916
Likes: 12,328
From: NE South Carolina
Last edited by JerryU; Nov 26, 2018 at 04:15 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,887
Likes: 1,555
From: Calgary Alberta
Going to have to disagree with you 100% there. The vast majority of Ken's posts are in the Politics cesspool of a sub-forum. Those posts should be subtracted on a 10 for 1 basis, so Ken has about -950,000 posts.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,425
Likes: 3,608
From: Commerce Texas
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,216
Likes: 4,345
From: Chirper Island
To Zaro Tundov - daytime running light have nothing to do with the design of our light switches.
To JerryU and KenHorse good luck with your lights. I have never owned another vehicle that would not allow me to back out of or enter my garage in full daylight without the lights needlessly cycling on. DRLs are another issue entirely.
To JerryU and KenHorse good luck with your lights. I have never owned another vehicle that would not allow me to back out of or enter my garage in full daylight without the lights needlessly cycling on. DRLs are another issue entirely.
Talk about a double whammy!
Racer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 313
Likes: 107
From: N.E. Ohio
As far as your little white ball in the hole problem, perhaps you're not stroking it right.
I was unaware that the number of someone's posts was any indication of quality, helpfulness, intelligence, or other useful metric. As for myself, I have a life in the real world that will prevent me from ever having an extremely high post count.
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 39,046
Likes: 17,917
From: DFW Area TX
It's only "an inexcusable design fault" if you really care about the lights coming on in the dark garage scenario. Three generations of Corvettes with this design, all daily drivers and never an issue with the headlights (or tail lights).. So, I see absolutely no design flaw. I like the fact that the lights come on automatically when conditions dictate the lights should be on. Like some others have said, I think all cars should have this so there wouldn't be so many idiots driving without lights when their lights should be on. To me, a design that allows you to defeat this feature is a design flaw.