meburdick

I previously owned a 2006 TL, and just got rid of an 08 MDX for my current 08 TL. I'm trying to figure out if my 08 TL's Auto Headlights are working the way they are supposed to or not.

If I put the headlights in Auto mode, and it's dark out, and the car is locked - are the lights supposed to turn on when I press the unlock button on the remote? ...when I open the door to get in?

If the lights are in Auto mode, the car is running, it's dark out and the lights are on, are the supposed to STAY on *after* I remove the key from the ignition / open the door to exit the vehicle?

I seem to remember that this is exactly how my 06 TL lights worked, and it's how the light in my MDX operated as well. In fact, the only difference that I can recall was that the TL would turn the lights off if you pressed the LOCK button on the remote twice.

How do *your* 08 TL lights work in Auto mode? My dealer is researching this to see if my lights are not operating correctly. I have set the Keyless Memory setting for the auto-off time on the lights to 15 seconds, but I can not find any other setting anywhere that seems related to approach / courtesy lights. The manual DOES discuss the lights being on after opening the door and exiting the vehicle, but I can't seem to figure it out.

TIA!!!

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

Auto lights turn in when it's dark out and turn off when it's light enough out. Thats it, they don't turn on or off when unlocking or licking your car.

If you have your light in the on position your headlights will come on and turn off when your locking and unlocking your car.

meburdick

What is your statement based on? What you say they *don't* do is exactly what they DID do in my 06 TL and my 08 MDX. Can you state definitively that the feature I described is not present in the 08 TL?

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

I'm just stating based on my 07 "auto" feature. If you want your lights to turn on and off when you lock and unlock your car the headlights have to be in the "on" position. from my experience, the auto feature only controls the on and off of the headlights depending on how light or how dark it is outside.

Bearcat94

You set the lights on/lights off timings in the MID under driver settings.

On the stalk, if you put the light on "auto", all does is turn the headlights on when it's dark and off when it's light. It doesn't set timings for when you start or turn off the car.

Owners Manual should have this info. If you don't have a manual, there's an online version if you register at http://owners.acura.com/landing.aspx

meburdick

The owners manual discusses the auto-off timer. It states that if the headlights are turned on via the Auto setting (due to low light), then the auto-off timer will apply when exiting the vehicle. However, my lights go off *immediately* after removing the key.

I am aware of where the auto-off timer is set, and I have set it. It's exactly the same as my MDX was.

I've been over the manual a dozen times, and all I can say is that it's very misleading at best...

It specifically states that the Auto-off timer is triggered when the lights are in the parking, on, *OR* Auto position (and the lights have been triggered to turn on by low light). It says that the timer fires after turning the car off, removing the key, and opening and closing the driver's door.

Bearcat94

So it really sounds like your MID Lighting Timer settings are not working the way you set them. Is that right?

Only thing I can think of is that the timer settings may be linked to each remote individually, so you might need to make sure you set the timer settings as "Driver 1" and "Driver 2". Not sure if you'd have to hit the memory buttons on the door or not.

That's the best guess I've got, and I'm not confident that is really the problem.

meburdick

Well, I guess that's the crux of why I've posted. The manual is 100% clear as mud as to whether the timings actually DO apply when the lights are in Auto mode. So, I'm hoping that others out there (with an '08) could help me understand how *theirs* work given the scenarios that I've written out.

The timer settings are linked to the different fobs, I believe. But, the only one I use is Driver 1. And, I've verified that the settings are set to what I want them set to. I guess what I could do is use the Driver 2 fob and set those exactly the same way. That way, there's no question as to what they're set to and no chance there could be a difference. But, I'm absolutely not hopeful that it will have any impact.

I don't believe the settings have anything to do with the door memory buttons. But, it certainly can't hurt to press them again after double-checking the settings.

wcurrin

I have an '08 TL-s and I understand what you are saying completely...if my lights are on "auto" and I turn the car off at night, they turn off immediately, they no not follow the timer settings assigned to the key at all....
I was wondering the same thing, my wifes car (any all other cars I have ever had with auto headlights for that matter...) the lights will stay on for a specific amount of time after the car is turned off to allow you to get in the house or whatever....i am kind of disappointed if this is how they work, i dont really want to turn my lights on and off manually to get the auto off function....that defeats the purpose of auto headlights.

Bearcat94

You're right. Clear as mud.

The way I read it, the Automatic Off Timer (the one you change in time for in the MID; they reference it as page 82), should work when "Headlights", "Parking Lights" or "Auto" is selected (underlined).

And I thought that's the way mine works, but can't say for sure with out checking - maybe it's just like yours.

Ruby

MID setting only applies to the interior lights. If you want your lights to turn on when you hit the unlock button, you MUST leave the switch on the stalk in the "ON" position. When you lock the car using the fob, the headlights will turn off.

NBP04TL4ME

Correct! This is explained in the April 2008 Acura Service News Bulletin -

Automatic Lighting and
Automatic Lighting Off Are
Different Features
Currently Applies To: ’07–08 TL
Do you know the difference between the automatic
lighting feature and the automatic lighting off feature?
They’re similar, but they’re not the same. Knowing
what’s different about them could spare you
needless troubleshooting time and effort. Here’s the
lowdown:
Automatic Lighting Feature
This feature is designed to automatically turn on the
headlights, all other exterior lights (parking lights,
taillights, etc.), and the instrument panel lights
whenever a special sensor on top of the dashboard
detects a low light level (at dusk, for example). For
this feature to work, you’ve got have the ignition
switch turned to ON (II) and the lighting switch set to
the AUTO position. When the sensor detects a high
light level (on a bright day, for example) or you turn
the ignition switch to LOCK (0), all of those lights
automatically and immediately turn off. There’s no
time delay.
Automatic Lighting Off Feature
This feature is designed to automatically turn off the
headlights, all other exterior lights (parking lights,
taillights, etc.), and the instrument panel lights after
you pull the key from the ignition switch and open
and close the driver’s door. The lights turn off after a
set time delay. For this feature to work, you’ve got to
have the lighting switch set to either the
headlight position or the parking and instrument
panel position. It doesn’t work if you’ve got
the switch set to the AUTO position. The default time
delay is 15 seconds, but you can also change it
using the HEADLIGHT AUTO OFF TIMER screen
on the MID and the controls on the steering wheel.
There are four settings to choose from: 0 sec,
15 sec, 30 sec, and 60 sec.
Want to learn more about these features? Check out
the applicable O/M in ISIS. Click on SEARCH BY
PUBLICATION, Consumer Information, Owner’s
Manuals, and TL. Then select the applicable manual
from the list.

meburdick

You said the previous post was "correct", but then you posted information stating it isn't 100% correct...

Yes, I understand the difference between Auto-off and the "Auto" setting for the headlights. But, the MID setting does *not* apply to only the interior lights.

I've done a lot of additional digging and reading on this, and it seems that the way this feature worked on my MDX is different from this TL and the previous one I owned. Chalk it up to a bad memory on my part.

The piece that I still do not understand is why the headlights turn off immediately after pulling the key when the lights are in Auto mode. The owner's manual seems to say that it DOES work in the Auto position, but this TSB says it doesn't. I'm not going to chase it any more except to ask the dealer to verify that the lights should go off immediately after removing the key when the lights are in the Auto position.

NBP04TL4ME

Sorry - you're right I was referring to the lights turning off with the ignition.
Share what the dealer tells you when you ask. The way I understand it is that the Auto mode is a mode or feature where you don't have to manually turn the lights on and off.
Although having the lights turn on when you use the remote to unlock the car at night is a nice feature (have it on the Mrs. MDX), I don't like the fact I need to drive around all the time day or night with the headlights on.

meburdick

As I already had said... I think my recollection of how the 06TL worked was "modified" based on how my MDX worked. If I can't have the lights on automatically when unlocking unless I leave them in the "ON" position, I'll deal with that. But, the manual seems to at least imply that they should remain on for a period after shutting the car down and they don't.

I'll pass along what the dealer provides for information, but I don't suspect it will be anything other than "the manual is misleading, and they are working as designed."

I have to tell you... It frustrates me that ONE car manufacturer can have so many different ways of doing things within ONE car line... Why can't they just share features?