midas69

Is this right? No day night sensor to turn them on and off? Kind of shocked by this. Or am I missing something?

djlandkpl

Correct. The headlights will stay on day or night, until you shut the car off and the delay setting turns the lights off.

Jss1

You aren't missing anything. I have been complaining about it for a year! Even my old Bonneville had it and it was a 1990 model!

deandorsey

OMG is this true?!?! can some PLEASE scan a copy of the manual so i can turn my lights on myself!

and how am i supposed to know when to do this? do i have to wait until it is totally dark or can i wait until the sun just starts to go down? do i have to do this procedure every night?

TL42

GunnmeTaLCURA04

bro... couldn't of said it better myself... and to think that someone one time gave me red points for comments i made on things like we need this and we need that. and i said then go get a car that has it all that.. i mean if u buy a car dont you do the research first? well see yaaaa

rontatuaf

Points to you Mr. deandorsey. A good illustration of the cup half full or half empty. This car has tech features that cars costing twice as much don't have but we'll all look for the one thing it doesn't have.
Did you know we don't have power tilt and telescope or power pedal height adjustment. In fact we have no pedal height adjusment at all. My God! I had a 52 Hudson Hornet that had a 308 ci flat head inline 6. Why doesn't my TL have that.

midas69

The point is, I did do my research. I talked to 3 different salesmen. All 3 mentioned the automatic headlights.

midas69

What an asinine comment. Why do you need navigation? You can just ask for directions. Why do you need a radio? You can just hum a tune in your head. Why do you need heated seats? You can just wear a heavier coat. Why do you need turn signals? You can use hand signals. Why do you even need a car? You can take a bus.

Aquineas

Nope, it doesn't exist (I don't suppose you're a former Nissan owner are you?)

midas69

Yes I am. 2002 Maxima.

ShotoTL

I found the lack of auto headlights an oddity, but have really come to like the manual on feature. At least it dings at you if you leave them on, and will automatically shut off for you. I also found the auto sensor in my 02 Altima to be exceptionally poor, cycling my lights at times when passing under bridges in the late afternoon...not exactly good for HID's, not to mention the annoyance to other drivers.

deandorsey

your first mistake was listening to the salesman!

if you leave your lights on and lock the car by hitting the fob twice they will turn off, then when you unlock they will turn back on.

don't get upset dude the comment wasn't directly at you--

these complaints I see on this board everyday are asinine--this is the most anal bunch of "car enthusiasts" I have ever seen.

people dont relize that this is an -entry level sport lux- car, not a maybach. and that every car will have problems no matter what you pay.

some days (everyday?) I get sick of reading the 90% bitching posts as opposed to the 10% informative posts

btw-my grandmothers buick has auto on lights and they are so aggravating to figure out it is almost funny-- if it takes me that long to figure it out-how the hell is an elderly person (their target market) supposed to?

Attorney

I'm sure it's me but I just don't see the big issue. We have auto-sensing headlights on our KIA Sedona family van and neither myself nor my wife use the feature. I want to know when the lights are on and off. I want to be the one to turn them on and to turn them off -- and not get into the dangerous habit of allowing technology do that for me especially when I jump into a car (e.g., a rental) without auto-sensing headlights.

Repecat

On my last car, I turned the headlight switch to "On" when I got the car and left it that way for 6 years. The lights went on when I started the car and off when I shut it down. That way I had DRLs which is a good saftey measure. I'm doing the same thing with the TL. Sure, the bulbs won't last as long, but that is outweighed by the saftey factor.

Pro Stock John

I was expecting auto-on too because my other cars have had it.

Don't worry, one dealer told me that the 05's were 3 inches longer than the 04's... I desperatedly researched that on here.

Zatoichi

I have auto-lights on my 00 Tahoe and have developed the habit (good or bad) of not having to worry about my headlights. GM seems to have a good set-up w/o too much unnecessary cycling on & off. I enjoy the feature and wish the TL included it, but knowing that it was not available obviously did not make it a deal breaker.

I have been juggling the idea of having the lights on all the time. I believe Acura may have intended for this or at least encourages it by having the icon w/in the instrument cluster. I have only seen icons for hi-lights ON, but never normal headlights. As for life of the bulbs, it has been my understanding that HID bulbs last longer than regular Halogen units. So much longer that it should outlast your car anyway. Is this correct?

JDM5lugHatch

Did you have a Subaru? Thats the way it was with my '00 RS and '02 WRX.

casooner90

When you are looking through the manual, help me find the button that will automatically roll the window down whenever the outside temperature is perfect. Better yet, is there a sensor that will automatically slow the car down when ever a cop is within radar gun distance? That would be sweet.

Bitium

The worst thing about it is that the TL has a day night sensor. My 99 TL has it too, but no autoheadlights I still wonder why? should it have it...YES, will it have it in 06 most likely.

Montez

Auto on headlights arent that great when you have HID's, they turn on under overpasses and when you pull in and out of the garage. Excessive on/ off cycles brings their life down considerably and we all know how expensive they are although they are covered under warranty for a while. I leave my 350Z and Maxima on the manual setting.






03 350Z auto 14.05 @98.01 stock
03 MaxSE auto 14.62@94.35 stock
Former 02 TLS 14.78@93.96 stock
89 Maxima GXE 17.10@82.05 stock (bad weather car, ran it for the hell of it)

SpringsAcura

The point of not having a twilight sensor for headlights so that the driver will intentionally leave them on all the time. The timer will turn the headlights off set to the driver's preference -- 0, 15, 30 or 60 seconds after turning off the car. It's one among many preferences that the driver can set -- exclusive for each driver. You can set for 30 seconds and wifey can set for 60 -- your choice!

DallasTL

We all know salesman vary greatly in their knowledge, so it is ultimately your responsibility to resarch the vehicle.
Also, my wife's MDX has the auto lights and auto wipers. They are great when she's got the kids and may need these features to assist her, but most of us are enthusiasts and can easily decide when the lights need to be on.

foot3ch

I don't know why ppl bitching about this auto headlight thing. I am actually glad that TL doesn't come with that feature. It happened to me couple times, I was being followed w/ a stranger, I just stepped on my gas and turned off my light and hide somewhere when I got an opportunity.

Road Rage

Good one!

I mean, it is already bad enough I have to press the brake pedal - an elf should spring out of nowhere to do this! No....sensors attached to my head should read my brain waves, and take action. Just as in "Firefox". The only problem is, i will need to think in Ohioan - Ohioan!

missmyprelude

I've had cars in the past (including an 89 model GM) that had this feature. There's no high tech involved with it, it's just a stupid useless option (ok, that's my opinion, but I'm sure Acura/Honda agrees). In fact, I didn't use them back in 89, and I don't use it now on my wife's Lexus. The lights simply don't go on/off when they should (or when I want them to). This is true for every car I've driven that included them.

So, with that along with the fact that HIDs are advertised to last the life of the car, I just leave the lights ON all the time. Plus, it's a lot safer having your lights on during the day anyway. What's the big deal? Just leave 'em on!

JackSprat01

I doubt that Honda thinks it's a worthless feature. The MDX has it. I couldn't give a rat's ass either way for the feature, but Acura must put it in the MDX for a reason.

Aquineas

lol seems as though this is one small thing that many former Nissan owners (including myself) miss. Enjoy your TL!

midas69

Yea I'm missing that and one other big one, the heated steering wheel.

Anyway, while some people hate this feature, I personally loved it. Here in Chicago the street lights are so bright that it's sometimes hard to remember to turn them on. The nice thing is that the Chicago police have no problem remembering to issue you a ticket if you do forget.

I'll probably opt to just leaving them on all the time. I'm not worried too much about burning them out since I'll be under warranty for the life of my lease. But then I'll have to deal with constantly changing the NAV screen display.

JetJock

Auto Headlights???...pleezee.....I'd rather turn them on when I want them on, not when the sensor wants them on...geeze..how lazy can you guys get?? Stupid feature IMHO.

deandorsey

MDX does not have HIDS

Road Rage

What reason is that, do you suppose? Folks that make an "argument" based on the "must be a reason" theory kind of cop-out intellectually, in my opinion.

Maybe their demographic studies indicate many buyer's are unaware of how a car works - my wife thinks the car "makes heat" when the heater is switched on - my explanation of hot water from the coolant does not seem to cut it for her - so when she drives, i get cold air blown at me. Honda may have found that their potential owners WANT that feature in that market segment - while TL owners are more involved with their car's functionality, and so are given the option of deciding what should happen with their headlights. Personally, I could care less about the automatic feature, as I prefer to make the decision - and as other shave said, HIDS (like most high energy devices) last longer when they do not have repetitive on/off cycles, with the attendant inrush currents (same reason i leave all my audio equipment (over $60k worth) on 24 x 7; as an EE, I understand why this can extend the life of the equipment). Others who buy a $400 system may like the auto off feature.

As you say, there must be a reason - well, in this less than perfect world, oversight is also a possibility.

BTW - as i recall - the MDX does not have HID lights - it has Halogens. Oopsie.

midas69

It's a feature, that's all it is. You don't have to use it if you don't like it, but it would be nice to have. As an example, I hate the tilting side-view mirror. But trying to infer that people that like that feature are less of a driver than myself is pretty stupid. It's just a feature that the TL is lacking and that other cars, not even in it's class, have had for years.

There are always features that aren't going to appeal to every person. Do you really think someone that lives in Las Vegas cares that much about heated seats? Do think someone that's deaf really cares about the ELS sound system? I'll give you my personal one, the sunroof. I never drive the sunroof open, I hate the noise. And at my height, the extra headroom would be much more appreciated. But just because you open the sunroof when you drive doesn't make you less of a 'driver' than I am.

Dobber

Boy, talk about complaining about small usless features. My 74 260Z had a hand operated choke. Thats one feature I don't miss. Instead of dwelling on the things our cars don't have, I prefer to appreciate all the nice things they do have. Maybe were becoming to spoiled with all the amenites to appreciate them. If you had to drive a 30 year old car around for a week you wouldn't.

Aquineas

Good grief guys, all he did was ask if it was present. He didn't complain that it wasn't there, he just asked if it was there because he'd been informed it was. If you don't feel it's a useful feature, then so be it. Don't read the thread. A simple "no, it's not present" would be good enough.

midas69

In the first place, my original message was not so much a complaint as a inquiry. I am disappointed that it doesn't have it but that's not the same as a complaint.

In the second place, as I've already pointed out, everyone considers some features useless that others consider important. That's why the whole world doesn't drive the same car.

tommyt37

agreed damn people are jumpimg on him for just asking a question.. he wasn't bitching about it.. just a feature man some like it some don't.. I happen to like it..

Dobber

My post wasn't directed at your question but at some of the replies to it.Just look at the 3rd post.

SouthernBoy

Yep, they're manually turned on and I am glad they are. My former car, an '02 Altima SE, had auto-on headlamps and I hated them. I am so glad the TL does not have this "feature". Especially since we have Xenon headlamps. Frequent turning on and off or flashing your headlamps is not good for the ballasts and will shorten their life.

I do like auto-off, though I never use it. It's nice to know that if I should forget to turn them off (I've never done this on any car I've owned), they'll turn themselves off.

midas69

I still don't understand this. At least on my Maxima, you could turn off the automatic lights. I can understand not wanting to use the feature. But I don't understand being happy that it's not included since there is no negative impact. Yea, it probably adds $10 to the price of the car, but so do plenty of other features that don't interest me.