Just be like me and keep your headlights on 24/7. Before I see the "You're stupid dude!" flames, allow me to explain.

First of all, it looks sick. My car is black/black w/ 15% tint....projector beam xenons on top of that makes for a pretty sick looking ride. Whenever I see other TLs with the headlights on it looks really sharp.

Second, LED's supposedly last much, much longer than conventional bulbs. Ditto for xenons vs. halogens. So I figure that they won't be going anytime soon.

Seriously though, I did that as just a a temporary fluke...and have driven with them on ever since.

The omission of auto-headlights in this car like this is ridiculous.

 

Um...there is an "AUTO" option on the headlight stalk?

 

Personally don't see the use for auto-headlights.

Makes you forgetful, in my opinion.

 

Not sure about the TL's but my TSX lights become auto-headlights when you leave them on the on setting, leave them on lock and walk away from the car TADA lights turn off LOL.

 

Think. He has an 06. You have an 07. 04-06 TLs didn't have auto-headlights.

 

Nice! That's what I mean!

I also like how they turn on (and off) with the key fob. I love walking out of work at night, hitting "unlock" and watching the lights *BAM* on. It looks sharp. I deliberately park backwards so I have that every time I walk out. Lol.

 

lights on 24/7=ballast issues..trust me, i know from experience

 

Perhaps my friend but once you've had it you're gonna be pissed when you don't. My last car wasn't nearly as phat (Infiniti I35) as this one and it had it.

 

? Could you explain? I have no idea what "ballast" means.

 

Got it. My mistake.

 

I understand what you mean about not having it in a TL.
I actually had it on my '89 Cutlass Supreme [gone] and my dad's 'o2 Silhouette minivan.
It is a nice feature... and a little odd that older less luxurious cars had them.

I say it's forgetful because after a week or two of driving a car with auto-headlights I may forget that my TL does not have it. Thus I may end up driving the TL for X minutes before realizing I need my lows on.

It is a nice 'safety feature'... but in a way it wouldn't have to be a 'safety feature' if it was never introduced.

 

Yeah man.

Lol, like I said, the solution to my little problem is the first post.

It's a win-win.

 

good idea, i never thought of that...

crazyasiantl lights on 24/7=ballast issues..trust me, i know from experience

please further explain

 

Is this thread talking about headlights turning off if you leave them on. because I have an 04 and mine will turn off automatically without the key in.

 

No, I'm bitching about the fact that my car doesn't have "set it and forget it" headlights that a cheap POS Chevy has.

Bluetooth standard but no auto lights?

I guess they fixed that in 07 but damn!

 

The only problem with this solution is that all the lights are on whenever the car is running. That means side markers, rear lights, license plate lights etc. The front may look nice, but during daylight hours really don't want people seeing all the lights on.
And you are correct, even a POS Chevy has the auto headlights. I've said this before, this is the first car I've owned in 20 years that didn't have the auto feature, but with all the other amenities, I’ve learned to live with it.

 

I doubt anyone is gonna be offended cause I like my lights on. Actually, I thought that would work in my favor as soon as I smoke out the taillights. It would look blacked out but you'd still see some red in there. As far as the lighting goes, the side markers/tailamps are LED, so I'm not too worried about them going out anytime soon, like I said.

 

sigh. these threads pop up from time to time, along with the threads from the folks with 07+ that bitch about having auto headlights and want to know how to disable it. lol

 

I abhor auto-on headlamps. I put them in the same category as auto-seat belts or auto-only defroster or A/C. I want to be the one who controls when and if I am to use my headlamps, not some flunky designer who may have thought it was cool to have them come on automatically.

 

OP- I too tend to have my xenons on more than necessary. I always have them on if its dark (obviously), if it'd raining, and when its cloudy. Never when the sun is shining bright though as that is a complete waste. I keep them on in those other situations because drivers around here blow and everything you can do to let people know "oh hey there's a car there" is a good thing. Plus..peope seem to go a lot faster when I'm driving behind them with my lights on. The TLs xenons are some of the brightest OEM ones.

 

Yeah its not a huge deal for me but my old 1993 Taurus had auto headlights, they would go on when it was dark. Had a photosensor.

I think some of the people with 07 and 08 bitch about the DRL not auto headlights. I think to do this right you would need to wire in a photosensor.

 

I don't like this feature either. I would take it out of my car and give it to you if I could. I feel like it drains my battery when I'm waiting for the fuel pump to prime before I start my car in my garage. It also makes the backup camera dimmer when I'm backing out of my garage until I get out into the sunlight.

 

Hey you can always shut them off, and it is a PIA without them. Why would anyone not like auto headlights, especially from a safety perspective, as in some states the headlights must be on when the wipers are on? The Jeeps had that also, headlights on with wipers on.

Don't know why we have the need for automatic climate control in our cars as you also control that manually.
Looks as if the items you control manually we don't need, but must say these are more popular to have than have not.

Why auto trunk release, put a lock back there and do it manually, manual seats, no problems as they can be adjusted up down forward, backward, and also lumbar in and out. Why have the windows/sunroof down option, just open them up after enter?

Let's be realistic its 2010, not 1970.
Guess I’m done.

 

[quote=Turbonut;11866907]Hey you can always shut them off, and it is a PIA without them. Why would anyone not like auto headlights, especially from a safety perspective, as in some states the headlights must be on when the wipers are on? The Jeeps had that also, headlights on with wipers on.

I agree with him, I mean auto headlights should be a standard feature in all cars...I don't see what's not to like about them

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyasiantl

lights on 24/7=ballast issues..trust me, i know from experience

^Very true.

 

Auto headlights for me = an aftermarket DRL module using the OEM fogs. It turns the fogs on at +/- 70% power with the ignition key, and turns off upon removal of the key. This mod has no need to use all the rest of the exterior lighting during the daylight hours.

I avoid using the headlights during the day for two reasons: frequent use of the headlight ballasts firing the HIDs up, and constant illumination of the interior lighting, which will result in burnt bulbs in the dash. I consider my DRL module a cost-saving measure, if anything, since some sort of headlamp illumination is required by law on a large stretch of my commute.

My wife's Mazda 3 has auto headlights, and they seem to be too sensitive for both of our tastes, so we leave it at the manual setting since her car is sporting HIDs as well.

 

And those issues would be??? ...None. As long as you turn the lights on after you turn the car on, and turn them off before you turn the car off, you will not see any issues with the ballasts. I have my lights on all the time and have not had one issue in 2 years. I also installed two sets of HIDs in low beams and fogs in my old car and also kept them on all the time and never saw any issues with those either.

I like how both of you made this accusation and provided nothing to back it up with

 

All I know is that it is beyond a reasonable doubt to me that the more an item is used, the more of a chance something will eventually fail, adding to your maintenance costs. I sleep better at night knowing that I can always replace my DRL module in five minutes and for $30 instead of replacing a ballast which affects the headlight operation all together (and can be considerably more expensive and time-consuming to replace).

 

The OP wanted the lights to turn on/off with the keyfob when the car is not turned on.

 

wow, just chill for a second..if the lights are always in the on position, that means the lights will come on when you unlock the car. after a few seconds, they will turn off until you open the drivers side door.

all of this firing up of the ballast is hard on it and leads to premature wear, especially if you leave your lights in the on position and make a lot of short trips in your day..or say you unlock your car, the lights come on, you let your gf or wife in, the lights go off, you open your door and they come on again.

i know southern boy and i had this discussion a few months back and im sure he and others can back me up on this.

after replacing one ballast at Acura ($700), im done leaving my lights on during the day

so thats my explaination

 

I am aware of that. My comment was not directed to the OP, it was directed to the two people whom I quoted in my post. Obviously.

 

Well you're talking about literally keeping the lights in the "ON" position; which will most definitely have an adverse effect on the lights/ballasts. Which is why I said this:

If the OP is doing as you say and just keeping the lights in the "ON" position all the time, then he is less than smart.

And I hope you stating you paid $700 for a ballast is about a $600 exaggeration, because if you really paid that you got so royally screwed it's not even funny.

 

Technically I have no problem with the concept of auto-on headlights, since it is made to be a safety feature.

My problem comes when people rely on the car to do these things for them all the time instead of having a safe attitude themselves and turning on their own headlights. If you forget to turn on your headlights once in a while, no complain there, but if you want the auto-on feature just so you can be lazy and not flick one switch on your car every time you are driving at night, then you're just a moron.

I personally like not having auto-on headlights on my TL. I had it on other cars I've owned before and I actually found it annoying especially when you are driving under an overpass or stop in some intense shade on a sunny day.

 

i thought this is what the op is doing.

and the cost of the ballast was price of the ballast and installation, i had just bought the car and didnt want to mess with it..this was before i found Azine

 

That is exactly what he wants to do which he can do if he didn't have hids to begin with. You will start to experince flickering of the hids if you keep the lights in the "on" position when the car is off. I think and I could be wrong if you use a delay of some sort it might be more safe for the ballasts in the long run. Just don't ask me how to wire it in because I don't.

A couple of people I can think of that could help would be Rockfeller or rodneyc

 

Totally totally agree with you there.
I drove my cousin's 'o9 Corolla for a month and began to hate the lights.
It has a switch for 'auto', 'parking lights' and the lows. But for some reason... nothing on that light stalk works. It appears to always be auto... I can't have the parking lights on when I want them or the lows when I want them. Instead the car will turn them on for me instead.

Like you said, it is annoying as you go under an overpass, intense shade, or even go into a parking-complex.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASASN21

And those issues would be??? ...None. As long as you turn the lights on after you turn the car on, and turn them off before you turn the car off, you will not see any issues with the ballasts. I have my lights on all the time and have not had one issue in 2 years. I also installed two sets of HIDs in low beams and fogs in my old car and also kept them on all the time and never saw any issues with those either.

I like how both of you made this accusation and provided nothing to back it up with

^^No accusations.....i just agree that running the lights on at all times is bad for the ballast.

Ever since i bought my TL 3 years ago i do what the OP says and leave them on at all times. I agree it looks great and i too am bothered by having to turn them on manually. Last month one of my lights stopped working. The dealer service rep said "it must be bad bulbs (HIDs) because in my 10 years working here i have never had a ballast go bad on a customer.....we dont even keep them in stock because of this". Well i changed the HID and problem continued....it ultimately was the ballast which really surprised him and lucky for me my warranty covered the $500 ballast replacement. The only reason i can think of why that this part that "never goes bad" went bad on my car is because i run the lights on at all times. Might be an assumption on my part but it would make sense given the circumstances.

 

i turn my lights off during the day everytime, because the TL with GPS, it turns the brightness on the GPS screen down so you cant see anything when its bright out. so when i see a TL drive by with the headlights on during the day, i know they dont have the GPS because if they did they know they shouldnt have the lights on, unless you wanna into the menu and change the brightness everytime.

 

... or you just go to the same menu and take the LCD brightness off auto and leave it on the day setting at all times.

 

What are you doing.. trying to bust my chops. Hell no I don't like them. I had them on one car and didn't like them with that one. God gave me a brain and two hands so I am perfectly able to turn my headlamps on and off when needed.

1970? ????