I have a hard time believing that a 2004 Acura with every other feature that I dont even need doesnt have auto headlights that a 92 Lexus has.

Am I missing it? What Ive been doing is leaving the headlights on all the time and they turn off when I lock the car. Problem is they are on all the time during the day and when I get out it makes an annoying beeping sound to remind me Ive left them on. I bet running with the headlights on will make you get a little less MPG as well.

Any thoughts or way to get around this?

 

Less MPG?
by running accessories? maybe A/C.

no, there is no auto headlight mode.

 

I'm sorry but I have to laugh at the MPG part

The 2004 TL came out 6 years ago and had some great pro's and con's. One of these con's was the lack of auto headlights. But who really needs auto headlights? If you don't know when to turn the lights on you shouldn't be driving! Even in my feature laden 760, I turn on the headlights myself!

If you want to leave your headlamps on all the time and get past the beeping, I don't know of a way to turn off the beep so you are out of luck. If you want to get some auto headlights in your car, some companies do sell automatic headlight kits, I believe KP technologies sells a module.

FYI Auto headlights were added on the 2007+ TL's.

 

I Didnt know that.
but that damn tape player is still there.

 

Cool thank you guys. Is that module specific for Acura TL or a universal part? I wonder how hard that would be to install. I would do it if it was plug and play for sure.

yeah people report having the driving lights on in a C5 Corvette reduces your gas mileage by 1mpg

 

I've got Auto Headlights.


AND a Tape Deck.

 

^^^ Likes mod list

 

I thank God my '04 and '05 TL's don't have auto-on headlamps. I can't stand them. Had them on my previous car, a 2002 Altima SE, and always bypassed them. They are not good for HID headlamps. Besides, I don't need a car to do for me what I can do myself.

 

I never use the auto feature. If I need headlights I just turn them on when needed.

 

Why is it not good for HIDs??

 

I hate using auto headlights too. I have an '07 and they put the "Auto" selection before the "On" selection. Which means people like me who don't use them, have to deal with them every time they turn their lights on. I've put some electrical tape over the sensor so my parking lights don't flash when the car thinks the lights should be off (doesn't work well).

I HATE this feature because of they way they integrated it. The idea is fine for people who want it. I'm not saying it's a dumb feature, just that it should be last on the switch, or first on the switch, but not before "On" (Auto-->Off-->Parking-->On). Or they could have even made it a button in a different place.

Sorry for the rant, but does anyone have a good fix for this? Maybe a wire in the column can be pulled out of a connector so the car doesn't know when I fly by the auto selection?

If anything we should be bitching about auto wipers. I drove a Saab up the Alaska Highway last summer (2,000+ miles) and NEVER had to touch the wipers. They were that good!

 

Oh, and the "Bad for HIDs" most likely refers to cars (like the Saab) that have headlights that only turn off when the car is off. Meaning, they come on right when you put the key in. They are then starved for power during the start cycle. Which makes them turn off sometimes and have to re-ignite.

For auto headlights like the TL's, I'd say the worst part could be during night starts. I have never tried it, but they might try to come on during the start cycle.

I've also heard of a lot of people complaining about them coming on when they pull in their garage. They come on for a few seconds before you turn the car off (which is a waste). Short tunnels may also cause this.

 

Not sure the technical reason/cause, but HIDs do need to stay on a while to warm up and if they dont it will decrease their life. And just like Mug described, if your lights turn on and off every time you drive in and out your garage and while driving through tunnels you would be putting a lot of excess wear on them.

 

The less time you're switching lights on and off, the longer the ballasts and bulbs will last. I don't know about most of you guys, but my night driving is probably only 15% of my normal habit.

 

A couple of other folks gave an answer, so I'll only add this. There may be a number of times when you don't wish to use your headlamps for whatever reason (perhaps your parking lights will do fine). But with auto-on headlamps, you loose control over when and under what conditions you want to use them. This is assuming, of course, that you have no recourse - can't bypass them for manual operation.

Turning HIDs on and off frequently, and flashing to pass or warn, is not a good thing for the ballasts or the lamps. Best to only use them when your intent is to leave them on for a bit.

 

I'll add my .
I hate auto headlamps not only because of the above mentioned wear, but I don't want my car telling me when I should have them on. Maybe that's why I have a 6spd...i don't want my car telling what gear to be in either. But, to each his own.

 

on my other car the lights would turn on when it got dark out and not be on when it was light out. Simple as that. If you wanted you could manually turn them on and off or have it in auto mode...I also have a 6 speed lol. Not really seeing anyones point here. And while it will cause more wear I dont think this is going to cause my balasts and bulbs to fail within the next few years. The lights are simply on all the time and have plenty of time to warm up.

 

then you should have bought an '07.

 

I didnt know about not having auto headlights i thought all cars after 1990 did!

Is there a fuse to pull to stop that or can someone tell me where the speaker is so I can disconnect it

 

i'll let you know how to remove the chime when I do mine

 

I really don't mind not having the auto headlights. It just took me some time to get used to since I came from a 2002 Pontiac that head automatic headlights. And as others said, I hated that thing turning on itself when I didn't want them on.

About a week ago I turned my lights off at a gas station to pump and I left without them turning back on. After a mile later I finally realized that I had them off after this one car flashed at me at an intersection.

My only complaint is that the "light on" indicator underneath the speedometer is same for both parking lights and headlights.

 

If you really want to have the lights on during the day here is a DIY fix for us 04-05 guys~!

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/g-029-diy-independent-fog-lights-stock-switch-772633/

 

this really has nothing to do with what Im asking

 

I thought I read somewhere there was a module you could add to get the auto headlights in the car. Same company also made a module for auto windshield wipers - which is something I value more than the auto headlights. It can get annoying to have to keep adjusting the intermittent speed of the wipers in varying rain conditions. Atleast with the headlights, you just turn them on/off and end of story.

 

My fiances mercedes has auto wipers they are annoying and work terribly!! There always going slow then super fast most of the time with no rhyme or reason

 

Must be german electrical engineering at its best. On my GS350 and and RX350 they work flawlessly.