Always-On headlights not possible??

[Prefect]

I am used to drive with my headlights (low beam, rear lights) always on. My Volvo, SAAB and Mazda had it like this by default. As soon as you turn the ignition on, the lights where on.

I personally don't like the daytime running lights because the rear lights are not on, which makes no sense.

And in the Model S, apparently the front and rear fog lights are inoperative if you don't have the low beams on! That is very stupid.

I like to use my rear fog lights for signalling if I have to. And I want to have my rear lights on all the time while driving.

In my old Mazda RX-8, it was a simple relay that the dealer installed to achieve this.

How can I do this in the Model S?

 

[CHG-ON]

Easy. Go to the controls screen and select "on" from the headlights section. That's how it works in the US, at least. And I totally agree: it is so lame that the low beams must be on to use the fog lights. It's some sort of stupid American thing. With the lows on, the fogs are completely useless, which is why I didn't order them. Fortunately I rarely ever deal with serious fog.

 

[Ingineer]

Just put a piece of opaque tape over the daylight sensor. (located near the rear view mirror.)

 

[green1]

Fog lights requiring low beams is law in many jurisdictions, if you happen to live in a sane jurisdiction where this is not the case, congratulations, but you're still going to be screwed over to bring you in line with the rest of us.

I find they still provide some functionality depending on the amount of fog. Instead of thinking of them as low-beams for fog, think of them as high-beams for fog. In really dense stuff your low beams are still a problem, but in stuff that's just dense enough that you can't use the high beams, the fog lights fill that role relatively well.

 

[Prefect]

Just put a piece of opaque tape over the daylight sensor. (located near the rear view mirror.)

Perfect! :-D Actually a very good suggestion. Thank you!

Easy. Go to the controls screen and select "on" from the headlights section.

That does not work. This only activates the headlights till the next drive. They switch back to "auto" after you park the car.

Why is there no "always on" or "remember this setting"? Strange..

 

[jerry33]

Perfect! :-D Actually a very good suggestion. Thank you!




That does not work. This only activates the headlights till the next drive. They switch back to "auto" after you park the car.

Why is there no "always on" or "remember this setting"? Strange..

After you set them, move the seat so that it will ask you to save or restore, which will save the settings. I used to drive with headlights on, but don't with the Model S because the DRLs are bright enough. When it's light out, sometimes it's hard to distinguish between taillights and brake lights, so it's likely better to not have them on.

 

[Max*]

After you set them, move the seat so that it will ask you to save or restore, which will save the settings. I used to drive with headlights on, but don't with the Model S because the DRLs are bright enough. When it's light out, sometimes it's hard to distinguish between taillights and brake lights, so it's likely better to not have them on.

If that's the case, then it's a bug. The manual clearly states "If you change to a different setting, lights always revert to this AUTO setting on your next drive." [page 49]

 

[green1]

When it's light out, sometimes it's hard to distinguish between taillights and brake lights, so it's likely better to not have them on.

That's nonsense. When it's light out sometimes the taillights are hard to see at all, but the brake lights are distinguishable in all cases, and many studies have shown that it is safer to drive with tail-lights than without regardless of how bright it is out. There is never a downside to having those lights on, and there is a definite safety upside.

That's the one place I thought our DRL law went wrong, forcing lights on only one end of the car. Not only is it less effective then having all lights on, it's also more complicated as the designers had to integrate specific lights, or circuitry to only specific lights, instead of simply turning on the lights already in place on a setting that already existed.

 

[Andvib]

I personally don't like the daytime running lights because the rear lights are not on, which makes no sense.

Agreed! EU legislation doesnt require daytime rear lights, but it doesnt prohibit it either, I think? I would much prefer a setting for always on (safer), one would think a relatively easy software change without downside for Tesla.

 

[jerry33]

That's nonsense. When it's light out sometimes the taillights are hard to see at all, but the brake lights are distinguishable in all cases, and many studies have shown that it is safer to drive with tail-lights than without regardless of how bright it is out. There is never a downside to having those lights on, and there is a definite safety upside.

That's the one place I thought our DRL law went wrong, forcing lights on only one end of the car. Not only is it less effective then having all lights on, it's also more complicated as the designers had to integrate specific lights, or circuitry to only specific lights, instead of simply turning on the lights already in place on a setting that already existed.

My bad there. Most DRL studies were done years ago when brake and taillights were much dimmer. Interestingly, at least in Canada, there is no regulation against having the tail and/or marker lights on. It's just that car manufacturers don't do it.

 

[jcaspar]

Just put a piece of opaque tape over the daylight sensor. (located near the rear view mirror.)

Problem solved without software rewrite! Excellent.

 

[green1]

Problem solved without software rewrite! Excellent.

As long as you don't mind no longer having automatic day/night mode on your screens....

 

[Prefect]

So, what jerry33 said is definitively not the case?

Can the light be controlled over the web-api or the app? Maybe there is a work-around?

 

[jerry33]

So, what jerry33 said is definitively not the case?

Can the light be controlled over the web-api or the app? Maybe there is a work-around?

I always thought you could do it because light settings are saved, but I just tried it, and it's only DRL that can be saved. Sorry about that. I didn't see any work-around.

Take-away here is don't get up at 02:00 and then work till 20:00 several days in a row.

 

[Prefect]

OK thank you for the test!

Sad, that there is no solution for this problem... This is just software, there is no reason to prevent the always-on light setting.