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Can headlights go "on" permanently?
- Thread starter steph746
- Start date
Not according to what tesla says in the manual for the car you cant:
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Headlights
Exterior lights (headlights, tail lights, side marker lights, parking lights, and license plate lights) are set to AUTO each time you start Model Y. When set to AUTO, exterior lights automatically turn on when driving in low lighting conditions. If you change to a different setting, lights always revert to AUTO on your next drive.
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Model Y Owner's Manual | Tesla
Learn how the various interior and exterior lights work.
www.tesla.com
Exterior lights (headlights, tail lights, side marker lights, parking lights, and license plate lights) are set to AUTO each time you start Model Y. When set to AUTO, exterior lights automatically turn on when driving in low lighting conditions. If you change to a different setting, lights always revert to AUTO on your next drive.
I see. So, perhaps possible that this might change with a software update? I feel that this is a setting that we, as the driver, should be able to control. I think it's safer to drive with the headlights on all the time. While it's of course still possible to turn them on, I would rather not fumble around with the screen every time. What does everyone else think?
exxxviii
Member
Ditto this. With modern headlight technology, car headlights should just be on all the time, like motorcycles. There is no harm and huge benefit. DRLs were invented in a time when headlight bulbs burned out. Those days are pretty much over. In the spirit of Tesla's minimalism, just do away with the concept of a headlight switch altogether. Free up the headlight automation engineers to develop FSD.
exxxviii
Member
Modern headlights are life of the car. It is possible to burn out, but not probable.
NigelM
Recovering Member
Correct. Generally LEDs have around 20-25,000hrs of life depending on quality of build. Say Tesla went cheap and it's 20,000 hrs and outdoor extremes of hot/cold reduce that to 15,000hrs life. At an average 2hrs/day 365 days per year will still give 20 years of life. That's all worst case scenario.
Bikeman
Member
or just covering it, and not actually disconnecting the sensor. If you disconnect any Tesla sensor, it will no doubt force a service nag. Also, are we sure that light sensor doesn't do double duty for something else, like the wipers?
OxBrew
Active Member
Yeah, I would not block the light sensor. Seems likely to be used in other situations, maybe for the auto settings to switch to night mode display as it gets dark?
And they could add features that use it down the road too.
+1 for on all the time setting. DRLs are too dim usually, and don't include the taillights. And it's clunky if you do turn them on, with the nag/chime to turn them off when you park. My 2004 Subaru has had the headlights on literally since it was new. Never turn them off. (original bulbs too, but they are a bit dim).
And they could add features that use it down the road too.
+1 for on all the time setting. DRLs are too dim usually, and don't include the taillights. And it's clunky if you do turn them on, with the nag/chime to turn them off when you park. My 2004 Subaru has had the headlights on literally since it was new. Never turn them off. (original bulbs too, but they are a bit dim).
I had the exact same question. I think my Tesla would be safer if the headlights come on automatically with starting my car, as they do in Canada (by law). I had a service call and they confirmed that this cannot be done. It doesn’t sound like they even have it on their list for future upgrades. And I saw someone’s suggestion about the running day lights but this is not a good option because if you have those on then the actual headlights do not come on automatically! And you still have to turn the running day lights on every time so not much of a help.
2 things I would like -
1) The return of 'lights on with wipers on'. It seems like this used to be the case when I first got the car but was removed with some update, not sure why.
2) Voice command to 'turn on exterior lights'. This would resolve #1 for me. Not sure why this isn't a command currently.
1) The return of 'lights on with wipers on'. It seems like this used to be the case when I first got the car but was removed with some update, not sure why.
2) Voice command to 'turn on exterior lights'. This would resolve #1 for me. Not sure why this isn't a command currently.
MikeGracz
Member
From my experience, Tesla has somehow developed the least useful auto-headlight setting imaginable. First-world problem, I know...Maybe THE Most First-World Problem Of Them All.
My favorite headlight setting is having the lights on all the time while driving, and having them automatically turn off when the car is turned off. Even if the headlights stay on for a minute or so after the car is turned off (put in Park?) then automatically switch off, that is great too. I think this is the most common method in modern cars. When the car is "running", the lights are on. When it is not, the lights are off. My Subarus all did this (even back in 1983). The only other setting I have experienced is where if the headlights are left on, they remain on until they drain the battery. Not so convenient. Tesla has managed to capture the worst features of both.
I drive on rural 2-lane roads a lot. Headlights are required to be on where the posted speed limit is 45 mph or higher in my US state. It's safer. Every time I drive, I drive on one of these 45-mph speed limit roads. I usually like driving with my headlights on anyways because it is safer, especially in a rural environment where many drivers do not experience other cars on the road enough to be used to seeing them... or something like that...
From this perspective, Model S has achieved the absolute minimum convenience possible for an auto-headlight setting. It is nearly useless, and annoying. Headlights set on Auto only turn on at low light levels. Where I live, from the late Spring- early Fall it is basically not dark outside, so they will not turn on for about six months of the year. With headlights turned on manually, when you stop and want to leave the car it chimes to let you know the that the headlights are on: "Shut up and turn them off then, smarty-pants car!" If the lights don't get turned off (manually), they will remain on until you get into the car and start driving again, when the setting reverts to auto and the lights turn off. Oh, that's nice. I guess the setting is isn't really "Manual", it's: manually on, automatically off? If you do turn them off, you need to manually turn them back on when you start driving again, which at least makes sense, if slightly inconvenient compared to what Subaru achieved in 1983.
Jeez. I love the car, it is truly awesome, but this is the sort of stuff that makes me think FSD is a pipe dream!
My favorite headlight setting is having the lights on all the time while driving, and having them automatically turn off when the car is turned off. Even if the headlights stay on for a minute or so after the car is turned off (put in Park?) then automatically switch off, that is great too. I think this is the most common method in modern cars. When the car is "running", the lights are on. When it is not, the lights are off. My Subarus all did this (even back in 1983). The only other setting I have experienced is where if the headlights are left on, they remain on until they drain the battery. Not so convenient. Tesla has managed to capture the worst features of both.
I drive on rural 2-lane roads a lot. Headlights are required to be on where the posted speed limit is 45 mph or higher in my US state. It's safer. Every time I drive, I drive on one of these 45-mph speed limit roads. I usually like driving with my headlights on anyways because it is safer, especially in a rural environment where many drivers do not experience other cars on the road enough to be used to seeing them... or something like that...
From this perspective, Model S has achieved the absolute minimum convenience possible for an auto-headlight setting. It is nearly useless, and annoying. Headlights set on Auto only turn on at low light levels. Where I live, from the late Spring- early Fall it is basically not dark outside, so they will not turn on for about six months of the year. With headlights turned on manually, when you stop and want to leave the car it chimes to let you know the that the headlights are on: "Shut up and turn them off then, smarty-pants car!" If the lights don't get turned off (manually), they will remain on until you get into the car and start driving again, when the setting reverts to auto and the lights turn off. Oh, that's nice. I guess the setting is isn't really "Manual", it's: manually on, automatically off? If you do turn them off, you need to manually turn them back on when you start driving again, which at least makes sense, if slightly inconvenient compared to what Subaru achieved in 1983.
Jeez. I love the car, it is truly awesome, but this is the sort of stuff that makes me think FSD is a pipe dream!
MikeGracz
Member
i.e. This isn't just a "Can we have this feature?" request, it's more of: can we have a basic feature [headlights] that works better than the worst possible combination of auto-possibilities?!
BitJam
Active Member
I found a good (not perfect) solution with the S3XY Buttons from Abstract Ocean. I got them on sale for less than $200. I programmed one button to toggle the headlights on and off. If I turn them on with the button then they turn off (or switch to auto?) automatically when I park the car so I don't get that annoying nag to turn my headlights off when I leave the car.
They keep adding cool features like switching from chill to sport when you floor the accelerator or opening the frunk by holding the driver door handle open for two seconds. They might be able to add a feature to automatically turn the headlights on when you start the car. I have no idea how difficult this would be or if it would even be possible. But it wouldn't hurt to ask.
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
Well except that a lot of motorcyclists are idiots who think that if some light is good ... more must be better!
So they drive around with their high beam on dazzling all oncoming road users and consequently making themselves LESS safe
Oddly cyclists often do the same with thousand lumen front lights that they point directly in oncoming windshields rather than on the road (but who likes cyclists anyway?
)
OxBrew
Active Member
Hi, cyclist here. Ha Ha, good one. I figured out that to cancel the nag you can just put the car back in D and P again and the headlights go back to Auto. So the back half has a workaround. Still wish it would just always be on, as an option.
And no, I don't point my bike headlight in your face, it's aimed at the ground, about 20ft in front, just like most cyclists.
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