Can't turn headlights off

[Gabner]

Hello,. I have a 2008 roadster with the battery upgrade.

I can't get my headlights to turn off. I think I've tried everything. I've gone through the manuals.

Headlight switch is in the off position, when i turn it to on i get a warning that my headlights are on. I turn it to off, the warning goes away but the lights are still on.

Can anyone help me with this?

Thank you.
Gary

 

[Cheetah]

Hi! Do they turn off when shutting down the car? If so, we have the exact same problem

 

[Gabner]

The headlights are on when I'm driving and when I'm charging all night long.

The headlights turn off when the car is not on and not charging.

 

[slcasner]

The headlights are driven directly by the Switchpack, so this symptom may indicate a failure in the Switchpack. I've not had any personal experience with this, but I've read posts here in the past saying that the Switchpack is located behind the instrument cluster where it's a pain to access. And that replacements are expensive and hard to find.

 

[Peter.h]

I'd agree with @slcasner - sounds like a switch pack fault.

The switch pack sits behind the instrument cluster. For access you need to remove pretty much all the dash panels (side waterfalls, airbag cover (which requires new pins to reattach), center vent cover, instrument cluster hood, steering wheel surround, and the pad itself) - a couple hours in my experience.

The logic of the switch pack is fairly straightforward once you look at the circuit diagrams in the service manual.

You could probably identify the relevant wires (light switch in, headlight/tail light/IP lights out), disconnect them from the pack, and wire in a relay as a stop gap while you find a way to replace/rebuild the switch pack itself.

 

[walla2]

Do you ever think a modern car company will design something easier to service? This sounds horrible to deal with so hopefully it never happens to me.

The model S X 3 battery replacement or air filter replacement is also unncecessarily complicated and these kinds of things should be a part of the design process. I realize more work means more service hours but that is highly dissatisfying to non-Ferrari level purchasers.

Great to see such expertise in the forum on where to find the problem and what to do. As always.

 

[Gabner]

Hey i appreciate your responses.

I didn't describe my problem very well. Now that I understand it a little better, i realize I need to characterize it further.

The car seems to charge okay when I plug it in, however it stops charging after less than 10 minutes at 118 miles. The screen doesn't show any errors it just says charging stopped. I have the 3.0 battery upgrade.

I've noticed the lights turn on when the charger port opens.
Is this normal?

The headlights stay on while it's charging and then turn off when it stops charging.

I've noticed lately anytime the car is on I can't turn the light off.
Is this normal? I just assumed it was always on running lights that I didn't notice before.

I'm going to do some more searching on this forum thank you for your help.

 

[Gabner]

Hi! Do they turn off when shutting down the car? If so, we have the exact same problem

Hey cheetah,
Sorry to hear that.
Can you tell me what you know about your problem?

Do you lights stay on while charging?

 

[Cheetah]

Hey cheetah,
Sorry to hear that.
Can you tell me what you know about your problem?

Do you lights stay on while charging?

No they don’t, my lights are always on when the car is ‘running’. So when I remove the key, the lights shut off as well.

Given I mostly drive in daytime, I just think it’s a waste of energy and it shortens the lifespan of the lights as well.

 

[coolVariable]

No they don’t, my lights are always on when the car is ‘running’. So when I remove the key, the lights shut off as well.

Given I mostly drive in daytime, I just think it’s a waste of energy and it shortens the lifespan of the lights as well.

I actually leave mine on ALL THE TIME.
Makes you more visible and these cars are so small/easy to miss ... it is much better to do anything you can to increase visibility.

 

[Cheetah]

I actually leave mine on ALL THE TIME.
Makes you more visible and these cars are so small/easy to miss ... it is much better to do anything you can to increase visibility.

You're right, people try to change lanes into my Roadster on a weekly basis I always rest my thumb on the honk button for those situations.

I'll get the lights replaced with LEDs soon, then I don't have to worry about it as much.

 

[Gabner]

You're right, people try to change lanes into my Roadster on a weekly basis I always rest my thumb on the honk button for those situations.

I'll get the lights replaced with LEDs soon, then I don't have to worry about it as much.

Who's doing your light replacements?

 

[Cheetah]

Who's doing your light replacements?

My local Lotus dealer/garage vanderkooisportscars.nl

I let them do all the maintenance, never going back to Tesla Amsterdam and their terrible service.