I'm pretty sure what the answer is but... Is there any way, with the car in motion, to force the footwell lights to come on? The vehicle in question is a Model S 85D, April 2015 build, tech package with autopilot (and various other options that are probably not relevant) but no premium lighting. The use case for this is that we're on the road and a passenger drops something to the floor, and needs to use the footwell lights to find it. "Dome" on the center console GUI doesn't do it. And because the car doesn't have premium lighting, there's no "Ambient", which I'm not sure would turn on the footwell lights anyway. Opening a door turns on the footwell lights, but is obviously not safe to do when the car is in motion. Thanks for any insights!
Only way that I have figured is to open a door. I have to do that repeatedly when vacuuming the carpets in my garage because it is a black hole without the floor lights on. The domes stay on all the time with the door open. But the floor is timed for some reason. Probably not the best idea while driving...
Even with premium lighting, the Ambient switch does not turn the lights on if you toggle it. Opening the door is the only way I know of to turn on the footwell lights. I keep a small mag-lite flashlight in the glove box for these occasions, and general emergencies.
This is another area where Tesla could really improve on. The new S class and 7 series have crazy interior ambient lighting while the car is in motion. .
Thanks all for the confirmation that I'm not missing anything obvious. I'll probably do the mag-lite flashlight route.
I have premium lighting. It isn't exactly as premium as I'd been hoping. I don't mind interior lighting, esp if it is red or blue, which do not interfere with the driver's vision at night. No idea how to force them on... this is the closest thing I can think of... on my list for some day in the future when I get bored: Amazon.com: LEDGlow 4-Piece Single Color LED Interior Underdash Lighting Kit - Blue: Automotive
