Rear lights in the day?

[VeliVel]

In my other car I could put the side lights on and drive and it would just keep the front drl on but the tail lights would light up while driving. In this new model soon as pass 6mph the auto lights kick in so obliviously the tail lights turn off. Is there a way to have them on in the day when it’s a dark day or rain and I just would like them on or not?

 

[Massimo 2323]

Hi Velivel no there is no setting that will enable the tail lights to go on with the front drl. Only with Vag coding it is possible to get this working.

 

[VeliVel]

Okay thanks, it’s a shame they have removed that option as you like to show them off and defo comes in handy when it’s raining and it’s very dark day, but not dark enough for the main beams which would turn them on.

 

[Wallop]

Never pressed it but there is a foul weather button on the light switch.

 

[SRGTD]

I can’t remember the last time I drove with just sidelights on - probably back in the early 1990’s. Sidelights are often referred to these days as position lights or parking lights, suggesting they’re intended to be used primarily when the car is stationary- e.g. when parked up at night in a poorly lit location, when it might be creating a potential hazard to other road users. Turning on a car’s position / parking lights / sidelights (or whatever you want to call them) in these scenarios helps other road users to see it.

IMO, position lights / sidelights aren’t really bright enough for other road users to be able to see you clearly when a car’s being driven, especially in conditions where visibility is reduced, such as rain during daylight hours or very dark days. Also, in most modern cars with LED DRL’s, the DRL’s double up as position lights / sidelights but operate at a reduced intensity / brightness level compared to when they’re operating as DRL’s. So when a car is being driving with only sidelights on, the visibility of that car to oncoming road users and pedestrians is reduced, making it a potential hazard to others.

I always leave my lights in the ‘auto’ setting, but I’ll manually override the auto setting if I need my headlights on at other times and the car’s light sensor hasn’t switch the lights on automatically (e.g. daytime fog, daytime rain). Driving using just sidelights is a ‘no-no‘ for me - I don’t want to increase the risk of causing - or being involved in - an accident because I’ve reduced the visibility of my car to other road users and pedestrians.

 

[airforced]

SRGTD is quite correct in his analysis. These days with DRL's and auto headlights becoming stanard features across all manufacturers the number of cars you see with only sidelights showing in gloomy conditions are getting less and less fortunately. However even with these features features it pays personal safety dividends to keep any eye on the conditions and whether your software (VW take note) is operating as it should and switching lights ON when they should. Switching them on manually would always be advisable as an enhanced safety feature if the software isn't behaving as promptly as you would like. My last car, an S90, was very slow to turn on the lights in gloomy conditions sad to say, so my intervention was usually necessary in such conditions. Not everyone thinks this way but they should in my view. Glad someone else is of a similar mind.