xB headlights will not turn off automatically, when i stop engine and pull key or open driver side door. And its buzzer is is too weak to listen.
Possible to forget putting off and run out of battery.
Why don't 2008 xB have feature which I have on my 20 yr old 1988 camry??
is it possible to put this feature on xB at dealer/DIY sensors....

you bought a $17,000 economy vehicle, its not going to have luxuries like you would get in a $30,000 car.

If you want to put it in, good luck, thats gonna be a lot of wiring. Is it really that hard to see your headlights on when you get out of your car?

If you're that worried about it, you could try replacing the buzzer with a louder one. (Maybe even a horn!)

Is it hard to see the light on? If you have your lights on, it must mean nighttime/somewhere dark.

Is it hard to see the light on? If you have your lights on, it must mean nighttime/somewhere dark.
I once had to fire a woman (not that gender matters) for claiming that she was 2 hours late for the 2nd time because her battery died again after not realizing that she left her headlights on at night when she pulled into the garage.

I told her she could blame it on telling me a lie, or utter stupidity, the choice was hers. :ttth:

Is it hard to see the light on? If you have your lights on, it must mean nighttime/somewhere dark.
I once had to fire a woman (not that gender matters) for claiming that she was 2 hours late for the 2nd time because her battery died again after not realizing that she left her headlights on at night when she pulled into the garage.

I told her she could blame it on telling me a lie, or utter stupidity, the choice was hers. :ttth:

HA HA HA :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Is it hard to see the light on? If you have your lights on, it must mean nighttime/somewhere dark.
I once had to fire a woman (not that gender matters) for claiming that she was 2 hours late for the 2nd time because her battery died again after not realizing that she left her headlights on at night when she pulled into the garage.

I told her she could blame it on telling me a lie, or utter stupidity, the choice was hers. :ttth:

hahahh what a mean boss!!!! :no: :no:

hahahh what a mean boss!!!! :no: :no:
Keep in mind that this was a pattern, and she had many other equally bad excuses.

But yes, I'm a terribly mean boss. :come:

hahahh what a mean boss!!!! :no: :no:
Keep in mind that this was a pattern, and she had many other equally bad excuses.

But yes, I'm a terribly mean boss. :come:

hahahah i love mean bosses i tend to mess with them :P :P

greeks don't take much sh!tt :blah: :blah:

greeks don't take much sh!tt :blah: :blah:
Neither do New Yorkers, so you're a double-whammy; I definitely won't mess with you. :nails:

:) we are nice people once you get to know us :)

xB headlights will not turn off automatically, when i stop engine and pull key or open driver side door. And its buzzer is is too weak to listen.
Possible to forget putting off and run out of battery.
Why don't 2008 xB have feature which I have on my 20 yr old 1988 camry??
is it possible to put this feature on xB at dealer/DIY sensors....

get a hearing aid? I can hear mine just fine. Oh and I can see the lights on too.

get a hearing aid? I can hear mine just fine. Oh and I can see the lights on too.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

you bought a $17,000 economy vehicle, its not going to have luxuries like you would get in a $30,000 car.

If you want to put it in, good luck, thats gonna be a lot of wiring. Is it really that hard to see your headlights on when you get out of your car?

First of all, i am amused to see replies. Instead of constructive suggestions, you guys seems to ridicule a post which is talking about genuine problem.
As I said my 1988 camry, which is worth $300 and not $30,000 has this feature still working. So are most of camry and corrola's have it. it is not something expensive for scion to put a door switch to make this happen.
BTW, how many of you guys walk in front of the car every time to see if headlights are on, every time you park???

One big reason why the light buzzer may not be any lounder than it currently is:

"The mission statement for Scion is to satisfy a trend setting youthful buyer through distinctive products and an innovative, consumer-driven process. Scion is different because both the product and the buying process are designed specifically for the trend-setting, youthful buyer's needs. The purpose behind Scion is to launch a new marque targeted at the trend-setting Generation Y youth market. "

So usually someone from the Generation Y group has pretty good hearing.

You'll get into the habbit of shutting off your lights soon.

Look you are asking a bunch of car owners why engineers didnt install something... If you want our guess it is cost vs benefit... They figure leave out the sensor and give them a sweet iPod hook up instead...

you bought a $17,000 economy vehicle, its not going to have luxuries like you would get in a $30,000 car.

If you want to put it in, good luck, thats gonna be a lot of wiring. Is it really that hard to see your headlights on when you get out of your car?

First of all, i am amused to see replies. Instead of constructive suggestions, you guys seems to ridicule a post which is talking about genuine problem.
As I said my 1988 camry, which is worth $300 and not $30,000 has this feature still working. So are most of camry and corrola's have it. it is not something expensive for scion to put a door switch to make this happen.
BTW, how many of you guys walk in front of the car every time to see if headlights are on, every time you park???

You own a SCION, a vehicle built by Toyota that is sold at a FIXED price & has very little PROFIT. There are going to be things that they have to cut corners in because of this.

And if you can't hear that beeping noise to advise you your lights are on, then you are deaf seriously. That thing is plenty loud (and very annoying).

This is the closest thing I've found that will turn off the lights when the ignition is turned off. It also includes a darkness sensor that will automatically turn the lights on at night, and off during the day.

http://www.dsp-mobilityelectronics.com/accessories/head.html

BTW, google is your friend.

Take a look at the DEI 545t. There's a seller with 5 of them on eBay right now. I believe this to be the complete kit to install a photo sensor that will turn your headlights on after 5 seconds of darkness and off after 10 seconds of light.

There's a nice 3 page write up here:
http://www.team-integra.net/sections/articles/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=1234

I just eBay'd one for $25 shipped. I wasn't thinking of doing this mod but for $25 it sounds like a really cool addition to a great car. Now I have to figure out where to mount the sensor... I might have to pull the top of the dashboard and install it from underneath for the cleanest look.

Very nice find rockthebeef!

Please do a DIY write-up and pictures when you install it in your xB. :pray:

Thanks.

Very nice find rockthebeef!

Please do a DIY write-up and pictures when you install it in your xB. :pray:

Thanks.

Sure, I can do that. It seems like a pretty straightforward installation (I hope).

More info on the DEI module here:
http://newscionxb.com/2nd_gen_scion_xb_talk/auto_onoff_headlight-t400.0.html

technically all you need to do is setup a relay that cuts the output of the headlight switch when the ignition is turned off... it's not really that hard. And if that DEI is like most of their other modules, it's pretty damn easy to install ;) They make good products

Well I got the module in the mail yesterday. It isn't "new" like the auction said. The wire for the photosensor had been obviously clipped and some of the wire ends look like they had been twisted. The kit is complete though, just not brand new.

It did not come with a wiring diagram or anything. DEI's website had nothing, but I luckily got it via customer service. I emailed them and got the pdf document the same day! Props to DEI for that.

The diagram is straightforward but there are a lot of wires to tap into. I'm having second thoughts on this project as I never really wished for automatic headlights. There is an additional switch in the installation that can bypass the automatic function. I assume you just leave the original headlight switch in the "on" position and leave the 545t switch "on" as well for full automation. I can see a very confused driver if one of these swithces is turned off. With a total of 4 switch combinations it kinda seems like a mess to me. I'm still thinking this one over...

xB headlights will not turn off automatically, when i stop engine and pull key or open driver side door. And its buzzer is is too weak to listen.
Possible to forget putting off and run out of battery.
Why don't 2008 xB have feature which I have on my 20 yr old 1988 camry??
is it possible to put this feature on xB at dealer/DIY sensors....


I know what you mean, I also have a tC and i love the convenience of self turnoff headlights, i turn of my car take the keys out and as soon as i open the door the lights turn off.

I don't see the difficulty of scion incorporating this with the XB's.

i agree, after trading in my 07 tC...i was looking around for this particular feature. call me lazy...but...that was pretty convenient!

older yes...my MKIII supra turbo had this feature; maybe it was an eightees thing?? heheheh
But even still...price of the car 17K..doesn't matter...the tC's price point is just about the same.

OK, the buzzer on the XB SUCKS! Toyota doesn't have a fix and could care less. A headlight delay shutoff system would be great but they don't offer it and I was wondering if anyone knew who might make an aftermarker system for the XB? Now for the people who have said "what you can't see your headlights at night"? Have you considered people that have their headlights on during the day for safety?

An engineer at Toyota decided to put the buzzer on the back of the display guages and against the firewall to deaden the sound, that's why he's not a rocket scientist.

I agree %100 on this.. it blows.. even my 1998 corolla had auto lights... It ____es me off.. I will drive my wifes sienna a few days, then my car,, and forget to shut off my lights..

Man people are lazy. Why is it so hard to turn the headlights off? Just a flick of the wrist and wham-o! I use my headlights whenever I drive and somehow I manage to turn them off each time. Not that hard especially considering the xB2's have a light that tells you when your lights are on. The xB's don't and I don't complain.

Man people are lazy. Why is it so hard to turn the headlights off? Just a flick of the wrist and wham-o! I use my headlights whenever I drive and somehow I manage to turn them off each time. Not that hard especially considering the xB2's have a light that tells you when your lights are on. The xB's don't and I don't complain.

its not hard at all, the fact of the post is why does 99% of toyotas and scions have this but ours doesn't...

So what, you wanted a 17k vehicle and they needed to cut things and still make a good product. Would you rather they cut safety features and keep automatic head lights so they can keep the price of your vehicle at 17k? I see having a safe a reliable vehicle is worth the effort of turning off a light switch. The again, my wrists rotate properly.

FWIW -- I ran into a thread on another forum mentioning this problem early last Fall. A couple people made a mod that caused a relay to fire off the horn if the vehicle was shut down with the headlights on.

I was looking for ideas at the time and this seemed like a legitimate opportunity (my Eclipse automatically shuts down the headlights when the key's removed), so I made a mod that disables the headlights when the key's removed -- much like the Eclipse.

Never noticed this thread before -- I see it goes back aways.

How did you make the mod?

I think the xB should come like this standard. My 2002 econo Hyundai Elantra has it. I mean, if Hyundai included it on their cars as standard equipment 9 years ago (my elantra came out in 2001), you would think Toyota could pull this off as well.

When I rented the xB I noticed it didn't have this feature and I thought the reminder "buzzer" was too quiet too.

I think anyone not willing to flick their wrist is plain lazy. You pay a he1l of a lot more for a home, and those lights don't turn off when you exit the room, do they? why is it a huge deal in your car if it's a daily activity you perform in your home?
17k or 300k, it's not that hard.

Big_Bird makes a point.
VSC, or an auto headlight?

Lights that turn off in your house have never been known to be standard equipment. Whereas in cars, even other cheap cars made almost a decade ago, it is.

I guess if you've never had it, you wouldn't know what you're missing. It has nothing to do with laziness and more to do with convenience, features, and common sense. Why would anyone want to do it manually when an automatic means is available? I mean, using your "lazy" argument, we could all be hand cranking our cars to start them too. It doesn't make sense to do that any more, of course. Just like it doesn't make sense not to include auto on/off headlights, when it's a 10-20 year old feature that many people have come to expect now. Same with power windows... keyless entry, and a lot of other stuff.

As for VSC / stability control, that will be government mandated on every car soon -- by 2012. So, it's pretty much not even an option any more.

And still cars tothis day do not come with power windows, and keyless entry. Why? because ot needs top be affordable and practical, not something luxurious. Regardless of the fact that it's been aorund for this many years, if it doesnt have it, and the burden was so large to everyone, why bother with the car in total?
the kia soul and nissan cube have them, maybe that should have been a thought then

Dude, there's no perfect car. You don't dismiss the car you want because it doesn't have auto off head lights. Come on -- get real.

I think the xB should come like this standard. My 2002 econo Hyundai Elantra has it. I mean, if Hyundai included it on their cars as standard equipment 9 years ago (my elantra came out in 2001), you would think Toyota could pull this off as well.

When I rented the xB I noticed it didn't have this feature and I thought the reminder "buzzer" was too quiet too.
Well, from my view point, the xB left out some features I'm used to on my 1990 Eclipse and so I'm inclined to 'level' the two vehicles where I reasonably can. For example, the xB didn't come with Security and my Eclipse didn't come with Keyless Entry, and so on and so forth! Relatively speaking, the xB is an EconoBox (cheaper in 2008 than my Eclipse was in 1990) so I never blamed it or Toyota for leaving a few things out -- they just become mod possibilities -- part of the game :)!

How did you make the mod?
I installed a couple reed relays in a Radio Shack project box between the low and high beam switch outputs and their respective relays. I use the key sensor switch to activate them when the key is inserted -- the circuit draws about 23mA with the key installed, none with it out. I ignored the high beam flash mode, you can't accidentally leave that on :)!

I installed a couple reed relays in a Radio Shack project box between the low and high beam switch outputs and their respective relays. I use the key sensor switch to activate them when the key is inserted -- the circuit draws about 23mA with the key installed, none with it out. I ignored the high beam flash mode, you can't accidentally leave that on :)!

That was way above my head, but thanks.

= )

That was way above my head, but thanks.

= )
If you're interested in making any electrical mods, the vehicle wiring diagrams are available to download in the xB2 DIY section. Of course, a lot depends on individual comfort with making such mods, though that's true for any kind of mod really :)!

http://scionlife.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1820

awesome; thanks.

Its a legitimate complaint. I paid 15.5 for my new tc 5 years ago, and it has auto off for the headlights. Its a common sense feature that all new cars should have.

Back when i had an old civic i can't count the # of time's I killed the battery before I wired in a buzzer to warn when iginition off + headlights on.

Luckily, it was a manual and easy to push..

Its a legitimate complaint. I paid 15.5 for my new tc 5 years ago, and it has auto off for the headlights. Its a common sense feature that all new cars should have.

I'm just fine with out it, I like to control when my headlights are on/off. I hated my auto on lights on my prior car because they always turn on at the wrong time (like when I'm under my car port or go under a bridge) and they would stay on for about a minute after I turned off the car which was really annoying...

I don't think we're talking about a day-light sensor to turn the lights on. We're talking about leaving the lights in the "on" position and when you shut the car off the lights turn off. Next time you turn the car on, the lights turn on.

I've been trying to fix this too. One thing that helped is I took apart the guage cluster and drilled a hole in the plastic so the buzzer could "get out". Helped a bit but the thing is too high pitched for my hearing. Still looking for either a louder buzzer replacement or a auto off system. I did notice on the curcuit board there was a BZvol silkscreend on there but nothing adjustable. Looks like one of those options that did not get installed.



OK, the buzzer on the XB SUCKS! Toyota doesn't have a fix and could care less. A headlight delay shutoff system would be great but they don't offer it and I was wondering if anyone knew who might make an aftermarker system for the XB? Now for the people who have said "what you can't see your headlights at night"? Have you considered people that have their headlights on during the day for safety?

An engineer at Toyota decided to put the buzzer on the back of the display guages and against the firewall to deaden the sound, that's why he's not a rocket scientist.

I left my interior dome light on at the airport on xD, 1 week later I return to a Dead Batt. Plugged in my jump box 2 minutes later Im on the road. Jumper boxes are good for helping people out without having to use your car. I like the idea of being a good samaritian, but not using my battery to jump someone. It cost me $35 bucks.

More to the seriousness, its a monospec car that at least you dont have to buy some comfort and convenience package for $2k with a bunch of other stuff you dont want.

No Security system- buy one-of course in my neighborhood thats called a manual trans
No subwoofer buy one and plug one in
Steel wheels- buy rims and put them on.
Too SLow- Buy a turbocharger.
No HID headlights, or foglights. they can be installed.

It is the old adage, give away the razor and sell the $#!^ out of blades. Whatever we may think of decisions that are made theres nothing that cant be done by us.
I really think that 5th gear should have been made taller for fuel economy i miss my xD mileage.


You have 6 airbags, abs, stability, traction. Really 50$ here and there and you have a lexus.

But there are plenty of $30,000 scions on the road w/ Leather, sunroof, turbo, rims, stereo, and all the other goodies in the parts bin.

Note to toyota, add the feature to the parts bin.