Auto Off Headlights?
 

There's a thread around here where it was discussed that the headlights automatically turn off when you open the driver side door. I can't seem to find it but if anyone can point me to it, it would be great.

Also, for those who have run into the problem where this feature didn't work, do you know where or what had to be checked in order to get it working. My car is in the dealership right now getting checked and the mechanics have no idea where to check or what to do. You guys in here probably know more about what could be wrong and would appreciate any guidance.

Dude, your dealership doesn't know how to fix?!

I think this is the one you're looking for:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...auto+headlight

Thanks jmiller. Yeah, they didn't even know it was a feature. Had to show em the manual to convince them. Too bad I didn't have any alarms installed recently. Darn it, its bugging me that they won't turn off like they should!

I would call scion directly and let them know that one of their dealerships does not know how to solve your problem. Point out the fact you had to prove to them it was in fact a feature.

Let scion take care of you.

Ok, I know this is a dumb question, but I had to ask: You are removing the key when opening the door, right?

Yup, followed the steps exactly. Verified the steps on my cousins tC so I know I'm doing it right and I know what the behavior should be. I'll take what you said into consideration cyr0n_k0r but my family is actually friends with our mechanic over there so I'd prefer not to get the dealership or the mechanic in trouble. I just wanted to know if there's a way I could guide him to the solution or worse case fix it myself later.

The dealership (if it's a Toyota dealer) needs to contact their regional support center. Toyota headquarter or regional center have hotlines to deal with this type of issues.

tC is such a new car, so it's natural for them to be relatively ignorant about it. They will get better though like how they deal with other Toyotas

After I got my alarm/two way pager/remote starter put in, that light feature no longer works. That's not the case with yours, since you don't have an alarm put in yet. I was wondering if other people experience the same problem with an alarm put it. If that's the case, after you get your alarm.. it might not matter that it works now or not.

i have alarms installed and the auto shut off works for me. good luck to ya

i have the scion security and the auto off doesnt work. I'd take it into the dealer but its not really a big issue for me, but I'll bring it up when I do have to go out to get somthing done to my tc.

Hey, i have the same problem, and my dealership sucks balls...And they dont want to help at all, and try to push me aside everytime i go in there.

What should i do and what number do i need to call and tell someone to.

They dont talk me seriously, i dont know if its just a rep problem, but everytime i take my car in, it seems like they are just like "oh great its another scion sort of thing", and its starting to ____ me off sinceour toyota dealership has a service for toyota cars and then one for lexus cars and scions go to the toyota service and i feel like they dont give a ____.

thanks guys

Call scion headquarters. They are very good at convincing the dealer to do the repair.

i have scion security and it still works. Take it to the dealer and get it fix. It's really a new feature to have. Not worrying if u turned off your lights or not.

It isn't a traditional "auto-off" feature, like you'd see on a Lexus or higher-end car. If you have the lights on (parking or headlights), and you park, when you take the key out of the ignition and open the driver's door, if the lights are still in the "on" position, the lights will turn off. If you open the door (with the key out of the ignition), then rotate the light switch fully off then on again, that disables that feature, and your lights will stay on and your battery will die.

I had the same setup on my old `87 Camry. It is an old Toyota feature, but again, it is not an active auto-off system (notice there is no "auto" setting on the headlight/turn signal stalk), it is a passive feature. :blah:

If you have jacked with the wiring, this information may not apply.

I found it to be rather useful. Although I always turn off the headlamps when I turn of the car, but once in a while I will forget, And knowing that my light will be off once i leave the car gives me a peace of mind.

So what is an "active" auto off feature like? it has a light sensor and turn the light on/off based on the light outside?

My T-Bird has this (as do many other Fords). There is an "Auto" setting on the light controls with a dial to adjust how long the lights stay on after the car is turned off, up to 3 minutes (which is ridiculously long, IMO). There is a light sensor on the dashboard that turns the lights on at night / in the rain / in line at the bank under the roof / etc.

That is what an active auto-off system entails. My `04 Corolla S had automatic headlights, but they were tied into the daytime running lights (which I could have done without).

I think it is a great feature. I leave my light switch on most of the time to provide daytime running lights. It is nice to not have to turn them off. And the simpler passive design is much less prone to malfunctioning and not turning off your lights. I have known more than a few people with active auto off setups in their cars that have come out to a dead battery because the interior lights or headlights never turned off. Much less common in a passive system.