Lights on modern cars

[GOG]

Hi,

Recently bought a newish car (a Vauxhall, as it happens) having got rid of
my 20 yr old Cavalier. Heck, I keep driving off with no lights showing.
This is because the panel lights are always ON on the modern car - so my
mind assumes that the headlights are also on. Not so!!!! Has anyone else
had this problem and, if so, have they any advise? Give up driving you?
Never !!!

By the way, I am elderly (mind your own businesses )

GOG

 

[Peter]

Hi,

Recently bought a newish car (a Vauxhall, as it happens) having got rid of
my 20 yr old Cavalier. Heck, I keep driving off with no lights showing.
This is because the panel lights are always ON on the modern car - so my
mind assumes that the headlights are also on. Not so!!!! Has anyone else
had this problem and, if so, have they any advise? Give up driving you?
Never !!!

By the way, I am elderly (mind your own businesses )

GOG

My 08 Astra has an "Auto" setting on the lights. Have you got that?

 

[Michael Swift]

My 08 Astra has an "Auto" setting on the lights. Have you got that?

I seem to have read that from next year this shouldn't be a problem on
new cars as the EU has said they should be fitted with always on
headlights as in Scandinavia.

My Astra also has the Auto lights but I have got into the habit of
switching them on after I start the engine whatever the conditions.

Mike

 

[GOG]

My 08 Astra has an "Auto" setting on the lights. Have you got that?

The handbook has descriptions of many optional extras, but none of them
seems to do anything which would help - besides which they are 'optionally'
not supplied on my model.

What does your 'Auto' setting do? Perhaps I'm just overlooking something
obvious.

GOG

 

[GOG]

I seem to have read that from next year this shouldn't be a problem on new
cars as the EU has said they should be fitted with always on headlights as
in Scandinavia.

My Astra also has the Auto lights but I have got into the habit of
switching them on after I start the engine whatever the conditions.

Mike

LOL, I wonder if anyone has calculated how many extra tons of CO2 will be
produced if all cars always have their lights on all the time.

GOG

 

[Michael Swift]

LOL, I wonder if anyone has calculated how many extra tons of CO2 will be
produced if all cars always have their lights on all the time.

I can't see it would produce any more than it does now, the alternator
is always turning so it's not using more fuel and if I remember my
chemistry correctly only hydrogen is produced.

Mike

 

[Michael Swift]

What does your 'Auto' setting do? Perhaps I'm just overlooking something
obvious.

On my Astra Design putting the lights switch to Auto turns on the
headlights when the light drops below a certain level and turns them off
when it brightens.

As an aside to my earlier post about daylight running lights I took my
Astra in for a service today and picked up a brochure, DRL are now
standard on 2010 models.

Mike

 

[Martin]

I can't see it would produce any more than it does now, the alternator is
always turning so it's not using more fuel and if I remember my chemistry
correctly only hydrogen is produced.

The extra fuel is req'd cos the greater the current in the alternator, the
greater the power needed to turn it.

Similarly, power stations use more fuel when demand is higher.

That said, the extra fuel to run the headlights is (I imagine) immeasurably
small - in relation to typical mpg. Rather like not noticing it's harder to
pedal a push bike when its (dynamo driven) lights are on

 

[De Moni]

I can't see it would produce any more than it does now, the alternator
is always turning so it's not using more fuel and if I remember my
chemistry correctly only hydrogen is produced.

AFAIK the more load alternator has the heavier it is to turn so car
engine has to do a bit more work to run the alternator if lights are on
vs. off.

 

[Martin]

AFAIK the more load alternator has the heavier it is to turn so car engine
has to do a bit more work to run the alternator if lights are on vs. off.

Agreed. When rotating, the alternator also starts to act as a motor, but
sadly the motor is producing force in the opposite direction. Otherwise we
would have perpetual thingies - which would solve the energy crisis at a
stroke....!

 

[Peter]

The handbook has descriptions of many optional extras, but none of them
seems to do anything which would help - besides which they are 'optionally'
not supplied on my model.

What does your 'Auto' setting do? Perhaps I'm just overlooking something
obvious.

GOG

it turns the lights on when daylight is dim or missing as long as the
engine is running

 

[GOG]

On my Astra Design putting the lights switch to Auto turns on the
headlights when the light drops below a certain level and turns them off
when it brightens.

As an aside to my earlier post about daylight running lights I took my
Astra in for a service today and picked up a brochure, DRL are now
standard on 2010 models.

Mike

Even the handbook does not seem to mention such a function. Sounds
expensive. My 'new' car is not NEW, of course. A 2006 Vectra Life. Still,
it was cheap. I'll just have to remember to switch the lights on.

I often wish that I'd kept my 20yr old Cavalier 2L. At least a 5 litre can
of oil didn't cost a king's ransom.

GOG

 

[Michael Swift]

Even the handbook does not seem to mention such a function. Sounds
expensive. My 'new' car is not NEW, of course. A 2006 Vectra Life. Still, it
was cheap. I'll just have to remember to switch the lights on.

On the 2010 models it's on all the Astra models and it's free, well it's
hidden in the price.

I often wish that I'd kept my 20yr old Cavalier 2L. At least a 5 litre can of oil
didn't cost a king's ransom.

I had four Cavaliers between '84 and '96, loved them, a great car, as
for oil they didn't use much at all.

Mike