Out driving the Roomster in the dark first time I noticed that when I switched to main beam the blue main beam indication came on and dipped beam green indication remained on. The lights seemed to dip and come up normally, just seemed odd to have both indications on at the same time. Is it normal?

Yes normal Bryan

Yes normal Bryan

Thanks, it was different on my Citroen, but that's history now.

The green light is to tell you that the lights are on. It should also be on with parking lights.

The green light is to tell you that the lights are on. It should also be on with parking lights.

Thats not the case, at least not with the FL Roomsters. The greenl ight signals that you have "driving lights on", if the dashboard lights are on but not the green light, then you are using the parking lights. If the dashboard is not lit (only the dials) then you either have no lights or the DRL depending on the settings in your car. The extra blue light signals that you are using the high beam.

Thats not the case, at least not with the FL Roomsters. The greenl ight signals that you have "driving lights on", if the dashboard lights are on but not the green light, then you are using the parking lights. If the dashboard is not lit (only the dials) then you either have no lights or the DRL depending on the settings in your car. The extra blue light signals that you are using the high beam.

Yes sorry I didn't come back before. Next time out I checked and mine is the same. No warning lights with parking lights so you should always have the green warning when moving if you need lights at all. You will get an audible warning if leaving the car with lights on and the key out. Even if you leave the indicators turned on as that puts a single sided parking light on for those markets where that is permitted.

So you should always have the green warning when moving if you need lights at all.

Not necessarily, the green dipped headlight symbol does not illuminate when driving on side lights.

Parking lights are operated using the indicator stalk with the keys out of the ignition i.e. only when the car is stationary.

Side lights are operated using the main headlight switch and can be used when in motion.

Not necessarily, the green dipped headlight symbol does not illuminate when driving on side lights.

Parking lights are operated using the indicator stalk with the keys out of the ignition i.e. only when the car is stationary.

Side lights are operated using the main headlight switch and can be used when in motion.

What you call side lights are what I call parking lights and they really should never be used when driving. Very sensibly, they are illegal in some countries just as using parking lights just on one side is illegal in the UK.If lights are required when driving then dipped headlights should be used.

Edited 28 December, 201114 yr by Calomax

Hmm, what you or I call them is largely irrelevant. Parking and side lights both serve different purposes and are both referenced in the Highway Code.

It is perfectly legal to drive on side lights. In fact the HC suggests it is perfectly acceptable to drive on side lights on lit roads at night:

113. You must ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise.

Use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a

speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified.

Use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226).

OK, no one drives on side lights at night these days, in fact the HC contradicts itself as it goes on to say:

115. You should also use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen.

However to say that side lights are parking lights is simply not true. The sidelights on my Octavia are quite bright and are beneficial in certain conditions where dipped headlights could be seen as too much or over kill.

The sidelights on my Octavia are quite bright and are beneficial in certain conditions where dipped headlights could be seen as too much or over kill.

That's one of the problems. Because using them for driving is allowed, they are made so bright that they run the battery down if used for parking. If they weren't allowed, as in Germany for one country, they could be much lower wattage and so could be used for parking. Anyway, I never ever drive in low visibility conditions without either dipped lights or main beams on and I get annoyed with those who do, especially in fog when you can see the vehicle before the "side" lights.

It's a shame the idea of dim-dip from a few years ago has been dropped.

Edited 29 December, 201114 yr by Calomax