Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere (have tried to search but not found anything), but I've noticed a slightly odd thing with the lights on my Superb.

 

If I have the sidelights on and leave the car having parked and turned the ignition off, I get a warning sound telling me I've left the lights on.  However, if I do this with the lights on main beam, there is no warning and the car automatically turns the lights off. (I don't have automatic lights or anything like that).

 

On the whole this isn't an issue, as in the current weather I'm pretty much leaving them on all the time so it saves me turning on one switch, but if the car can turn off the lights on main beam, I can't help but wonder why it can't then turn off the sidelights as well, so removing the need for any lights on warnings?

 

Like I say, not an issue, more curious as to reasons...!

At a guess, it might be to use the sidelights as parking lights? I assume they stay on if the car is locked?

Cars that switch Side / Position lights off automatically are rather dangerous in my experience. 

eg, You stall at a junction or traffic lights in the dark and have to restart a car, you are sitting with no lights of any kind to the front on just Brake Lights & reflectors to the rear.

 

Had many a car like that over the years, the last was a Picanto, but being an auto it never stalled, and you could switch off the ignition with Side Lights or Sidelights and dip 

and they switched off, and were on when you restarted the car.

 

PS

Re Parking Lights, 

they are there, A Sidelight to the front and rear when the indicator stalk is down, ignition off and car locked up.

Edited 14 December, 20169 yr by Offski

Had a quick test last night with the ignition on but engine off (ie as if I'd stalled), and both main and side lights stay on in this instance.  As Offski says, there is also the option of parking lights.

 

Not unduly concerned and am putting it down to 'one of those things'!

 

(langers2k - noticed your area of operation for VCDS in your signature, do you regularly travel between the two?  I commute from Wymondham to Cambridge daily so might see you!)

I would guess that it is because they are for use as 'parking lights' and shouldn't be used on their own for driving. So the design correctly assumes that you would only use them when leaving the car parked.

 

In such a situation you would not want the lights to switch off automatically at some point before you return to the vehicle. Therefore there is a warning alarm to check that you intended to leave them on and are aware that they will remain illuminated until either you switch them off or the battery is drained.

Conversely it is not correct to leave a vehicle with headlamps illuminated so the system gives you a short period and will then switch them off. A fail safe that also prevents the battery being discharged very quickly. The count down to switch off only starts when you open the door or possibly when you lock the vehicle (not sure which).

 

hth

Edited 15 December, 20169 yr by Sagalout

They are not Parking Lights.

The Highway Code still has about driving in street lit 30 mph limits with sidelights.

Type Approval has sidelights as a requirement which is why a driver can select just Side Light / Position Lights, or Side Lights and Head Lights, Dipped or Full Beam.

 

DRL's that come on with the ignition and out when the ignition is off, & not DRL's if Sidelights or sidelights are on.

langers2k - noticed your area of operation for VCDS in your signature, do you regularly travel between the two?  I commute from Wymondham to Cambridge daily so might see you!

 

I certainly do, A11/A14 is easy enough but getting into Cambridge centre is rubbish

I accept your comment about para 113 of the Highway Code but para 115 contradicts that by saying "use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas". Don't you just love the highway code! 

 

I was anyway talking generally in the context of design characteristics rather than how people may use the various options. They are clearly designed and described as 'parking lights' in all the info. Thus my observations about why they might work the way they do.

I certainly do, A11/A14 is easy enough but getting into Cambridge centre is rubbish ;)

 

I'm lucky - I only have to get into Histon, so only a mile off the A14.  Don't envy fighting your way into Cambridge...

If the MkIII is anything like the MkII then you have to leave the switch in 'on' or 'Auto' if you want the coming home / leaving home headlights to work.

 

This is why the warning buzzer doesn't sound. The car knows that it will turn the lights off itself after a set period of time so it doesn't need to warn the driver to turn them off manually.

 

The same goes for the OP's car (where coming / leaving homes lights don't appear to be activated), the car knows that it is going to turn the dipped headlights off as soon as the ignition is off so it doesn't need to warn the driver.

 

Sidelights are used as parking lights by a lot of people, hence the reason they can be operated without the ignition on and with the car locked. This is why they activate a warning buzzer as there is a chance that if you have left them on by accident you might return to the car to find a flat battery.

 

The same applies to the parking lights, these too activate the light-on warning buzzer.

If I have the sidelights on and leave the car having parked and turned the ignition off, I get a warning sound telling me I've left the lights on.  However, if I do this with the lights on main beam, there is no warning and the car automatically turns the lights off. (I don't have automatic lights or anything like that).

 

My existing 1.4 TSi Mk3 Leon (no auto lights) works exactly like that and considering the Superb is built from the same VAG parts bin on the same basis chassis I would expect it to be exactly the same.