Cornering driving lights with LED headlights?

[Guest]

Anyone else aware of this or can explain why this happens? (the headlight switch is on AUTO)

 

Tonight was one of the few times I've drive my Octavia SE-L facelift at night . The car has LED headlights but found it weird when I was turnng to see the bright white light turn yellowish - this of course was cornering lights coming on. (std bulb I take it?) But they don't illuminate any further area than the LED's already cover. So what's the point of them? Personally I found the yellowish light of std bulbs against the white of LED's distracting.

 

And then noticed the reflection of my headlights on the car in front whilst I was parallel parking - whenever I engage reverse gear and reverse in a straight line, both those front driving/cornering lights come on. Why? What's the point of front driving lights illuminating when you're reversing? All seems very strange. 

Edited 4 February, 2018 by Guest

[logiclee]

Working the same way as cornering fogs with the Bi-Xenons. 

Yellowish halogen on the side you are turning too and both come on when reversing.

[YMe]

46 minutes ago, Scot5 said:

Anyone else aware of this or can explain why this happens? (the headlight switch is on AUTO)

 

Tonight was one of the few times I've drive my Octavia SE-L facelift at night . The car has LED headlights but found it weird when I was turnng to see the bright white light turn yellowish - this of course was cornering lights coming on. (std bulb I take it?) But they don't illuminate any further area than the LED's already cover. So what's the point of them? Personally I found the yellowish light of std bulbs against the white of LED's distracting.

 

And then noticed the reflection of my headlights on the car in front whilst I was parallel parking - whenever I engage reverse gear and reverse in a straight line, both those front driving/cornering lights come on. Why? What's the point of front driving lights illuminating when you're reversing? All seems very strange. 

 

I've found that when reversing in a tight space the extra light the cornering light provides is useful.

 

My model is exactly the same as yours - I like the feature

[SashaGrace]

I’ve gone to the trouble of coding this feature into my vRS. The extra bumper level visibility at night in tight spaces is really handy and considering I live in the sticks and drive unlit roads regularly they provide some great extra light and having them both on in reverse is really helpful to judge distances from the car in front I have to parallel park in front of every morning and evening. If you want to you can get less yellow bulbs but I dot know if the canbus coding for LED fog lights is the same on facelift cars but if you wanted LED I gather you could use resistors if you wanted.

[silver1011]

They certainly do divide opinion.

 

I've had them on my last three Skoda's and they benefit me most during rural county single track lanes where they highlight potholes, rocks and suicidal wildlife.

 

The biggest issue I have is other drivers misunderstanding of them, I've been flashed a few times, especially when reversing (both front fogs on) as people think I'm one of those people who deliberately drive around with their fog lights on all of the time.

 

Both cornering lights coming on in reverse is to maximise visibility when at your most vulnerable to parking scrapes, i.e when reversing at night in unfamiliar surroundings. The cornering lights are good at illuminating low kerbs and bollards. Down narrow alleys they also reflect off the walls either side of the car making life a little easier.

 

You tend to either love 'em or hate 'em.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 4 February, 2018 by silver1011

[Guest]

It'd be good if they worked like those pictures but they don't. I just can't see what they illuminate that the LED's don't already illuminate.

 

It's probably just me being stupid or not understanding but..   why are you guys looking out the windscreen whilst you're reversing?  When I reverse, I sometimes look out the rear window, more often than not I'm looking at the rear door mirrors, sometimes I look at the park pilot display or if I'm feeling especially brave and have time to waste, I put my faith in the auto parking system    What I never do is look out the front windscreen whilst my car is in reverse gear.

 

There's another point that Silver1011 touches on. Here in the UK at least, it's illegal to drive with your driving lights on so I can sympathise with folk who flash their lights because in effect, I'm blinding them.

Edited 4 February, 2018 by Guest

[vegit8]

On a sort of related note. We are chopping in our current car that has bi-xenons which swivel as you go around corners. I find this feature hugely helpful on winding country lanes.

my question is... do the LED headlights do the same thing.

and as a subsidiary question do they automatically adjust to driving on the right when abroad. The sat nav prompts this change when getting of the ferry in France.

[kelper]

9 hours ago, Scot5 said:

why are you guys looking out the windscreen whilst you're reversing?

If you reverse into a parking space you have to watch that you don't scrape the car in front.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, vegit8 said:

On a sort of related note. We are chopping in our current car that has bi-xenons which swivel as you go around corners. I find this feature hugely helpful on winding country lanes.

my question is... do the LED headlights do the same thing.

and as a subsidiary question do they automatically adjust to driving on the right when abroad. The sat nav prompts this change when getting of the ferry in France.

'

Exactly the same as the GTD Golf I'd been looking at. Never driven one at night but if the whole light moves then it's obviously going to light up more area. The LED's however are fixed.

 

They don't auto adjust but you can easily set them for right/left hand driving from the car menu.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, kelper said:

If you reverse into a parking space you have to watch that you don't scrape the car in front.

'

You mean if you're hopeless at parking then you need to watch you don't scrape the car in front? And even if you are hopeless, what's that got to do with driving lights? If you can't see the car in front with your normal headlights, there's something seriously wrong with your eyesight! 

 

Even if they don't seem to work too well, I can at least get the idea behind cornering driving lights. But for two front driving lights come on only when you reverse your car? It's pretty bonkers.

Edited 5 February, 2018 by Guest

[SC03OTT]

Wait, what?  Looking out the front of the car to check you’re not hitting something makes you incompetent?  You don’t look out the front in you’re parallel parking?

[silver1011]

I think its pretty prudent to look all around you when reversing, hence at times I will be looking through my windscreen.

 

Even more so when reversing around corners or parallel parking where the front of the car is swinging out.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Also don't worry about making the swap from Xenons to the newer LED Headlight - they are brilliant I couldn't go back to Xenons.

 

If you are worried about the Yellow Look to the cornering Fogs - just change the bulbs to a whiter colour temperature bulb or LED bulbs.

[Guest]

On 05/02/2018 at 12:04, SC03OTT said:

Wait, what?  Looking out the front of the car to check you’re not hitting something makes you incompetent?  You don’t look out the front in you’re parallel parking?

 

Well of course it does. The length of your car doesn't change, neither does it's width, so if you've managed to parallel park without incident first time you drive your car then surely it's exactly the same everytime you park your car.

 

Anyway that's not the issue. Do you need front driving lights to parallel park? No.

 

Which brings up another question - people are suggesting the need for front driving lights on top of their LED's when they reverse,  yet not a single person mentions to two tiny reversing lights that illuminate next to nothing when they're reversing?  Now if two large cornering lamps came on at the rear of the car when you're reversing, that would make perfect sense...  but it's the fronts that come on!   Seems pretty crazy logic to me.

[SC03OTT]

Lol. Nice trolling, I’ll give you that. 

[logiclee]

I engage self parking and close my eyes.

[plamenbv]

On 2/4/2018 at 23:10, Scot5 said:

Anyone else aware of this or can explain why this happens? (the headlight switch is on AUTO)

 

Tonight was one of the few times I've drive my Octavia SE-L facelift at night . The car has LED headlights but found it weird when I was turnng to see the bright white light turn yellowish - this of course was cornering lights coming on. (std bulb I take it?) But they don't illuminate any further area than the LED's already cover. So what's the point of them? Personally I found the yellowish light of std bulbs against the white of LED's distracting.

 

And then noticed the reflection of my headlights on the car in front whilst I was parallel parking - whenever I engage reverse gear and reverse in a straight line, both those front driving/cornering lights come on. Why? What's the point of front driving lights illuminating when you're reversing? All seems very strange. 

 

I had the exact same thought right after I bought my Octy. I thought the LEDs fully cover the cornering lights at low speed, but it's not so true. I noticed it a while ago as I started parking my car on another place that has no street lights. If you look through the windshield - then yes, cornering lights have no considerable effect (except yellowish light), but they do light up the area sideways of the fender where LEDs do not play. You can notice it if you do a tight 90 degree turn and look through the side window. In my case it's really helpful, because at night, the place is completely dark and road is narrow at the same time.