Trending
Dear Car Talk: One more comment about automatic headlights. You’re all for using the automatic headlight setting. So am I, as long as there is a “Turn all the lights off” setting as well … and here’s why.
Just last night, I was camping. I needed to close the car windows before going to sleep. I turned the headlight switch to OFF, then turned the key so the window switches would work, and the car lit up like a Christmas tree, headlights shining into the surrounding campsites. Not a great way to endear yourself to your fellow campers.
There are other similar situations. Driving through a campground at night, pulling into the driveway at night and not wanting to shine the headlights into the house, coming in and out of a drive-in movie theater, if there’s still one near you. And don’t get me started on not being able to lock my key in the car on purpose! — Tom
We did hear from a few people who wanted to be able to pull into their driveway late at night without drawing the attention of sleeping family members. We call that “Sneaky Husband Mode.”
Your camping situation is similar to that, minus, presumably, any late-night carousing. And you’re right that there isn’t always a way to avoid having the lights come on.
While all cars allow you to turn off the headlights completely, what shone into neighboring tents was probably your daytime running lights. I think all cars let you switch off the DRLs, too. On some, you can do it right from the headlight switch. Others have DRL controls in the vehicle settings section of the infotainment screen. Some others require a dealer visit. And some disable the DRLs whenever you apply the parking brake.
You’ll have to check your owner’s manual if you want to go completely black-ops. Just keep in mind that, if you turn off your DRLs on your way into a campsite, you’ll have to remember to turn them back on so you maintain the safety benefit of being more visible to other cars during the day. Otherwise, you might realize six months later that you’ve been driving around without them.
Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th St., 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.