complacency a dangerous thing (no dipped indicator light!)

roofless

Active member
 Kent
I've gotten used too quickly to the zed doing simple things for you namely the auto setting for the headlights. Mine stays set there permanently. Great until you hit fog. Didn't think of it till driving yesterday and the fog was getting worse, i was relatively smug thinking, well while all those other idiots are driving along with 'no lights' ! on, at least i am being sensible, fog gets worse so i hit the rear fog button, nothing! s**t, what's going on, i'm driving into a pea souper and no fog light grrrr! Then it struck me, even in the fog it wasn't dark enough to trigger the dipped lights on auto so no fog lamp! :oops: :cry:
 
Really? If my light switch is in auto and it isn't dark enough for the lights to be on, pressing either of the fog light buttons overrides the auto so the lights and the relevant fogs come on.
:tumbleweed:
 
Must be an e89 thing, not overly impressed i must admit, unless my fog lamp is on the blink but worked fine when lights on manual, tried it three or four times to check :x
 
Just looking at peoples E89's on here, surprised most of us have the Pure White Design package....roofless, petach, iwatch, maniac, Kryton (i think) and me....

You're right, the things we take for granted - I won't buy a car without electric seats, or auto lights - or even heated seats, navigation, leather etc...

Surprised the E89 doesn't have electric adjust steering column....
 
roofless said:
Must be an e89 thing, not overly impressed i must admit, unless my fog lamp is on the blink but worked fine when lights on manual, tried it three or four times to check :x
it does seem odd

maybe a setting in idrive?
 
Another with Pure White Design here.

My auto headlights seem to come on at the slightest hint of duskness (is that a word) in fact I'd like to be able to adjust the lux sensor's sensitivity. Again, surprised pressing fog didn't override things.
 
The auto lights on my E85 are on even in the winter sunlight!!

But i know what you mean about being complacent about everything being auto.....

I had a hertz car in Ireland this week.. and drove in the dark as it didnt have autolights.. yet the speedo clusters are always lit :roll:

Actually come to think about it i kept rolling it back on the inclines too.. without the hill assist.
 
I don't use my auto lights for that reason, and I always have my lights on regardless of what time of day (with the exeption of when the sun is very low - makes it harder to see you than easier as the bright lights may blend into the sun when people are looking in the direction of the sun)

When the fog is bad enough to require front facing fogs, you are supposed to drop to sidelights and put the fogs on, the theory is they cut under the fog whereas the dipped beam reflect back at you off the fog:

Front fog lamps

A pair of yellow fog lampsFront fog lamps provide a wide, bar-shaped beam of light with a sharp cutoff at the top, and are generally aimed and mounted low.[10][11][12] They may be either white or selective yellow. They are intended for use at low speed to increase the illumination directed towards the road surface and verges in conditions of poor visibility due to rain, fog, dust or snow. As such, they are often most effectively used in place of dipped-beam headlamps, reducing the glareback from fog or falling snow although the legality varies by jurisdiction of using front fog lamps without low beam headlamps.

Use of the front fog lamps when visibility is not seriously reduced is often prohibited (for example in the United Kingdom), as they can cause increased glare to other drivers, particularly in wet pavement conditions, as well as harming the driver's own vision due to excessive foreground illumination.[13]

The respective purposes of front fog lamps and driving lamps are often confused, due in part to the misconception that fog lamps are necessarily selective yellow, while any auxiliary lamp that makes white light is a driving lamp. Automakers and aftermarket parts and accessories suppliers frequently refer interchangeably to "fog lamps" and "driving lamps" (or "fog/driving lamps"). In most countries, weather conditions rarely necessitate the use of fog lamps, and there is no legal requirement for them, so their primary purpose is frequently cosmetic. They are often available as optional extras or only on higher trim levels of many cars. Studies have shown that in North America more people inappropriately use their fog lamps in dry weather than use them properly in poor weather.[14] (wikipedia)
 
E89 doesn't have front facing fogs though. Assuming because of hid's?

If I don't have the lights on auto I have them set to off but with drls on, which are brighter than sides.
 
roofless said:
...i'm driving into a pea souper and no fog light grrrr! Then it struck me, even in the fog it wasn't dark enough to trigger the dipped lights on auto
Did the same in my SLK, for some reason the fog doesn't trigger the sensor. Is there not a bulb on the dash though, to let you know the lights are on, there is on my E85?
 
Strange - I use the auto setting all of the time and the lights always seem to be triggered by the fog as they were the last 2 days.
 
Wondermike said:
roofless said:
...i'm driving into a pea souper and no fog light grrrr! Then it struck me, even in the fog it wasn't dark enough to trigger the dipped lights on auto
Did the same in my SLK, for some reason the fog doesn't trigger the sensor. Is there not a bulb on the dash though, to let you know the lights are on, there is on my E85?

Don't know about any other 6'4 colourblind zed drivers but seeing some of the display lights isn't always as easy as you would think :) Yes there is an indicator light on the dash panel but i do struggle to see it, in the daylight, even in the dimness of the fog it doesn't really show up.

I think i'm more annoyed with myself for just relying on the car to deal with it, after all, as clever as mechanics and technology are, they still have their limitations. Anyone driven a disco 4 with the function turned on to dip full beam lights when traffic is oncoming? You'll know what i mean :wink:
 
Nickm said:
Just looking at peoples E89's on here, surprised most of us have the Pure White Design package....roofless, petach, iwatch, maniac, Kryton (i think) and me....

I don't think i'm too surprised actually, the pure white looked the mutts in the brochure, sales staff obviously knew they were onto a good thing and plugged it good and proper, plus after looking at some second hand jags and astons with a blue paint job and white/parchment interior i knew i had no other choice but the pure white. With the roof down most of the time through the year (had some great drives home in the dark in feb) it is a pain to keep clean, i would rather not have the alcantara element, but i still think it's worth it for the trouble :thumbsup: :)
 
aquazi said:
I had a hertz car in Ireland this week.. and drove in the dark as it didnt have autolights.. yet the speedo clusters are always lit :roll:

My wife's Astra is like that, bloody stupid idea.
 
Wondermike said:
roofless said:
...i'm driving into a pea souper and no fog light grrrr! Then it struck me, even in the fog it wasn't dark enough to trigger the dipped lights on auto
Did the same in my SLK, for some reason the fog doesn't trigger the sensor. Is there not a bulb on the dash though, to let you know the lights are on, there is on my E85?

Yes, small green LED beside the main light switch. :thumbsup:

I sometimes take mine off AUTO as I find on some occasions it switches the headlights on when they aren't really needed.

As for the complacency thing... biggest worry for me is driving a car without parking sensors!!!! :? I'm far too used to the beeping and display on the screen.
 
I don't leave it to auto mode, as I found that it will turn the headlights on when it is just cloudy, i.e. no direct sunlight received by the sensor. I turn it to auto when I drive it at night, and use manual if I don't need headlights on during the whole journey.
 
Strange as mine always on auto. When it was foggy though I had to show Mrs Sham how to put rear fogs on. Tiny orange light on bu they came on when on auto and lights were on(I think) can the sensitivity not be set I believe :|
I also have pure whit design interior with extended leather and sports seats, but that cam with Havana package :thumbsup:
 
Must have been a more boring drive home tonight but in the dark i remembered to check my dashboard indicators. There is no light on the binnacle to indicate that side lights or dipped lights are on. There is a blue light for full beam and if the ignition is off and the lights on when you open the door a bong and a fault light show. Is this just my e89 like this? Now at least i know it's not my colour blindness that means i can't see if the panel is showing a dipped light :)
 
From Z4beemer above, the indicator is next to the switch rather than on the dash. Just like the SLK.

And not very handy :tumbleweed:
 
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