You are not going to believe this..

Trev · Oct 7, 2002

Hi Mosey,

Why do car/truck headlights come on when the key is off? Instead of putting a buzzer on it, why didn't they just set it up so the lights go off when the switch is turned off?

Well, imagine you are driving along, and the kid reaches over and turns off and removes your ignition key. This will of course lock the steering wheel. By allowing the lights to remain on, you get to see and appreciate the size of the cliff you are about to go over, or the solidity of the tree you are about to hit. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

No, it's a good question. My wife's '94 BMW turns on the lights when you start the engine, and turns them off when you shut it off. I like that. The only drawback would be if you were robbing a bank and wanted to drive with the lights off. Oh well.. out of luck in that case! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Soundguy · Oct 7, 2002

I think it is good that you can turn them on and off without the ignition...That way if you are sitting somewhere parked with the misses, and you need the lights.. don't have to wake up the neighbors with the truck starting...

Soundguy

Trev · Oct 7, 2002

...don't have to wake up the neighbors with the truck starting...

Hmm, I suspect I know why they call you "Soundguy"? /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Anonymous Poster · Oct 7, 2002

Trev, my Explorer is set up for the older crowd. It turns on the lights for me when it gets dark enough and when I park it in the garage and turn off the key, the light stays on so that us old folks can get into the house without tripping over the dog or something.

Trev · Oct 7, 2002

Hi Farmhouse,

 Trev, my Explorer is set up for the older crowd. It turns on the lights for me when it gets dark enough and when I park it in the garage and turn off the key, the light stays on so that us old folks can get into the house without tripping over the dog or something. 

Yeah, I had a Mercury that did the same thing. Kind of handy, that bit about the lights staying on for a certain amount of time. The only problem was that the car and I couldn't ever agree about how dark it should be before turning on the lights. Actually, I've become a believer in leaving them on all the time. Ever since I got a car with Xenon headlights.. you know, the kind that look kind of blueish and make you do a double take.. I haven't been cut off even once by someone who didn't notice me coming. Day or night. I've since come to the conclusion that lights are more so that you can be seen than so you can see (although I'll concede that the latter is nice too!) /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

When I can afford it, I'm going to switch to the Euro spec light housings. They seem to give a far superior lighting pattern.. less blinding to oncoming traffic, and a lot more light on the road where you need it. Ever watch a European get in an American car at night for the first time? They turn on the lights, then they get out and walk around the front of the car, scratching their heads, and wondering what they forgot to turn on. They're always puzzled that the lighting is so bad. Another case of politicians making decisions that would be best left to engineers. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

Phred · Oct 7, 2002

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr>

Well, there were some deer tracks around, but nothing that looked suspicious.

<hr></blockquote>

Hey maybe they were trying to fire it up and plant a few food plots....../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

gmason · Oct 8, 2002

Phred, I actually seen deer standing not 20' from a tractor plowing a field, watching. Seems they have gotten used to the sound of a diesel engines and the smell of freashly plowed soil.

It's getting that time of year when deer are doing some strange things...
Guess I'll have to start taking the key out of my tractor/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

gary