Headlights always go on when unlocking in the dark or no?

[kevinkar]

Was going to ask in the R forum but I believe this is more an electronics issue so here it is here:

In the morning when I go into the dark garage and open the car by touching the handle, the car unlocks and USUALLY the headlights go on. They go off the requisite number of seconds later (coded using OBD11 a couple years ago) and, back on when I finally start the car. When I get to work and get out, they go off about 15 seconds later as coded. This is how it's been since I had the car. When it's light out, this is of course different and the lights don't come on or stay on for the 15 seconds.

Recently, maybe 3 months ago, I noticed they do not always go on when the car unlocks in the dark garage. So I started pressing the unlock button on the FOB which also usually turns the lights on. It is, after all DARK in the garage. But now they also do not always go on. So this is not expected.

Yes, it's dark in the garage (very small glass in the garage door.) I can barely see so it's definitely dark enough for the car to know it needs to turn the lights on. I have done nothing coding-wise in a year or more. They just seem to go on when they feel like it all of a sudden.

Just wondering if everyone's lights go on when unlocking in the dark all the time or does anyone else experience intermittent poor decision making by their R? It's not a big deal but it's obviously not doing what I expect.

 

[hans611]

Dumb question, but are you leaving the headlights in Auto? It would only work when its dark.....

Have you recently moved? 3 months sounds like since winter begun, maybe the different sun position being lower is actually hitting the light sensor on the windshield better and making the car think its brighter... and in a few months ill start working better again?

Also, you can adjust coming home / leaving home from the MIB car settings... I think you can even see it in the dash MFD if you enabled them

 

[absoluteczech]

If the cars not unlocked ive seen it NOT turn the lights on when opening the door via kessy (if dark and set to auto) however I havent experienced what youre saying that when unlocking the car and its dark with switch set to auto

 

[kevinkar]

Dumb question, but are you leaving the headlights in Auto? It would only work when its dark.....

Have you recently moved? 3 months sounds like since winter begun, maybe the different sun position being lower is actually hitting the light sensor on the windshield better and making the car think its brighter... and in a few months ill start working better again?

Also, you can adjust coming home / leaving home from the MIB car settings... I think you can even see it in the dash MFD if you enabled them

No, not dumb. Just another factoid to include. Yes, the switch has been in auto since I bought the car.

Nope, in the same house for almost 20 years. As noted, this is when it's dark out in the morning and the garage is quite dark. Perfect for the lights to come on as expected when unlocking from handle or FOB.

If the cars not unlocked ive seen it NOT turn the lights on when opening the door via kessy (if dark and set to auto) however I havent experienced what youre saying that when unlocking the car and its dark with switch set to auto

I have the car coded to lock automatically so it locks even in the garage so it's pretty much always locked unless I unlock it when washing it. Yeah, I don't think this is normal. In these instances, it should turn them on. I guess I could have added that they do come on in the garage sometimes when it's much brighter (non-winter) so they DO come on sometimes.

Maybe the sensor is dirty so I guess I'll check that this weekend when I wash/detail it.

 

[2018gti]

This happens to me sometimes too. Other than it being a software bug, I thought it might be because the battery has drained enough that the car is trying to conserve power. Sometimes I see a code in my obdeleven saying “function limitation due to energy management”. Does this happen to you after not having driven for a while?

 

[kevinkar]

This happens to me sometimes too. Other than it being a software bug, I thought it might be because the battery has drained enough that the car is trying to conserve power. Sometimes I see a code in my obdeleven saying “function limitation due to energy management”. Does this happen to you after not having driven for a while?

Well, I drive it every day so, no , I don't really see this. Yeah, if I wash the car and then get in it and scan with OBD11 for 15 minutes it will complain that the battery is not being charged etc. but it's still at a decent value. I DID see it run down significantly during Christmas break (I took 3 weeks off from work and did not drive at all - solved that with a battery tender) but the battery is definitely topped off and fully charged.

Same thing happened today but I stopped at the Post Office on the way to work. When I got back in the car in the light of the rising sun, the freaking headlights came on when I grabbed the handle! Way lighter than it was in my garage.

Yeah, probably a bug more than anything. Still annoying.