Do you guys leave your lights on auto or manually turn it on? I just recently changed my 9006 fog lights yesterday and I thought to myself that by leaving it on auto it might have affected the lights. Do you think by leaving it on auto it affects the life span of the lights? Sorry for a dumb questions. . . .

 

i don't think it'll affect the lifespan of the bulbs. but for me, i manually turn on my lights cuz i park in a garage and hate it when the lights always turn on then turn back off when i'm on the road or when i go underneath lax on sepulveda.

 

If you have HIDs, I heard it does not help the lifespan of the bulbs if they come on a lot, i.e. under a bridge, etc. It has something to do with igniting the gas inside the bulbs. The ignition process is hard on the bulbs. Thus, if it happens a lot, the lifespan is shorter. I'm not an expert on it, I just read it somewhere. That's why I just turn it on manually.

 

Yeah, i turn them on manually as well due to them rapidly turning on/off in underpasses.

 

I don't use auto. If I did, they'd turn on every day when I pull into my garage, which drives me nuts.

 

i'm totally manual as well. i'm good with turning on/off headlights at the appropriate time of day, don't see any benefit to using auto.

 

I leave mine on auto. They usually have a delay, so if I'm in a tunnel or underpass for a short period of time, they won't come on. However, if I'm in a tunnel for a good bit of time, in an underground garage (work), or its raining etc. it's a good idea to drive with the headlights on anyway, and they're pretty consistent about coming on at these times. On my usual routes, I rarely see them go on and off (you can always have the sensitivity adjusted), and since they're usually warm after driving for a period of time, longevity shouldn't be an issue.

 

I leave mine on auto... I'm lazy... And I don't care about the "life" of the lights since I'll sell the car before the warranty runs out...

 

Yea I agree I would think the difference would be insignificant if any....

 

The IS is the first car I've owned that has the auto on/off headlights. I leave them on auto all the time, I'm loving that feature as well as the auto windshield wipers.

 

Thanks for all the responses. Seems like everyone is diff. . .

 

We leave them on Auto in both Lexus' (Lexi?). Have not had any issues with this on the RX (05 Thundercloud), and the sensitivity on the IS seems to be well matched to our environment in the NW. There is a long enough delay that when we pull into the garage, we have sufficient time to shut down before the lights come on. As mentioned up thread, we also leave the wipers on auto on both vehicles and they have worked great.

 

So those who leave their lights on auto, just my opinion, but I think there is bug in the lights, trucks, doors sequence that could put you at risk for headlights not going out. When you walk away, be sure your headlights extinguish IF you have done something with the trunk or anything unusual out of your normal routine.

 

I just push the lock button on my KeyFob twice and they go out right away.

 

I leave it on auto, but find the sensitivity inadequate for rainy days, so I often turn them on when it is raining. I don't mind, it's not that often and I'd probably be annoyed if I changed the sensitivity from where it is.

I've read the same thing about bulb life. Many on/off cycles will kill the bulb sooner, but I have not had HIDs on anything long enough to know if this is true from a practical perspective.

kensteele - you are right about paying attention to the auto-off. It does not always do what you expect if you are opening and closing doors and trunk. I have developed a habit of using the key fob to shut the lights off when I know I'll be away from the car for awhile. Press lock twice and the lights go out instantly.