C70 06 >

[djb773]

Hi, anybody offer advice?

Left my lights on at work today, not noticed in the short time i've had the car but no audible warning when lights are on and car door is open - pretty standard in most cars now, but no mention in the handbook?

Should there be an alarm for this and can it be disabled somewhere. If the answer is yes and no...does anybody know where i can locate the buzzer/chime to check?


Thanks

Dvd

[Welton]

This is a very annoying 'feature'. My S40 has no 'lights on' warning either.

Basically the car is set for driving with DRL's (day running lights) which switch on and off with the engine. Switching the lights 'off' yourself at the switch only sets them to the side-light position, by-passing the automatic lights and leaving them on when you park up

I got fed up with leaving them on on bright days so just leave the DRL's on now.

[iainmd]

That's kind of what the sidelight position is for. They are parking lights as far as Volvo is concerned. I've never had any problem as the DRLs are always on and I have never in 5 years used the parking light position. I don't know why you'd need to with DRLs?

[Harvey1512]

I once questioned the point of parking lights on here and received an onslaught of venom. I still think they are pointless and I don't care what people say. (don't start the venom again, I know why they exist blah blah)

I always leave my light setting switched to the bottom setting and only ever turn to the 12 o'clock position if I am driving down country lanes and want the full beam on. It is a quirk of Volvo and that is the best way to deal with it.

[Welton]

Originally Posted by Harvey1512

I once questioned the point of parking lights on here and received an onslaught of venom. I still think they are pointless and I don't care what people say. (don't start the venom again, I know why they exist blah blah)

Because I am sad I've just found that there thread and read it

My view is that the 'down' position (tradtionally known as 'off') would indeed turn all lighting off IF you had your DRL's disabled at the dealers.

Maybe, in some countries, you can't have DRL's so Volvo had to include an 'off' position for these places??

I leave mine in the 12 o'clock 'On' position so that I can have the full beam 'locked on' when I drive. As these dark mornings came along I realised I had left mine in the 'off' position and was flashing away like a mad man wondering why the full beams wouldn't stay on.

[Harvey1512]

Originally Posted by Welton

My view is that the 'down' position (tradtionally known as 'off') would indeed turn all lighting off IF you had your DRL's disabled at the dealers.

I may be confused here, bear with me if I am - the down position leaves the lights on at all times on dipped but mean that you don't have to worry about "switching" them off when you turn the engine off. I don't have the DRL disabled by the way.

It is so rare that I drive on roads that are completely clear, to allow full beam on, that for me to use the "On" position is the exception rather than the rule.

I do agree that a buzzer should have been fitted for any position other than the Off as that is just asking for a flat battery. I did that 3 times on my first car as that also did not have a warning noise and this car is the first car since then, 16 yrs of motoring, that has missed this item as well.

I suppose the answer, if rather annoying for some, is to leave your DRL working and have the switch turned to Off.

By the way did you chuckle at how angry some people got about the parking lights. Blimey!

[Welton]

Do you know that the 'up' position does exactly the same? the only difference is the ability to 'lock on' the full beam. Both postions of the switch behave identically in all other respects.

And yes, reading that old thread it seemed a case of text being read a bit out of context. I wish there were some better emoticons we could use sometimes to help express our attitudes.

[Harvey1512]

Does the UP position also turn off the lights when you take out the ignition key? I have only had the car for 16 months and never tried that out. I assumed, "NEVER assume" says an ex-forces colleague at work, that leaving it in that position left the lights on.

Do I take it then that the only potential battery draining position for the lights is the parking position?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Harvey1512

Do I take it then that the only potential battery draining position for the lights is the parking position?

Yes that is correct .
However They are parking lights and battery drain is minimal they should be able to cope with an overnight stop somewhere .. If they don't then there is a problem with the battery or charging system .. I left them on 24 hours on an XC90 once and it still started ok .

[fenton_jd]

Top position
Dipped beams with full main beam availability

Middle position
sidelights + "volvo" parking lights

Bottom Position
Dipped beams with main beam flash only

Some people claimed that the bottom position made the dipped beams ever so slightly less bright as that position supposidly uses less wattage to "conserve" bulb life. My HID's dont flicker in this position, but I still dont ever use the position just incase.