Auto lights

[Alb]

Yes, very unreasonable for me to expect the car to do what I want it to do.

 

[Kithmo]

My gen 1 ZS Auto lights work perfectly apart from in rainy weather. Then I have to go through the agonising rigmarole of deciding for myself whether to turn them on by the extremely inconvenience of turning the light switch one click.
The car does have the decency though to tell me I've left the lights on when I switch it off.

 

[Gomev]

Yes, very unreasonable for me to expect the car to do what I want it to do.

In a way yes it is unreasonable to expect it, but not unreasonable to want it. I would like my passenger seat to move electrically, it doesn't though. There are many things I would like but that's how it comes. It does the important things that we bought it for, eg. it gets me from A to far away B nicely and is cheap to run and better to the environment than my old ICE vehicle. ?

 

[Rocinante]

In a way yes it is unreasonable to expect it, but not unreasonable to want it. I would like my passenger seat to move electrically, it doesn't though. There are many things I would like but that's how it comes. It does the important things that we bought it for, eg. it gets me from A to far away B nicely and is cheap to run and better to the environment than my old ICE vehicle. ?

It's not unreasonable to expect the auto lights to function as they should. ie turn on the lights when they are needed rather than at some point after they are needed. It is not comparable to saying the seats should move electrically when the car does not have this function. If there was no auto function for the lights, I would say that you are 100% correct, that you can't have everything, but if it is provided it should function. If they couldn't get them to function as it should, it should have been left off the car, I think people would have accepted this better than a system not working as intended. Even in the event that you just accept that everything in the car might not work exactly as it should, commenting that you expect it to work as it should is certainly not unreasonable.

This does not make it a bad car, it appears to be a very good car especially for the money, but to say when something doesn't work as it should, you should blindly accept it, isn't reasonable.

 

[Tweed98]

Auto lights and wipers are very old tech, I've had them on every car I've had since 2006 (2 low end Audis, a Toyota, a Ford and a Seat), so it's quite annoying that all of them work in a similar manner aside from this one the newest car.

 

[emmrecs]

My previous car, now owned and driven by my wife, is an MG6. It also had Auto Lights and they always switched on whenever the external light levels were even "slightly" dark. Perhaps rather too sensitive, but certainly very much better than what happens with the MG5. There have been several occasions, particularly recently as day-length reduces and subsequent twilight is ever earlier, when I have considered the side and head lights ought to be on but they are not!

I agree that manual override is not onerous but the light level at which the Auto Lights seem to be triggered is certainly considerably lower than I would prefer! I wonder if this can be changed in software?

 

[Alb]

It has just occurred to me after reading another thread that the reason we have a problem with
trigger level may be that the windscreen on UK cars is not tinted. I think the factory setting assumes the screen is tinted so switches at a lower level than expected. The sensor does sit behind the windscreen.

 

[Doddydoodle]

Took it to the dealers and they said all was OK. So they come on a bit too late. Passenger door button for keyless entry needs a new sensor.

 

[smokie]

The sensor does sit behind the windscreen.

@Alb - is the sensor behind the rear view mirror area? I ask because in the last couple of days my headlights have started going to main fairly randomly when following traffic, which makes me look a bit of a knob, and I've forgotten to look at it in daytime but want to have a look tomorrow and see if it's just the (rather extensive) muck on the car that's causing it. Ta.

 

[Alb]

Yes, I've confirmed by covering the sensor and it makes the lights come on.

 

[akendall1966]

Mine been the same this week due to ice / dirt. Have disabled auto main beam for the time being. Also been getting camera blocked warnings fairly often. Wondering if the wiper blades are not tracking the shape of the windows an not cleaning so well due to the cold.

 

[smokie]

Also been getting camera blocked warnings fairly often.

Me too. Hopefully just a side effect of the cold weather then!

 

[Vipar]

Plastic milk container top carefully cut out a circle then glue a piece of darker film on it place it over the dome and it won’t move. No need for fixings. Adjust darkness of film to suit your requirements.

I will use a blue top to compliment my car colour. Of course any container top will suffice ???

 

[emmrecs]

@Alb - is the sensor behind the rear view mirror area? I ask because in the last couple of days my headlights have started going to main fairly randomly when following traffic, which makes me look a bit of a knob, and I've forgotten to look at it in daytime but want to have a look tomorrow and see if it's just the (rather extensive) muck on the car that's causing it. Ta.

I've also experienced this annoyance this week; annoying to me and most definitely annoying to the drivers whose cars I'm following!

I will check that that sensor area behind the mirror is clear when I go out later today.

 

[Gomev]

Mine been the same this week due to ice / dirt. Have disabled auto main beam for the time being. Also been getting camera blocked warnings fairly often. Wondering if the wiper blades are not tracking the shape of the windows an not cleaning so well due to the cold.

I get the camera blocked when heading into low sun.

 

[smokie]

Just been out in the rain to make sure it's all clear, and will see how it goes.

 

[smokie]

All is well again, must have been a mucky windscreen over the camera. Thanks all

 

[David in Nottingham]

The auto lights function was working fine until my 71 plate went in for a s/w update (referred to as 007 upgrade) I think.
Now the lights only come on when it's very dark. Booked in next week to the dealership to check the s/w.

 

[Mitch AC DC]

Possibly serious note about auto main beam {to use or not use ?}
Got a Tug from the OldBill, apparently they were worried, because apparently l was Flashing them , so after pulling the I'm Old and these newfangled cars what can you do excuse?, they smiled indulgently and waved me on phew

 

[Kithmo]

I like to turn everything "Auto" off where I can and use my 50+ years driving experience and my own judgement to know when to to turn things on and off by paying attention to the road and my surroundings.