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Front Side Lights

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:34 pm
by stew2410
Hi all,

So picked up my new (2020) Polo R-Line last week and really liking it. I just have a question over side lights...

According to the manual when I turn the light switch to side lights I should get daytime running AND front side lights and rear lights. Yet I am only getting daytime running and rear lights.

I went to the garage today and they looked into it. They said ignore the manual as daytime running are effectively the side lights. Is this what other people have found or is the garage fobbing me off?

I know the side lights are working as when I use the auto function they come on when I unlock the car.

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:42 pm
by Simonz
I think the garage are correct, 'side lights' setting traditionally meant the rear tail lights on and at the front in the headlight a tiny 5 watt bulb would light up.
Instead now it activates the rear tail lights and daytime running lights on the front but they are dimmed down a bit. I just leave the switch on 'Auto' instead of switching on and off. Besides if you turn them off completely it doesn't activate the headlights when you press the remote to unlock which is a nice feature in winter / darkness.

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:44 pm
by Andy Beats
My Gti is the same, just checked.
Manually select side-lights, nothing comes on in the headlights at all - just the DRLs on at the front.
Didn't look at the back.
As others have said, I just leave my lights on auto, barring bad fog which the auto feature can't detect.

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 7:02 pm
by stew2410
OK cheers guys. That puts my mind at rest.

Yeah I've started using the auto feature. Looks nice at night when the car unlocks.

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 1:37 pm
by POLO Clive
Perhaps different models have different headlight/sidelight configurations, but on my SEL, the DRL's are on all the time at full brightness, and when I turn the sidelights on, the DRL's reduce to 50% brightness and the outer part of the headlight (the big main part) also illuminates.

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 3:47 pm
by POLO Clive
POLO Clive wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 1:37 pm Perhaps different models have different headlight/sidelight configurations, but on my SEL, the DRL's are on all the time at full brightness, and when I turn the sidelights on, the DRL's reduce to 50% brightness and the outer part of the headlight (the big main part) also illuminates.
Please ignore this, I had the lights on auto when I checked this :oops:

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 4:45 pm
by Andy Beats
POLO Clive wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 3:47 pm
Please ignore this, I had the lights on auto when I checked this :oops:
That's weird.
If the sidelights don't come on when manually selected, I wouldn't have thought there was a scenario where they'd come on using auto, I would have thought the minimum auto setting was dipped headlights.
I stand to be corrected, but I don't think there's a UK driving scenario where sidelights only are allowed, is there :?:
I thought sidelights were more or less completely redundant these days.

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:03 pm
by SRGTD
Andy Beats wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 4:45 pm
POLO Clive wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 3:47 pm
Please ignore this, I had the lights on auto when I checked this :oops:
That's weird.
If the sidelights don't come on when manually selected, I wouldn't have thought there was a scenario where they'd come on using auto, I would have thought the minimum auto setting was dipped headlights.
I stand to be corrected, but I don't think there's a UK driving scenario where sidelights only are allowed, is there :?:
I thought sidelights were more or less completely redundant these days.
I’d only ever use them as parking lights if I thought it necessary to leave some illumination on when parked up in an area with no street lighting.

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:30 pm
by Andy Beats
SRGTD wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:03 pm I’d only ever use them as parking lights if I thought it necessary to leave some illumination on when parked up in an area with no street lighting.
So, presumably, they do come on and stay on if you manually select them and then turn the ignition off?

Re: Front Side Lights

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:54 pm
by SRGTD
Andy Beats wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:30 pm
SRGTD wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:03 pm I’d only ever use them as parking lights if I thought it necessary to leave some illumination on when parked up in an area with no street lighting.
So, presumably, they do come on and stay on if you manually select them and then turn the ignition off?
I assume they do. They did in my last Polo. Also in my last Polo you could also set the parking lights to illuminate on just one side of the car by pushing the indicator stalk up or down with the rotary light switch in the ‘off’ position.

I haven’t tried either of the above in my current car.