Front Side Lights

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stew2410
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Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2020 4:59 pm
Drives: R-Line 2020
Location: UK

Front Side Lights

Post 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.
Simonz
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Drives: 2023 Life TSI
Location: West Yorkshire

Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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.
Andy Beats
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Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
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Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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.
stew2410
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Drives: R-Line 2020
Location: UK

Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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.
POLO Clive
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Drives: Polo SEL 1.0 TSI 115PS
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Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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.
POLO Clive
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Drives: Polo SEL 1.0 TSI 115PS
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Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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:
Andy Beats
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Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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.
SRGTD
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Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
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Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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.
Andy Beats
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Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
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Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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?
SRGTD
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Re: Front Side Lights

Post 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.
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