I have wondering this for a while and kept forgetting to ask,

I know what the switch on the steering column does it turns on the parking lights so they are always on even when you shut the car off. When I first Got my car I thought they were for the hazards until I realized the hazards are on the dash.

 

But in what situation would you use this swich?

 

why not just turn your lights to the parking light feature at least then you would not leave your lights on.

I used the feature once on one of my EA82 wagons to have the parking lights on when it was getting towed.

 

I know with Subaru's, that is not a frequent occurance, but that is what i used mine for once.

Well, this isnt the perfect example, but its the truth...

 

I used to sit infront of peoples houses (at random) and smoke weed, they (people in the house, and the police) could see that I had on my parking lights, and that i was quiet, and that I could be waiting for someone.

 

Works every time! (so far)

Well, I don't have any glamorous weed stories, but I use it when I leave the car for a couple of minutes in a no-parking zone.

The parking lights on send a signal that "Hey, I ain't gone for long".

(In Denmark you are allowed to stop for three minutes if there is no parking.)

 

Most other road users seem to use their hazard flashers for this, but I think that is serious misuse of a distress signal.

 

 

They are also useful when parking on un-lit roads at night, which I believe is their official use.

 

Oh, and the light stalk switch is de-activated along with the ignition, that's why Subes have the extra switch!

Parking lights, at least in the UK are used when parking in the dark on unlit roads with a speed limit of over 30mph . This is to help other drivers to see you and avoid a collision.

Don't know about other countries.

i use mine for parking in the dark

The last and only time these lights were on is because i had tripped the switch accidentaly = No start on a very cold morning.

That's why I question their usefulness: they can drain a battery if you leave them on overnight. Or maybe my battery was allready weak...

I have gotten 2 soobs very cheaply due to "wiring problems".. IE: parking lights that won't turn off.. the first was one was my first soob, so I didn't know any better.. after fiddling around with it for a couple of hours, I sat down, took a break and looked through the owners manual for amusment.. thats when I found the switch.. have never used it since

My wife accidently turned this switch on when cleaning the car.

I thought there was a wiring problem.

Took it to the dealers to fix.....How embarrasing. This was 3 years ago.

Anyway. She did again last weekend I immediatly recognized the problem and corrected it. She however hasn't heard the end of it from me.....

It's her car.......

Don't get me started on weed stories involving my Subaru :-x

I don't mind the function of the switch, but the location sucks. I bumped it once when cleaning the interior of the car and it took me a couple of days and a call to the dealer to figure it out.

 

RTFM!

 

I have never used it beyond that.

 

99obw

We use them in Germany for parking on dark streets. German cars are equipped with the ability to switch on left or right side, depending on which half of the car is streetside.

 

If I would have had a Subie in Thailand (75-76), I could prolly fill the board with weed stories...

How can anyone not know the functions of all the buttons in their own car??

 

Okay, I may be extreme in my button prodding - I even like to read manuals - but owning a car and not knowing how it operate it?

 

Pardon me for sounding like an arrogant jack rump roast

I know an elderly gentleman who when returning his subaru for its first service asked - "how do you turn on the radio" ?

I agree with Setright on this. I just bought my XT, and before I even got on the road, I familiarized myself with all the bells and whistles. I'd be willing to bet that I know where more features are in a week than the previous owner did the whole time he owned the car!!

 

If it's there, it has a use. If it has a use, that means you can use it. If you can use it, then... USE IT!!

Setright:

 

Most American cars don't have 'parking lights' like cars in Europe do. If I hadn't checked up on it I would have thought the parking light was the emergency (4-way) flasher. I think the main reason for those is that in places like Europe where you have extremely narrow streets and people have to park halfway up on the curb (they do this in Germany, I'm guessing Denmark is the same way) it is neccessary in order for other drivers to navigate through all the parked cars. But anywhere I've been in the us (and that's most of it), parking like that would be both unneccessary and illegal, which is why most cars sold in the US don't have that feature.

Never mind what country, my grumbling just relates to people not taking time to learn how to operate their machines.

 

If I bought a car with automatic transmission - unusual in Europe - and couldn't even get it off the dealers forecourt because the stupid gearlever wouldn't budge out of "P", who's fault would that be??

 

Hey look, they've hidden a sticker RIGHT next to the gear lever: "To release from P, depress brake pedal", what's that all about???

 

 

How much egg would there be on my face when I call the dealer next morning and complain that the damn thing won't start?

 

Ohhhh! You have to be in either P or N for the engine to start. Dang it, why did they hide that in the User's Manual??

 

 

I don't know, maybe I am just too cynical

Originally posted by Setright

Never mind what country, my grumbling just relates to people not taking time to learn how to operate their machines.

 

 

C'mon, dude, are you telling me that every time you buy a video recorder, computer, digital camera, or appliance, that you sit down and patiently read through the whole owner's manual before you turn it on? Well, if you do you've got more patience than about 99% of the people I know.

 

That is also a lame analogy, BTW. The car can't operate without knowing how to work the tranny. I'm pretty sure the car can function whether the parking light works or not.

My thought when posting this message was actually see why people use this function I fully understood what it did as for others who have posted, who did not understand what this one button does I could see, why this could happen especially when someone accidentally bumps it and then can't figure out why there parking lights won't turn off. Two of the posters who had it happen to it was not there daily driver it was essentially there wifes car.

I just wanted to know what the purpose, of this button would be. I see now that almost every one who posted that uses them is not from the US, most people from the US that posted seemed like they have no reason to use this function. I can see in a parking situation as well on a narrow road at night using this function that makes sense

Had a customer who bumped the switch to turn the park lights on. After dark he noticed that they were on but couldn't figure out how to turn them off. So he unhooked the battery so it wouldn't be dead in the morning. Next morning he found the park light swithch and turned it off. But when he reconnected the battery the keyless entry system started flashing the park lights. Needless to say he was very confused about what was going on with his lights. By the time he got to the shop everything was find, and he was very confused!

Soneones wife just learned about that switch over on alt.autos.subaru - the hard way. Thought the 'brake lights' had been 'broken' by the detailing guy.

 

I say, let's use that switch for something else. maybe a power port that stays on after the ignition is turned off?

 

 

Carl

1 Lucky Texan

May I quote myself? Okay:

 

"Pardon me for sounding like an arrogant jack rump roast"

 

"I don't know, maybe I am just too cynical"

 

Now, I mean what I have written about operating machines, but the above quotes should indicate to all readers that I know I am not the majority.

 

Martin, try this for size: I actually read the manuals of stuff BEFORE I make the purchase. That way, I know for sure if the device will do what I want - and if it's a pig to operate, I don't buy it.

 

Yes, some shop clerks do seem ready to call the cops when I make the request to see the manual : "Get this lunatic out of my shop!!"

 

 

Analogies are always tricky, but my point is that what is obvious to some, is not so obvious to others. Same point you were making I think? That may be why you think it's a lame analogy, because "how to drive an automatic" is second nature to you, much like parking lights are to me.

The choice of location is a mystery, but the reason for the switch is that the main light switch doesn't work with the ignition switch off. If you want to show any lights with the car off, you have to use the auxilliary switch

So why is this poll locked??

All I can say is I read the entire manual 10 years ago when I bought the car. I now remember that I bumped the switch while cleaning the car about a year or so later and it took a little while to figure it out. Today I had just forgotten about its existence.

If somebody doesn't use a hidden switch for 8 years or so they just might forget that it exists.