I use my parking light switch all the time. Its because I deliver pizza. My battery is kinda weak so I dont like having the dome light flash from using the emergency flashers. I do use the flashers when I park REALLY illegal, I just use the parking lights when I park kinda illegal (like block in a car in an apartment complex)

Flowmaster, have you never read "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" ?

 

I only use the Hazard/Emergency flasher, when my car poses a hazard due to being stranded on the roadway. Kinda like in an emergency ;-)

 

I use the parking lights whenever I park the car in a place that might have people wondering if I am coming back soon. Like if making a short, work related deliver and finding it prudent to leave the car on the front lot of a building.

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

Do they involve digging them out of places they get stuck when you "make a new road"?

I believe they are required in Eruope, as a standard safety feature, for the reasons stated above ( generally revolving around parking on dark streets). There are two advantages to the "Parking light switch":

1) it allows the headlight system to be disabled when the ignition is not "on" (ie the car is not running), which reduces the number of times people flatten thier batteries by leaving the lights on accidentailly.

 

2) when using the park light switch, only the parking lights are on. No dashboard lights, no ignition, no nothing (unless you turn them on seperately). This allows for the lights to be left on for longer periods without draining the battery, which allows you to use them on particularly dark streets, like they have in Europe.

 

Now as to why they are provided on cars sold in the US? That one I dunno, but I'll guess that either they thought it was a good idea (safety measure), or they wanted one less part that had to be manufactured seperately in the US version from the European version. . . The poll is locked (for some reason, so I'll add my vote here: I have had occasion ot use the park light (even in the US, while parking in particularly dark areas (usually dirt roads). . .

 

And yes, I have had to pull weeds out of places they have gotten stuck when I "made a new road". . . What the hell use is 4 wheel drive if you don't use it?

Parking lights seems like a great application for LEDs. I would assume LED's output the same light for less current?

 

If the Subaru parking lights use a completely separate circuit from the lights normally used when driving at night, they could be used as an emergency lighting system to use in event of failure of the main light circuit. I assume the parking lights still use the same bulb filaments as the main lighting though.

 

A rechargable backup battery + a bright LED in each light assembly + isolated circuits to the parking and hazard switches = a car can be lit up no matter what, good safety feature considering that when a car suddenly dies on a dark road before being able to pull over, a likely cause is total electrical system failure under lights/wipers/defrost/defog load. Or by a crash that destroys the main battery, the damaged vehicle could be hit even harder by another vehicle, sitting there unlit til emergency crews respond. How many drivers carry flares in their vehicle nowadays, not many.

 

BTW I have driven nothing but GM for years and asked the salesman if there were any unusual controls, he mentioned the parking light switch that gets turned on when the interior is cleaned. Overall a great sales experience dealing with Becker Subaru of Allentown, PA!

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.

a short summary of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (in effect since 1969): "a vehicle exterior lighting system must be operable to make vehicle conspicious on the road.......at all times" (ignition on OR off).

 

Since Subaru has chosen to wire headlamp/marker lamp circuit thru igniton side of electrical system (supposedly to PREVENT leaving lights on after vehicle is shut down), the switch on top of the steering column is required---to make marker lamps operable with ignition off.

they make good daytime running lights without add more hours to the dash lights, but you must remember to turn them off.............duh, oops!

yes.

Since Subaru has chosen to wire headlamp/marker lamp circuit thru igniton side of electrical system (supposedly to PREVENT leaving lights on after vehicle is shut down)

Which was one more reason for me to get my subie since my mom uses my car more than her own (better gas mileage) she has this horrible habit of leaving the lights on no matter what. Drained her battery twice in a week.

I guess I am a dork too, because I always read the manuals that come with my equipment, etc.

 

 

Unfortunately, I bought my Subaru used without a manual, and I didn't ever take the time or money to buy a new one.

 

I found the parking light switch on my own, as I am the type to find and push all the buttons. I can't say I ever left it on and drained the battery, but I have left the dome light on by mistake a couple of times.

 

 

When I was 3 yrs old I got in big trouble for pushing the emergency stop button on a department store escalator.

 

I guess I'll never learn..

 

But I never have used the parking light switch for any useful purpose.

 

Matt

I got pulled over tonight for a "broken taillight" (the car has been like this for several years, without any problems, and it was on my "to do" list anyway. . .*sigh*), and the Officer told me right off to turn my ignition off. To avoid problems as the lights go off when the ignition goes off, I hit the switch to be safe. . . switched it back off when I restarted the car to leave. . .

 

Now, does anyone have a 90-94 right taillight lens for a wagon?

 

Oh, and the only part of the lens that is broken is the part that covers the reverse lights. Nothing that is used in traffic. . . (so blinding the driver behind me is not the issue here. I'm betting on it being quotas)

Don't they sell the repair stuff at stores like autozone to fix tail lights?

 

I know they used to carry the red and orange colors.

 

Doesn't seem like you are real worried about vanity, so you could always take the light off, clean it real good, and fill the void with 5 minute clear epoxy.

Don't they sell the repair stuff at stores like autozone to fix tail lights?

 

I know they used to carry the red and orange colors.

 

Doesn't seem like you are real worried about vanity, so you could always take the light off, clean it real good, and fill the void with 5 minute clear epoxy.

I asked about that. Only a new lens will meet the requirement of having been repaired. . .

Oh, and if I was concerned with vanity, why am I driving a 12 year old car?

Actually, I am. I was going to replace the taillight for cosmetic reasons, but the tickit has upped it on the priority list ( I was gonna wait until I could come up with one cheap, and not have to go to the stealership and pay several hundred dollars. . .) I also plan on painting the car, and perhaps replacing the doors with ones that are not banged up. . . On top of this (pardon the expression) I have a factory roof rack that I plan on installing soon. I'm also looking for alloy wheels (5 of them) for the finishing touch. One other thing, I plan on getting some of those "lighted windshield washer nozzles" and wiring the lights into the turn signals. Oh and driving lights (just the oval ones, as they are easier to mount. . .)

 

Say, my birthday is this month. . .Hmmmmmmm <G>