I love the auto option for the headlights. The only thing I don't like is the fact I don't have daytime running lights and that when it's raining in the day the sensor isn't sensitive enough to trigger the headlights. So I was thinking about blacking out the sensor. This would allow me to keep auto on and always have the lights turn on and off with the car. Opinions? Does anyone know where the sensor is?

 

if yo are sittng in your drivers seat look where ur regestration is and then look down on the dashboard u will see a black circle its about 2 inches from the corner

 

there are two sensors, the one in front of driver's seat is sensor for auto headlight. the one in front of passenger's seat is for climate control, i think.

the black cover pops right off fairly easy. I darkened the cover with sharpie.

 

I like this also, but how long will the HID's last? I hear that changing the bulbs is a muthaf... Plus, I am sure that they aren't cheap.

 

Thanks guys. I'll try tomorrow. As for the lamp life.. who knows. If you can afford the car you can afford to keep it up though right? That's why I didn't buy the 330

 

hids last about 2000-3000 hours. You can get a pair of hid bulbs for $75 bucks. and YES, its a pain in the @ss to get to. but I drive with the HIDs on. "If you got 'em, flaunt 'em"

 

and now to make the lights come on automatically with the wipers ....

 

before you get sharpie happy, did you first attempt to adjust your sensitivity level? it has a range 1-4.

 

good thought, but do you really want your HIDs flashing excessively when you do a quick washing, or do a mist wipe? you're looking at a lot of relays to get it just right. say you go under a small rain cloud area. you just had your HIDs on during the day for a few miles or less. you just shortened their life even more

 

Superglue the turn signal shaft...Wrap a spring over the top (towards the front) around the shaft and attach to the headlight switch holding in the OFF position... Use very stylish leather strap wrapped in the opposite direction around the headllight switch, then over the steering column to the wiper shaft.

 

I adjusted the sensitivity, but it didn't turn on early enough. I colored
the sensor cover with sharpie, and it turns on at perfect time for me.

side effect of auto headlight: I always forget to turn off the headlights after
I drive other cars.

I trained my brain to automatically turn on the headlights with
my left hand when my eyes see raindrops on the windshield.

 

how do u change the sensitivity on the auto sensors??

 

To change the sensitivity (from chapter 4 of the manual), press/release the settings button until you get to the personalized settings item, then use the joystick to move to the auto headlamp sensitivity.

 

Why would you want the lights on all the time? to me it would just draw unwanted attention from the law. to each his own

 

Having the lights come on when the wipers are on is easy... have a jumper wire from the wiper switch to the lead that turns on the lights.

 

Having the headlights come on with the wipers is a real nice feature.

My wife's Grand Cherokee has it and I think it makes alot of sense.

Of course when I didn't have a vehicle with auto headlights, I would observe it getting dark and turn on the headlights just like someone mentioned seeing a raindrop and turning on their headlights.

The thing is auto headlights, dark or rain the lights coming would be nice at least for us halogen guys. It should be standard.

I'm pretty sure the guys that drive the cars with rain sensing wipers can turn their own wipers on when they see raindrops but they don't have to because they come on automatically.

At the price of the Maxima auto headlights night or rain should be standard for the Halogen guys and optional for the HID fellas.

IMOP

 

not true.. they do not come on automatically.. they adjust the speed of the wipers according to the speed you are driving~

 

Thank-you for the correction tototee 999, I may have misunderstood an article or two.

Well, like VTmaximavt said he trained his brain to have his left hand turn the lights on, I'm pretty sure these guys can notice when it rains harder and adjust the wipers themselves but they don't have to because the wipers adjust automatically.

My point is with auto headlights they should come on when dark and when rain/(wipers are turned on), I think we pay enough money for the Maxima to get somethings that make sense.

 

I know this is off topic... but wut is the joystick used for on the non-navi maxima besides the peronalized options when u move it downward when it is in the settings mode?

 

u can adj your maintanece reminders. um i think u also use it when doing self diagnostics. top of my head, that's about it.

personalized setting is pretty extensive and enough for the joystick to me. the few of those features the 5th gens have, the dealer has to set.

 

your headlights will for sure burn out early keeping them on all the time...i wouldnt recommend it......

 

No...at least on my 2002 VW Passat GLX (RIP), they came on automatically when it started to rain...I just always left it in the auto selection for the wipers as it could be turned off indepently from coming on automatically. The sensor not only sensed when water started to hit the windshield, but it also did the standard by adjusting the speed of the wipers based on how fast the car was going and the rain hitting the windshield...

Jimbo

 

Good deal Jimbo

I know I'm sorta dumb but I actually felt stupid, thought my reading comprehension skills were deminishing like my spelling.

 

it's "diminishing"... so yeah, yer speleeng kapabiletes ur gahn.
LOL, Hope you're not offended. just giving you a hard time

 

I was the "spelling bee king" in the 3rd grade. lol

auto headlamp censor is the topick

 

Who lerned yoo awl how to spoke?

Oh and on topic, I stuffed some black paper in there and they come on not all the time but just early enough when it's not quite dark. I was going to sharpie it but I wanted to be able to remove it if it bugged me too much...

 

When its raining out, but still daytime, even at the highest sensitivity level my lights don't come on. To remedy this I just bawl up a kleenex and wedge it ontop of the sensor and the windshield ( I keep my lights on auto). Not elegent but effective

 

Sharpie can be removed with rubbing alcohol....

Jimbo

 

Knew that but I figured it would be easier to just take out a piece of paper rather than rub off the ink...

 

Ok..I'm don't understand why you would want to cover up the sensor...

If you want your headlights to come on when the car is turned on, just set the headlights on "ON"...when you arm your car (lock the doors & engine off) the lights will automatically turn off in a minute or less....(but there's a beep to remind you they're still set on "ON"...but they turn off anyway)...which is what you wanted...right?

Just a thought...try it and see.

Sparq

 

I have an opinion...Leave the headlights in the ON position all the time...When you leave the car they will turn themselves off in a few minutes. Does everyone know this? I just discovered it when I was trying to get a good look at the silverstars. So I'd hate to find out I colored my sensors witha sharpie when I coulda just left the lights on and let them turn themselves off.

 

Um..read the post prior to your last one...

 

Yeah...just saw that

 

Nothin personal man but wow, your lazy. He he. I drive my Max all day and I'm in tunnels and other areas that require lights. The controls are so easy to get to. Since I've been selling HID lights for years to the industrial market I don't like the auto lights. Unnessary ons and off kill the bulb and transformer.

 

Yeah, use the switch!