Hmmm I tell ya....for the maxima being what it is. I really think it should have a headlight auto-off option. I mean even on my previous ride a 89 cressida (which we wont get into since its options standard outweigh the maxima) if the headlights where on and you open the door...poof they go out. I'm wondering if we can wire something in to accomplish this?? If I could get a good wiring diagram I might be able to replicate it from what I see here on the cressida one.

 

5th gens already do this... or do you mean, even if the car is running and you open the door?

I leave my headlight switch in the ON position always. When I shut off the ignition, the headlights stay on either, #1 40 seconds, or #2 until I open the door, whichever comes first.

 

Yeah my 4th gens like to stay on...grrr..

 

hmm, that would definitely be cool to get some sort of auto headlight off thing.

 

Ahhh... didn't know what gen you had.

Surely it's nothing more than a relay or something that could be installed relatively easily.

Try asking in the 5th gen forum. Someone there may know. We won't mess with you 4th gen guys too much!

 

4th gens do have a feature (standard I think) called the "battery saver" which shuts off the interior lights if a door is left open for a long time. I was working on my stereo one day and noticed the door light and dome light shut off even though my door was still open. Not sure on the exact time, but I think it was 15-20 minutes. I wonder if the headlights do the same thing.

 

Thats a good question..I dont feel like risking my battery to find out..lol. Yeah I'm sure a simple relay would trigger them off if you opened a door with the car not running. Hmmm...I'm gonna start looking into it.

 

I never really understood the auto-headlight feature. Isn't a beeping noise combined with common sense good enough for people? Ok, ok...maybe not for the deaf...but even then thats a stretch.

It always seemed like one of those "get $1 off your insurance a month" features, like auto-locks on chryslers, daytime running lights, etc. And then everyone else just *had* to follow because people seem to enjoy leaving their lights on when they leave their car (My roommate with a Grand Cherokee prides himself on being able to do this).

But I guess if you have to mod your car and learned more about the electrical system in the process to attain it...then at least the journey is cool even if the end result is lame.

 

I think my problem is I got so used to perhaps leaving them on by accident in my old car and when I opened the drivers side door after turning the engine off they shut off. With the maxima they jsut stay on, I will prbly get used to turning them off but...its still a cool idea.

 

well with HIDs, you bypass the beeping. But I've left the headlights on at least 4-5 times in my lifetime, prolly once every two years or so...

 

this would be a cool idea, another thing that would be cool is like a solar panel so the lights automatically come on when it gets dark, i don't think this has been done but it'd be pretty cool

anu

 

my aftermarket alarm does this. there is a sensor on the dash that will turn your lights on automatically when it gets dark. the only problem is when you drive through a tunnel they will turn on and then off when you leave and you can't manually over ride it so no driving around in the dark with no light

 

Romeo,

Its called NIGHTVISION on the Cliffords, it can be disabled if its annoying via the PlainView Valet switch or if you have the CliffNET Wizard connector and software.

 

I know that on my '96 GXE, I left the lights on one day when I got to work. After my shift, my battery was so dead that my remote buttons wouldn't pop the trunk or unlock the doors. It was also this incident that made me realize that car didn't have the buzzer hooked up to remind me of my lights being left on. Haven't forgotten to turn my lights off in my '97 SE because it dings at me. For $50 cash, I'll leave my lights on all night in my '97 to see if this battery saver (which it supposedly has) works for headlights to. Any takers?

Dave

 

I accidentally left my lights on an old car of ours at the BART station (train station).

I asked about this mod before for the Max, and mostly what I got was negative or pessimistic attitudes, or nothing.

It would be good to have this feature. Not having to worry about your lights staying on *JUST INCASE* you're not 100% alert of the aweful sounding beeping noise. I think that reminds me, I'm gonna disconnect that thing.

 

What clifford has this night vision? I have the clifford matrix RS3 but never heard of this feature.

This will be a kool ides so someone needs to start thinking..

I dont even have my beeping thing hooked up because that is annoying as hell esp when you are working on your audio system.

 

Yeah I'm gonna see if I can figure it out. It might take me a few weeks. But I'm sure its pretty simple.

 

GM calls it Twilight Sentinel, and feels the need to put it in most every car they manufacture now. I find it to be terribly annoying in my father's Catera. The lights just come on and go off by themselves, and after you shut the car off, they stay on for 5+ minutes. I'm never quite sure if they're actually going to shut off whenever I get out of the car. The BEST part is that the on/off button doesn't seem to have any effect until you start the car up the next time, so it takes several drives to get the darn thing to shut off. Final solution was to make sure it was off, and just always drive with the headlights on (which I do anyway) to prevent it from taking over and shutting them off.

Personally, I like to be in control of what the car is doing. I don't want IT deciding when to turn the lights on and off...

(Needless to say, I'm trying to get him out of that rebadged Opel and into a Maxima.)

 

It shouldn't be that difficult.... Camrys have been doing it for the last 9 years that I know of.

 

Our old Toyota Previa van (91) does it. I open the door and I hear a tiny click and the headlights are off.

It would be nice if we had just this small feature in the Max, as long as it's not too much of a hassle to do.

 

My point exactly...

 

My friends 99 A6 doesn't automatically turn the headlights off and my friends used to his 99 Diamante which did so there have been some close calls. It's a ***** to break out of a habit.... it's funny that my parents Prizm has this feature and the Max and the Audi don't....

 

Maxspeed,

The Clifford Matrix RS3 is the lower line of Clifford alarms, not saying its bad, it just doesn't have the bells and whistles of the higher end Intelliguard, Concept and AvantGuard4 alarms.

The NightVision is standard on the AvantGuard4, Concept 600 and Intelliguard 9000. I see nowhere that it can be added or optioned on the Clifford Matrix line.

There is a guide for it here: http://www.clifford.com/guides/ogs/n...ion_owners.pdf

And the wiring diagram here leads me to believe that it can we wired in as a separate accessory from the alarm:

http://www.clifford.com/guides/wirin...ion_wiring.pdf

 

actually that wiring helps me..cause I could have it setup where when u open the door the relay always trys to turn the lights off
but of course it will only work if they are on, and the ingnition is off...perfect thanks

 

I would be interested to find out how your project turns out.

 

this is a good thing to look into...even my mom's 94 toyota camry LE, lights come off when you open the doors...how my 97 not gonna have that feature...

 

You could hook a relay up to the ignition, and have it cut the lights when the ignition is off. If you want a timer or some fancy thing, that's a little more complicated, but the relay would be easy. Hardest part is finding the right wires.

 

I have the auto feature on my 03 IS 300 and it's a great feature. The lights come on automatically when it's dark (for long periods of time for those tunnels instances.) Then they shut off when it's get's light (when the sun is rising in the morning and I'm driving to work.) I can leave them on when I get out of the car and they will shut off after 90 seconds by themselves or I can always hit the alarm button and they will shut off instantly. I really wish the Maxima had this feature...oh well I guess we have to wait until someone figures out the way to do it.