Canadian head light switch

Hello,

On my '03 Golf the headlight switch is either on or off. In the European, and I think US, models there is on, 'parking lights', and off. Is there any reason why us Canadians don't get the option for parking lights?

Just curious. Thanks for any info.

Reply to
David Magda
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It may be that your headlight switch is defective. For example, on some VW headlight switches there is a small ball bearing inside the switch that provides a stepping action (stepping from parking lights to headlights). If that bearing somehow comes loose, the switch will no longer be able to step from one position to the other. Just a thought.

Reply to
Papa

Parking lights are useless. It really bothers me when people drive with them on. Especially in the rain.

But in all honesty, I don't see their purpose. I wish my cars didn't have them. One more position on the switch to get corroded and f**k up.

Reply to
Johann Koenig

I like them just for their looks (agreed they don't illuminate the road much). Of course they are also used as turn signals and I have my front side marker lights wired so that they will act as turn signals too.

Reply to
Papa

Hardly. Parking lights allow your car to easily be seen without using headlights when parked. They are also useful when you want your lights on but don't want to blind somebody directly in front of you, such as when maneuvering in a driveway or when waiting for somebody. They are highly useful for entering military bases (or a security guard place) at night so that the guard is not blinded by your headlights as he attempts to read your identification stickers and make sure you are not a threat. But you're right, PARKing lights should not be used when DRIVING.

Well I guess that's a feature of a VW owner. Got to worry about any and every switch getting corroded and f**ked up as well as anything electrical in the car. I know the feeling.

Reply to
Jim

US models have on and off. The on position turns on parking lights and interior lighting. The off position turns those things off. Headlights are always on unless you modify the switch or replace it with a switch from the European models.

US models with fog lights have a different switch that lets you control fog lights separately from the regular light control.

Reply to
David Cantrell

Ever since VWs started coming to the US with DRLs the switch has been shared between US and Canadian models.

VW's reasoning for deleting the parking lamp position on the switch is to satisfy slightly different regulations with one switch. The issue stems from the difference in US vs. Canadian rules surrounding DRLs.

In the US, DRLs are supposed to be extinguished when the switch leaves the "off" position. This means that if there was a parking lamp position, the DRLs would need to go out and just the parking lamps would be on. (And of course when the switch reaches the full "on" position you're dealing with the normal headlamps.)

In Canada, DRLs are supposed to stay *on* until the normal headlamps are turned on. So in the parking lamp position you would have your DRLs on as well as the parking lamps.

So with one switch you can't satisfy both US and Canadian requirements, so VW simply removed the parking lamp position altogether on DRL equipped vehicles for the US and Canada.

On a side note, ever notice GM and Toyota cars running around (usually rentals, where the driver isn't that familiar w/the vehicle) at night with what appears rather dim headlamps on? This is a driver who has switched on the parking lamps and did not switch on the regular headlamps. This is actually an unpunished violation of US law (automakers making the switches so that this is possible) since the DRLs need to go out when the headlamp switch is no longer in the off position. But that's another topic...

As for parking lamps being useless or not, I think they have their purpose such as when the vehicle is parked but yet needs to be illuminated. At least in most cases VW accomplishes this by tying the headlamps to the ignition (leave headlamps on but switch ignition off). But the problem is that if you need to be sitting with the vehicle running for whatever reason, you can't sit with just the parking lamps on in this case.

Other, although rare, uses:

**As a courtesy in bumper to bumper traffic to the car in front of me I often turn off the headlamps and just use the parking lamps. I do this in my Eurovan since the headlamps are higher up and would annoy the driver in front of me by shining in his mirror.

**When someplace like a campground or drive-in movie where you arrive at night and headlamps are distracting but you still need to have your vehicle illuminated somehow while creeping around to find a parking spot, camping spot, etc. Yes in a VW you can pull up the handbrake a tick...just enough to shut off the DRLs but you still can't have just the parking lamps on in that situation.

Reply to
Matt B.

Does the European switch fit the harness wiring, and if so, does anyone know the part number?

Reply to
jtaylor

It does on the 2002 NB, which is what I have. It is a very simple change out. Just plug in.

I can't say for all the other models.

I got mine from Parts4VWs on line.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

In most urban areas you really don't need full headlights IMHO. As you mentioned, in Canada we have DRLs (since 1990) and I've found it sufficient to have only them enabled on major streets and highways. Full headlights also had a lot of glare when it rains at night.

Using just DRLs and enabling parking lights (to turn on the tail lights and dash) on a Toyota Camry I used to drive, I found visibility adequate on major through fares, and I don't think that it impaired the ability of other drivers to see me.

With the use of xenon lights it's also easy to blind other drivers as well (espeically if they're on an SUV).

Reply to
David Magda

probably would help if we knew what model and year that you're talking about for the part number but in general VW seems to be good about making the wiring the same so it's usually plug-n-play (it was that way with my '00 Eurovan).

Reply to
Matt B.

Yup.

1992 Jetta diesel, CDN spec.
Reply to
jtaylor

Just out of curiosity, the old Benz that I had while stationed for a while in Germany in the late 60's had a head light switch setup that you could have either the left side only, right side only, both side parking lights on, then headlights on. The driving lights were on a separate dash switch but were relay controlled so they would only go on with the high beams.

The individual parking light thing was used when you parked on a narrow street and put two wheels up over the kerb to keep the road open. Is that kind of thing still done? Haven't been back since the mid-80's so I don't know.

Ed

Reply to
Edvardo

Parking lights (as in one side only on) are fitted as standard to virtually every car over here normally operated by flicking the indicator stalk with the ignition off (you wouldn't want to drive with only one headlight on anyway).

Reply to
Depresion

I had that Benz also.

Euro version with foglights; the light switch had 9 positions, I think, and a cool little green light in the centre of the paddle when you had the fogs on.

Had to dump it when the rust got so bad you couldn't open the doors if the car was on the wheel jack.

Reply to
jtaylor

I should add that if you ignore the instructions about pulling the relay, you maintain the DRL's and it should be legal.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

On an older VW (when VW wasn't supplying DRLs to both the US and Canadian cars) it might not be plug-n-play. But a US headlamp switch from a late A2 would be what you'd want to try and they're plentiful.

Reply to
Matt B.

My stepmom's 97 E-class has that and so does our '00 BMW 3-series. On the E-class it's still integrated into the headlamp switch. On the BMW we have it's the turn signal lever (signal left or right with ignition off and one-sided parking lamp comes on). VWs use the signal lever also but it's just disabled on US VWs.

Reply to
Matt B.

Reply to
clarke kent

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