I have a similar situation where I work (security checks). I'll have to look for it but someone else on the forum posted showing the manual states the lights will come on automatically at 4 mph, no way around it unfortunately. I wish that if VW isn't going to give us control that they'd bump that up to like 15 mph.

 

I live in the Seattle region, on Whidbey Island

Whidbey Island.... Are you Navy?

 

Love my Navy friends, but I’m not Navy myself.

 

Page 103(?) of the owner's manual covers vehicle lighting and indicates that tapping the "Mode" button on the headlight control until no indicators are lit - "-" in the manual - will turn off the headlights. The AUTO feature only automatically turns on the lights if the vehicle is moving above a set speed.

 

The AUTO feature only automatically turns on the lights if the vehicle is moving above a set speed.

Or it seems, after a short delay

 

I did a test drive at dusk on a private road, so I could experiment with different techniques to turn off the headlights at night. I used the MODE light switch to turn the lights off and drove no faster than 4 MPH. After driving a short distance, AUTO switches itself on and the low beams come on. You cannot turn the low beams back off at that point without stopping the car, putting it in PARK and switching off the "ignition"--so it won't work to repeatedly turn the low beams off after they turn themselves on.

I tried this experiment again, only this time I turned on just the parking lights. Same result, the low beams will switch on after a short distance no matter how slowly you drive. And while this is the result you'd probably expect, the Owner's Manual kind of hints that the car might allow itself to be driven slowly at night over a long distance so long as you don't exceed 5 MPH.

I thought I might be able to fool the ID.4 into keeping the low beams off if I tried this same experiment while shining a bright light at the back of the rear view mirror (where I THINK the car's sensor is located that determines whether it's dark outside). But the car is smarter than I am, I guess, because it still switched on the low beams no matter where I aimed the light at the rear view mirror back.

I have a complaint into VW customer care, and we'll see where that goes. If they can't help, the only solution I can imagine is to put switches on the two fuses that control the headlights. I don't much like that idea, but I also don't look forward to three years of driving onto local ferries at night with my lights on.

 

Islander, another option is just to drive with the low beams on. We had to do that when we lived in Kingston. We had a car where the daytime running lights or low beam (night) were always on if the car was running. We apologized to the ferry workers for the first week or so but they’d said that that happens a lot.

next time your able to talk to the deck crew ask them for suggestions or if there is anything you can do to make it less of an impact to their night vision. At the point at least you did what you could without having to physically alter your can.
David

 

Islander, another option is just to drive with the low beams on. We had to do that when we lived in Kingston. We had a car where the daytime running lights or low beam (night) were always on if the car was running. We apologized to the ferry workers for the first week or so but they’d said that that happens a lot.

Thanks for this. I had no idea there were cars on the road that forced use of low beams at night. If you lived in Kingston, you know that Washingtonians are pretty easy-going except when it comes to ferry courtesy. Jump a ferry line, and you'll earn (literally) a boatload of wrath. We experienced ferry-goers pride ourselves on keeping our engines off as long as we can, and dimming our lights. Driving on a ferry with headlights blazing ... oh, the humanity! I might as well still be driving here with California license plates!

I guess there will be things about the ID.4 that bug some of us more than others. I'm fine with just two switches controlling the windows, and always-on lane assist troubles me very little. But the thought that some engineers in Germany think they know better than I do when my lights should be on? That infuriates me!

 

This is imho a simple coding issue, I’d open a case with VW with the request how to change the behavior. They should be able to explain the dealer how to change this. (Via Odis)

 

Presumably another "litigation risk aversion" item in switching back to Auto so also presumably VW will not alter. USDOT may now demand same? 🤷‍♂️

The DOT is like the NEC in that they're continuously imposing new requirements, both agencies in an effort to save us from ourselves.

 

Presumably another "litigation risk aversion" item in switching back to Auto so also presumably VW will not alter. USDOT may now demand same? 🤷‍♂️

The DOT is like the NEC in that they're continuously imposing new requirements, both agencies in an effort to save us from ourselves.

In MD, when it's raining and your wipers are sweeping, by law, you're supposed to also have lights on. Some people don't or let their DRLs do the job but no rear light warning.
Today, I tried to use just the parking lights front and rear as rain warning. Nope, as soon as I sped up then everything was lighted. I'd like all the fronts but not headlights and all the rears especially the red bar light on. Nope, I've also tried just the "fog" lights, also nope.
Maybe a US or EU DOT safety requirement.
I wish we, the drivers, had a little more control of "normal " car functions 😖. All windows up from key fob, headlights off, hatch down from inside the cabin...

 

I blame all the capacitive controls. My Golf has basically the same features (auto headlights on the headlight switch on the dash, auto high beams on the indicator stalk) but the headlight switch is a rotary knob, so yeah, I’m always in control.

 

I blame all the capacitive controls

As you should! But in this case, it IS possible to turn the headlights off at night when you're not in motion. The problem is, they won't stay turned off. If you drive too long or over a certain speed, they automatically turn on. I guess the capacitive control allows for the cars' computer to override my headlight selection in a way that would be difficult with a conventional switch, but the problem is not with the switch.

I keep hoping that someone finds a way to use a VCDS tool to change a setting and keep the headlights shut off if I manually shut them off ... or at least change the speed or timing that causes the lights to turn back on. So far, none of our VCDS gurus have reported a way to do this.

 

We drove through a Christmas light event at the local fairgrounds this evening. They request that you drive through the event with your headlights off. I felt like an ass not being able to turn them off and keep them off! I tried twice but as others have reported, the headlights would not stay off. After the first incident I stayed under 4 mph and they still came back on, so I think it’s a timer setting. Ugh.

 

It’s both time and speed. Also, I saw today that the Mk8 Golf has the same headlight controls (and steering wheel) as the ID.4; wonder if they have the same issue…

 

I have tried several adaptations and changes in the central gateway (Module 19) and no luck so far. I did manage to disable the swiveling headlights unintentionally! but got them back. Will keep at it and let you all know if I have any luck.
To me it is a dumb feature, I understand automation and making things better, but the driver should have full control over something like the headlights.....

 

I have tried several adaptations and changes in the central gateway (Module 19) and no luck so far. I did manage to disable the swiveling headlights unintentionally! but got them back. Will keep at it and let you all know if I have any luck.
To me it is a dumb feature, I understand automation and making things better, but the driver should have full control over something like the headlights.....

Have you looked at the light button module?
(I received my OBDeleven last week but I haven't learned how to use it yet.)

 

I'm also on Whidbey Island with a new id.4 Pro S and discovered the problem last night. I'm real interested in a solution to this.

 

This is not a federal requirement, since I could turn them off in my 2018 Volt. I think it is just VW thinking they know more than you do.

 

US Federal codes/requirements are ever changing. The NEC with which I'm more familiar has staggering changes almost every year, so 3-years is a relatively long time. Still I'm inclined to agree with you and also as so educated by another member in a recent related thread.

I'll utilize another "likely" in citing VW may just be litigation risk averse on this item, as many others, and decided to revert to On as the lowest common denominator of protecting we humans from ourselves.

Volvo has historically been a very safe vehicle and much of that is due to very conservative design principles. Folks don't seem to complain about them, but then most of their owners buy for just that reason.

 

Aha! Blame Canada!

Canada's New Automatic Headlight Rules Combat 'Phantom Vehicles'

As of September 1, all new vehicles must have headlights and taillights that turn themselves on at dark and dashboards that stay dark if the headlights are off.

www.caranddriver.com

 

I have the same problem on my Sprinter van as well as the ID.4, you just cannot turn off the damn headlights. I am on the ferry a lot (San Juan Island) and I always apologize when this happens, luckily with summer now, the likelihood of lights being an issue is lessened.

 

FWIW, this behavior might appear to be a longstanding VW design practice.

When approaching USN security gates in my previous "stick" GTIs ('85, '91, and '00), I had to extinguish the daytime running lights with light application of the handbrake while still moving.

With my '06 Passat - fitted w/ an ID.4-like "on/off" electric parking brake - there was no way ... but fortunately the Marines were "off the gates" by this time; their replacements - sailors - were far more "understanding."

 

@VW TECHNICIAN said he submitted a 1-click app on obdeleven for this last year but nothing ever came from it. As far as I know nobody figured out how to do an adaptation for this either. It’s a bit annoying during Christmas time to not be able to take my car to look at lights because I can’t switch off the lights while moving.

 

It is submitted by me....now it is up to obdeleven to send update.
Hood will have to be open for this to show up on obdeleven app.

 

it’s been about 12 months and they don’t list it as an option still. I’m not going to hold my breath

It is submitted by me....now it is up to obdeleven to send update.
Hood will have to be open for this to show up on obdeleven app.

Nice, do you have a tutorial anywhere? This will be the first thing I've tried to do with the device.

 

He probably isn’t at liberty to be able to share that.

 

The trademark VW “soon”? 😅😂

 

Has anyone checked on the status of this a couple of months later?

 

Has anyone checked on the status of this a couple of months later?

Has anyone checked on the status of this a couple of months later?

Nothing still. I do see where they are testing a one-click app for battery preconditioning though. Only testing by invitation it seems, so no way to currently test it.

 

Doing my apparent annual check in on this, any progress or updates to speak of on headlight control?

 

I'm not holding out hope at this point...