Off Topic Folow me home feature

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Off Topic Folow me home feature

Just checked, went out ,unlocked the car ,tried turning on the side lights (without doing anything else ) and they turn on.
Our's doesn't.

Just tried again just now.

I have to insert the key, turn on, and then turn off, then switch on the lights.
Without inserting and turning the key to MAR and off again, the parking lights will not come on.

I can remove the key and lock the car, and the parking lights will stay on ............ as per the legal requirement.

I must have had the key inserted and turned on and off first.

Regards,
Mick.
 
Our's doesn't.

Just tried again just now.

I have to insert the key, turn on, and then turn off, then switch on the lights.
Without inserting and turning the key to MAR and off again, the parking lights will not come on.

I can remove the key and lock the car, and the parking lights will stay on ............ as per the legal requirement.

I must have had the key inserted and turned on and off first.

Regards,
Mick.

Ours is a 59 plate, possibly they removed the option, assuming you drove somewhere first?
 
To have the follow me home, do you have to do the flash thing every time you turn off the ignition or do you just have to do it once and then it remembers to do it the next time?
 
If I remember correctly before they were a legal requirement for type approval you could switch them off in the OBC. They removed that at a point I can't recall, but the point of my post was as long as the engine is on you have a set of bright lights on the front of the car regardless of what you do with the stalk.

Think they were a legal requirement from about 2012, however it seems that its not a legal requirement to have them switched on? I see plenty of 14 and 15 plate cars with them off.
 
JR said that you can't have sidelights on, though the post has gone now.

It's still here Mick.

I would believe what JR is referring to is that there isn't a way of using those with the engine running, so if you pull over to drop someone off against the flow of traffic everyone coming towards you gets their retinas scorched free of charge as you can't switch off DRLs or headlamps without switching the engine off and removing the key.

Yes, I should more properly have said that it isn't possible to have sidelights on with the engine running. There is a legal significance in that you can drive on sidelights (technically known as position lights) up to half an hour before sunrise and half an hour after sunset (though most folks won't), in addition to the parking requirements previously mentioned. With the 500, lacking position lights which can be used whilst driving, you must use the headlights from sunset to sunrise.

Think they were a legal requirement from about 2012, however it seems that its not a legal requirement to have them switched on? I see plenty of 14 and 15 plate cars with them off.

Legally the requirement applies to all cars which have gone through European whole vehicle type approval after February 2011. Existing type approved cars were exempted, so the legislation only applies to new or substantially facelifted models type approved after that date.
 
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It's still here Mick.



Yes, I should more properly have said that it isn't possible to have sidelights on with the engine running. There is a legal significance in that you can drive on sidelights (technically known as position lights) up to half an hour before sunrise and half an hour after sunset (though most folks won't), in addition to the parking requirements previously mentioned. With the 500, lacking position lights which can be used whilst driving, you must use the headlights from sunset to sunrise.



Legally the requirement applies to all cars which have gone through European whole vehicle type approval after February 2011. Existing type approved cars were exempted, so the legislation only applies to new or substantially facelifted models type approved after that date.

Does the approval mean just fitted rather than a requirement for them to be switched on?
I see most 15 plate onwards always on, and often NO rear lights on at night
 
Have taken a picture of (what I think?) is my clutch fluid... it looks quite full to me, even above in between min and max. It looks quite brown, is that the colour it's meant to be?

Please let me know if fluid looks wrong x

Yes, that is the clutch fluid reservoir.
The fluid should be a light straw colour, but there is a black rubber diaphragm in the top of the reservoir, which will make the fluid look darker. If the fluid is dark with the diaphragm removed, it suggests there is wear to the seals in the cylinder, meaning replacement is getting nearer.
 
Thank you. That helps. I tried to get the top off to see the colour properly but I couldn't unscrew it. I'll get my other half to remove it tomorrow and double check colour with diaphragm removed. If the gear selection issue was afaikt with the gearbox itself, would there be other tell tale signs?
 
Thank you. That helps. I tried to get the top off to see the colour properly but I couldn't unscrew it. I'll get my other half to remove it tomorrow and double check colour with diaphragm removed. If the gear selection issue was afaikt with the gearbox itself, would there be other tell tale signs?

If the gear stick moves easily into gears with the engine off its generally not the gearbox, there maybe some resistance( notchy ness ) when trying all the gears this is normal as you are moving cogs and selector forks inside it.
Keep the diaphragm away from the paint work! Brake fluid removes paint!
 
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Our's doesn't.

Just tried again just now.

I must have had the key inserted and turned on and off first.

Regards,
Mick.

That's odd Mick. I just went out and tried both ours, which have been sitting unused for one and two days respectively. Turning the lighting knob, without inserting the key, brought up the parking/side lights in both.
 
That's odd Mick. I just went out and tried both ours, which have been sitting unused for one and two days respectively. Turning the lighting knob, without inserting the key, brought up the parking/side lights in both.
This is very odd indeed!
I tried it twice yesterday, and it was I said.

Just tried (yet) again, and they DO come on.
I'm at a loss to understand. :mad:

Sorry.
I couldn't see it .................... just like I couldn't see our side lights!

Still scratching my head,
Mick.
 
I couldn't see it .................... just like I couldn't see our side lights!

"Both your DRL's have blown"

"No, I've turned them off in the menu"

"That's a very bad thing to do"

"Why's that?"

"Cos folks won't be able to see you if you turn them off"

"How do you know I didn't have them on?"

"Well I saw you...."
 
"Both your DRL's have blown"

"No, I've turned them off in the menu"

"That's a very bad thing to do"

"Why's that?"

"Cos folks won't be able to see you if you turn them off"

"How do you know I didn't have them on?"

"Well I saw you...."

I suspect people turn them off to get rid of the warning triangle rather than replace the bulb!
 
Does the approval mean just fitted rather than a requirement for them to be switched on?
I see most 15 plate onwards always on, and often NO rear lights on at night

Subject to the February 2011 cut off and type approvals above it's a requirement AFAIK. I'm confused by your second sentence though. The DRL requirements are for front lighting only. It's about being visible to oncoming traffic.

Any car you see at night, front lit but not rear lit either has a multiple bulb fault or, more likely, the driver hasn't manually switched their lights on.
 
Subject to the February 2011 cut off and type approvals above it's a requirement AFAIK. I'm confused by your second sentence though. The DRL requirements are for front lighting only. It's about being visible to oncoming traffic.

Any car you see at night, front lit but not rear lit either has a multiple bulb fault or, more likely, the driver hasn't manually switched their lights on.
Drl's must be fitted after 2012ish but why can you turn them off?
New cars have drl's so bright at night and dashboards that light up at start up, that yes often people fail to turn on their lights in the good old days you couldn't see the dash if the lights were not on ,a easy tell tale, it's a "modern car" failure that allows such an occurrence and the drivers of course.
 
I suspect people turn them off to get rid of the warning triangle rather than replace the bulb!
I've done that from time-to-time when I've not been able to replace the bulb straight away.

I've changed four so far since buying the car in October 2014 - (27months)
Three times on the O/S, and once on the N/S.

I would like a reliable bulb - LED would be perfect, but they aren't type approved.
Two of the blown ones on the O/S were both Lucas, but I've bought Ring FAR cheaper than the Lucas.

Lucas were £4.39 each.
Ring were £3.32 for a packet of two.

Regards,
Mick.
 
Drl's must be fitted after 2012ish but why can you turn them off?

That date isn't strictly correct as type approval is another factor. The 500 was type approved in say 2008, prior to the DRL requirement being EU wide. That type approval was valid until the face lift model in 2016 so Fiat weren't obliged to change their software until then.
 
The drls go off when the headlights are on.
If of course they haven't been turned off in the menu, the number of 500's that have the drls off out number those with them on, crazy.(Daytime)

I must confess, my DRL's are off, it was mostly when I had a bulb that kept blowing down there and we couldn't solve it - fixed now, mind. I always look at the DRLs that are off, and I've only seen about three!

Guess newer ones don't do it.
 
My understanding of the DRL legislation was that they were to be fitted to all new designs from a certain date, and then to everything from a later date. Cars with them fitted early often had the ability to turn them off in a menu somewhere, after the later date, no way to turn off.

However, I'm now thinking that this may be EU rules, but not yet fully adopted in the UK. Base model Focus now does not have them. I think the base model Fiesta has also deleted them.
Looking at the Fiat website at new Tipo, seems to list them only on the upper models, so there seems to be a loophole at the moment, allowing manufacturers to save a few pennies.
Shame the legislation didn't include the rear lamps.
 
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