GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

During the summer, I find that I don't often drive at night but now that the days are getting shorter I'm more likely to need my headlights. One such day last week I realized one of my low beams was out. This has happened to me from time to time over the years with this car, and I replaced it with a spare. Headlights are lasting a lot longer for me since I stopped buying any made by Sylvania. Don't know how long that one low beam had been burned out this time.

Anyway, thought I'd post up a reminder to periodically check all your lights, not just your headlights, but turn signals, brake lights, backup lights and hazards. Be seen, be safe.


And don't be like the idiots around where I live and refuse to turn your headlights on in the rain, fog, or at dawn/dusk.

Good Reminder! Thanks, Joat!

Every now and them I'll check every light in the car, including reverse lights. I also make sure to check the reflection of my car from the car in front of me. I'm very prodigious about my lights.

People who don't use their headlights, or leave their lights on in the daylight annoy me. I see some people with only their parking lights on, and wonder each night what makes them turn their headlights on, yet forget how to do it the next day.

I am very proactive about checking all our lights. I try to check every single exterior light at least once a month.

I drive with my parking lights on when it's cloudy during the day, with my parking lights and/or parking lights and fog lights at dawn and dusk and also when it's raining during the day (unless it's really dark, then I turn my low beams on too), but I always have all my lights on when it's foggy and I always turn my low beams on when it starts getting too dark (IMO) at dawn and dusk (before I disabled the AHLs, I would typically turn the low beams on before the AHLs would kick in).

I always wonder how people driving at night with only their DRLs and/or parking lights cannot notice that they can't see much of anything in front of them. Probably busy talking on their cell phone .

I had to replace my center brake light this week. I hate how the manual is just like, "ok...unscrew these two screws...OH LOOK IT JUST FALLS RIGHT OUT," but in reality the assembly that the bulb is in is hooked in with thick plastic clips.

Oh, and the old bulb looks like it was assembled by a drunk guy because the solder at the bottom of the...prongs or whatever was very sloppy and lopsided.

J_TO_ENVY wrote:... I always turn my low beams on when it starts getting too dark (IMO) at dawn and dusk (before I disabled the AHLs, I would typically turn the low beams on before the AHLs would kick in).

I get very irritated with the AHL system. Its not very sensitive at all and a lot of the times if I do turn the lights on early there is enough to be seen shining on the road. Stupid lights.

09vGT wrote:I get very irritated with the AHL system. Its not very sensitive at all and a lot of the times if I do turn the lights on early there is enough to be seen shining on the road. Stupid lights.

Yep. That's exactly why I disabled the AHLs. Well, that and it's nice to be able to drive with just the parking lights or parking lights and fog lights !

KITT222 wrote:People who don't use their headlights, or leave their lights on in the daylight annoy me.

Ha ha, I fall into the latter category. My Hyundai doesn't have DRL's or a sensor for automatic headlights, instead they are switched with the ignition. It's a 2600 pound tin can with an apparent invisibility cloak installed from the factory -- Suzie Soccermom riding around in her stupid SUV tends to not see me. I'll take all the visibility I can get, so the switch has remained in the ON position for 6.5 years/105,000 miles.

My original headlights (Philips) lasted 60k, put in a cheap set of Chinese garbage from O'Reillys and got another 10k, and I then bought some GE's made in Europe and they've been going strong since. Still on the original bulbs everywhere else except for the license plate bulbs. Fortunately everything inside on that car used LED's for illumination, save for the gear shift indicator which I already have a redundant one in the cluster. All of the bulbs on the Vibe are still the original, save for the CHMSL. Pretty good for 10 years, though the car only has 80k on it.

I leave the Vibe's headlights on during the day since I haven't modded this one to switch the automatic headlight "feature." 10 years later, I still haven't overcome the frustration with Toyota's light sensor placement. They're on, they're off, they're on, they're off. So I just turn 'em on and leave 'em on.