Lights Not Turning Off

tony20009 · 01-14-2011, 09:10 PM

Today my kid parked her car and locked it. The driver's side front and rear lights stayed on; the passenger side did not. She called me and I told her to get in, start the car and then turn it off again and the lights went out. I told her to take it to the BMW store tomorrow and have them look at it.

Have any of you experienced this before? If so, why does this happen?

Her car has CA and Xenons. It's a 2011 328i wagon. She was using the automatic setting on the lights. I'm not entirely sure what settings she has in place in the computer for what the doors and lights do upon lock/unlock.

Virtualshock · 01-14-2011, 09:36 PM

This is a feature. When she got out of the car she probably pushed the turn signal stalk past its pressure point. This turns on the parking lights on just one side of the car. You can turn them off by pressing the stalk in the opposite direction.

Kevin Harney · 01-14-2011, 09:36 PM

Normal. European Parking lights. She turned the car off and then hit the turn signal by mistake.

tony20009 · 01-14-2011, 09:45 PM

oh...ok...thanks...

I wonder if my car has that feature. Since 2007, I've not encountered it.

Thanks again for the info.

nishnish · 01-14-2011, 09:45 PM

There is nothing wrong with the car. This is a perfectly normal feature, called Roadside Parking Lamps, which lights up one side of the car while parked. This is activated by either moving the turn signal up or down to turn on the lights on either the right side or left side respectively after you shut off the car. Your daughter must have accidentally hit the turn signal stalk as she was getting out of the car, and activated the driver side Roadside Parking Lamps. Turning the car on and off again reset the lights, as normal. For more on this feature check out the excerpt from my electronic copy of the manual (which is for a 2010 coupe, but the basic info should be the same.

hipnotic · 01-14-2011, 10:09 PM

normal

tony20009 · 01-14-2011, 11:37 PM

Thank you all for your guidance. I really appreciate it. I'll direct her to the appropriate pages of the owner's manual.

WWONG · 01-15-2011, 12:07 AM

Yeah it's an old feature. My 2001 E39 5 series has it too.

xG35c · 01-15-2011, 11:16 AM

Euro car manufacturers should really deactivate this feature for the US - I wonder how many mystery dead batteries this has caused over the years?

Kevin Harney · 01-15-2011, 11:41 AM

NO !!!! We have enough of that already !!! We should get all of the Euro features and people should just RTFM and learn to use their own cars !! OK off my soap box now .... sigh

01-14-2011, 09:10 PM	#1
tony20009 Major General 1055 Rep 5,660 Posts Drives: BMW 335i - Coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Washington, DC iTrader: (0)	Lights Not Turning Off Today my kid parked her car and locked it. The driver's side front and rear lights stayed on; the passenger side did not. She called me and I told her to get in, start the car and then turn it off again and the lights went out. I told her to take it to the BMW store tomorrow and have them look at it. Have any of you experienced this before? If so, why does this happen? Her car has CA and Xenons. It's a 2011 328i wagon. She was using the automatic setting on the lights. I'm not entirely sure what settings she has in place in the computer for what the doors and lights do upon lock/unlock. __________________ Cheers, Tony ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ '07, e92 335i, *Sparkling Graphite, Coral Leather, Aluminum, 6-speed*
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01-14-2011, 09:36 PM	#2
Virtualshock New Member 2 Rep 13 Posts Drives: 2010 328i xDrive Coupe Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: San Jose, CA iTrader: (0)	This is a feature. When she got out of the car she probably pushed the turn signal stalk past its pressure point. This turns on the parking lights on just one side of the car. You can turn them off by pressing the stalk in the opposite direction.
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01-14-2011, 09:36 PM	#3
Kevin Harney Captain 20 Rep 767 Posts Drives: 2009 335i Convertible Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Herndon, VA iTrader: (0)	Normal. European Parking lights. She turned the car off and then hit the turn signal by mistake.
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01-14-2011, 09:45 PM	#4
tony20009 Major General 1055 Rep 5,660 Posts Drives: BMW 335i - Coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Washington, DC iTrader: (0)	oh...ok...thanks... I wonder if my car has that feature. Since 2007, I've not encountered it. Thanks again for the info. __________________ Cheers, Tony ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ '07, e92 335i, *Sparkling Graphite, Coral Leather, Aluminum, 6-speed*
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01-14-2011, 09:45 PM	#5
nishnish Private 4 Rep 74 Posts Drives: 328i Coupe w/iDrive Join Date: May 2010 Location: Toronto, ON, CANADA iTrader: (1)	There is nothing wrong with the car. This is a perfectly normal feature, called Roadside Parking Lamps, which lights up one side of the car while parked. This is activated by either moving the turn signal up or down to turn on the lights on either the right side or left side respectively after you shut off the car. Your daughter must have accidentally hit the turn signal stalk as she was getting out of the car, and activated the driver side Roadside Parking Lamps. Turning the car on and off again reset the lights, as normal. For more on this feature check out the excerpt from my electronic copy of the manual (which is for a 2010 coupe, but the basic info should be the same. Attached Images
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01-14-2011, 10:09 PM	#6
hipnotic Major General 149 Rep 6,604 Posts Drives: e92 335i Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: So. Cal iTrader: (7) Garage List 2008 335i coupe [7.00]	normal
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01-14-2011, 11:37 PM	#7
tony20009 Major General 1055 Rep 5,660 Posts Drives: BMW 335i - Coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Washington, DC iTrader: (0)	Thank you all for your guidance. I really appreciate it. I'll direct her to the appropriate pages of the owner's manual. __________________ Cheers, Tony ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ '07, e92 335i, *Sparkling Graphite, Coral Leather, Aluminum, 6-speed*
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01-15-2011, 12:07 AM	#8
WWONG Banned 109 Rep 1,830 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d Join Date: May 2010 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (14)	Yeah it's an old feature. My 2001 E39 5 series has it too.
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01-15-2011, 11:16 AM	#9
xG35c Lieutenant 36 Rep 433 Posts Drives: 330i Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Euro car manufacturers should really deactivate this feature for the US - I wonder how many mystery dead batteries this has caused over the years?
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01-15-2011, 11:41 AM	#10
Kevin Harney Captain 20 Rep 767 Posts Drives: 2009 335i Convertible Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Herndon, VA iTrader: (0)	NO !!!! We have enough of that already !!! We should get all of the Euro features and people should just RTFM and learn to use their own cars !! OK off my soap box now .... sigh
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