Dear Tom and Ray:

Can you tell me why car makers don't connect the headlight switch to the ignition switch? Every morning or after a heavy rain, you drive into any parking lot and see a dozen cars parked with the headlights on, resulting in dead batteries and frustrated motorists. -- Harold

Ray: Well, Harold, this is due to a concerted lobbying effort by the Battery Manufacturers of America and the International Tow Truck Drivers' Union.

Tom: There's no good reason why headlights don't go off when you turn off the ignition key. And a number of cars have been doing it this way for years -- BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo and Audi come to mind. Although some of them leave the parking lights on, which can drain your battery just as easily if left on overnight.

Ray: Other cars, like certain Toyotas, turn all of the lights off when the ignition is off and you open the driver's door. And that's a good solution, too.

Tom: I can't think of a reason these days why you would want your lights on without having the key in the ignition. So it seems like a feature every car should have.

Ray: It requires a little bit more wiring and one extra relay, but cars are so complex these days that one more relay is hardly going to matter.

Tom: So we're with you, Harold. Lights off with the ignition! You have the placards made, and we'll organize the march on Detroit.

Changing your oil regularly is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car, but how often should you change it? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the June 1999 index