Parking lights

[ChrisJohn]

As I understand it, the UK highway law requires parking lights to be shown on the front and rear of the car if it is parked the wrong way in a 30mph area and for all parking by the side of the road in areas other than 30mph.  Why can I not find a method of switching on just the parking lights i.e.front side and rear lights on my Auris TSS?  The only setting I can find on the light switch puts on the number plate and instrument panel lights as well as the running lights and then shouts a warning if I try to leave the car with them on. I am not sure if the rear lights go on as well anyway.  Surely every car must have the ability to show parking lights without flattening the Battery too quickly?

[FROSTYBALLS]

According to the full owners manual, turning the light switch to the first position from off (see image on switch below) will turn on the front position lights (also known as parking lights), tail lights, license plate light, and instrument lighting.

Have you downloaded the full owners manual? One can download it from https://www.toyota.co.uk/tme#/my-toyota/eManual

Pages 235-239 provides more information on the lighting, which should answer your query

[ChrisJohn]

Thanks for your reply.  Yes, I do have the full manual and yes, the position you suggest does leave these lights on. The term "parking lights" does not appear anywhere in the manual. Using the position you suggest leaves the car like an exhibit at Blackpool with far too much light showing at the rear and front plus the full instrument panel. I would hesitate to leave the car for long like this as I am sure it would very soon flatten the Battery. Some cars allow the use of the indicator switch to set parking lights for the appropriate side.  Sadly this does not work on the Toyota.  As far as I can see, the car does not have what I expect to see as "parking lights" of any description. In other words a modest white light at each front corner and the same in red at the back. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Some manufacturers including Toyota and Hyundai, refer to parking lights as the position and/or tail lights. The owners manuals of both our Aygo and i20, and our two previous Auris do this. The first position of the lighting switch on the i20 operates lights in the same way as the Auris.

[yossarian247]

'Parking lights' in the traditional sense seem pretty rare on UK spec cars. The only makes I have come across that had this feature were VW group and Vauxhall/Opel cars where the indicator lever can be left up or down with the ignition switched off to illuminate just the sidelight and tail light on the appropriate side of the car nearest the road. On other makes its a case of leaving the sidelights on, which of course then lights the number plate and sometimes the dash too.

The only consolation is that whilst this may be law, the police don't appear to ever enforce it nowadays.