The lower glove box light is "on" when the main headlights are "on" regardless of the glove box door being "opened or completely closed"? Headlights ON.....lower glove box light on......Main head lights OFF.....glove box light OFF......Door open or closed.....makes no difference. Is there SOME way to turn "off" the lower glove box light at night without turning "off" the Main Headlights?
Well....if you pull the bulb there will not be a light in the glove box when you "do" want one at night looking for your registration or something in there. And so far as an issue, well, I just don't like the idea of a light being "ON" in a closed glove box......just doesn't make good sense and just goes against my grain! I will certainly be gratefull for any serious ideas here! Thanks
hey i understand how it can be irksome. it s a waste of energy in the most energy-efficient vehicle on the road today (yes the insight gets better gas mileage but is still lower in efficiency) and seems an odd paradox since its such an easily noticed thing. it was apparently overlooked. but then again, nothing is perfect and i believe this to be designed intentionally to ease the mind of someone bound and determined to find something wrong with the Prius.
Oh. Well, your original post didn't mention this constraint. Perhaps a positive way to think of the "always on" bulb is that you'll never have to replace the glove compartment switch.
I've seen it argued that the total energy use by the light over the life of the car is so low that it would actually cost more energy to manufacture a switch to turn it on and off.
Oh sure, removing the bulb when you can see what you're doing is the easy part. But replacing it in the dark is a little more difficult. :-D
Judging from the amber color, I think it is an LED, which uses far less current than an incandescent bulb, and won't generate significant heat even while always on.
The "blub" is an LED. Therefore this is not an issue with regard to either energy use or heat. I think it was yet another brilliant engineering feat. Let's see, use a conventional switch, which many years down the road may stick or break entirely, with a conventional incandescent light which can burn out, over and over and over again, or use a simple LED, which has a very low energy draw and omit the cost and engineering related to the switch and make life simple for everyone that uses it. With that logic, I choose the LED. This car continues to amaze me.
JEROMEP, I must say that I agree completely with your analysis. I started this thread with the original question, "WHY" and your analysis of this particular situation makes order out of "just against my grain". Thank you very much for your post. I feel very comfortable now with my "intelligent LED light in the glove box" as I too believe it not to be a flaw, but rather an intelligent Toyota answer for the application!
I just noticed this on my car this evening as well and had never noticed it before. On two of my previous cars the light would stay on due to a faulty switch. Is what you all are saying that the Prius does not have a switch to turn off the glovebox light, and the light leaking out from around the edges of the glovebox door is a "feature" and not a bug? - Bill
Sure, 11 years if you leave the lights on 24x7x52, otherwise you could get about 100 years if it really does last 100K hours
Glad I was able to find this thread. I just noticed this glovebox light phenomenon this evening....for the first time. As it turns out, my lower glovebox is pretty loaded with stuff and merely repositioning a couple of items (small books) and closing the door firmly resulted in the light going out! So NOW I'm also left wondering whether I fixed a bug or disabled a feature.
I discovered something similar with mine. If I have the black vinyl "portfolio" that contains the collection of manuals on top, it does not reflect the light and I do not see any light leaking out around the edges, however if I have a white sheet of paper on top, which does reflect the light, I do see it. So, if you do see the red light leaking out, try rearranging the contents of the glove box so that something in a color that does not readily reflect light is on top, and that will take care of it.
