Hello all - I live in the UK with an imported Canadian spec '99 Dodge Grand Caravan - could someone tell me if its possible to leave the exterior lights on with the ignition off and keys out when parked on dark side streets?

No matter what I try the lights always turn off on a timer once the doors are locked and alarm set - coming back on automatically when I unlock the car.

My user manual is in French and I cannot read it...

 

no u cant the body computer times out for power consumption other wise u would have a dead battery over night.

 

I put white LED's into the front fog lights, main headlight unit and in the rear light clusters and a switch to turn them on/off in the car - works a treat as LED's cause virtually no power drain on the battery. Leave them on 24 hours a day

 

UK spec ones are wired like that - you just leave the light switch on

It's only for short term stops, you would indeed drain the battery if you left it for hours...

 

I like that idea a lot, I think it's the way forward - will be talking to my electrical mate today

 

Well if there are any they don't work in my 98 grand voyager. I actually have never used this feature even in all the other cars that I have owned that had them. I never trusted that the battery would not drain. I have lived in some very tight streets but if I felt the car was gonna get pranged I parked somewhere safer or under a street light. Can the ACC position on the ignition not allow you to take the keys out and leave functions like lights still on? I would not try this though for any length of time. Just a thought. Cheers Robert.

 

I have no idea about the ACC position - I'll check

The main dealer says that on UK models the side lights stay on if the switch is left on - that's all I know...

I wouldn't leave it for long like that anyway, it's certainly not for overnight - it's just that I live in a very rural area and sometimes need to leave the car for short periods on narrow unlit streets that people use as rat runs.

Technically, for the MOT they need to work.... but because the tester doesn't hang about waiting for them to go off it has passed every year on the 2 minute timeout since it was imported as new 10 years ago

 

My barrel is not actually marked, but the key can only be removed in the fully OFF position.