Swiched the lights to auto and as it was dull they came on dipped even though the should have been on main beam, breaked a few yards later and there was a click from a relay and the lights went on to main beam and stayed there until I dipped them. Any one else had this happen.

Why would you expect them to come on with main beam instead of dipped beam? I would only expect that to happen if I had left the lights on main beam when I parked up previously, which seems very unlikely. (In fact I'm not sure it would even start on main beam then; I'll have to check that) Life is not a dress rehearsal!

My auto lights are either

off (no lights at all) or
On (normal night time beam)

The side lights only come on if i select them manually (obviously the side lights come on as the same time as the headlights when they come on)

They can be on for 10minutes in brilliant sunshine if i came out of an underground carpark

but driving through a tunnel, they come and go off straight away Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I live in the country, so use main beam more than a lot of people. Driving home it is normal for me to park with main beam last selected. Hence when I used the auto light position I was expecting main beam. I did notice that when I turned the lights on the main beam warning light came on at the normal lighting position and then went off when auto was selected until I braked. Perhaps it is just 'windows 95'? playing games.

I think the safety aspect of the auto setting will be that it will always operate on dipped main beam.

Imagine entering a tunnel during day light, and the auto lights switching on main undipped beam.

Quote:

My auto lights are either

off (no lights at all) or
On (normal night time beam)

Same here. However I wouldn't mind the low scale being selected when there is moderate ambient light... or it would probably get confused in well lighted places in towns.
Btw, the new BMW X5 has a clever system that lowers your lights level (high to med scale) when there is an opposite comming vehicle.

Just to add my 2 cents, I leave mine on Auto all the time - and I think its a great feature. I never have to think about lights on dull days or when it starts to rain, they turn on and off in and out of tunnels, and the car doesn't complain I've left the lights on when I exit. As for dipped and full beam, they're not that clever - driver intervention is required sometimes! - Mike