what is the point of the panel light switch

really can't see the point of this switch, it is wired to only work when the lights are on then you have to turn it to light up the dash instruments and all it does is send current to two small bulbs.

Wouldn't it be more sensible to bypass it altogether and wire the panel illumination directly to terminal 1 of the light switch so that the panel lights up as soon as you turn the lights on, as it is for most cars including the 110 I had years ago.

anyone else have an opinion on this.

Leave the panel light switch on ....

Panel lights come on as soon as you switch panel lights on ....

Another 1st world problem solved ;-)

Yes I agree, this is how mine was rewired by a PO and how I will wire it again after the rebuild - it also frees up a dashboard switch for something else.

There must be a reason why it was wired up like this originally though...?

mistericeman said:

Leave the panel light switch on ....

Panel lights come on as soon as you switch panel lights on ....

Another 1st world problem solved ;-)

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hahaha that's so bloody obvious now you said it, why didn't I think of that

still I will remove it, as I have the dash off, but leave the switch in place maybe with some rolled up wires dangling from it. Once its back on the road and mot'd I am going to stick a second heater in the back so an available dash switch would be useful.

If you're out hunting in the dark it stops the blinding light of the lucas 1/4W bulbs from burning your retinas out! Or another (near) MOT fail when it stops working on the way to the test in my case...

Freetime101 said:

Yes I agree, this is how mine was rewired by a PO and how I will wire it again after the rebuild - it also frees up a dashboard switch for something else.

There must be a reason why it was wired up like this originally though...?

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my s1 is the same it has an illumination switch, could be just historical, my 110 didn't have it and it was an early one so it must have got dropped somewhere along the way

I was told that tit dates back to the days of side lights being left illuminated when parked facing oncoming traffic ...
In those days of Dynamo's and poor battery technology it supposedly saved some battery power by extinguishing the dash panel lighting ....

Gawd knows though

It's just something else to break......
They didn't call Joe Lucas the Prince of Darkness for nothing.....

I am so sad, I can't wait till its dark to see the effect of my removing the switch.

having owned the s1 since 2008 and the s3 since 2009 I haven't actually needed to drive either of them in the dark, so I have never seen either panel illuminated.

honolulujoe said:

I have never seen either panel illuminated.

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Don't get too excited - take a torch

I bypassed the switch direct to side lights. I can only think that you could have had the option to switch the dash off if you were out lamping for foxes or rabbits.
Ive gone one better and gone defcon 4 with total night eyes red illumination in the series. Bit like a submarine.

Defenders still have them fitted, or at least mine does, it also turns the interior light off



Personally I leave all the dash lights off in a morning when I drive to work as I find it a bit easier on my eyes

maybe my 110 did have one then and I just never noticed

Years ago, you had to park with your side lights on overnight if your vehicle was on a public highway, so the switch was probably to save the battery. I can recall getting a 1/16 watt bulb in a "parking light" which was hung out of offside window to save draining the battery.

http://www.retonthenet.co.uk/ekmps/shops/retonthenet/images/vintage-motoring-boxed-empire-made-sm-car-parking-light-lamp-1960s-1970s-nos-austin-ford-daimler-jaguar-mg-morris-[3]-4920-p[ekm]951x1024[ekm].jpg

Did it not have to be if you parked on the opposite side of the road.

I remember the little bullet shaped ones for the window.

Man you pair are old They had street lights when I was young and not ones running off gas either

Marmaduke said:

Man you pair are old They had street lights when I was young and not ones running off gas either

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Then there was the trafficators. But that was in my youth when most cars had already been fitted with indicators.

Yeah, us "Olduns" can remember all the reasons why we had these things. They had valid reasons in their day. My 1919 Castle Three only requires marker lights as does my 1929 BSA Bike.(pre 1937 lighting regs) Goes back to days of accumalators ? in the days before batteries and proper charging systems.

Bobsticle said:

Did it not have to be if you parked on the opposite side of the road.

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You had to be parked on the same side as the direction of traffic. Cannot recall many one way streets back then, I still always park with the nearside of the vehicle to the kerb

You are still supposed to leave your parking lights on at night https://www.gov.uk/waiting-and-parking/parking-at-night-248-to-252 if you're parked on >30mph road. Parking on the wrong side of the road after dark is still a rule-breaker...