Daytime Running Lights

I would of thought cars with Daytime Running Lights would have automatic lights also? The Audi A5 is a fairly expensive car so I would of assumed they would come as standard?

I think it's great and should be mandatory. Don't see how it looks in anyway stupid or dangerous. Those blinding fog lights on the other hand....ssh

I don't mind what kinda lights ya have on (well not froggy lights), so long as they are on

To hell with the lecky bill, turn on those lights...:D

I'm used to the volvo. At least if the DLR were manadatory it would mean you could see some of the eejits at 7.30 am with no lights on. They don't dazzle either.

s40 ditto.

sentient_6 wrote: »

The issue is its only fronts that come on. So no automatic rear lights.

I was actually curious as to all the cars i noticed lately, especially in heavy rain, with fronts on but no rears, thought it was very strange & stupid looking. Didnt know it had a name & was something that came as standard on cars.

I've no problem with the idea of automatic lights cos i always have mine on all the time anyway, but you'd think it would be set up to be regular dips front & back?

On VW or Audi's you can get the dealer to put it into Scandinavian lighting mode which turns the rear lights on with the drl's.

I didn't think the dash lights came on with DRL's, well they don't on mine. The dash lights do come on when you have parking lights on which seems to be a popular setting for many at dusk :mad:

My dash lights don't come on with the DRLs. only when sides or full beams are on...

My A5 lights the front DRLs on startup and no rear lights. However if the driving conditions get anywhere near dull, the lights are turned on automatically too. So in my car at least, you would have to purposely turn off the auto lights in order to drive around in dull conditions without tail lights.
I know there is also a VAGCOM mod you can do on A5 at least to make tails come on automatically on startup with the front DRLs.
Aside from all this, the closing speeds towards the rear of a car on the road should be a fraction of that of on coming traffic so it is fair to say that front lighting is more important in that regard for slightly dim conditions.

DRLs are designed for other road users ahead of you to be able to see you better. They are not designed to replace regular front and rear headlights so common sense still applies that if there is poor light or visibility you switch the regular lights on (assuming the car don't have dusk sensing headlights).

Volvos have rear lights on as well as front. If you want the side lights on then you have to turn the switch and they stay on when you turn off the ignition. Bummer if you forget so I don't bother.Basically the dipped are always on. Luckily it tells you if a bulb has blown.

Carson10 wrote: »

Does anyone else find the daytime running lights on most new cars both stupid looking and dangerous? I've lost count of the number of new cars like golfs, polos Audis and the new astra driving in heavy rain on a dark day or dusk time with dipped headlights on and no tail lights at all on the back. Surely this is a road safety issue.

The problem is, when you start up these new cars the dash lights up as if you have your lights turned on.

I know when i get my new golf next year iam making the dealer switch off the automatic lights.

I don't think you understand the whole idea.
In some EU countries, using dipped light is obligatory even during good weather during the day. It's all just to make cars better visible on the roads.
Obviously there are many pros and cons of that solution. But this thread is not about it.
Anyway, your dipped lights, is two 55W bulbs in the front, two (sometimes 4 or 6 or 8) 5W bulbs in the back, usually two 2,5W bulbs for number plate lighting, and couple of few Watt bulbs for dashboard light. That gives aproximately 150W power. If you are using it at all times, it's quite load for car's electrical system.
That's why daylights come in handy, as you need just about 20 - 40W in total for your 2 front daylights. Nothing else has to lit, (no rear taillights, numberplate lights, dashboards lights).
I actually really don't know where you found, that your dashboards lights come up, when your daylights are on. In most cars they don't. It wouldn't make sense.

And now it's all up to driver, to turn the proper dipped headlights on, when it get's darker or weather get's worse (rain, fog, etc).

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

hmmm. interesting. Nissan, Daihatsu, Suzuki and BMW don't (well the ones I've had)

Nissan do, so do beemers, well at least the ones I've driven