Just been looking through my manual thinking I had a fuse out because I noticed my side lights where not on. Then after doing some research found out that they don't come on, the DRL's do the job for them. But why are they bright in the day but then dim when it gos darker and you want your side lights on? Seams a bit strange to me?

+1

Just been looking through my manual thinking I had a fuse out because I noticed my side lights where not on. Then after doing some research found out that they don't come on, the DRL's do the job for them. But why are they bright in the day but then dim when it gos darker and you want your side lights on? Seams a bit strange to me?

 

I will let you stop and think about it for a minute......DRL's....the clue possibly being in the name.......Daylight Running Lights........yup......

DRL's are bright because they have to compete with the light, in effect with the sun. For this reason they have to be incredibly bright.

When night comes around you don't have the ambient light to compete with, you simply do not need as much brightness, hence the units dim. This is a legal requirement, all DRL's will dim as soon as it starts to get dark.

Side-lights are a complete waste of time as a separate entity. They don't allow you to see anything in front of you and only allow others to spot you - exactly what a dimmed DRL can offer. When in "side-light" mode the DRL gives more than enough light output for night time and the car also switches your rear lights on as well.

 

There is simply no need for separate side-light (my personal opinion being side-lights should be removed from all cars as there is absolutely no situation where a side-light is preferable to a dipped headlight) as the DRL does the job perfectly.

Agreed... if it's dark enough to be worrying about how bright the DRLs are the you should have your dipped beam on.

 

Sidelights are only good for daytime use or when parked on an unlit road.

 

Phil

Yup, haven't used sidelights for years. Once it's darkish straight to headlights. No doubt on if others can see you.

I'm sure DLRs don't dim automatically as mentioned by Stoofa. Mine are still bright when starting up in a dark garage and only dim on turning on the light switch.

Couldn't agree more with the comments about side lights, have never used them in 46 years of driving, was always taught to call them parking lights.

If the DRL and the position lamp are combined, they must dim when switched to the position lamp function.

All you need to know here. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120606172804/http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/dft-information-sheets/daytime-running-lights.pdf

If you want your side lights to work you could always do what I did and follow my tutorial.

 

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/290556-wiring-in-the-side-light-bulbs-on-a-post-fl-vrs/

I'm sure DLRs don't dim automatically as mentioned by Stoofa. Mine are still bright when starting up in a dark garage and only dim on turning on the light switch. Couldn't agree more with the comments about side lights, have never used them in 46 years of driving, was always taught to call them parking lights.

The only way you'd be able to have the DRL as bright at night as it is during the day would be if you didn't switch them to "side-light" mode or switch your headlights on.

So yes, they don't "dim" exactly - however the legal requirement is that as soon as you switch to side-lights (which the DRL's double-up as) then they must dim.

It's the same on all makes/models - the ones that stay as bright at night are the good-old aftermarket boys - the ones with the misaligned aftermarket Xenons in their reflector lenses.

Your thread title might upset our Irish members

 

It's all been said already really. You don't need them, so they aren't there.

 

The actual headlight design will be for packaging reasons I guess, so the units created for lesser Octavia models simply go without the DRL section. The rest of the headlight does not need to change, allowing for economies of scale in their production.

It makes perfect sense to me that the DRL dim at night to become sidelights.

Whether or not a car has separate side lights or not, DRLs running at normal brightness at night have the potential to dazzle as their beam pattern is very omnidirectional, and as mentioned they are actually quite bright so as they are effective during the day.

I also feel your thread title is inappropriate.

Edited 16 October, 201312 yr by booke23

Yep the LED DRLs will blind the **** out of people if used when dark, they are probably brighter than the headlights on main beam. This is why they dim.

The Fabia vRS is the same.

Ok so now I know the reason now! Lol