Daytime running lamps-Opinions

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: scurvy
Oh man, I really dislike that system even more. Too many times I've tried to be a do-gooder and chase after somebody yelling HEY MAN YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON only to be scolded that their fine auto-voiture has an auto off system and the lights will extinguish shortly.


Wait, you dislike the system because of the people who own them??? That's like saying you don't like Cadillacs because you once saw a guy driving one with a red hat, and red is your least favorite color.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Wait, you dislike the system because of the people who own them???

No, the owners are more than welcome to lambast me in public for trying to be a good Samaritan. I dislike those systems because they give the illusion that the vehicle owner left their headlights on, when having the headlights on for some amount of time after locking the door is considered a feature.

My anecdote was about being publicly lambasted and how dare I insinuate they would ever purposefully leave their finely crafted auto-voiture's headlamps illuminated. To me, that's a bug. Not a feature. If the car is off and locked, everything visible should be off inside or out.

Either way, if somebody leaves their headlights on either by accident, on purpose or due to some goofy idea some propeller-hatted engineer had one day, I no longer try to inform the owner. All headlights will go out on their own, one way or the other.

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
when I start it at night, unlike the Toyotas in the family, where the lights turn on as soon as you flip the key "on", and sit there sucking up power while you're cranking it

I thought load reduction while cranking was standard for most vehicles made in the past 10 years?

 

[Hokiefyd]

I've never owned a vehicle that turned the lights out while cranking, including any of my current ones. If Chrysler included that in past Jeeps, they dropped in the minivans. Neither of our Mopar minivans would cut the lights if the starter was engaged.

 

[rslifkin]

Mine doesn't cut the lights while the starter is engaged, but if the lights are on "auto", it'll wait until the engine is running to turn the lights on, rather than turning them on as soon as the key is flipped to "on". And yeah, it wouldn't be unheard of for the new ones to lack that feature for cost reduction. I don't know if any of the newer Jeeps or other Chryslers do that.

If the lights are "on", they'll stay on while cranking.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Okay, thanks for the clarification. I must not have understood. My Camry does that also: if the lights are on AUTO, and I start the car in the garage, the lights don't actually come on until after the engine starts. Same with the DRLs if it's light out. The DRLs don't come on until a few seconds after the engine lights up.

My Chrysler doesn't have automatic headlamps, so I don't know about that. I thought you were saying that it cut the power to the lights while the engine was cranking. That in itself seems like an interesting idea, but I've never seen it implemented as such, so I was confuddled.

 

[rslifkin]

Interesting. Toyota must be learning. My dad's 05 Camry turns the headlights on as soon as the key is "on", and keep them on while cranking. I think the DRLs wait until after startup though.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
My drl in my 96 sunfire are 11 yrs old. haven't burned one bulb out yet.


I have never heard of drl lights lasting 11 years...You are very lucky...Generally down here 3 years is the limit...The worst car I see for burned out drl lights is the Bettle...Almost everyday I see a one eyed Bettle...These are late model Bettles...It makes the Bettle look even more stupid looking then it already is.

 

[rslifkin]

Dad's Camry has had both low beam bulbs replaced recently (1 failed, he decided to swap both), high beams are original after 5 years and 108k miles.

 

[ffracer]

DRLs should be banned, as should automatic headlights. Driver needs to be responsible and in control of use.

1. They are annoying everytime someone goes around a turn or over a bump. they zap you. Immense amount of glare. How is this safer?
2. Any with 50% high beams are too bright and aimed wrong. Toyotas, Lexus, older GM, Chryslers, etc.
3. Overloaded cars (bans, trucks, SUVs, towing trailers) are blinding.
4. Waste of gas.
5. Waste of bulbs.
6. They create the train in the tunnel effect - you look at the source not the relative speed - get hit.
7. Obscure turn signals.
8. Obscures children walking in front of stopped cars at school bus.
9. People think their lights are on in low light, because dashboard is on and DRL marker is on. No tail lights.
10. DRLs are non-standard. All cars should have the same indicators and be predicitible.
11. Light pollution.
12. People falsely think the Swedes thought they were a good idea. It was to swtich from left hand drive (british) to right and drive (USA/Europe). Not to see during the day. Ford, who owned Volvo at the time, said that DRLs are of "no value to accident reduction and are a marketing gimmick"
13. People switch their mirrors to night duritg the day to avoid glare.
14. GM, Subaru, Volvo, and Saab sell their cars without DRLs in most other markets. wonder why?

 

[ffhdriver]

When I was in Sweden in 2006 all Volvos I saw had their lights burning all the time. No DRL just every light. The Volvos in the states are the same.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
My drl in my 96 sunfire are 11 yrs old. haven't burned one bulb out yet.


I have never heard of drl lights lasting 11 years...You are very lucky...Generally down here 3 years is the limit...The worst car I see for burned out drl lights is the Bettle...Almost everyday I see a one eyed Bettle...These are late model Bettles...It makes the Bettle look even more stupid looking then it already is.


The high beams in my former '97 Cadillac SLS are (were) still original. They were used as DRLs. The car had about 180,000 miles when my brother traded it, and neither of the high beam bulbs were ever replaced on it. Well, my mother bought the car with 40,000 miles, so I can say that since THEN, no high beam bulbs were ever replaced on it.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: ffracer

2. Any with 50% high beams are too bright and aimed wrong. Toyotas, Lexus, older GM, Chryslers, etc.


I don't know what the % is on various cars, but the only ones that bother me are the newer Chryslers. Their DRLs are noticeably WHITER also than most others, telling me that they're definitely burning brighter. Are they near 100%? I don't know, but they sure seem to be.

Having to put the rearview mirror into night mode during the day because of DRLs? Wow. Those must be some bright DRLs. Even newer Chryslers don't bother me that bad.

Regarding the turn signals, some cars are smart about it. For example, Chrysler minivans will temporarily extinguish the DRL on the side of the turn signal, to make the signal more apparent. It's certainly harder to see a turn signal at night (with full headlamps on) than even a poorly designed DRL system, at least to me.

DRLs, ironically, are like motor oil on most internet boards. It's a subject on which everybody will never agree.

 

[rslifkin]

FFracer - Auto headlights aren't necessarily a bad thing. If they're set up well, they turn the headlights on pretty much when a responsible driver would. Plus, the driver can always override if desired.

 

[ffhdriver]

Don't understand the comment about children in the crosswalk. If you stop when a school bus stops, which may not be the law in NY, you don't have to worry about anyone in the crosswalk.

 

[ffracer]

Originally Posted By: ffhdriver
Don't understand the comment about children in the crosswalk. If you stop when a school bus stops, which may not be the law in NY, you don't have to worry about anyone in the crosswalk.


When the bus is stopped or anything else. the opposing traffic is beaming their DRLs at you. Kids walk in front. Can't tell what make of car it is. so how would I see what is crossing between the beams?

Headlights are not needed during the day. Simple as that. No value. It is noise. Annoying. If you can't see a 4000 lb car - ???? You should be looking at the cars' rate of change, not being zapped by lights to get attention at standstill.

All cars should have the same indicators, unless they are police, fire, ambulance.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

I think you guys misunderstood me...When I said the bulbs did not last for more then 3 years down here I meant the daytime running lights only...The low beam/high beam lasted me up to 10 years on some cars and the low beam is on alot during the summer due to the monsoon rain.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
My drl in my 96 sunfire are 11 yrs old. haven't burned one bulb out yet.


I have never heard of drl lights lasting 11 years...You are very lucky...Generally down here 3 years is the limit...The worst car I see for burned out drl lights is the Bettle...Almost everyday I see a one eyed Bettle...These are late model Bettles...It makes the Bettle look even more stupid looking then it already is.

'96 Saturn here with original DRL, low-beam and high-beam bulbs.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: ffracer
When the bus is stopped or anything else. the opposing traffic is beaming their DRLs at you. Kids walk in front. Can't tell what make of car it is. so how would I see what is crossing between the beams?


I understand your opinion that lights aren't needed during the day. Got it; we agree to disagree.

But I have to say that you must have some incredibly light senstive eyes if DRLs blind you so bad, you can't see a person walking in front of them... Even with the brightest of DRLs that I've encountered, I could still clearly see details like the grille emblem on the front, and a person crossing the street.

If your eyes are that sensitive to light, then I completely understand your frustration with DRLs. Night driving must really paralyze your eyes.

 

[hillclimber]

I was happy to pull the relay and disable the DRL's on my Passat, never cared for them and they do seem to cause the bulbs to fail prematurely.

Basically, when in doubt I turn the headlights on, near dusk, light rain, etc, on go the headlights. But I don't see the point of them on a sunny day.