Daytime Running Lights

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namitee
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Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:43 pm
Drives: Polo MK6 GTI+
Location: Suffolk

Daytime Running Lights

Post by namitee »

Hi all,

I have recently purchased a MK6 GTI+ and was wondering about the DRL.

Do they only have front DRL? or both front and rear?

When I put the lights on auto mode only the front ones appear.

Didn't know if that is supposed to be the case or whether the rear ones are broken.

Any help would be appreciated!
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iichel
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Re: Daytime Running Lights

Post by iichel »

Its fine like that.
grazuncle2
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Drives: Polo 1.0 TSI SE 2019
Location: Birmingham

Re: Daytime Running Lights

Post by grazuncle2 »

I always thought DRLs were front only anyway.. Never noticed modern cars with any rear lights on in the day time.. hardly noticeable (in red) compared to the brilliant White LEDs at the front


if you want rear lighting in dusk conditions you need side light setting not Auto. I find Auto put the headlights on in dusk conditions.
SRGTD
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Re: Daytime Running Lights

Post by SRGTD »

grazuncle2 wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:33 am I always thought DRLs were front only anyway.. Never noticed modern cars with any rear lights on in the day time.. hardly noticeable (in red) compared to the brilliant White LEDs at the front


if you want rear lighting in dusk conditions you need side light setting not Auto. I find Auto put the headlights on in dusk conditions.
Some manufacturers’ cars have DRL’s set to the Scandinavian mode as the default setting from the factory (I read on seatcupra.net forum that some Seat models have this as the default). With the Scandinavian mode, both the front DRL’s and the rear lights are illuminated.

I wouldn’t use side lights in dusk conditions; it’s far safer to use headlights so that you can see and be seen. IMHO sidelights really only ought to be used as parking lights when parked up for short periods in areas with poor street lighting or no street lighting.
grazuncle2
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Drives: Polo 1.0 TSI SE 2019
Location: Birmingham

Re: Daytime Running Lights

Post by grazuncle2 »

The DRLs stay on with side lights don't they?.. Mine do

so the poster would have rear lights as well as DRLs?

I'm not suggesting he drive in the dark with side lights only..
Johntheo1
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Drives: 2018 MK10 AW1
Location: Cork

Re: Daytime Running Lights

Post by Johntheo1 »

namitee wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:48 pm Hi all,

I have recently purchased a MK6 GTI+ and was wondering about the DRL.

Do they only have front DRL? or both front and rear?

When I put the lights on auto mode only the front ones appear.

Didn't know if that is supposed to be the case or whether the rear ones are broken.

Any help would be appreciated!
The DRLs, front only, are permanently on once you turn the ignition key.
If you turn, or leave, the light switch on Auto, nothing happens in daylight, but at dusk, and sometimes if you drive from say bright sunshine into a shaded area/road they come on, dipped main beams plus side lights. They seem a bit overly sensitive to me and tend to come on well before dusk conditions, your first indication of this is that the instrument lighting gradually darkens and finally you are only left with a few illuminated items in red, but I suppose its giving you a clear hint that the system thinks you need main lighting on, I am not sure if they come on as soon as the instrument lighting starts to dim, but this is easy enough to check by switching to main beams. I don't use it because of one very irritating feature IMO, if you leave the switch in the Auto position when you leave the car, when you return and unlock, the dipped beams come on plus sidelights before you get into the car, I am not sure but I think it may also do this in daylight (will check it out) and then go out (daylight conditions) when you put the key in the ignition or start the engine.
CarbonChaos
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Drives: 2015 6C GTI DSG Oryx white 3 door.
Location: South west uk

Re: Daytime Running Lights

Post by CarbonChaos »

The feature you are referring to is coming home/ leaving home (CH/LH) this can be turned off in the infotainment system by the user, you can then leave the light switch in auto and the lights will come on and off when required
SRGTD
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Re: Daytime Running Lights

Post by SRGTD »

Johntheo1 wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 6:09 am
namitee wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:48 pm Hi all,

I have recently purchased a MK6 GTI+ and was wondering about the DRL.

Do they only have front DRL? or both front and rear?

When I put the lights on auto mode only the front ones appear.

Didn't know if that is supposed to be the case or whether the rear ones are broken.

Any help would be appreciated!
The DRLs, front only, are permanently on once you turn the ignition key.
If you turn, or leave, the light switch on Auto, nothing happens in daylight, but at dusk, and sometimes if you drive from say bright sunshine into a shaded area/road they come on, dipped main beams plus side lights. They seem a bit overly sensitive to me and tend to come on well before dusk conditions, your first indication of this is that the instrument lighting gradually darkens and finally you are only left with a few illuminated items in red, but I suppose its giving you a clear hint that the system thinks you need main lighting on, I am not sure if they come on as soon as the instrument lighting starts to dim, but this is easy enough to check by switching to main beams. I don't use it because of one very irritating feature IMO, if you leave the switch in the Auto position when you leave the car, when you return and unlock, the dipped beams come on plus sidelights before you get into the car, I am not sure but I think it may also do this in daylight (will check it out) and then go out (daylight conditions) when you put the key in the ignition or start the engine.
I leave the lights set to ‘Auto’ as my GTI+ has the Active Info Display (AID) a.k.a digital instrument display. Unlike cars with analogue instrument dials, the AID doesn’t dim down to act as a prompt to turn the lights on if the light switch is in in the ‘off’ position; you just have an irritating permanent warning message on the AID telling you to switch them to ‘Auto’, irrespective of the ambient lighting levels.

As @CarbonChaos has said, you can switch off CH/LH in the car settings menu, accessed via the infotainment screen. I haven’t switched mine off as I find it’s a useful feature, but I have reduced the length of time the lights remain on with the CH function to 20 seconds (the default is 30 seconds) as I found I was waiting to make sure the lights did go out after I’d put my car away in my garage 😅.
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