[jpa74]

Question for past BMW owners...

Do you leave your DRL (halos) on during the day?

I admit it looks very cool, but I wonder if keeping them on shortens the lifespan of the lights.

I've seen some cockeyed halos (one side burned out), and it looks kinda sad and pathetic, especially on a high performance car.

Anyone know if the DRL halos are LED (longer life span) or xenon?

Thanks.

[E36toF30]

The ones on the F30 are LED. I thought that the halos were always automatically on when the car is on. Is that not the case?

[Bmwny2015]

I leave mine on its what makes a BMW a BMW. They are led and you can turn the off by going into menu settings and then lighting. if you bought a new car who cares you got 50k mile warranty for 4yrs.

[bcl0328]

Originally Posted by E36toF30

The ones on the F30 are LED. I thought that the halos were always automatically on when the car is on. Is that not the case?

you can turn them off in idrive.

Originally Posted by Ahmadhosmanbmw335i

I leave mine on its what makes a BMW a BMW. They are not led and you can turn the off by going into menu settings and then lighting. if you bought a new car who cares you got 50k mile warranty for 4yrs.

the f30 halos are led.

i wouldn't say that here. most people get a bmw for the driving experience, not some leds.

[m630]

Originally Posted by bcl0328

you can turn them off in idrive.



the f30 halos are led.

i wouldn't say that here. most people get a bmw for the driving experience, not some leds.

they are for safety, first and foremost, and therefore should never be turned off.

[ATX78703]

I would leave them on and it shouldn't cost too much to replace an LED bulb if/when they burn out.

On a side note, there's nothing worse than seeing an A4/5 with one DRL working and one DRL burned out. it looks so awful and pathetic. Unfortunately, I do see this happen fairly frequently.

[Maz335i]

Originally Posted by Ahmadhosmanbmw335i

I leave mine on its what makes a BMW a BMW. They are not led and you can turn the off by going into menu settings and then lighting. if you bought a new car who cares you got 50k mile warranty for 4yrs.

Well you're right; the angel eyes does make our BMW's look different when compared to the other cars...I really do like it when the lights are on...

[PrinceBarin]

I agree with everyone here.

Aside from looking cool, the DRL's are a genuine safety feature.

I will be keeping mine switched on!

[zeezz]

Originally Posted by ATX78703

I would leave them on and it shouldn't cost too much to replace an LED bulb if/when they burn out.

On a side note, there's nothing worse than seeing an A4/5 with one DRL working and one DRL burned out. it looks so awful and pathetic. Unfortunately, I do see this happen fairly frequently.

Are you talking about the 'eyebrow' LEDs? I found out recently that apparently they turn off when your turn blinker is on, so all of those Audis that I thought had burned out LED strips were really just signaling. A bit odd.

[Xcution]

OK I am just throwing this out there if you have the angel eye from a BMW mean you either got a 335i or a 328i and added the option. If I paid for them, I will keep them on. Yes! for safety, but mostly because they are sexy as shit.

[ATX78703]

Originally Posted by zeezz

Are you talking about the 'eyebrow' LEDs? I found out recently that apparently they turn off when your turn blinker is on, so all of those Audis that I thought had burned out LED strips were really just signaling. A bit odd.

Yes, I am talking about the eyebrow LEDs. And yes, i am aware of the turn-signal disabling them. But there are still plenty of 'burnouts' out there....

[Red Bread]

I leave them off on our 135i, it's just coded through the trip computer. The auto headlights come on if it's dark. Safety my posterior. If it were safety, DRL's would turn on the tail lights too. It's just to make Canadians think they're smart.

Weird thing is that I actually think a BMW is a BMW because it's fun to drive, has good steering feel, a manual transmission and quick throttle response. I'm starting to think that I'm part of a dying generation, even at 38.

[DrivenByE30]

Bought a BMW for the driving experience...
now
if they come with cool DRL LED angel eyes:
it's definitely a cool plus to leave them on...

I have been driving with them ON all the time... day and night...

turning on the Xenon only at night...

The F3x is a beautiful car !!!

[m630]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

I leave them off on our 135i, it's just coded through the trip computer. The auto headlights come on if it's dark. Safety my posterior. If it were safety, DRL's would turn on the tail lights too. It's just to make Canadians think they're smart.

Weird thing is that I actually think a BMW is a BMW because it's fun to drive, has good steering feel, a manual transmission and quick throttle response. I'm starting to think that I'm part of a dying generation, even at 38.

what do you not believe about DRLs being safety oriented? It allows others to see you coming at all times of the day in all conditions, what is the problem with that? Does it some how take away from your driving fun factor? In fact, my insurance gives me a discount because of them, they are absolutely about saftey. And while you're a bit younger than me in age, you're abit older in your mindset in this regard.

[jpa74]

Originally Posted by m630

what do you not believe about DRLs being safety oriented? It allows others to see you coming at all times of the day in all conditions, what is the problem with that? Does it some how take away from your driving fun factor? In fact, my insurance gives me a discount because of them, they are absolutely about saftey. And while you're a bit younger than me in age, you're abit older in your mindset in this regard.

I respectfully disagree.

DRLs probably have minimal impact in reducing accidents. Most accidents are rear-end collisions, and they certainly don't help in that situation.

Do DRLs decrease head-on or side collisions? Not sure. I welcome anyone with any hard data showing that DRLs help reduce accidents by any measurable amount.

If anything, I think bright DRLs seen on new cars these days are distracting for other drivers...

Even KIA is jumping onto the bright LED DRL bandwagon. Not because of safety, but because consumers believe they look cool. It sells cars.

[raleedy]

Originally Posted by zeezz

Are you talking about the 'eyebrow' LEDs? I found out recently that apparently they turn off when your turn blinker is on, so all of those Audis that I thought had burned out LED strips were really just signaling. A bit odd.

+1
The Audi system is goofy and makes it look like the car is broken. A turn is signaled by turning lights off? no, thanks.

For the rest, I have found that DRLs enhance safety by making cars more visible. They are required in some countries, like Canada and Denmark.

[raleedy]

Originally Posted by jpa74

I respectfully disagree.

DRLs probably have minimally impact in reducing accidents. Most accidents are rear-end collisions, and they certainly don't help there.

Do DRLs decrease head-on or side collisions? Not sure. I welcome anyone with any hard data showing that DRLs help reduce accidents.

If anything, I think bright DRLs seen on new cars days are distracting for other drivers...

Even KIA is jumping onto the bright LED DRL bandwagon. Not because of safety, but because consumers believe it looks cool.

Wrong. As a cyclist I have to rely on a small mirror to monitor traffic behind me. DRL lighting improves my safety noticeably. It lets me see cars in conditions where, without lights, I wouldn't be able to. There are many other examples. People who may be distracted by bright lights or other shiny objects should probably take a cab.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by raleedy

Wrong. As a cyclist I have to rely on a small mirror to monitor traffic behind me. DRL lighting improves my safety noticeably. It lets me see cars in conditions where, without lights, I wouldn't be able to. There are many other examples. People who may be distracted by bright lights or other shiny objects should probably take a cab.

This is interesting, and the first valid argument I've ever heard for DRL's having any benefit aside from in northern areas where people refuse to turn their lights on until it's pitch black.

However I do agree that it's more of a marketing thing than a safety thing and offers minimal or no real benefit to car drivers. It's just an opportunity for designers to stick a bunch of LED's on the front of newer cars and lets people drag attention to themselves.

I live in a sunny place, I can see cars, they're big, moving objects. I don't see how a three inch circle or a five inch long strip is going to make me see something six feet wide any better. If DRL's scrambled text messages and made people pay attention, than I'd be on board with them.

[jpa74]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

This is interesting, and the first valid argument I've ever heard for DRL's having any benefit aside from in northern areas where people refuse to turn their lights on until it's pitch black.

However I do agree that it's more of a marketing thing than a safety thing and offers minimal or no real benefit to car drivers. It's just an opportunity for designers to stick a bunch of LED's on the front of newer cars and lets people drag attention to themselves.

I live in a sunny place, I can see cars, they're big, moving objects. I don't see how a three inch circle or a five inch long strip is going to make me see something six feet wide any better. If DRL's scrambled text messages and made people pay attention, than I'd be on board with them.

+1

Amen brother! You would think before DRLs people were crashing into each other in broad daylight!

Amazing how marketing can influence behavior and thought.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

I don't see how a three inch circle or a five inch long strip is going to make me see something six feet wide any better. If DRL's scrambled text messages and made people pay attention, than I'd be on board with them.

Thats because a bright object will always attract more attention than a dark object.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by The X Men

Thats because a bright object will always attract more attention than a dark object.

Agreed, and a dim LED ring at noon isn't going to change anything. And a dim LED ring at dawn isn't going to be nearly as effective as an actual headlight. Still useless.

I ride a bicycle to work everyday, I'm practically a rolling test bed of lights. I run a 900 lumen light when it's dark or dusk, dawn or raining, but don't ever turn it on if people can clearly see me. If I held a glow stick in my teeth at noon, I don't think it would change anything.

True story, my M Coupe was rear ended three times while I was at a complete stop. Each was in the day time, in straight on, clear conditions. My car was bright f'ing red and other cars were always stopped near me. DRL's wouldn't have come into play there, other than to give me a better sense I was about to need to call the body shop I suppose.

[CE750Jockey]

I'm leaving mine off.....I'm not making it any easier for the cops to see me coming from further away.