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DRL's

8994 Views 42 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  Grumps
Okay just to clear up a few things which has been discussed in another thread regarding the Antara DRL's or lack of them.

Can anyone with a 13 plate or even better a 63 plate SE confirm when the DRL's work.

The possible options are on their own without any headlights when the ignition is switched on or do they just work with the headlights when they lights are set to auto.

Your feedback would be much appreciated to sort out the sanity of one of our members one way or another.

Cheers
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2013 model se nav- lights in auto= headlights on in daylight, rear lights come on when dark as do dash lights.

So, only headlights are on in daytime in auto setting. These are what must be the drls- my headlights!

Edited by: ♠ChumBucket♠
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♠ChumBucket♠ said:
2013 model se nav- lights in auto= headlights on in daylight, rear lights come on when dark as do dash lights.

So, only headlights are on in daytime in auto setting. These are what must be the drls- my headlights!
You know it and I know it and so do other SENAV owners so end this it's boring they work when auto yes auto is on
one of our members seems to be just winding himself up or even still trying to wind others up so advise do not take the bate as this person is acting like an ass
Edited by: wilma08
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I think ChrisJ has raised a genuine issue.

Lets not forget, these are Vauxhall Antaras we're talking about- cobbled together from old Daewoos & Chryslers!!!!
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â™ ChumBucketâ™  said:
I think ChrisJ has raised a genuine issue.

Lets not forget, these are Vauxhall Antaras we're talking about- cobbled together from old Daewoos & Chryslers!!!!
 
You wind up merchant you
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♠ChumBucket♠ said:
2013 model se nav- lights in auto= headlights on in daylight, rear lights come on when dark as do dash lights.

So, only headlights are on in daytime in auto setting. These are what must be the drls- my headlights!
So the sidelights or DRL's are not on during the day on your Antara?.

Strange on my 2012 both are on. So when does your side lights work
Right, just checked as the Mrs drove away.

Sidelights WERE on along with xenon headlights. Rear lights were also on- however, it's really dull here at the mo' & chucking it down. I have to say I've never noticed the rear lights on in the day before with auto setting.
I have even when the weather here is crap my husband told me last night when I was talking about it that the rear lights are on when on auto so he just confirmed it. LolEdited by: wilma08
And the weather is chucking it down here to rubbish
This is how my 13 plate, 2012 model SE Nav's lights work.
Auto - Headlights and all sidelights are on all the time. Main beam can be flashed but not kept on.

Off. All lights off in all conditions. Main beam can be flashed but not kept on.

Sidelights - All sidelights on all the time. Main beam can be flashed but not kept on.

On - All lights on all the time. Main beam can be flashed and kept on.
On my 2013 SE NAV, on auto all lights are on during day (not dashboard) but the Zenons are dimmed, you can stare into them, I wouldn't want to do that at night when they're proper on, so to speak..
Tis right tis Me see how I done that ? Kidding aside you are absulatley right
Thanks, nice to come onto a discussion forum ask a legitimate
question and be called an ass. Let's be clear I am not trying to stir
anything. Let me be even more clear once more for the hard of understanding. The
manual supplied by the manufacturer indicates that with the
rotary switch in the off position - forget Auto, that was NEVER part of
my question, that the 'Daytime Running Lights' come on with the ignition. I
am pretty sure (because I checked, that when I first got mine), just
the front sidelights DID come on by themselves and later I noticed that
they were not doing so anymore. I was interested to know if anyone else
had seen the same. That's SIDELIGHTS, the two little candle powered weak lamps next to the wings. Not the headlights.

I
don't care one jot whether they do or not, I am just trying to
establish if I was mistaken. All it takes is for one person to actually
have this on theirs and the point is proven. The manual has a section
called Daytime Running Lights. It does not mention the use of the auto
function in that part. That is described elsewhere. Repeat, I get the auto function. Headlights. Yep, got it.

There
is a dedicated fuse slot in the fuse panel which says DRL. There is
fuse in that slot. So, I can't see how that isn't a legitimate question
and why I should be lambasted for asking it.

If you're happy with yours. Cool. I have an enquiring mind and would like to get the bottom of it.
Tis Me, that is very interesting though about the headlights being dimmed as such. I haven't noticed that. Nor have I seen the front full lights on in daylight without the rear ones being on. I shall check that out. I believe that is what's called 'helpful' Thanks.

Thanks for being so welcoming. By the way, bate is spelled bait. Take it or leave it.

So far very pleased it with. Little niggles with design, but everything working, getting solid 26 mpg driven hard. Even had it to the top of Benan in Dumfries and Galloway. Followed a Defender and a Disco up there. DPF functioning quite normally. Nearly 10k on the clock. Not bad for a free car.
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I was trying to help you by asking the question to other owners and so far nobody has a setup as you describe.

I have also been trying to find the text in the manual that says the lights should be on when set to off. Can you give us more details page number etc because your manual should be the same as the online version or the ones supplied to other owners.

If VX have changed the lights then it would be good to know.
Indeed Grumps and much appreciated. I don't have the manual to hand but I did give all of that detail in the original post. It's a separate 'chapter' all on its own. I did quote the text from it if I recall. Clearly no one has seen what I described, but there have been lots of postings on lights in general, about which I was never confused. Tricky thing is there aren't many of these about and those that I see tend to have their headlights on in the day with the rear ligts as well. So short of flagging them down, it's hard to get further detail. However, I am pretty sure that I have seen one coming the other way with just front sidelights on and in my mirror saw that it had no lights showing at the rear. None of this matters in the slightest to most people, I know, but it's really bugging me. I asked the current Mrs Chris (without leading her) and she recalled seeing the same. Just front sidelights. I went and asked the main dealer. All they said was I'd have to book it in to be looked at. I asked - but should they be on with the ignition, at the front, side lights only? Their helpful reply again was 'book it in'

I asked a sales guy who was as vague as vague could be but he told me that the DRL situation had been sorted out on these later models. But he couldn't tell me how and they didn't have one in.

Thanks for the help on this one. Who knows I may turn out to be barking. But I recall getting a new Landcruiser 120 and trying to tell the dealer that there was a problem with the engine. From cold, under load it sounded like spanners being dropped into a skip. It was shocking. When warm it was beautiful. I received a similar reponse back then. Gives me no pleasure to say that this is now a warranty job on the early 120 series where the injector seats are failing leading to engines being damaged. Common fault, everyone knows. But back then on a new model, everyone thought I was howling at the moon.

You see one other hypothesis is that I am right, it did work like that when I got the Antara and so did everyone else's for a short time before THEY packed up too. You never know. Hard to see your lights when driving. Will check out the main lights but dimmed theory tomorrow.
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The online January 2013 handbook says the following

"Daytime running lights
Daytime running lights increase visibility of the vehicle during daylight. The lights operate automatically when the ignition is switched on.
Driving abroad 3 107.


It can be found by clicking Here and looking at page 106.

Check that this is the same edition you have.

As stated before the lighting section is the same text and info as printed my 2012 handbook.
Hi Grumps. Here is what I posted on the very first page of the original thread....

OK directly from the handbook page 103....(Note Grumps -page 103 not 106)

DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS
Daytime running lights increase
visibility of the vehicle during daylight. The lights operate
automatically when the ignition is switched on.

Under Auto Light
Control on the previous page it says ... Low beam switches on
automatically depending on the outside light conditions. It also says
that the tail lights and side lights operate together. Which of course
the DRL don't. Or shouldn't.

That's a direct quote. It doesn't quite agree with what people are saying about auto either. Under AUTO low beam will switch on depending on outside light. This is why I am questioning the system. It does NOT say under AUTO all your lights will come on together regardless of how sunny it is. I really am sure that something has changed on mine. Usually (as I have said on the previous thread, which this one is now repeating) AUTO means your headlights come on when it goes dark or you drive into a tunnel. There is a pause and then PING they come on.

On AUTO like everyone else, all my lights come on in the day.

The sensor on my dash does control the instrument lights. If I cover it up the dash lights get brighter. But it doesn't affect the headlights at all. Either day or night. It SHOULD be controlling the dipped beam setting.

My thoughts are (following the manual) that under AUTO, the front side lights come on but not back ones when it's light. When it gets dark the dipped and rear lights kick in. That's what the manual suggests.

Now, 100%, totally, hand on heart, irrefutably, I agree that isn't what is happening in the real world for all of us. I get that. But read from the manual and it does not say, in the day on AUTO all your lights come on. It just doesn't.Does it.

See what I am saying? Different page number Grumps but same text as far as I can see.

It's a bit of a mystery. Maybe it's just never bright enough in the UK to cancel the headlights on AUTO. Now that I could believe.
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To be honest it does still say pretty much the same as the previous editions on the manual just the page numbers are different.

Turn light switch:
AUTO = Automatic light control: Headlights are switched on and off automatically
depending on external
lighting conditions. 7= Off (or deactivation of
automatic light control).
8 = Sidelights
9 = Headlights



I'm not sure how the no tail lights have started when on auto the lights were always just on and in my case the dash lights come on and my info display changes from the orange day colour to the brown night colour but that was my personal choice to have it do that. But I'm pretty sure my lights don't dim or get brighter and I think those that think they do should check them out.

So again we will hopefully get someone with a new model to check on what their Antara does and if it has proper DRL's to see if Vx have at last got the lights working properly.
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Just realised in that previous post I said I was getting 26 mpg, I meant 36mpg. Doh.

Back on topic, I shall have to ask the dealer when I go in next, just what is programmable on this car.

Guess what. My mate has one coming next week, so I shall see what his does. We're going shooting together up in Scotland so we can compare them side by side.
My 2013 Antara is now booked in at Peter Vardy to have the proper Automatic (light sensing) option for the headlights restored.

The 'always on' function presently delivered by the 'auto' switch, was a VX cost-neutral way of delivering DRLs through software rather than adding hardware to the vehicle. We should have been offered the option of either 'always on' (DRLs) or the proper 'auto' function prior to delivery.

The chap informed me that there is a VX bulletin about this issue, due to customers feedback, and that the software change is performed under warranty at no charge.

So come Friday I shall be in control of my headlights like a real adult!

-LaZ-
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