What Are DRLs?
Daytime running lights are just that, lights that come on automatically when
the car is running. These are common on most European vehicles as many
countries now insist that cars have illumination at the front and rear of
the vehicle at all times during driving.
Why Bother?
According to statistics, vehicle collisions reduced when the lights are on
the car during the day so they made it essential. Maybe the law was passed
by someone who has shares in a bulb company or perhaps even owns the
company.
Does It Reduce The Lifespan Of The Bulbs?
Depends on how you look at it. The bulb will last the same amount of time
but as it is used more often it will need replacing more often. Many DRL
systems reduce the power to the lights so they are illuminated but not at
full power, increasing the bulb life.
Do All Smarts Have The DRLs?
No, only some newer 700cc Fortwos, 999cc Fortwo and Roadsters have the
system.
Misterdorcom.de sell an add on board for all smarts if you want to add it.
Turning DRLs On And Off
On
-
Have the car turned off and the key in hand.
-
Pull the left hand (light) stalk towards you and hold it there.
-
Push the LOCK button on the key remote.
-
The car will beep and the DRLs should be activated.
Off
-
Have the car turned off and the key in hand.
-
Pull the left hand (light) stalk towards you and hold it there.
-
Push the UNLOCK button on the key remote.
-
The car will beep and the DRLs should be deactivated.
Extra Info
Many thanks to Iain (TwoSmarts) for this bit of
information.
Iain found that the above sequence just didn't work on his smart.
Purely by chance he repeated the sequence with the door open and it worked
perfectly.
Well worth a try if the first sequence doesn't work for you.
I Have Them But Can't Turn Them Off
There have been a few reports to say that owners can't turn their DRLs off.
It could be they just can't follow simple instructions or pehaps there was a
hardwired version in some smarts linking directly to a switched live wire.
If you can't turn them off, you can't.
Important Info
Please don't email me saying this doesn't work on your car, if it doesn't
work, your car either isn't new enough or simply wasn't programmed with this
particular feature Smart can add it for a price.