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Partly because of an irresistible desire to tinker and partly because I think rear DRLs are generally a Good Thing, I tried enabling them using the alternative method in the current beta version of Carista.
Before I explain what happened, the car is a 2017 MY 2.0TFSI Sportback in Sport trim; specifically Xenons at the front and incandescent tail lights.
Firstly, I'd tried what Carista call the 'Scandinavian DRL' tail light modification, and that worked. The snag with this option (and I appreciate not everyone would regard it as a snag) is that the number plate lights and the instrument panel lights are also on permanently.
Number plate lights aren't really an issue, but I don't really like having the dials lit all the time. I'd rather have the default set-up of having the gauges unlit when running DRL only, to serve as a reminder that it's getting a bit gloomy and you should be turning all the lights on anyway.
Some might argue that this is a good case for using auto headlights all the time, and they do have a point...
However, that isn't really what this is about.
When I tried Carista beta's alternative rear DRL customisation instead, something slightly unexpected happened.
Once I'd completed the two-stage operation for each tail light, I got out and pottered round the back to see what was occurring.
The tail lights had indeed come on without the number plate lights (which was what I was after), but only the inner pair, i.e. the ones in the tailgate. The outer pair (the ones in the body) stayed off. Not only that, but the ones that did come on were lit more brightly than before. Not as bright as the brake lights; somewhere between brakes and standard tails.
My first thought was that something had gone wrong, but having thought about it a bit more, maybe it's supposed to be like that.
I can see the logic in having rear DRLs somewhat brighter than the standard tail lights because they are Daytime Running Lights after all, and you're more likely to notice them if they're brighter.
And noticing them is exactly the point of having them on in the first place.
I'm not sure why only the inner pair would come on rather than the outer pair as well, but then I recall seeing at least one mention elsewhere of somebody else's car - may have been a TT - doing something similar, so maybe this is intentional as well.
One last thing. I was slightly surprised that doing this modification would change the brightness of normal incandescent bulbs, but then I did notice that the tailgate bulbs which did. light are 16W rather than the 5W that they often used to be, and presumably the car's electronics would not allow the brightness of any bulb to be increased to the point at which its life is compromised.
I'm sorry this is so long winded, but I couldn't think of a more concise way of writing it, and after all the only truly stupid question is the one you never ask.
Thanks
Pete
Before I explain what happened, the car is a 2017 MY 2.0TFSI Sportback in Sport trim; specifically Xenons at the front and incandescent tail lights.
Firstly, I'd tried what Carista call the 'Scandinavian DRL' tail light modification, and that worked. The snag with this option (and I appreciate not everyone would regard it as a snag) is that the number plate lights and the instrument panel lights are also on permanently.
Number plate lights aren't really an issue, but I don't really like having the dials lit all the time. I'd rather have the default set-up of having the gauges unlit when running DRL only, to serve as a reminder that it's getting a bit gloomy and you should be turning all the lights on anyway.
Some might argue that this is a good case for using auto headlights all the time, and they do have a point...
However, that isn't really what this is about.
When I tried Carista beta's alternative rear DRL customisation instead, something slightly unexpected happened.
Once I'd completed the two-stage operation for each tail light, I got out and pottered round the back to see what was occurring.
The tail lights had indeed come on without the number plate lights (which was what I was after), but only the inner pair, i.e. the ones in the tailgate. The outer pair (the ones in the body) stayed off. Not only that, but the ones that did come on were lit more brightly than before. Not as bright as the brake lights; somewhere between brakes and standard tails.
My first thought was that something had gone wrong, but having thought about it a bit more, maybe it's supposed to be like that.
I can see the logic in having rear DRLs somewhat brighter than the standard tail lights because they are Daytime Running Lights after all, and you're more likely to notice them if they're brighter.
And noticing them is exactly the point of having them on in the first place.
I'm not sure why only the inner pair would come on rather than the outer pair as well, but then I recall seeing at least one mention elsewhere of somebody else's car - may have been a TT - doing something similar, so maybe this is intentional as well.
One last thing. I was slightly surprised that doing this modification would change the brightness of normal incandescent bulbs, but then I did notice that the tailgate bulbs which did. light are 16W rather than the 5W that they often used to be, and presumably the car's electronics would not allow the brightness of any bulb to be increased to the point at which its life is compromised.
I'm sorry this is so long winded, but I couldn't think of a more concise way of writing it, and after all the only truly stupid question is the one you never ask.
Thanks
Pete
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