Lighting performance on an 04 XC70 w/ Xenons...

[shamr0ck]

Good morning.


I have a couple of ?s about the lights and their operation:

1) DRLs

With the light switch HORIZONTAL, I frequently notice that my DRLs are OFF. This is true during the middle of the day in full sunlight. Is this indicative of a faulty sensor? Is there a way to test the sensor withOUT taking it to the dealership?

I took the lamps out and they appear ok ~ should I swap them out anyway? They've never been replaced.

2) FogLights

I live in MD and often times have to deal with bad fog, but noticed that the only way to really tell if the fog lights are on is to look for the LED on the dash ~ from the drivers seat, it is virtually impossible to tell if the lights are on either on a clear night or in fog. The lamps still illuminate and they've never been replaced.

The stock bulbs are 55W.

Are there adjustments which can be made (I probably should have looked prior to asking but am at work now and can't crawl underneath the car...) which would improve the lighting?

Is this a case where an aftermarket bulb would significantly improve the performance of the fog lights? Any recommendations?

3) Headlights

My XC70 has the Xenon headlights and in the 5 years I've been driving the car, I believe the lights are no longer performing as well as they did when I took delivery. The lamps would get "turned on" if the DRLs didn't come on (even in the middle of the day) ~ not sure if these lamps have a lifespan or not (in terms of how long they will burn effectively)

I'm getting conflicting answers to whether or not the DRLs should be on with the HIGH beams selected and if they are, (Mine AREN'T) maybe this is contributing to the less than expected lighting performance.

I'm open to changing/adjusting/using different bulbs, etc to get better forward facing lights ~ thanks in advance for any feedback/suggestions.

[dcandmc]

I also have an '04 with the bi-xenon lights. The DRLs can be programmed one of several different ways. With my current set-up, when the light switch is horizontal (at 9 o'clock) the DRLs are automatically on in daylight. When it gets dark enough, the DRLs will shut off and the headlights will come on. High beams can be selected only by pulling and HOLDING the stalk. At the diagonal position, DRLs and headlights are manually selected off, regardless of ambient light conditions. At the vertical position (12 o'clock), DRLs are always off and the headlights are always on. Low beams and high beams can be alternately selected by pulling and releasing the stalk. Parking lights are always on at any switch position.

The DRLs can be programmed so that they are not always on when the headlights are off, but I believe that this is something that only a dealer can do. You seem to be saying that with the switch horizontal and in bright sunlight, sometimes your DRLs are on and sometimes they are off. If so, then someting is wrong with your car. I would think that if the light sensor was faulty, the headlights would come on when the DRLs go off. If the DRLs are off and the headlights are on in bright sunlight with the switch in the horizontal position, try shining a flashlight directly on the light sensor to see if the headlights go off and the DRLs come on.

[shamr0ck]

I also have an '04 with the bi-xenon lights. The DRLs can be programmed one of several different ways. With my current set-up, when the light switch is horizontal (at 9 o'clock) the DRLs are automatically on in daylight. When it gets dark enough, the DRLs will shut off and the headlights will come on. High beams can be selected only by pulling and HOLDING the stalk. At the diagonal position, DRLs and headlights are manually selected off, regardless of ambient light conditions. At the vertical position (12 o'clock), DRLs are always off and the headlights are always on. Low beams and high beams can be alternately selected by pulling and releasing the stalk. Parking lights are always on at any switch position.

The DRLs can be programmed so that they are not always on when the headlights are off, but I believe that this is something that only a dealer can do. You seem to be saying that with the switch horizontal and in bright sunlight, sometimes your DRLs are on and sometimes they are off. If so, then someting is wrong with your car. I would think that if the light sensor was faulty, the headlights would come on when the DRLs go off. If the DRLs are off and the headlights are on in bright sunlight with the switch in the horizontal position, try shining a flashlight directly on the light sensor to see if the headlights go off and the DRLs come on.

Yes ~ sorry if the original post was confusing. I had 3 things going at once. In the OFF position (9 O'Clock) in FULL Sunlight, the DRLs are OFF most of the time and the low beams on as a result.

Where is the light sensor so I can test? Is it at the top center of the windshield?

Will running the low beams (when the DRLs should be on) eventually "wear them out"?

When purchased, I remember seeing not only a marked increase in light between High Beam and Low Beam, but also a wider and farther patch being lit.

I can see the lights on HB, pivot up, but it doesn't appear that there is much more light.

I usually am driving my car but this weekend was being followed home by my dad who was driving my car so we ran a bit of a test. I was surprised how much more visible the car was with the DRLs ON than with the low beams. Ambient light was good as it was mid afternoon (and I got lucky that the DRLs wanted to work this day).

Thanks for the suggestion.

[dcandmc]

Where is the light sensor so I can test? Is it at the top center of the windshield?


http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt73/dcandmc/ECUphoto.jpg

[kamiar]

It happened to me that DRL were off and the Bi-Xenon were on i daylight, turned out that the few envelopes i put in the pen holder covered the sensor, removed them and all normal.

[shamr0ck]

NO WAY !

I almost ALWAYS have something there (3x5 card with errand/grocery list....) Guess that was getting in the way of the DRLs. Thank you ~ I'll store the list elsewhere going forward.

Any thoughts on why the High beam performance seems to have degraded ~ do the BiXenons have a life span? Maybe I'm just getting older...

[kamiar]

NO WAY !

I almost ALWAYS have something there (3x5 card with errand/grocery list....) Guess that was getting in the way of the DRLs. Thank you ~ I'll store the list elsewhere going forward.

Any thoughts on why the High beam performance seems to have degraded ~ do the BiXenons have a life span? Maybe I'm just getting older...

Told ya[thumbup] as for the high beam, i noticed when i turn them on, for few seconds they are dimmed and ten become brighter,maybe i am getting older too...

[dcandmc]

NO WAY !

I almost ALWAYS have something there (3x5 card with errand/grocery list....) Guess that was getting in the way of the DRLs. Thank you ~ I'll store the list elsewhere going forward.

Any thoughts on why the High beam performance seems to have degraded ~ do the BiXenons have a life span? Maybe I'm just getting older...

Another happy forum member. I don't know what I would do without the shared knowledge of the internet (well, pay a lot more for auto diagnosis/repairs for one thing).

[colin]

the only way to really tell if the fog lights are on is to look for the LED on the dash ~ from the drivers seat, it is virtually impossible to tell if the lights are on either on a clear night or in fog.
Which to me is a good indication of how totally useless they are in the first place.