V50/S40 Day running lights

  • Thread starter Thread starter GeeGee
  • Start date Start date
G

GeeGee

It says in the UK manual that daytime running lights can be turned off by
your Volvo dealer. Does anybody know how to do this or does it require
special tools?

TIA
 
Your dealer must download software from Volvo to turn them off. Here in the
US it cost me about $85. Don't know if it costs more if you want them
turned back on.

Bob W.
 
Save yourself the money and leave them alone. You do NOT save anything by
turning them off. They are dimmed/dipped lights so run at about a quarter of
normal dipped power.

Cheers, Peter.
 
Isn't there a middle position on the light switch on UK models? That turns
off the daytime running lights on the US model, and is a darn sight less
trouble than taking it to the dealer for a software upgrade.
 
My car has BiXenons so I was just thinking of the cost of bulb replacement.
Does constant use reduce bulb life significantly?
 
Yes there is a middle position as you say, but as Volvo have not seen fit to
put in a lights on warning buzzer, I am likely to leave them on an flatten
the battery
 
GeeGee said:
I am likely to leave them on an flatten the battery
Click to expand...

You can carry an air pump so you can inflate the battery after you
flatten it ;)

Actually the reason you don't hear a warning when you leave the "parking
lights" on is because they are meant to be left on when a car is
"parked" on the side of the road. Actually they are obsolete today
because people use the 4-way flashers which also don't have a warning
indicator.
 
I have a an US model 03 XC70. I leave the lights "on" all of the time. That
is the lights are on when the ignition is on and the lights are off when the
ignition is off.

The reason is that the need for daylight running to as bright or brighter in
the day than at night. This is a SAFETY feature. Also I as far the lights
are concerned I turn the key and go. In fact driving is simple
seatbelt, key, drive, GO. Day or Night.

I have seen my share of dim bulbs who cannot drive with their lights on at
night, so Daylight Running Lights would be a rather obscure concept.

Sometime ago the Canada Safety Council was not pleased when the concept of
less brilliant lighting was invoked for Daylight Running lights by OEM's.

It is just a guess but I cannot imagine it working differently on the
V50/S40 but I am sure Ford has done stranger things before. Just trying to
help.

Cheers

G
 
Yes, but my previous car (VW Passat) had parking lights and a buzzer. The
buzzer only worked when the door was open so you could leave parking lights
on without the buzzer going off all the time.
 
GeeGee said:
Yes there is a middle position as you say, but as Volvo have not seen fit to
put in a lights on warning buzzer, I am likely to leave them on an flatten
the battery
Click to expand...

You should have no problems -- lights should be going off when you
turn off the engine. Flipping the high-beam with the engine off will
result in the high-beams being enabled for thirty seconds (enough time
for you to get out, lock the car and walk to your front door and find
the appropriate key but not enough to put the key in the door.....)

At least, that's how it works with my 1994 850 (no walk-light) and my
wife's 2002 S40
 
Aren't Bi-Xenon's suppose to pretty well last the life of the vehicle?

I know their life is a lot longer then halogen bulbs... Which tend to last
around 4 years or so in cars that run their lights at 100% intensity @ 20K
Kms per year or so.

I'd leave em on, Xenon's look cool for one, and it's safer when oncoming
cars want to see you from a distance... Maybe you live where there is a lot
of sun, but even so you car is way more visible from a long distance away
with lights on.
 
I have found a more model specific forum at WWW.Swedespeed.com where there
has been a long debate on this very subject.
The main concern seems to be that when you turn the key, the Xenons light
,then go off while the strarter is running then back on again, thus on/off
twice at every ignition. This can potentially put strain on the components
in the car's electrical system, and Xenons can wear out more quickly if
switched on and off.
As Bob W says above, volvo can do it with software but they charge.
 
Even the Xenon types should have a series resistor to lower their power when
used in daylight conditions. It works perfectly for other lighting systems.
Being an Aicraft Electrician by trade I disregard any statements that say
similar to " can potentially put strain on electrical components".
They are far more robust than you could imagine.

Cheers, Peter.

GeeGee said:
I have found a more model specific forum at WWW.Swedespeed.com where there
has been a long debate on this very subject.
The main concern seems to be that when you turn the key, the Xenons light
,then go off while the strarter is running then back on again, thus on/off
twice at every ignition. This can potentially put strain on the components
in the car's electrical system, and Xenons can wear out more quickly if
switched on and off.
As Bob W says above, volvo can do it with software but they charge.
Click to expand...

<snipped>
 
Xenon lights don't even have a filament to burn out, do they? I thought they
were a gas discharge light (similar to fluorescent and metal halide
etc...) - Meaning they should be able to handle many cyclings on and off...
at the expense of potentially the balast after years of use.

Get technical if you'd like, I'm an Industrial Electrician
(controls/mechatronics/robotics... apprentice right now, but 2 years into
corporate training... so we cover tons of theory - we did gas discharge
lighting theory last year, and I forgot most of it)
 
Yes, you are both right.
Apparently, the US manual states that the lights should run on halogens
during the day and switch to Xenons when the built in twilight sensor
detects low light, but owners have confirmed this does not happen. It is not
mentioned in my UK manual.
However, the concern does seem to be around the ballast module which costs
around $2000 dollars to replace allegedly!! As an engineer also, I agree
with your sentiments - also you would think Volvo would have got it right by
now, this is not new technology!

It would be easier if this function was switched off to give the owner
choice. If you want to use daylight running then you could leave the light
switch on all the ime as the lights are still killed when the ignition key
is removed
 
That's odd. My V40 manual says that daytime-running lights can be switched
of using the rotary switch at power on combinded with the lights-handle. (I
believe you turn the ratory switch to full on while pulling the handle
towards you.) This combination is a togle switch.

I played with it and now my lights remain off until I dail the rotary switch
to either city-lights or full lights.

hope this helps,

Manu T
 
Sounds interesting - I tried it with no success. I think the V50 is very
different to the V40
 
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