All the modern vehicles are more about sensors, warnings and messages, when something goes wrong in your car, you’ll often get either a written warning message on your dashboard or a simple warning light illuminating and sending caution to the driver. Although these messages are helpful in identifying issues right at the time when they arise saving the vehicle from any damage and you from any potential loss but sometimes little knowledge of these errors may leave you confused and troubled with your vehicle. From fuel injection to brake pads to seat belt and even light bulbs, everything is now being monitored by these sensors in almost all new vehicles including Ford, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, DaimlerChrysler, GMC, Honda, Jaguar, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen, Volvo.

Porsche cars are the high technology top end cars equipped with modern features including headlights. It also depends on the model of your vehicle. Porsche is committed to continuously improve on its technology and offering additional high-end features in latest models such as Taycan, Panamera, Macan, Cayenne 911 etc but some features are now a standard in each of its models. A Porsche is known for its strong, enduring characteristics, especially when it comes to light. Use of DRLs in Porsche is the fascinating interplay of design and electricity.

By offering DRLs as a standard feature, Porsche is ensuring that the users are guaranteed for their safety and the vehicles are law compliant with all regulations related to road safety as well  as pedestrian protection.

What are DRLs?

Daytime running lights is also one such feature monitored and reported by these sensors and works for the safety of other drivers on road.  DRLs are an automatic system that should ideally turn on with the ignition of your vehicle and makes it more visible on the road during daylight hours. With DRLs installed on your Porsche, other drivers can easily find your vehicle even if they are in their blind spot. DRLs are meant to improve safety and glare. DRL indicator light means the daytime running lights are ON and working properly and when the headlights are turned ON, they should go OFF in normal circumstances.

How to Find If Daytime Running Lights Have Failed?

What is unusual with the indication of DRLs is, where other warning indicators illuminate to indicate a problem, the DRL indicator will not be illuminated if there is a problem. However, there are few symptoms for you to check to identify a problem with DRLs. These may include:

  • If the DRL light is OFF in the dashboard
  • IF the DRL indicator light is ON but DRLs itself are not working
  • If the DRLs are working properly while the vehicle is ON and moving but do not turn OFF after the vehicle is turned off or the headlights are turned ON.

You will receive the following warning messages on your dashboard when one of the DRL fails:

  • Check left daytime running light
  • Check right daytime running light

OR

  • 880B0E Daytime Driving Light, left, faulty
  • 880C0E Daytime Driving Light, right, faulty

For a few vehicles, headlights are often mistaken for DRLs because they use the same bulbs as the headlights and for such vehicles, if one or both headlight bulbs go out of order, one or both DRLs won’t work either. For the vehicles that have separate light bulbs as DRLs and headlights, its comparatively easy to diagnose and fix because failure of one doesn’t affect other. However, in some of the models if DRLs are separate and not working properly, there might be a problem with the DRL bulb module which is also known as ballast but it happens rarely because the lamp modules are expected to last for the entire lifetime of the vehicle.

If your Porsche is a model of before 2014 and has exterior DRL lamps fitted in the bumper, you will need to replace LED DRL lamp but if it’s a newer model made after 2014 then you will be required to replace LED module fitted on the headlamp unit.

What Should I Do If Drls In My Porsche Are Failed?

Usually, when one side of the DRL component fails, we recommend changing the side from non-working to working. If it works on the other side, then replace a faulty one with a new DRL. In case, if it does not then check for the DRL lamp module.  Because, it happens quite rare that both sides of the bulb fail at the same time, therefore; it is always good to give a check to the lamp module first.

Before replacement, you can also check the faulty side for the lose wirings or fuses as sometimes if the car has met an accident then a lose or fused wire can stop the bulb to function properly.

Once a replacement of DRL lamp or a lamp module is done and completed, warning message will automatically disappear.

So, if you’re experiencing a problem with your DRL then either you can fix it yourself or make an appointment with a certified mechanic such as xenons4u to have the problem diagnosed, providing the right bulb and fixing the issue.