DRL light flickers off
 

Hi all,

I'm hoping for a little car help. I have an '04 Chevy Aveo and haven't had any problems with it so far. Today, however, I noticed while driving that the DRL light on my dashboard which lets me know my daytime running lights are working started to flicker and then finally turned off altogether. Now, I checked while it the light was off to see if the lights actually still work and they do.

Another funny thing is that when I turn my headlights on for a while and then turn them off, the DRL light comes back on for a while before starting to flicker and turn off again.

What could this mean? Should I start to panic yet?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

I should imagine that the car is under warranty yet. My primary suggestion is to take it to the dealer, and let them fix it. I honestly don't have a clue what could be wrong, though.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's some sort of wonky computer voodoo. I haven't done electrical on anything new enough to have one of those indicator lights, but it could be that there's a sensor or something that isn't working the way it should. At any rate, I agree with DEI37; these sorts of problems can be a major pain in the ass to sort out and if it's under warranty you're probably best to send it to the dealer.

Sounds like a loose or corroded connection or switch. As said above, just go to the dealer and let them fix it under warranty. :)

Have the dealer fix it, then pull the fuse on the DRL circuit. I can't stand that shit and it draws enough power to drop your fuel economy by a full mpg

I'd be interested to see the studies done showing that much of a mileage drop. Considering the DRL circuit probably only draws 3 or 4 amps in operation I have a hard time imagining that is so. Also I'm pretty sure DRLs are not required in the US so I don't think a manufacturer that is borderline on meeting CAFE would sacrifice fuel economy for non-required lights.

If DRL's use a full mpg, heaven forbid using low beams, and bend over to Big Oil if you're cruising rural america with high beams on. :p

All kidding aside, GM estimates costs of $3 per year, Transport Canada $3-$15 for dedicated DRL Systems and $40 for reduced intensity low beams.
The Transport Canada estimates include bulb replacement costs, a task I have yet to do myself or see my parents do while owning DRL vehicles.
http://hldi.org/research/qanda/drl.html#5

The light in question is part of the warning system in the instrument cluster if you don't have a Tachometer, and it is in the center of the upper dashpad if you have a tach. It is controlled by the DRL module in either case. Power is supplied to it by the clock/radio fuse, and the DRL grounds the bulb circuit to turn it on, so even if your DRL are working properly, the lamp is not part of the operation, merely an indicator. If it flickers, then either the connection on the bulb or wiring is bad, or the DRL module itself is bad. In either case, take it to the dealer if under warranty or not. untrained people probing connections without the proper test equipment can EASILY short out more expensive components.