The larger motivation is cost. Daytime Running Lights are built in to the LED headlight assembly, which is a very expensive unit that gets replaced in its entirety when individual elements burn out. You don't just go to the corner auto parts store and buy a $2 replacement bulb these days. So folks are trying to get maximum useful life out of them...and you can always turn on the headlights as required. These cars also have the Auto Headlight feature which you Enable/Disable with a dashboard switch. I leave it on, but others prefer not to. There are times that it does weird things. If I drive through wooded areas at dusk and into/out of the sunlight, they turn on, then off, then on, then off. The only way I notice is because the dash lights keep switching beck & forth between day and night mode. That 1990 Canadian study said that daytime headlights only reduced accidents by 5%. I would have thought that the enhanced visibility would have had a greater impact. And it's not as though people are disabling brake lights or turn signals.
I just looked online. Remanufactured original equipment headlights for my car are nearly $400 for a single assembly (not the pair.) I have no idea what factory-new cost from the dealer...and that price does not include installation. Part of what makes them so expensive is they are "adaptive." When I turn into a corner, the headlights also turn to stay on the road rather than shoot straight ahead.
Hello, John I drive a BMW my daytime running's lights are just regular AutoZone bulbs the night time running lights are Zenon bulbs about 100.00 bucks each both are replaceable there's an access panel in the wheel well 10 minute job no need to change the light assay 1700.00 on my car.
I few years ago I had 350 Z you actually had to remove the front bumper empennage to change the bulbs 300 bucks in labor to change a bulb .
My brother was a mechanic. He owned his own shop. He had tales of doing a tune up on some cars and having to loosen up a motor mount and raise the engine to get at one of the spark plugs. They are designed for rapid assembly. Repairs are someone else's headache. Regarding headlights...this is the first Mazda I've ever had. I really really like it. If I have to shell out a few hundred $$ extra over the life of it for headlights, it's worth it. I really like driving down twisting roads or turning into my right-of-way and having the headlight actually illimunate in the direction of travel. There have been folks with older model Mazdas (2016+) who had the lights fail shortly after the warranty expired. It was not uncommon. Mazda Customer Service is pretty good at helping out in those cases...mostly paying 50% of the cost.
Getting back on topic...I have yet to take it out in the snow. I hear they do real well in it. The Mazda traction control system is pretty well engineered. I used to have a 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo Intercooler sedan. It snowed one afternoon so I took it out to test it to see how it would handle. Let's just say I was glad to get back home in one piece. Most likely the tires I had were not up to the job. The car itself should have been a tank.
Germaine snippet starts at 0:55 Reminds me of a guy I worked for who had a Jag XJ6. It was such a nice car, his mechanic wouldn't let him have it back
Brunner, Indeed this lights allow more visibility. I turn the lights on whenever is raining / snowing. Lew drove with the lights on since our visit to Canada. I wish I could remember the name of the town / city where they have a "small town" made with dollhouses (hospital, fire dept, stores,..) Adorable. Niagara on the Lake is lovely.
We got a dusting last night. The forecast that keeps changing for Sunday/Monday is back to 4.5" for Sunday.
When I lived outside of DC, traffic would come to a screeching halt if the ashes from an incinerator blew across the roadways causing people to think of snow. A moderate snow would turn a 60 minute commute into an 8 hour ordeal that may well end with a ton of abandoned cars...because even though people know they lack the skills to drive in the stuff, they have the right to get behind the wheel.