Hey Guys,

First post, but I have been reading up on a lot of threads these past couple weeks.

I have a question for those that have Xenon lights.

I just purchased a 2007 R56 Mini Cooper that came with the xenon headlight system. Now I noticed that my DRL are my Xenon lights and whenever I have to "flash to pass", the shutter moves up and down "simulating the high beam".

I am in the process of disabling the Xenons as DRL to reduce the wear and tear on the bulbs but have a question as to what bulb is now used for the flash to pass feature.

So those that currently do not have their xenon as DRL, are your fogs now used as flash to pass. I am hoping the system does not turn on the xenon lights just for that function (as it would really be bad for the bulbs) and then shut off.

 

Are you out of the US?
Because the US-spec versions have "auto", "OFF", "parking lights", and "headlights ON".

Unfortunately, this is the case; the ballast ignite to fire up the Xenon HID lamps.
So, I'm man of using the horn.

- Erik

 

From what I've seen of our US spec MINIs without the auto lights, the DRL feature that we can program with the stalk just turns on all of the lights as soon as the car is started. So the 'flash to pass' is the normal flashing of the xenon headlights. Doing that around here just gets you flipped off because most drivers are not intelligent enough to know that is a courtesy flash.

 

Thanks guys for the replies.

Have to update my profile, but I am from Toronto Canada. DRL are mandatory but I noticed that there is a bulb that goes on located on the top part of the foglights. That would be enough to pass as DRL and preserve the life of the D1S xenon bulbs.

However, if the flash to pass is the xenons regardless, I guess it is better to just have the xenons on when the car is on. Sucks but at least you won’t introduce early bulb failures due to the ballast constantly igniting for the flash to pass feature.

I may just get used to the horn idea as over here, people don’t understand what the flashing means and generally honks back.

 

Those are the "parking lights", which sit right above the fog light inside that housing.

Works on the east coast and Colorado.

- Erik

 

Erik

Cami's car has xenon's and they were enabled as DRL's on a 2010 US-Spec car. I disabled them through the BC because I didn't want them cycling the ballasts so much.

 

For the most part, those blulbs and ballests are going to last the life of the car... It's not something I'd worry about.

 

Roger that. Out MINI's headlights have been on since we drove it off the show-room floor. They auto turn off.

And nobody flashes or honks to pass in Washington state, that would get you shot.