I have a 2011 Cooper S purchased used, my second Mini. But this is the first with daytime lights, and with no owner's manual (haven't found hard answers in the one I read online), I am in the dark.
I was not under the impression that daytime lights constituted park lights, head and tail lamps at FULL illumination, all the time. Is that the case?

At night, I switch on the rotary switch on the turn indicator and nothing changes save for the interior lights -- instrument panel, door beam accent lights. The head and tail lights are at the same full illumination, and switching that turn indicator switch does nothing.

I am getting a"lights" warning light on the instrument panel, but was thinking that was the license plate lights, both of which appear to be out.
Is this a switch failure, some previous owner going after market on lights which do not respond? Something else somebody has run across? Any suggestions are appreciated, hard answers even moreso. Thanks.

 

Yes, in the 2nd generation MINI models, daytime running lights is effectively the same as turning on the low beam headlights (except for interior lights). I think it was a cost cutting move so that they didn't have to implement a different operating mode.