Headlamps: Always "ON"?

[f5fstop]

Originally posted by Sharkster:
Yea, I know where the sensor is and it is not covered... and yea, I also know that I can manually turn the headlights off and leave only the DRLs on. But as far as I understand it, on US cars, when the light's turning knob is set to "auto", the amber DRLs are always on and the headlights turn only on when it's dark, correct?

On my H3, it ALWAYS automatically turns on both (DRL and headlights) whenever I start the engine and the light's turning knob is set to auto.

I don't think that my sensor is malfunctioning... I rather think that it is something that has been changed when the car was imported into Germany. In Germany it is considered non-streetlegal if you drive around with only the parking lights (i.e. DRLs) turned on. You always need to have full headlights or everything turned off at the front of your car in Germany.

If the sensor was malfuntioning, turing on your headlamps, then the DRLs would not be on, just your park lamps. The DRLs are actually your turn signals (brighter). With DRLs on, turn on a signal and the bulb goes off/on, off/on. With park lamps on, the signals go dim/bright.
So, if the sensor was defective, signaling the BCM to turn on the headlamps, the BCM would turn on the headlamps, but turn off the DRLs and just turn on the park lamps.
If the sensor was doing this, your taillamps would also be on.
So, are your taillamps on? If not, I would say you might be correct and the export model requires the headlamps on.