JohanDC

530E60NL is correct. The bi-xenon high beams only come one when you activate (full-time) your high beams (leveler pushed to the back). If you want to flash (pulling the leveler towards you) then only the non-xenon high beams will be used). I am pretty sure it was always like this and I am pretty sure that it works on US cars the same way as well. And Rudy, the 3rd picture you are reffering to are not daylight running lights, they are the high beams that are used for flashing.

Rudy

I wasn't aware that the non-US cars use all the lamps for high beams. That's pretty neat.

As far as the DRLs, everything I've been saying is based on my experiences with US spec cars. The discussion that firewired and I were having relates to how the DRLs work and since he's in the US, I assume his car works the same as the other cars over here.

JohanDC, that third picture, although difficult to tell, shows the inner beams at a low intensity. That's how the DRLs work over here. BMWHobo, the guy who took those pictures, even explains it right above the picture by saying "This third picture shows the DRL's with the switch off. When you hit the flasher this light gets brighter. This should about cover it."

The second picture is what it must look like on a non-US car when the high beams are on.

Anyone else with US spec DRLs that can help out here?

firewired

I'm not sure what the source (or intention) of your picture is. I really have no idea if that pic is trying to show some sort of DRL. The only thing I can tell is that the photo is on a European spec car.

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Rudy,

The source of my picture is http://www.germancarfans.com/photos.cfm/ph...ular/bmw/1.html a site that has a lot of decent photos of german cars. You could have asked rather than implying that I would go to the trouble to photoshop a picture. My (intention) as you put it, was simply to obtain information about the E60 prior to my car arriving.

I really believe you are mistaken about the third picture being the DRL in the U.S. The third picture shows the inner halogen lights which are used in flashing. The inner halogen lights were used as DRL in the 3 series and pre angel eye 5 series. I believe and anyone please correct me if I am wrong that since the angel eyes have come out, they have been used as the DRL.

Iceman

I'm not sure what the source (or intention) of your picture is. I really have no idea if that pic is trying to show some sort of DRL. The only thing I can tell is that the photo is on a European spec car.

What I'm trying to describe can be seen clearly from these pictures. The third picture is one with the DRL's on and the headlight switch off. The angels are clearly off. The other pictures simply show the car with the headlight switch in "auto" and in these cases, they illustrate the same thing as if the headlight switch was set to "on".
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Rudy is right.
The DRL are the inner lights. Angel eyes are only on themself when yoiu use parking light while driving, see my pic below, it shows parking light on...

Rudy

firewired, my apologies for not being clear earlier. I never meant to imply that you photoshopped anything and I'm not trying to start any heated debate here (can you say "foglights?" )

What I meant was that the picture you posted is only that -- a picture. Out of context, I couldn't tell if the picture was supposed to depict a car with DRLs on or not. That's what I meant by the "source" and "intention" of the picture.

The photo I linked to was taken by BMWHobo and he clearly explains what he was illustrating when he took and posted the photo. Your photo from germancarfans is one from a gallery of photos (as I suspected) so it doesn't really prove that those are the DRLs or not. To me, your photo is one of a car with it's parking lights (angel eyes) on.

At this point, it's clear that I think the DRLs are a low-intensity version of the inner lamps and no angel eyes, and you think the DRLs are the angel eyes. Hopefully someone else can help us sort this out! (edit: thanks Iceman!)

Again, my apologies if I came across as anything but respectful. I always try to show respect for everyone here and if I'm being intentionally sarcastic or kidding around, I always try to smiley it up so I'm not misunderstood.

amigo525

I dont have angel eyes as my DRL.

One thing I like about the 7 series is that the eyebrows on the 7 are used with the signal lights. That would be nice if we can get it on our e60.

firewired

Rudy,

Thank you for your graciousness. I am honestly confused. I know that I have seen quite a few E39 and several E60 5 Series with just the angel eyes on, without any running / parking lights and definitely no inner halogen lamp on. If this is not the DRL how do they have their cars configured to do that with only the angel eyes on?

530E60NL

I think they put there lights in the first position instead of the second. In that way only the angel eyes and the eyebrow are lighted..

firewired

530E60NL,

I would have thought that also, but the ones I have seen that got my attention have had no eyebrow just they angel eyes part.

Rudy

I can't explain it firewired. I only know that on my E39 and on my E60, the parking lights always turned on the halos. There's no other way I'm aware of to turn them on. If you keep your eyes out, you'll see some E39s and E60s with the inner lights on (and nothing else) and the intensity isn't as bright as if the high beam was on -- those cars have DRLs activated.

Also, the NHTSA has specific specifications on how the DRLs need to be. The halos are not bright enough and don't meet the spec in many other ways. The entire regulation can be found here: 49cfr571.108.pdf
Below is the "Reader's Digest" version of the specification:

S5.5.11(a) Any pair of lamps on the front of a passenger car,
multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, or bus, whether or not required
by this standard, other than parking lamps or fog lamps, may be wired to
be automatically activated, as determined by the manufacturer of the
vehicle, in a steady burning state as daytime running lamps (DRLs) and
to be automatically deactivated when the headlamp control is in any
``on'' position, and as otherwise determined by the manufacturer of the
vehicle, provided that each such lamp:
(1) Has a luminous intensity not less than 500 candela at test point
H-V, nor more than 3,000 candela at any location in the beam, when
tested in accordance with Section S11 of this standard, unless it is:
(i) A lower beam headlamp intended to operate as a DRL at full
voltage, or at a voltage lower than used to operate it as a lower beam
headlamp; or
(ii) An upper beam headlamp intended to operate as a DRL, whose
luminous intensity at test point H-V is not more than 7,000 candela, and
which is mounted not higher than 864 mm above the road surface as
measured from the center of the lamp with the vehicle at curb weight;
(2) Is permanently marked ``DRL'' on its lens in letters not less
than 3 mm high, unless it is optically combined with a headlamp;
(3) Is designed to provide the same color as the other lamp in the
pair, and that is one of the following colors as defined in SAE Standard
J578 MAY88: White, white to yellow, white to selective yellow, selective
yellow, or yellow;
(4) If not optically combined with a turn signal lamp, is located so
that the distance from its lighted edge to the optical center of the
nearest turn signal lamp is not less than 100 mm, unless:
(i) The luminous intensity of the DRL is not more than 2,600 candela
at any location in the beam and the turn signal meets the requirements
of S5.3.1.7; or
(ii) (For a passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, or
bus that is manufactured before October 1, 1995, and which uses an upper
beam headlamp as a DRL as specified in paragraph S5.5.11(a)(1)(ii)) the
luminous intensity of the DRL is greater than 2,600 candela at any
location in the beam and the turn signal lamp meets the requirements of
S5.3.1.7; or
(iii) The DRL is optically combined with a lower beam headlamp and
the turn signal lamp meets the requirements of S5.3.1.7; or
(iv) The DRL is deactivated when the turn signal or hazard warning
signal lamp is activated.
(5) If optically combined with a turn signal lamp, is automatically
deactivated as a DRL when the turn signal lamp or hazard warning lamp is
activated, and automatically reactivated as a DRL when the turn signal
lamp or hazard warning lamp is deactivated.
(b) Any pair of lamps that are not required by this standard and are
not optically combined with any lamps that are required by this
standard, and which are used as DRLs to fulfill the specifications of
S5.5.11(a), shall be mounted at the same height, which shall be not more
than 1.067 m above the road surface measured from the center of the lamp
on the vehicle at curb weight, and shall be symmetrically disposed about
the vertical centerline of the vehicle.

I'm not trying to drive my point home by posting these details, I'm just adding information to an already awesome information network! I know some of the forum members are actually interested in this sort of stuff so I figured it couldn't hurt. As far as I'm concerned, I'm still looking to explain how firewired has seen cars with only angels on and not the rest of the parking light lamps...