B7 DRL issues.

[vortex_]

My drivers side DRL light blew the other day, today I got around to replacing the bulb. There was one point a few weeks ago the dash indicator light flickered on and then off, and it was ok for a few weeks, but then the bulb blew a few days ago.

Swapped the bulb, the old one had clearly shorted out as the contact on the end of the bulb appeared to have melted. The bulb holder itself wasn't melted or deformed at all however.

Plugged in the new bulb but the dash continued to say to check the DRL bulb. Double checked all the connections, and with a multimeter the socket was doing strange things, it was going up to 16v at one point and then back down to 2v and up and down all over the place.

Tried switching the DRLs off via the dash menu and back on, cleared error codes via code reader, no change. The passenger DRL appears to be working correctly.

Is there a special process to clear a body computer error? I checked the fuses in the cabin and, because the manual is utterly useless and it doesn't provide any idea as to where the DRL fuses are, I checked all the 5 and 10 amp fuses and all were fine. I suppose it could also be a relay, or another fuse, but again because VW don't trust people with their own cars they don't provide anything to aid in troubleshooting.

Further, I'm wondering if these DRLs need a special bulb because they're on all the time, I'm betting an indicator bulb isn't made to be on all the time and may be why it blew - it has also clearly been changed before as the previous person who changed it completely munted the clips on the connector.

[vortex_]

Should I change the title to say 'R36' so the post gets some attention?
Surely someone can provide documentation on the fuses and relays...

[Passat R36]

B7 DRL? I know only factory Xenon headlights come with LED DRL.

Which lights are you referring? Fog lights as DRL? Parkers?

[vortex_]

B7 DRL? I know only factory Xenon headlights come with LED DRL.

Which lights are you referring? Fog lights as DRL? Parkers?

The lights in the bumper closest to the centre have the DRLs in them on the B7. Example in this video:

YouTube

[reindhar7]

I had the same issue with both sides. Brand new bulbs won’t turn on. I went to a local mechanic and all he had to do was clear the error with his diagnostic tool to make them start working again. I could’ve done it myself and save some labor cost had I known.