Well even 2016(.5) CX-5 GT with Tech uses LED Signature accent strips as DRLs without pairing with LED headlights. None of the vehicles anywhere in the world, including non-NA CX-5's, with LED accent strips uses headlights to serve as DRLs!
No, once you turn DRL function off, you don't have any lights while driving during the day time. Your LED Signature accent strips now serve only as parking lights but nothing else. Auto headlights function will turn your headlights on in dark environment along with LED accent strips. Other members like bigtex turn the headlight switch to parking lights while driving during the daytime and make these parking lights serving as the DRLs.
Not like LED headlights on 2016(.5) CX-5 GT Tech, 2017 CX-5 seems to use single LED element to serve both low beam and high beam. If the headlight LED fails, you lose both!
No it's the design. The availability of many features and functions can be changed by vehicle owners in the setup screen (see owner's manual), but DRL function is the one categorized as dealer-only for the change. I believe it's because in some countries such as Canada DRLs are required by law, hence the availability of such function can only be changed by authorized Mazda dealers.
I understand. VW is doing the same but you have to use VW computer or aftermarket Ross-Tech VAG-com tool to change all kind of vehicle setups. I believe you should be able to do certain things on Mazda vehicles with factory computer, but there's no aftermarket software tool available for Mazda vehicles as far as I know.
In theory LED should last longer than HID. But due to the heat generated by high-powered LED for headlight, many times it's other components failed caused by the heat. After seeing quite a few flickering or failed reports on 2016.(.5) LED Signature accent strips due to heavy usage as DRLs, I began to wonder how reliable our CX-5's LED headlights would be.
It's alarming to me because those LED Signature DRLs are on 2016(.5) CX-5's and too many of them have failed due to heavy usage serving as DRLs within 2 years!
It's the opposite here. 2015 model was when it received it and there are quite a number on the roads here any very few have issues. Maybe your led bulb quality is different to ours (scratch)
