Smash Repair - now no auto lights
 

Just after Christmas I was hit in the rear by a guy running a red light - so the repairs entailed a new rear bumper and fittings and some panel work on the rear wheel arch. During all this they obviously disconnected the battery as the trip meter is zeroed... Anyway - this car has the genuine Mazda Auto lights kit fitted and somehow - its not working anymore. This kit is basically an add-on harness in the dash and behind the steering wheel/column so I doubt they'd been in there to fix damage at the rear of the car (I did email them to check - they claim not touched). Its a completely automatic type of kit - there is no switch involved so its not like there's a switch in the wrong position or something like that. Also the auto light harness doesn't seem to have a fuse of its own as far as I can tell. Soooooo was it just a coincidence that it broke on the day of the wreck or am I missing something here??

If it's a Daytime running light system like we have in the Canadian cars...there is a control module under the dash with a bunch of electronics and relays.....the relays are well known to fail

Solved!
 

Okay so today I wanted to disconnect the battery for a few hours to do two things – one drain the ECU of its check engine warning from the faulty coil wiring problem that I had recently fixed, and two – to top up the battery with the charger after it had been sitting for so long in the last few months after the repairs and all. So all that was done and I reconnect the battery and blow me down stupid – the auto headlights now work!