Mascara lights

[Hugo]

I've never heard it before and I'm not sure how common it really is. A quick search didn't find any use of the term by Audi themselves. The formal term for the Audi version is "daytime running lamp (DRL, also daylight running lamp or daytime running light)", often using LEDs to save energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp

Here's a photo of Audi DRLs, you can see where "mascara lights" comes from.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LED_DaytimeRunningLights.jpg

(There's also a market for these on the tat bazaar:
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/Vehicle-Parts-Accessories-/131090/i.html?_fln=1&_itemId=190519079776&_nkw=Car+headlight+Eyelashes )

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The following Google Web/Images searches only find make-up:

mascara lights
"mascara lights"
"mascara lights" car

Anyway, it's early days and this found some relevant uses:

"mascara lights" audi

Third result of the 19:

Audi Club (South Africa) › Technical Discussions › General › NEW AUDI B8 A4
Reply #11 - Nov 11th, 2008 at 12:16pm
pstevens

[Begin]
he design drew my attention, after mulling over buying an Audi for a few years the B8’s design is what clinched it for me, there are a few things I do not like about it such as the “Mascara” lights as my wife calls the led DRL’s, but that’s why I chose not to go with the Xenon lights, if the A4 had the same design as the A5 I would have opted for them.
[End]

http://www.audiclubsa.org.za/cgi-bin/yabb25/YaBB.pl?num=1226308718

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"Mascara LEDs" is also used.

Jalopnik: "Honda Unveils Low-Emission OSM Roadster, Possible New Design Direction"
Comment by YMMV, 22 July 2008:

[Begin]
Scrap the idiotic Audi "mascara" LEDs on the headlights and you've got a nicely proportioned car — a very nice design for any car arriving between say 1995 and 2005. For 2010 or later, it's already old.       7/22/08 12:15pm
[End]


http://jalopnik.com/399014/honda-unveils-low+emission-osm-roadster-possible-new-design-direction?comment=6816098#comments

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Another variation is "mascara lamps". Here's it applied to Saabs:

Saab Cars – Trollhattan Saab: "Old vs New (again) – Saab 9-5"
Posted on November 6, 2008 by swade:

[Begin]
oday I polled you Saabists for your opinion on Saab’s old 9-3 SS tail lamps vs the new ‘mascara’ tail lamps used from 2008 onwards.

Right now, the poll stands at 57% for the old 9-3 tail lamps and 43% for the new mascara lamps, which shows that if nothing else, it’s a divisive move. Personally, I’m still in the mascara column, but I’d probably be even more selective about the body color than I’d normally be if I were getting one.
[End]

http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2008/11/old-vs-new-again-saab-9-5.html
http://wayback.archive.org/web/20081208232621/http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2008/11/old-vs-new-again-saab-9-5.html

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"Mascara headlights" is earlier, used in 2006:

The Truth About Cars: "BMW 335i Review"
By Jay Shoemaker on September 11, 2006

[Begin]
Chris Bangle’s designs are still a shock to the system. I still cringe whenever one of the BMW's “flame surfaced” 7 Series hoves into view. I still shake my head when I catch a glimpse of a 5 Series’ mascara headlights.
[End]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/09/bmw-335i/
http://wayback.archive.org/web/20101030095126/http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/09/bmw-335i/

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Hugo

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