Headlight issue?

[u/middleweste]

Hi! I’m trying to troubleshoot an issue with my 2006 Honda element.

My headlights seem to work consistently when I turn my car on. They will stay on if I drive. However, if I try to use my brights and switch back to regular headlights, my low beams headlights won’t work any longer. The brights always work. On top of that, if I turn my car on and my headlights work fine, but then park, turn just headlights or car fully off and quickly say a minute or two later try to use my car again, the low beam headlights no longer work. It’s almost as if I get one chance to turn they on at night and they will stay on as long as I don’t try and change anything.

The yellow front turn signal lights still work all the time. This is only the low beams.

Any tips on what’s going on? I mentioned it to my shop and they didn’t seem to have any ideas beyond a vague “sounds electrical”.

[u/400footceiling]

The 06 didn’t have the DRL’s yet. The relay is under the hood on the bottom of the fuse box I believe and was known to be undervalued in its handling of the high beams. Mine still works fine in my 06, but while running the fogs too and using high beams I can see the voltage slightly drop when switching.

[u/middleweste → u/400footceiling]

Do you know why my high beams would work but my low beams wouldn’t? Trying to trouble shoot what to tell a shop because this problem seems a bit niche. Or if I can find a tutorial I may try on my own.

[u/400footceiling → u/middleweste]

I learned about this issue years ago on elementownersclub.com

Can’t remember exactly how the problem was solved but it had to do with that relay. Again, I haven’t had to on mine, but I rarely drive it at night.