[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Grand Drive

Do we have any options in Hella DRL to address this scenario ? Can it be installed in Grand i10 ? As you are from Bangalore, where you installed it and what's the cost ?

In my setup, there is no option to switch off the DRLs when the engine is running (and the converse is also true; in the sense that there is no option to switch on the DRLs when the engine is off). There is no manual override or any manual control whatsoever. The DRLs are purely controlled by the engine start/stop sensor.

So no, the setup I have will not address the scenario you mentioned.

However, if you want manual control, the solutions are even easier and cheaper! There are several cheaper (around Rs. 1K to 2K) DRL sets which do not have automatic control, but where you have to install an additional switch on the dashboard to switch on/off the DRLs. Such setups will address the situation you mentioned.

And yes, it can be installed on i10. Such DRL sets are designed to be retrofitted on pretty much any car, so i10 should not be any different.

I installed mine in a shop called Drift in HSR Layout. I had a pretty good experience there with buying and installing these. As I already mentioned, I paid Rs. 6300 for the DRLs, including installation.

[KnJr]

Originally Posted by kaushiksudra

Came across this awesome product by Philips, called the DayLightGuide. Seems to be vert promising. Can someone help where I can get this from.

Hey kaushiksudra,

Not sure if you have already installed DRLs on your beast yet. If you haven't, do check out PowerBulbs (The usual disclaimer: I am not commercially associated with this website). This website seems to be popular among BHPians. They are offering this product for around 9500 bucks after discount, with free shipping to India. Here in Kochi, one of the Philips dealers quoted 11000. I ordered a set myself from PowerBulbs and am waiting for it to be delivered. Here is the URL:

http://www.powerbulbs.com/product/led-daylightguide

Hope this helps.

Best,
KnJr

[KnJr]

And finally got the Philips DayLight Guide installed on my 2014 Honda City SV i-DTEC from an accessory shop. Haphazardly took the installation pictures from a phone; please excuse the amateur photography

Step 1: Where to fix 'em?
Not sure about you guys but for me this decision was tough. Either my creativity slept-off for a while or the 2014 City's sweet sharp edges couldn't accommodate these DRLs. Finally I chose to make the cut - the unused fog lamp covers (or whatever they are called). The installers removed these by simply prying on the edges and pulling them out with a little bit of force.





As is the case with all plastic clip-ons, please exercise caution if you are removing them - this may damage the clips. Mine got damaged a bit, although it was nothing superglue couldn't fix.



Step 2: The Incision with precision
Where? Dead center. My installer hesitated a lot about cutting the plastic cover right. He took a day! I had to drive my ride back without these covers. No wonder why fellow motorists were giving me way with a single honk from the meek City horns - they were exposed! Anyway, here's a picture of back of the cover, before the installers had at it:



Lo and Behold! No, not really. Came back the following day and was more or less happy with the work. You might notice the installer's hesitation though. Some ragged edges and the not-so-factory-finish fitting. From a distance, I felt they looked alright.



Since these LEDs come with an awesome heat-sink, but also take up space depth-wise, the fog lamp housing had to be cut...









...so that they fit like this!



Step 3: The Dread..the Wiring
Now comes the tricky part. I was really scared of losing my extended warranty and told the installer to work his magic and fix it in a way which would not void it. Trust me, he was no magician.

If you have been intently reading this post until now, you might be interested to learn what the DayLight Guide offers you. The components first -

1. The Daytime Running LEDs (you might want to throw a 'Like duh' at me )
2. The control module
3. A 'one-touch' connector
4. Two 'dead' park-lights (to fool the CANbus in some European-makes; it is illegal there to use two sets of park-lights. So you remove the stock ones and place these into the sockets.)
5. Ten or so cable ties
6. Clamps, screws, washers and the rest

The specialty of these expensive DRLs is the auto-dimming feature. When the park lights are on, these dim down to 50% of their brightness. For that to happen, the orange wire from the control module needs to be connected to one of the park lights' stock wire unfortunately. You could insert the open end of the orange wire into one of the park light's power plug-in connectors. But mind you, you would need an artist's skill to make this connection robust. I am sure you guys can come up with better ideas! FYI, you can purchase these control modules off ebay too. Take a look at the circuitry and place that thinking hat on your head:



Now, pull the DRL cables into the engine bay...





...plug the DRL modules with the control module...



...and secure the cables with cable ties. Now, one of the cables from the LEDs is longer than the other. The LED with the longer cable should be fixed on the side farther from the battery.



Okay, did I tell you the installer was no magician? He used the 'one touch' connector which basically (correct me if I am wrong) splices up the stock wire. One side would hold the orange wire and the other would hold the stock wire in parallel. Both wires are connected using a metal blade in the case which holds them in place.

Another bomb the Honda City threw at me was the fact that there were no ignition position fuses in the fuse box, or at least we were not able to find one! We could not 'decode' the user-manual diagrams. Again, Honda City owners, please do share if you are aware of one.

So, the installer had to cut open the veins of the City for the right wire. Bet he got this one right!




According the wiring diagram, the blue cable must be connected to the KL15 or ACC Pole/fuse(?). This switches on the DRLs when the ignition is on and the voltage is more than 13.5V. Basically the 12V across battery terminals in your car jolt up to render around 14V after the car has started. This change in voltage is sensed by the control module and the DRL switches on. There is a clear mention on the LED case that they function at 13.5V.

In this case, the installer connected it with the ACC (not to be mistaken with the AirCon) wire, which I assume required another splicing. Moreover, the DRLs switch on as soon as I twist the key into ignition mode and remain on. They also switch on when the park-lights are switched on, even without inserting the key. Rings a bell about the European law? However, the fun part is they remain on around 20 seconds after the engine is turned off. This is kinda similar to the 'follow me home' feature that some cars offer (you are right, the City doesn't).

Well, it goes without saying - despite the deprecatory remarks made about the installer, I do appreciate his patience and skill. He got the job done for a very reasonable price and exceeded my expectations! The end result was worth it:



Mod Note : Please do NOT use acronyms (e.g. ANHC, T-Fort, ANHV) when referring to cars. You are ONLY permitted to use the full Make & Model name for cars. This will make our content useful, searchable & easy-to-understand for experts & newbies alike.

Any further usage of acronyms will invite Moderator action on your account.

Thanks!

[Swapnil_Alto]

Originally Posted by ghpk

For a D.I.Y Insect like me its hard to ignore DRL's these days, More and More cars are getting this installed so I wanted to have it.

economical DRL's were ordered @Rs.210 from Ebay.in
Arrived Saturday, Installed today (Sunday).

I have the same set of DRLs installed in my Alto. These don't provide enough light in the morning when the sun is bright and hence the oncoming vehicle can't notice it. These provide sufficient light at night but they are of no use in the morning. Switching to LED strips soon.

Regards,
Swapnil

[BoneCollector]

Cross posting from another thread wherein I have done a few changes to my Wagon R including DRLs.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...ml#post3712564

Mods: Please excuse me for posting this link here as I did not want to upload the whole thing again.

[Jeevith]

Hi All,

I recently bought a Suzuki Ciaz (intend to post an ownership review/experience as soon as I get delivery, (on the relevant thread of course)).

I was browsing through the net and found an image of what was referred to as DRL on a Ciaz. Now these look very different from the images posted on this thread. Can anyone please let me know if these lights are different from what's referred to as DRL on this thread.



If so, what are these lights called? How expensive are these? Where can I get something similar in Bangalore? And lastly, will installing something like this void my warranty?


Thanks All.

[Nik2772]

Originally Posted by Jeevith

I was browsing through the net and found an image of what was referred to as DRL on a Ciaz. Now these look very different from the images posted on this thread. Can anyone please let me know if these lights are different from what's referred to as DRL on this thread.

If so, what are these lights called? How expensive are these? Where can I get something similar in Bangalore? And lastly, will installing something like this void my warranty?

Yes, these are DRL (or parking light?) AFAIK. They are on sale on ebay.in and similar sites for around 700 bucks for a 30 cm strip. Look for the 'Audi' 'DRL' 'Style' 'Strip' keywords and you will get plenty of results.

Installing them will definitely void your warranty as you will have to open the headlight lens (cover) for installing these. If you are having some cash to spare, try sourcing complete headlight units from importers. They would be a direct fit and you can revert back to stock headlamps in case of any warranty claim. If not, stick to COB DRL.

[Jeevith]

Originally Posted by Nik2772

Installing them will definitely void your warranty as you will have to open the headlight lens (cover) for installing these. If you are having some cash to spare, try sourcing complete headlight units from importers. They would be a direct fit and you can revert back to stock headlamps in case of any warranty claim. If not, stick to COB DRL.

How much cash are we talking here?

[Nik2772]

Originally Posted by Jeevith

How much cash are we talking here?

Upwards of 15k for headlamp assembly and 10k for branded HIDs (not necessary though, halogens would also be fine).

You can try getting a quote for headlamps from the dealer/aftermarket shops. If they give the pair for less than 8-9k, it is better to pry open the lens of those and keep the original ones as spare.

Have a look at this:


Source: twobrothers.co.in

[asit.kulkarni93]

Hello All,

I have a Toyota Corolla H1J which comes without fog lamps. I was just thinking of adding aftermarket LED DRL's on the fog lamp housing area. I had sometime back got the autosun drl's to experiment, But they didn't fit in the fog lamp area as it is curved(see the pic attached). So any other options I should be looking at?

[prithm]

I am still not able to convince myself for DRL. Born and bought up in Tropical country like ours, I just cannot think of anything useful with these additions other than emptying my pockets.

The only time I see these to be useful is when you enter a low lit spaces such as cellar parking or tunnels. And those too are easily countered by using fog lamps and twilight bulbs.

Having a light on in a car in bright sunny and hot climate like ours is just not useful and actually a little irritating given the color of LED's. Very unpleasant color.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by prithm

I am still not able to convince myself for DRL. Born and bought up in Tropical country like ours, I just cannot think of anything useful with these additions other than emptying my pockets.

The only time I see these to be useful is when you enter a low lit spaces such as cellar parking or tunnels. And those too are easily countered by using fog lamps and twilight bulbs.

Having a light on in a car in bright sunny and hot climate like ours is just not useful and actually a little irritating given the color of LED's. Very unpleasant color.

This is what it is. I have OEM DRLs in my Volvo V40 and sometimes I feel its better if they weren't there. I'm not a fan of them and they serve absolutely no purpose in India. The sad part is I can't even turn them off - there is no control to do so .

[prithm]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

This is what it is. I have OEM DRLs in my Volvo V40 and sometimes I feel its better if they weren't there. I'm not a fan of them and they serve absolutely no purpose in India. The sad part is I can't even turn them off - there is no control to do so .

I have seen the biker's sign for Lights On being shown to cars with DRL.

I think its like a irritating burn for those owners.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by prithm

I have seen the biker's sign for Lights On being shown to cars with DRL.

I think its like a irritating burn for those owners.

Bikers signalling at DRLs is a common occurence. I just chuckle and move on.

Not just that - the car also has follow me home headlamps that switch off 90 secs after the car is turned off. Once a security guard in a mall came running to me saying "saar lights are on saar. battery will die saar" . Poor fella had to be told to take a chill pill.

[drive2eternity]

Guys, need advice.

I own a 4S Verna, 7 months old. I have been thinking of getting DRLs for it.
I definitely cannot afford changing the entire headlight assembly with some imported unit, neither can I go for Hella DRLs, which I saw retailing at 8500/- on Ebay. I also saw DRL Tubes for 1250/- and simple COB LED DRL for 440/- on Ebay. Either of them would be good for me. But, my queries before I purchase them are:

1. Can I approach Hyundai Service Center to install them?
2. If no, any idea who in Bangalore can install them? (not keen on DIY)
3. Will installing these void my warranty, which is till 2018?
4. Any other DRL which I should consider?

Thanks in advance.