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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Out West
    Posts
    1,311

    Default Updating the DRL look

    The halogen globes in my DRLs (I have bi-xenon lights) were looking dated with their yellowish color, compared to other cars with HID and LED lights. I updated mine with a set of eBay HIDs. Let me be the first to say that I hate it when people put put aftermarket LEDs in housings with lenses and reflectors designed for halogens because the light focus is off and it makes the beam spray all over the place blinding oncoming drivers. BUT, the point of DRLs is to be obvious, and if you ever looked at their pattern on a wall, you can see that even with stock halogen bulbs, the pattern sprays broad and tall like a flood light anyway.

    My first attempt was with a kit that advertised that it doesn't set off diagnostic codes. It came with a harness with a resistor to mimic bulb resistance to try to fool the diagnostic system. It didn't work, still got codes. And the resistors got up to 600f degrees according to my infrared gun. I bet I spent $50 on various value resistors trying to get the right value, but never could, even making series/parallel multiple resistor circuits.

    In frustration, I finally made some little brackets to hold the original halogen bulbs between the radiator support and the motor, just flying out there in the breeze. I made a harness to reach the stock power from them to the original socket, with a Y to power a relay to relay-on power to the HID transformer. That worked!

    I've been running it like that for a couple of years now, and I think it looks very nice and modern. Without looking ricey... you can get those kits in various Kelvin heats (colors), from yellow (2000K) to purple (10,000K). I got a nice neutral white at 5000K. They are the same color as the factory LED lights in my Ford truck. If anyone is interested, I can take a pic of the car with the DRLs and halogen fog lights on for comparison, there's quite a difference!
    '04 XC70, Ice White, Taupe. Original owner (196K miles as of may21). 6 wheel bearings, broken ignition switch, broken turbo downtube flange, failed throttle body, many warped rotors, and a myriad of weird crap. Still my favorite car ever.

  2. #2

    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by gibbons View Post
    I can take a pic of the car with the DRLs and halogen fog lights on for comparison, there's quite a difference!
    One could argue that this entire post is worthless without pictures

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