Running Lights

[Woodyfjr]

Question has anyone altered the running lights so they stay on when the head lights are on.  I'm assuming it cant be too hard however is there a good reason why it shouldn't be done. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Daytime running lights are there to make the approach of your vehicle easier to see by other road users (pedestrians, etc), are too bright for night time use, and, if used at night will cause dazzle for other road users. Legally, DRL's should turn off when headlights are turned on.

If they were altered to stay on when headlights were used, could well be an MOT failure.

[Woodyfjr]

That's fair point. My other cars with LED DRL always stay on with the head lights on, this is the only car that doesn't. 

[craggle]

If they do stay on you may find they dim when the lights come on. Some cars take the DRL's to a lower power when the lights are on and then back to full power when the lights are off.

I have seen people at night driving with only the DRL's on and no lights at all on the rear which was somewhat dangerous on the M25! I guess they didn't have automatic headlights but it shows that DRL's can be bright enough to see where you are going in the dark.

Craig.

[fordulike]

57 minutes ago, Woodyfjr said:

That's fair point. My other cars with LED DRL always stay on with the head lights on, this is the only car that doesn't. 

I think the reasoning behind this, may be due to the fact that the Aygo has got a fairly low output current alternator. Too much load on the poor thing, would cause its early demise, hence why the DRL's don't light with the main lights.

[Woodyfjr]

Okay chaps I'll give it a miss for the moment.

[Plob]

3 hours ago, fordulike said:

The Aygo has got a fairly low alternator. Too much load on the poor thing, would cause its early demise

From LED DRLs?

[fordulike]

37 minutes ago, Plob said:

From LED DRLs?

I meant from a total current load point of view. Maybe I should have said, just relating to the lighting circuit, and not involving the alternator.

The mk1 didn't used to have DRL's. Adding them to the existing wiring loom, might have exceeded the wiring's current rating, hence why they added the relay to switch them out of the circuit with the main lights on.

[FROSTYBALLS]

8 minutes ago, fordulike said:

Adding them to the existing wiring loom, might have exceeded the wiring's current rating, hence why they added the relay to switch them out of the circuit with the main lights on.

Having the DRL's turn off when headlights are used complies with current legislation - it isn't to do with the electrical loads on the vehicle.

The DRL's of our second generation Aygo turn off when the sidelights are turned on. The DRL's of our Hyundai i20 turn off when either the front fog lights or the headlights are turned on. Both cars have LED DRL's.