I know this might be a bit off topic, but since the conversation about DRL's come up a fair bit, i thought i would just add this small tidbit for anyone who might have used it. I know im a happy camper in the DRL department
Before i bought my car, i knew the price of the DRL switch assembly, just so i wasnt surprised of its price if i was in a bit of a pickle and just had to bite the bullet and buy one. But regardless, i knew that there has got to be a way around it that 1. is relatively cheap (ie a relay or such), and 2. doesnt tick off/damage the current lighting system. 3. saves me 500$ so i can spend it on other goodies for the car.
So for most cars, DRL's are basicaly the high beams with a reduced voltage. For the X-fire i have no ideal because i havent seen any cnd version ones with DRL's on that i noticed. So after speaking with a few of the guys that do the RIV, and doing some research. You can pass the DRL test, if any of the lights turn on when the key is turned to ignition. The factory module i beleive turns the lights on once the engine is started and the parking brake is released. But its not a requriement, as far as i know
.
So i decided to bury myself in the wiring diagrams for the car, to see what i can dig up.
Really my reason for not buying the switch is because if the DRL's were a reduced voltage for the highbeams, it would tick off my hid's that i plan on installing. Plus i want full control over my lights
Ok so, apart comes the dash, and my Dad and I dig in to the light switch.
So what i wanted to do was control my fogs as the DRL,.. fogs turn on when the key is turned on. Plus, just having fogs on just looks cooler during the day IMO
Also if wanting to wire up the bulbs in the headlights (ie, lows or high) each headlight bulb is on its own seperate fuse, so its a bit more complex. The fogs both share a common line source.
Originaly i was also going to wire it up so they turn off when the parking brake is engaged, but to pull the center console apart just looked like a bit of a task, plus i didint want to take anything apart that didnt need to come apart on this new car.
So..One picture tells 1000 words.
Ok first off, this is no ways a mean for completely installing a proper DRL system, but it allows you to pass the test for the price of a good inline fuse and your time. If you dont mind having your fogs on all the time when your driving. then this is the way to go.
The prink wire is the switched source for the light housing. So when the key is on, its live, and feeds right to the fogs. Slot 9 is the fog fuse, the top pin goes to the lights, the bottom pin is the manually switched + from the switch.
So for me, the next day, did the RIV, passed with flying colours, did the E-test, got 0.00 emissions
, inspection.. And i was all good to go!
Once i was done, pulled the wire out, and put it back to the way it was. I always remeber to turn my lights on before i take off, so having "working" drl's is no need for me. but if you ever plan on selling your car in the near future, a proper drl moduel is recomended. I will never sell my car so it wont be a problem.
Now for those who may ask if this will tick off the Bulb Out, sensor. I beleive it doesnt, reason i dont know is because when i had the dash apart, i took the "Bulb Out" light out, so in the future when i install my HID's with relays to seperate them from the lighting system to pervent any damage to the light switch assembly, the bulb out light wont come on..
So as far as i can remember. (installed the cnd tire drl moduel on my aunts intrepid) it taps into the harness right before the bulb. so on the Xfire it ticks off the Bulb Out sensor down stream (feeding + backwards to the sensor, not allowng it to check for a bulb load). With wiring it into the harness at the switch, should not cause the Bulb Out to come on, because the Bulb out sensor it between the light switch and the headlights.
Woah.. out of breath.. lol