[JubileeJack]

Here is the step-by-step tutorial on swapping out your standard 9005 Daytime Running Lights (DRL) bulbs for a set of LED bulbs without having a Check Engine Light (CEL) come on your CT's dashboard.

LED bulbs consume very little energy so the CT 's electrical system is set up to detect such and display a CEL in case of low voltage detection. To overcome this, you need to install a resistor at each bulb which then fools the circuit into thinking proper voltage in being consumed.

The plug and play resistor look like this, I got them from my HID vendor, make sure they are for 9005 bulbs to ensure proper plug connection


The DRL bulb goes in here on your headlights (referring to the one removed/missing), for those that aren't sure since there are 2 bulbs.


STEP 1: Remove and disconnect 9005 bulb from harness and it should look like this:


STEP 2: Connect car light harness to plug-and-play DRL resistor harness:


STEP 3: Connect plug-and-play DRL resistor harness to LED bulb


Once the LED bulb is secured to the light housing (from inside, consult owner 's manual for the best way on removing/replacing DRL bulbs), it should look like this:


Step 4: repeat the same prices on the other side now.


WARNING: Resistors get very HOT so you need to secure them to a place that does not get hot and that get a decent amount of air. I secured mine with 3M double sided tape (the very thick one).

Driver side: I secured my resister here.


Passenger side: I secured my resistor here.

 

[Crashmaster]

JubileeJack, great write up. The Manufacturers have decided that the better your vehicle is lit up, the less likely you will get into an accident. There is obviously statistics to back this up.

Personally, I don’t like DRL (Daytime Running Lights). It is possible to pull fuse #15 which is a 7.5 Amp fuse in a fuse box above the brake pedal area. This prevents your DRL’s from coming on. It will not set a CEL (Check Engine Light) by disconnecting this fuse. There are also kits on Ebay to turn on or off your DRL, or it is not that difficult to mount a toggle switch somewhere to turn them on and off if this is what you want.

 

[JubileeJack]

^Thanks for the positive feedback. DRLs are a safety item and like you said, it's a love/hate relationship. I am not well versed on how to make a switch for DRLs as I have yet to do one..it is an interesting idea though.

 

[Xaque]

What about your high beams now?

 

[whyttyger]

Is D/S 3M adhesive really a good idea?

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/220/dscn0322b.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/dscn0327kyv.jpg/
WARNING: Resistors get very HOT so you need to secure them to a place that does not get hot and that get a decent amount of air. I secured mine with 3M double sided tape (the very thick one).

Driver side: I secured my resister here.


Passenger side: I secured my resistor here.

I have resistors for my switchback LED's ... after about a miniute of use, they do - in fact - get very hot. I would not have used a double sided adhesive. Worst case scenario is engine compartment fire - more likely - the adhesive strip will lose it's ability to stick, and your resistor will be left dangling - potentially damaging itself and/or other engine components.

What I had done was use a self tapping galvanized steel screw to fasten to a metal part of the body frame. It insures that it IS fastened securly AND the first suface metal to metal contact will help to disipate the heat generated by the resistor. And the reason for the 'galvanized' steel screw is for resistance to oxidation.

That's just my opinion ... Otherwise... I may soon be following your lead.. I have HID's with the DRL fuse removed. i'm not satisfied with the xenon's slow reaction time for flashing - and I generally don't ever need to use high-beams for city driving since all the roads are pretty much well lit.

It would be so nice to find some 9005's with the same LED technology that 2012 Audi A6|R8 or Lexus LS600H are using for thier new leadlight LED technology [not talking thier accent lighting either but thier functional lighting].

 

[JubileeJack]

What about your high beams now?

High beams are not that effective anymore which in my case is fine as stopped using them ever since I installed HID for low beams and HID fog lights. There are more powerful LED bulbs out there that allow high beams to still function as probably with time I'll do that. Tis was more of an experiment to see if the resistor would work.

 

[JubileeJack]

I have resistors for my switchback LED's ... after about a miniute of use, they do - in fact - get very hot. I would not have used a double sided adhesive. Worst case scenario is engine compartment fire - more likely - the adhesive strip will lose it's ability to stick, and your resistor will be left dangling - potentially damaging itself and/or other engine components.

What I had done was use a self tapping galvanized steel screw to fasten to a metal part of the body frame. It insures that it IS fastened securly AND the first suface metal to metal contact will help to disipate the heat generated by the resistor. And the reason for the 'galvanized' steel screw is for resistance to oxidation.

That's just my opinion ... Otherwise... I may soon be following your lead.. I have HID's with the DRL fuse removed. i'm not satisfied with the xenon's slow reaction time for flashing - and I generally don't ever need to use high-beams for city driving since all the roads are pretty much well lit.

It would be so nice to find some 9005's with the same LED technology that 2012 Audi A6|R8 or Lexus LS600H are using for thier new leadlight LED technology [not talking thier accent lighting either but thier functional lighting].

Thanks for that and you are correct, the self tapping screws will probably will be the way to go. For now, I just wanted to drive a bit to ensure the resistor will do its job and not overheat or similar. Once I am confident all is well, I will secure them (resistors) more permanently

As for the A6, Lexus, et all HIDs, they use the VERY high-end bulbs, aprox $125/bulb but the problem with these is they are hard to distinguish from the fake ones since they look identical and sell for the same price online, you can only tell them apart once you take one apart. My HID vendor can get them but even he admitted of it being hit and miss and often the supplier is overseas. If I find a set that is legit and works, I will let you know.

 

[Xaque]

High beams are not that effective anymore which in my case is fine as stopped using them ever since I installed HID for low beams and HID fog lights. There are more powerful LED bulbs out there that allow high beams to still function as probably with time I'll do that. Tis was more of an experiment to see if the resistor would work.

Got it. The thing is (and this is especially useful for people who love in rural, animal infested areas like me), the high beams aren't so much about the intensity of the light as the are about the light pattern and spread.

Properly aligned low beams do not light up that far down the road, regardless of how bright they are.

But to each their own!

 

[DraEagWol]

Speaking of high beams... I have a question. Why is it that when you turn your High beams on, that your fog lights go off? I think this is rather odd. What is the reasoning behind this?

 

[Xaque]

Speaking of high beams... I have a question. Why is it that when you turn your High beams on, that your fog lights go off? I think this is rather odd. What is the reasoning behind this?

I presume it is because the high beams are assumed to cover the area of the fog lights, so it is better to not run the latter bulbs "needlessly" and having to change them more often.

 

[DraEagWol]

I presume it is because the high beams are assumed to cover the area of the fog lights, so it is better to not run the latter bulbs "needlessly" and having to change them more often.

I have never had that feature on a vehicle before... to me, If I have my high beams on its because I would like all the light I can get... near and Far. I don't like a vehicle making assumptions and decisions for me.. for the most part. Just one more "dumbing down" part for consumers.

Now me, I usually dont even have the fog lights on, unless there is adverse weather conditions and I need the extra light for safety. thus saving me from "needlessly" having to change them.

 

[Crashmaster]

Fog lights are for use at low speed to increase the illumination directed toward the road surface in conditions of poor visibility due to rain, fog, dust, or snow.

There are some legality issues (by jurisdiction) of using fog lights without in conjunction of low beam headlights.

Studies have shown that in North America more people inappropriately use their fog lights in dry weather than use them properly in poor weather.

Having driven many years in very heavy fog, I did not think anything when I read about this in the owner’s manual (page 73). It made perfect sense to me that the fog lights only work while the headlights are on low beams. Have you ever tried to drive in fog with your high beams? The high beams just reflect off the fog and it becomes MORE difficult to see; so why would you ever need fog lights with your high beams on? You wouldn’t. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Xaque]

All the vehicles I've had in the past with fog lights disable them when the high beams are on.

In my state (MA) the law states that it is illegal to drive around with fog lights on unless it's "impossible" to see without them... which is very strong warning, considering police cars rarely have fog lights, and therefore, if the officer is able to see that you have yours on, technically you are in violation.

 

[whyttyger]

I suppose this will vary from State to State then. I read the Texas Law for Fog-Lights and it pretty much says ... "you can have two lights, they can be activated 'at will' or 'automatic' at the descresion of the driver, the centerline of the focal point of the

beam cannot exceed 25ft. distance from the front of the car. (I know what your thinking ... what about the RIGHT side?). And the beam cannot be aimed at the eyes of the dirver in the opposing lane.

... I guess that explains why EVERYONE here has thier fogs on.

Now back to the LEFT beam thing... I noticed that on my car, my left beam is closer to my car then the right beam... I always wondered if that was intentional or if it was a quality defect. I've always wanted to manually aim them - the manual says you can - I just haven't had the gumption to crawl underneath the car at night and adjust them.

has anyone bothered to check thier fog light aiming??​