Styling Daylight Running Lights.

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Styling Daylight Running Lights.

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Hi.

I looked into changing these for LED ones, but found it was impossible because of the complexity behind the Canbus / Bulb warning system.

Has anyone else had a go at this? or knows anyone that has?

I would love to change them. I can't believe the Italians with all their styling would put something that resembles a Train light on the front of such a nice car.

PS we did try it with two different versions of resistors on each side of the vehicle, and it's made even more difficult due to the DRL being a dual filament type.

In the mean time I'm so disgusted with it I have turned the DRL's OFF.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I did manage to install my door lights and foot-well lights without any problems, and the boot lights and tail gate LED's too.

If you have a look under my name here on the forum you can see some pictures. I would link but the forum rules forbid me doing it.
 
I've always tried to change lighting on most cars I've ever owned just to make them look different or a bit 'well 'ard' compared to other cars - I've been out for 10 mins in my car today and saw 8x Fiat 500's in just two miles of driving so its nice to have something unusual given all the boring looking ones out there - one of the reasons I went for the sport (less chrome = more jive) - I'd love to know if this job can be done but am not holding out a lot of hope for a simple solution for you having already researched it myself - although I am looking at a new funky set of RHD rear lenses right now but will probably end up leaving it there :(

ps, I'm embarrassed to be in my 40's and still using the words 'funk' and 'jive', but your car does look pretty groovy :D
 
Hi,
From an electronics point of view this is a straightforward problem and easy to fix. However the optical differences between an incandescent lamp (normal bulb) and an LED mean that you can't replace one with the other and get the correct beam pattern. This is just the laws of physics. The law of the land says that any exterior light must be approved and if it has replaceable lamps thay must also be approved and "E" marked. You cannot get an "E" marked LED replacement. This means that it is illegal to fit LED replacement lamps to any exterior light on a road car. You can fit a complete replacement light fitting if it is "E" marked. This law is why kit and small production cars often use lights from mass produced cars. While I could make you DRL's work electrically without triggering errors, I won't knowingly help break the law. Fitting them may also invalidate your insurance.

Robert G8RPI.
 
Hi Both.

Thanks for the replies.

What I actually want to do is to replace the stock bulbs such as the indicators, side / stop lights, reversing lights etc all for the LED equivalent. The DRL's were just a priority over the others.

My reasons for this are fairly common in that they last much longer and they do not brown over and go dim before they eventually fail.

On my last car I changed them all, with the exception of the dip and main beam, to LED like for like and they were still going strong seven years later when I part chopped the car.

The idea behind the DRL's was because as I stated they look old and horrible in that dull yellowish colour scheme, and the LED variant looks so much more crisper and bright white.

I have seen lots of Fiat vans with the same thing done to them and even spoke to a few drivers that came through our premises but they did not experience the same issues that I have.

One guy who had a VW told me to look into getting the bulb warning part of the software turned off / Unticked via the plug-in diagnostic that the service people use. Aparently you can do this on the VW vehicles

I check my car weekly for Oil,Water,Power steering fluids, Brake fluid etc weekly, and as I reverse out of my garage each day I can see that all the front / rear lights are working, the same for fluid levels, I check for drips / puddles etc each time, I don't rely on a light on the dash before I find I have no oil.

These are basic checks that were always drummed into us from the very beginning all those years ago when I started to learn to drive, and are things I now do without even thinking about.

I just wanted to make sure you knew and understood my reasons for wanting to do this.

Do you know if the part for the bulb warning system can be turned off within the software at all?

Many thanks again for the reply.
 
Hi Both.

Thanks for the replies.

What I actually want to do is to replace the stock bulbs such as the indicators, side / stop lights, reversing lights etc all for the LED equivalent. The DRL's were just a priority over the others.

My reasons for this are fairly common in that they last much longer and they do not brown over and go dim before they eventually fail.

On my last car I changed them all, with the exception of the dip and main beam, to LED like for like and they were still going strong seven years later when I part chopped the car.

The idea behind the DRL's was because as I stated they look old and horrible in that dull yellowish colour scheme, and the LED variant looks so much more crisper and bright white.

I have seen lots of Fiat vans with the same thing done to them and even spoke to a few drivers that came through our premises but they did not experience the same issues that I have.

One guy who had a VW told me to look into getting the bulb warning part of the software turned off / Unticked via the plug-in diagnostic that the service people use. Aparently you can do this on the VW vehicles

I check my car weekly for Oil,Water,Power steering fluids, Brake fluid etc weekly, and as I reverse out of my garage each day I can see that all the front / rear lights are working, the same for fluid levels, I check for drips / puddles etc each time, I don't rely on a light on the dash before I find I have no oil.

These are basic checks that were always drummed into us from the very beginning all those years ago when I started to learn to drive, and are things I now do without even thinking about.

I just wanted to make sure you knew and understood my reasons for wanting to do this.

Do you know if the part for the bulb warning system can be turned off within the software at all?

Many thanks again for the reply.

I had a poke around on MultiECUScan when I first bought it looking at every possible adjustment and I never saw an option for it. The only similar toggle was for turning the seatbelt warning off.

It may be that you can do it but there is no option maybe get in touch with yani who develops the software.

There is definitely no way of doing it with the software in the car itself.

Cars are too clever for their own good now I wanted LED turn signals on my 500.
 
I'm sure this will have crossed your mind but you can get tinted halogen bulbs that would improve the colour and avoid all the canbus and beam pattern problems. Not the solution you were looking for perhaps but they come in variety of E and none E marked types and variety of colours.

I have Phillips diamond vision (in the projector) and Led sides. Little comparison with the stock main beam


Not a 500 but I'm fairly sure you could get these to fit.
 
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Hi,
From an electronics point of view this is a straightforward problem and easy to fix.
Robert G8RPI.

Hi again Robert.

Just to clarify, I'm talking about the DRL's, not any of the headlights, and the High Beam located within the DRL's is a separate bulb which I am not touching.

With that said can you elaborate please on how to do this "easy to fix" thing you mention that's straightforward please.

Thanks.

(I may just start looking at the light on the instrument panel itself, or as I know some have done, tape over it and then just change all the lights for LED versions.

With exception to the Main and Dipped beam and Fog lights.)

Thanks again.
 
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Hi again Robert.

Just to clarify, I'm talking about the DRL's, not any of the headlights, and the High Beam located within the DRL's is a separate bulb which I am not touching.

With that said can you elaborate please on how to do this "easy to fix" thing you mention that's straightforward please.

Thanks.

(I may just start looking at the light on the instrument panel itself, or as I know some have done, tape over it and then just change all the lights for LED versions.

With exception to the Main and Dipped beam and Fog lights.)

Thanks again.

Hi,
It's not just the headlamps that have to be approved. Any exterior light and by extension the bulb fitted to it must be approved, i.e. E marked. This includes non-mandatory and after-market lights as these must meet the requirements of the mandatory ones. There are good reasons for these laws including prevention of dazzle and distraction to other road users (this is also a separate offence in the UK even if the lights are approved). With current technology it is not possible to make a LED replacement for an incandescent lamp that meets the approval requirements. Osram say they are working on it but arn't there yet. If it was possible the major vendors would be selling them as approved lights.
Sorry for the bad news.

Robert G8RPI.
 
Hi,
Sorry, as a professional engineer ethically I can't assist you in breaking the law. And even if I did I would not do it on a public forum. I can't understand people who post things like "I've re-mapped my car for 200HP .....but haven't told my insurance company" on forums where they can be found even years later.....
Also you might be behind me with dazzling DRLs
devil.gif


Robert G8RPI.
 
OK thanks.

But, Can you elaborate please on what this "easy to fix" thing you mention that's straightforward please.


Resistors in line on the wires to the bulb.
Simple fix, the filament bulb has a higher resistance than the LED so when you replace with an LED you need to maintain a similar resistance.
Search eBay for DRL resistor.

Converted my previous Grande to LED lighting with this. Never could be bothered with my current car.
 
I never see that he wanted to use the vehicle on the road?

He might be setting these up for a show for all we know and the error shown is annoying him.
 
Resistors in line on the wires to the bulb.
Simple fix, the filament bulb has a higher resistance than the LED so when you replace with an LED you need to maintain a similar resistance.
Search eBay for DRL resistor.

Converted my previous Grande to LED lighting with this. Never could be bothered with my current car.

Err, no.
You need to review Ohms law and resistors in series / parallel
biggrin.gif


Robert G8RPI.
 
Err, no.
You need to review Ohms law and resistors in series / parallel
biggrin.gif


Robert G8RPI.


Errr, that was the simple answer I gave which is what he was looking for and pointed him in the right direction of vendors who may be willing to help.

I recall Ohms Law in my Electronic Engineering Degree studies, but I don't think the original poster was asking that question.

No need to over complicate things is there...
 
Hi All.

Thanks to everyone for the replies, even if some were just teasing!

I was looking for help to try and solve something that was irritating me that's all. I have been in hundreds of forums over my lifetime and have always found them useful, much like owners clubs, but it seems as though some have now gone extremely PC.

If we can't talk amongst ourselves without people jumping all over you for asking about something then I fear we have lost the battle.

Moderators can now close or even delete this post, I will no longer be asking or contributing to it, especially after reading "No, he can't, and neither can anyone else - posts describing illegal modifications will be deleted by the moderator without further warning or acknowledgement" I felt that was a tad harsh and as someone else eluded to, you had no idea what I was asking this for

But once again thanks to all that have tried to help and offered solutions to try, it's very much appreciated indeed.
 
Hi,
It's not just people and moderators being "PC". We are not "talking amongst ourselves" this is a public forum that can be read by any one and used as evidence in legal proceedings. I personally know an "owner" of a completely unrelated forum who was threatened with jail over material posted by others. I also have a friend who lost their job over postings on-line that seemed OK at the time but were taken out of context over a year later.
Just because you are paranoid dosn't mean they are not out to get you
devil.gif


Robert G8RPI
 
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I felt that was a tad harsh...

I'll grant you that I might have expressed myself better (I'd just got back from having root canal treatment at the time), but the principle must stand, for all the reasons kindly pointed out by g8rpi.

We're most definitely not trying to be spoilsports, but the legal consequences of appearing to condone illegal acts on a public forum have to be taken seriously by the mods.
 
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