Automotive distraction - Phillips daytime running lights.

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat automotive enthusiasts,

This is most likely not going to be more than a passing curiosity, but for anyone with a more "mature" vehicle I just completed an upgrade to our 2000 Buick Century that might be of interest.  Phillips make a LED daytime running light upgrade that looks just like those slick European cars that you are probably seeing on your streets.  Here is the link to the Amazon website describing it:

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-12824WLEDX1-DayLight-Powered-Daytime/dp/B005DX6BKW

This is a case where the manufacturer's website isn't as clear so that's why I provide the Amazon link.  Phillips has done some clever things with this kit.  It detects the difference in voltage between the battery alone and the alternator running.  That controls when the daytime running lights turn on.  So you don't need any fancy wiring - just a connection to the battery or equivalent.  You need to find your parking light wire because this unit needs to dim when you are driving at nighttime to avoid blinding oncoming drivers.  Still, that's just one connection and they provide a guillotine-styled suitcase connector to make that easy to do.

Why bother you ask?  Here is a case where a picture is worth a thousand words.  Here is "Coquette" (our 2000 Buick Century) with her new luxurious LED daytime running lights:



Here is what they look like when they dim for night-time mode:



Finally here is the practical safety reason to consider such a thing.  If you live in a location with lots of tall trees near the roads,  cars will be moving frequently in and out of shadows.  In that situation, a car with LED running lights is much easier to spot than conventional incandescent running lights.  Here is a photo of Coquette in the shadow of trees:



The LED lights are still clearly seen while the OEM amber incandescent daytime running lights are almost invisible.

Oh by the way, they make your car look a lot cooler too!! 

That's how our "Sunior Buick" is keeping up with all the Mercedes, BMWs, and other riffraff to be found on the roads around here!

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S.  . . . . And what about the Senior Buick trusty wagon?  Alas, she is still languishing while her engine waits for the end of the summer racing season to finally get looked at.  However, out of curiosity I mocked up the Phillips daytime running lights on Biquette:



This isn't my first choice by a long shot, but still, the linear LEDs do seem to give those gaps in the bumper a purpose they never had before.

Stay tuned  as this saga continues to unfold!! 

[Steve]

Dear WeatherCat automotive enthusiasts,

I mocked up the Phillips daytime running lights on Biquette:

That's just wrong! Might as well run donks on there, too.

[Bull Winkus]

Good job, Edouard! I can see you coming from here, if you turn toward the east. 

Donks? You mean, like this?



Or this, which is really ? like ? 5 star ugly!



Or something like this for the Century?

[elagache]

Howdy Steve, Herb, and WeatherCat automotive ahem, art critics . . . 

I mocked up the Phillips daytime running lights on Biquette:

That's just wrong! Might as well run donks on there, too.

Donks? You mean, like this?

First for those not into car talk slang, you might want to know what 'donks' means.  It is another name for 'Hi-Risers' which of course is described on Wikipedia (where else?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Riser_%28automobile%29

Thanks, thanks!?!?! Herb for highlighting the extent to which vandals deface the beauty of Buicks.  There is another various upon this theme in which an old wagon like mine is smashed onto 4-wheel drive truck frame.   Clearly many old wagons are facing a horrible fate. 

Now, back to Steve's aesthetic critique.  As noted, it isn't my first choice.  What I dearly would like to find is a modern LED array setup that fits into something that would pass for a 1960s fog light.  2014 Prius V had something that looked promising:



I'm not sure if the 2 round lights in the lower bumper are LED arrays, but this is the sort of thing I would prefer to have.  However, the only spot I could realistically put daytime running lights are in those bumper gaps surrounding the front license plate.  That gap is only an 1-1/2" wide.  Most fog lamps are at least 3" wide, so I'm looking for a very rare bird.

On the other hand, there are some significant advantages with the Phillips Daylight 8.  The electronics eliminate some serious wiring headaches.  Also, it looks to me relatively easy to make a bracket that would bolt behind the license plate frame to support the LED arrays.  Finally, there is this unexpected suggestion from a reviewer on Amazon who put them on his 1967 Chevy Chevelle:

http://www.amazon.com/review/RJJ65O95SVDET/ref=cm_srch_res_rtr_alt_1

To quote:

On my 1967 Chevelle, they hide well until they come on, then you see them really well. At one time I used my headlights as DRL and always left them on, draining battery. Now I don't have to do that anymore. Follow the directions and you will be seen!

If mounted correctly, these LEDs should be completely invisible at car shows, but once on the road that should make my trusty wagon much more visible.  Since she was out of action for 9 months after having been whacked in a very shady parking lot . . . . . . I have a certain nervous desire to make her as visible as possible!!

Without an engine, none of this is likely to happen anytime soon, so my plan is to just . . . . keep lookin'!!!!

Cheers, Edouard 

[jace]

slick European cars   

All European cars have to have them by law for about 4 years now, slightly strange to think that US cars have not got them yet.

If your thinking of round DRL's have you looked at Angel Eyes ? You should be able to get kits quite easily.

[elagache]

Hi JC and WeatherCat automobile enthusiasts,

All European cars have to have them by law for about 4 years now, slightly strange to think that US cars have not got them yet.

I couldn't agree with you more!    Around our neighborhood they are really needed.  A car that doesn't have them will almost disappear in the shadows and it is very unnerving to have a car behind you that's a little close and then "disappears." 

If your thinking of round DRL's have you looked at Angel Eyes ? You should be able to get kits quite easily.

Yes, actually that was one of my initial thoughts.  Alas, somehow the effect just looks horrible on a Buick of my wagon's age.  A number of the other Buick guys have tried this, so I've seen photos of cars like my wagon with angel eyes.  As much as the line of LEDs seems for foreign, the angel eyes are much worse.

Also, I just found some Hella/BMW headlight replacements that will bring my wagon up to modern lighting standards.  I would rather have the wagon have a safer headlight setup than compromise nighttime safety to have daytime running lights.

Thanks for the suggestion though!

Cheers, Edouard