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Old 05-01-02, 02:57 PM
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shiaobao
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Default daytime lights?

Does anyone know how to turn off the lights that are always on during the daytime?
I went to a drive-in movie theater the other day... and ppl were complaining about my headlights being on ALL THE time.....
Old 05-01-02, 03:50 PM
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LexRX
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If you want to keep the DRL's but have them off for a situation like the drive in you can do this: Put on the parking brake, you'll have the shut off the engine. Then when you crank it back up the DRL's won't turn back on until you release the parking brake.

-nick
Old 05-01-02, 04:24 PM
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Daddy-O
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Holy Frijoles, LexRX!

Lexus, how do you think this stuff up?

Nick, what special powers made you aware this arcana?

Were you in a fender-bender with a radioactive Lexus?

Please reveal the secret of your super-nippono-auto powers!
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Last edited by Daddy-O; 05-01-02 at 04:28 PM.
Old 05-01-02, 04:44 PM
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LexRX
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Yeah, I crashed into some kryptonite in a Lexus and it gave me these freak powers ...and where did you find that picture of me in my tights!!

How I came to know about the DRL trick was on one sunny Sunday afternoon...

There was me, that's LexRX, and my two droogs: my sister and my brother, on our way to the Bagel Company restaurant for breakfast. I parked in front of the restaurant and applied the parking brake b/c I was on a slight incline. The RX was facing a window.

Well, when we finished eating I fired up the RX and looked into the window - to check out my fly ride of course - and noticed the DRL's weren't on. I thought something was wrong! Then I released the p-brake and there they were shining

I thought, hmmm that's interesting. So, I said to myself: "self, remember that." And I did.

The DRL's on GM trucks (Yukon, Suburban, etc) do the same but they turn off as soon as you apply the parking brake - you don't have to apply then shut off and restart the engine.

-nick

Last edited by LexRX; 05-01-02 at 04:46 PM.
Old 05-01-02, 07:41 PM
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wwest
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Default DRL flaw

Your highbeam bulbs will fail fairly quickly unless you disable the DRLs by unplugging the voltage dropping resister mounted on the bottom of the battery support plate.

If you have 10K miles or more on your RX you can look at the high beam bulbs and see the soot on the interior and then later the glass encapulation will begin to melt.
Old 05-01-02, 07:45 PM
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LexRX
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Safety first, wwest. I think the DRL's look good and wouldn't want to disable them. Oh yeah, safe too.

Big deal if the light burns out quicker than if the DRL's weren't on. Of course they won't last as long, the light is burning longer. How much is a new set of halogen bulbs? Not that much.

Also, wouldn't it be easier/better to disable the DRL's by just pulling the DRL fuse?

Last edited by LexRX; 05-01-02 at 07:47 PM.
Old 05-02-02, 11:32 AM
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shiaobao
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lol....
thanks for the tip... i'll try it this weeekend
Old 05-02-02, 01:35 PM
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wwest
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Default DRL safety

I believe, absolutely, in the additional safety provided by DRLs. Had I not discovered the premature failure mode of the highbeam bulbs when used below operational design voltages I would neevr contribute to helping someone disable them.

When 12 volt halogen bulbs are consistently operated below 6 volts a layer of soot builds up on the inside of the glass encapsulation. Some have said that this is the result of the voltage not being high enough to start the halogen gas regeration cycle, whatever that may mean.

In any case my 01 AWD RX300 had about 12k miles when I noticed that the bulbs were very sooty and when I removed them I noticed that the glass had actually started to melt just above the filament.

I am in the process of trying to figure out how to use the DRL circuit to automatically energize the parking lamps and the fog lamps as a better (Canadian) implementation of DRL
Old 08-09-02, 12:39 PM
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CK1_RX3
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Default Re: DRL safety

Originally posted by wwest
I believe, absolutely, in the additional safety provided by DRLs. Had I not discovered the premature failure mode of the highbeam bulbs when used below operational design voltages I would neevr contribute to helping someone disable them.

When 12 volt halogen bulbs are consistently operated below 6 volts a layer of soot builds up on the inside of the glass encapsulation. Some have said that this is the result of the voltage not being high enough to start the halogen gas regeration cycle, whatever that may mean.

In any case my 01 AWD RX300 had about 12k miles when I noticed that the bulbs were very sooty and when I removed them I noticed that the glass had actually started to melt just above the filament.

I am in the process of trying to figure out how to use the DRL circuit to automatically energize the parking lamps and the fog lamps as a better (Canadian) implementation of DRL
wwest - ever have any luck at this? I'd be interested in making just the parking lights my DRL's as well instead of the high beams.
ck
Old 08-09-02, 01:39 PM
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spinteews
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sooty... haha thats a funny word lol

you want to make your parking lights the DRLS? parking lights as in the ones on the very top corner little wedge bulbs?

i doubt it'll be any use espically in the daytime and no ones really goign to notice it...
Old 08-12-02, 06:33 AM
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CK1_RX3
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Originally posted by spinteews
sooty... haha thats a funny word lol

you want to make your parking lights the DRLS? parking lights as in the ones on the very top corner little wedge bulbs?

i doubt it'll be any use espically in the daytime and no ones really goign to notice it...
maybe your right spin - it was just a thought... always gotta be different you know?
Old 08-13-02, 01:45 PM
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ObiDon
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I replaced my DRL/Brights with 100w blue/xeon bulbs over 1 year ago and when I pulled the "old" bulbs they did look sooty. I have not had a problem with the new bulbs, and I replaced the fogs with the same bulbs just a little after that. The front end has not melted to the ground as yet, just looks very blue at night.
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Old 08-13-02, 01:59 PM
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Originally posted by ObiDon
I replaced my DRL/Brights with 100w blue/xeon bulbs over 1 year ago and when I pulled the "old" bulbs they did look sooty. I have not had a problem with the new bulbs, and I replaced the fogs with the same bulbs just a little after that. The front end has not melted to the ground as yet, just looks very blue at night.
Looked at my DRL/Highbeam bulbs last night and they do look "sooty." I think I'll change 'em to some high watt (probably 80 watt) Xenon blues too - good idea since I don't run the high beams anyways, plus I like the blue look (I don't give a rats *** if some people call that rice; whatever). I don't think I'm going to put the Xenon blues in the fogs though... I want to put ion yellows or similar in there for better visibility in fog/snow/rain which is so common here in WI... Can anybody recommend a lower cost choice to the PIAA ion yellows that would be a comparable bulb?
Old 08-13-02, 02:08 PM
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Default Re: daytime lights?

Originally posted by shiaobao
I went to a drive-in movie theater the other day...
Where is there A drive in movie?? I wanna Go..
Old 08-13-02, 02:09 PM
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I have good luck with lights here. http://www.jcwhitney.com/catsubpic.j...equestid=52902


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