I have just found out something weird. Before you start your car engage the parking brake then start your car the DRL will be off then release the brake and they will come on. It worked on my ls and lx. What do you guys think

 

Looks like that is a simple way to add a switch there to turn them off if you like !

 

just so you're aware lexusls430, the DRL system you describe (off with the parking brake engaged) is the manner in which virtually every car (not just Lexus) has been operating here in Canada since 1990.
Cdn. law required DRL use on every vehicle sold in Canada starting in 1990.
It is only more recently that some auto manufacturers have started selling DRL equipped cars in the US, but, the safety stats people have considerable data proving their effectiveness at reducing collisions.
One of the earlier studies was from the mid '60's when Greyhound Bus Lines directed all their bus drivers in Canada to drive with their headlights on all the time. They noticed an immediate drop in their collision numbers and have been using the headlights on all the time (at least in Canada) since way back then.
FWIW.

 

749009, I myself have installed DLR on my car and they run at full power for safety reasons......as you can see from my sig.

 

I have to admit I was curious as to how you managed to get your front lights to illuminate that way. It's like you moved the fog lights to the outside of the lens and changed the yellow to white.
My factory DRL lights are just the low beam headlights but run on a lower power supply so that they are not quite as bright as when the low beam headlights are on. Since visibility and safety were the stated reasons for the Cdn. government mandating their use, I'm not sure what backroom deal with the auto manufacturers came up with the requirements for slightly lowered light output from the DRL lights as compared to low beam headlight light output.
Yours is definitely an interesting unique look; "prettier" if I can use that term, than our factory DRL lights, and yet still do the same job.

 

749009, I moved the fogs into the corner lights and turned fog into a DLR that stays on even at night ....so thats a total of three bulbs per side...........the fog light switch turns on the corner lights now.

Your DLR's are yellow because they are the highbeams running at 50% voltage.

 

749009, Here's an old pic of all the lights on:

 

nice work Lexkost. Very functional and aesthetic. I like the thin vertical light by itself. The light you're putting out in the pic with all the lights on seems quite white. You're using aftermarket bulbs, I assume?
I didn't realize it was my high beam lights on reduced power as opposed to my low beams. I hadn't looked closely at which bulb was lit, only that it was a bit less light than the low beams.

 

Yes, that is how they work on my mothers 1997 Oldsmobile. The DRLs will illuminate when the car is out of park and the only way to have them off when it is in gear, is to depress the emergency brake. I discovered this last year. The headlights automatically illuminate, when it just starts getting dark outside, as an added safety feature. I am guessing this is how many cars operate.

 

Dont mean to highjack the thread, but does anybody know where I can find part # and installation procedure to installing DLR's on my 98? Thanks.