Daytime Running Lights

Is there a way to make DRL work on a US '02 996 ?? They do it in Canada

What's wrong with just turning them on when you want them? If they are automatic then you can never idle (to keep car warm, etc) without your lights shining. You lose control.

Brand new hack: <a href="http://www.whiteson.org/boxster/mods/drl/" target="_blank">DRL Hack</a> It's very simple. Yoseif

Just curious. Are the Bi-Xenon headlights used as DRL in Canada?

BiXenon's are the DRL in CANADA and they are on alll the time. I am planning to disconnect mine when my '02 C4S arrives. All my previous 911's have them off I hate them because it does not give me control-I am a control freak

Don't know about an 02 C4S but on my 99 of canadian origin if you pull the DRL relay(s) then the high beams don't work. Most people, me included, find HIDs annoying as DRLs even in the daytime. "DRL HACK" is an absolutely excellent idea but my implimentation jumpers from A6 (heated seats) to A4 (parking lights). Turns on all parking lights and sidelights and the "parking lamp" within the headlamp housing is bright enough to pass for "forward" DRLs. Did the jumper install yesterday but had to use two jumpers, both A3 & A4 to A6. B+ side, "high" side, of A3 & A4 fuses are not connected together until parking and side lights are turned on via switch.

Turns out the H6W bulb used as "parking" lamp inside the litronic headlight assembly was designed to fit european DRL requirements. I modded my 01 C4 to have parking lamps only in DRL mode and that powers the H6W bulb.

Does anyone know the number of parking lights. The sylvania sites list an parking light number than list side markers also. Aren't they the same thing?

I turn my lights on every time I get into the car... just a habbit.

My car came with DRL, I pulled the double relay, I hardly ever use the High beams , and if I need them I just pull the stalk in and everything works normal. Funny the way things are I have them and don't want them, you don't have them and you want them.I need to be able to turn the lights off, sitting in a parking lot having a coffee, or listening to some music or watching a movie, what ever it is i am doing at the time, I blind everyone that come in front of me, its not very nice

Funny story about DRLs, my brother bought a Canadian 996TT. One day he's speeding and passes a cop going the opposite direction. He looks in his rearview mirror and sees the brake lights. He decides to take evasive action, guns it, finds a gravel road, goes little way down, and shuts down the car. He forgot about the DRLs and couldn't get the lights off in time - BUSTED. "No officer I wasn't trying to get away from you. I didn't even see you."

being a US car, mine was wired so that the foglights are the DRLs, I prefer it that way so that the bi-xenons don't get fried prematurely; I figure it's cheaper to replace foglight bulbs than xenons. BTW: I didn't hook it up that way since I bought it after it had already been imported into Canada.

One of the pervasive urban myths plaguing our highways and byways is the belief that daytime use of headlights reduces motor vehicle accidents. It all started with a Greyhound Bus Company public relations gimmick to promote its "safety image." Just my opin but.....adding to the growing clutter of glare and distraction are those drivers who've decided that burning their headlights night AND day to ward off evil spirits and makes their 3500 pound car more visible to the legally blind.

Hey - I'm importing a 2002 996 into canada and plan to do the hack that yoseif posted. Questions: 1) Does the hack work on Xenon headlight systems? 2) Does this hack activate the headlights or the fogs? 3) Can it be modified to activate the fogs? If so How? I think I can figure it out - I'd just jumper the heated seats to the fog light fuse instead of theheadlight fuse, but can I get a confimration? 4) If I don't have heated seats (I may not) then what? Thanks

If you're lazy, buy this fuse mod http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...9488QQtcZphoto I personally, ran wires from my heated fuse to the side marker lights, which was good enough for inspection. PS you'll know if you have heated seats if you have the heated seat switch on the batwing bottom of your front console storage.

Do you really think it's a myth? My impression (living in a country where DTRL has been the law for a long time) is that the lights mark the presence of a car from further away, making it stand out from the landscape, so to speak. Motorcyclists, I think, would generally agree that it works for them defensively. I was pretty pleased when the rule came to Canada, and I've found it a big help in terms of improving situational awareness... knowing what's out there with your peripheral vision, letting you concentrate on the business at hand. I like it. Now, do I like that my car has its Litronics lit up all the damn time? No. Even my crude old Land Rover has low intensity bulbs in the headlight assemblies specifically for DTRL.

[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] http://www.motorists.org/images/no_drls_sticker.jpg

Checked out their site, and I see that your previous post was copied verbatim from their position paper on the subject, so I guess I know where you stand. <http://www.motorists.org/issues/drl/index.html> Soooo you can disregard my question. Thanks, Bruce.

I gotta ask - why the XK for sale so quickly? I'm curious because I couldn't wait to sell my XJ8 but now I do occasionally toy with the idea of getting an XK (previous body style) when my Infiniti (daily drivers) goes off lease next year. Michael

It is not an urban myth. It was the result of a study in Europe on cars with headlights on during the day. It was shown - over time - to reduce the number of accidents on the road and hence their adoption in a number of countries including Canada. I believe the country in question was Sweden, but you can probably Google it to find the report. It would have been a study done in the 80's and was most effective during the twilight hours when glare was an issue.

No doubt that lights on makes you more visible, especially in the rear view or peripheral or things like that. Grey car. cloudy day. Yah - it's intuitively obvious that lights on make a car easier to see. On a sunny day, maybe silver car on coming with and without lights on. Again it's obvious lights on will only help. They won't hurt. Now, do I agree with DRL - no. I'd rather turn em on and off myself. When I'm parked in a driveway, engine running, waiting for someone. I'd like the option to turn them off. I'm a big boy. Also, with HID or Xenon bulbs - no it's not necessary. the fogs are good enough. Anyway - the question wasn't whether DRL are good or bad. I need them functional for a federal inspectin in Canada. I might even undo the hack after the inspection. Probably will actually. cheers

Agree with that. I wish it worked like cars with automatics, where they don't light up until it's in gear. And yeah, why they didn't use the fogs instead is beyond me. Good luck with the project! Bruce.

I'm with Jasper on this one. I enjoy being actively involved in the driving experience and its attendant functions, and I enjoy exercising my judgement and abilities as the driver of my car. Hence, I dislike features like auto dimming rear view mirrors, rain sensing winshield wipers, automatic transmission, self activating door locks, daytime running lights, automatic canceling rear window defroster, etc.

i can't stand DRLs - i just put on HIDs whenever i drive

I'm with you on all of those except for the wipers. I had a car with those once, and I was really impressed with how well they did, especially in light mist situations (where it's not enough to use the intermittent wipers, but hard enough to impair your vision every minute or so). But then, I'm easily amused. Michael

Actually - I have to admit that the self cancelling rear window defog is a neccessity for me. I have a *very* short memory

DRL's save lives if you live where most roads are 2 lane. Bend is 100 miles minimum from the nearest interstate. We drive through the forest to get to the population centers of Oregon. I rewired my rear fogs to be a 5 watt lamp and use my front and rear foglights as my DRL in town or out. These cars are small and are not seen by everybody in traffic. I don't wish to find out if my airbags work because somebody creams me because they did not see me. I want to be seen. Most highway fatalities around here are when the oncoming traffic plows into somebody while they are passing. I want to be seen.

Was this an easy hack, or will I need to disassemble my car ('02 cab) to do something similar? That sounds like a great idea! Michael

Ummmmm - turning your lights on when you drive saves lives. If you get creamed because someone didn't see you because you didn't turn your light on then it's your own d@mnd fault. Kinda like seatbelts. Seatbelts save lives when they are worn. No one is arguing whether lights on during the day is a smart idea, ok maybe some of the more dimwitted people here are, but as I said, I'd like to be able to turn my lights off once in a while while the motor is running - say when I'm waiting for someone in their driveway at night, and the lights are shining into the kids bedroom, or even in a long traffic lineup. It used to be courteous to turn off you primary headlights in a traffic jam if they were glaring in the rear view mirror of the guy ahead of you. No more of that in Canada. As a by the way - I ended up just jumpering the A6 heated seat fuse terminal to the A9 headlight fuse, passing the federal inspection, then removing the jumper. I now - get this - !!! turn my lights on during the day using the switch on the dashboard !!! Just like I used to do before the DRL law came into effect here in Canada.

Regarding rewiring your rear fog lamps: I pulled the high wattage bulb out of the rear fogs and replaced it with a 5 w bulb. I think the rear fogs were about 25 watts. I wired a jumper from the running lamps to the rear fog socket. I manually turn my fog lights on each time I get in the car. It has become a habit. Actually, I leave them on when I run into the post office or whatever. When the ignition switch is turned off the front fogs go off but the parking lights stay lit. I also replaced my stock battery with an Optima Red Top. I have no fear of having a dead battery for the few minutes I leave my parking lights on. I do put a trickle charger on my battery intermittently if my car does not move for 2-3 weeks during the winter. A regular battery will go flat during the winter if you don't charge it every 6 weeks or so.

Bringing up a fresh 2002 4S from California into Canada and need to pass Federal Certification with DTRL. I had used the hack noted on the whiteson webpage http://www.whiteson.org/boxster/mods/drl/ on a 99 Boxster without issue but looking at the Fuse Diagram for the 4S would tell me this is not going to work. Looking at the Fuse Diagram it would appear that if I may be able to use the same fuse taps to power the Fog Lights (25 Amp Fuse) from the Seat Heaters (25 AMP Fuse) but I'm not sure if this would do the job (turn on the fog lamps on ignition) or damage something. I see one 4S in this thread that has had the Fog Lights Powered fro DTRL but no description on the mods required. Looking for ideas...

I was told once that the DRL's are the best thing since sliced bread for ticketing. They see you coming way before you see them lying (standing) in wait. Also can pickup agressive driving / manuevering too. Flip side is that they are probably a good thing for other dirvers to see you coming as well. But in DC/Maryland every body clogs up the fast lane which has turned into the 'slow' lane for texters, callers, self-deputized speed limit enforcers, computer and Blackberry operators, Prius MPG-slaves ("I'm going to get that 45 mpg this time if it kills me...") - you name it. They should simply designate the left lane for the 'driving impaired' and give them the right of way.

Maybe it would be easier to hack into the light switch? You could just jumper the two wires that control the front fog lights (if that will meet the govt requirements). I'm thinking that since they only work when the ignition is on, that will do the trick for you. Is the exchange rate still good enough for Canadians to make this all worthwhile, or was it just a special car that you had to have? Congrats on the purchase. Remember, I think it's one of those Rennlist rules that you must post pics of your new car. Michael

I jumpered the seat heat into the street/parking/marker/tail light circuit which also powers the little halogen 5 watt (european) DRL bulb inside the headlight assembly.

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i think it is effective at dusk. just my opinion.

I had read (I RTFM while in line for inspection for an hour) option in PCM->Main->Setting->Individual settings to set daytime running lights. Confirmed the menu option was there, but did not try it yet for fear it would somehow screw up my inspection. Read lights will come on when the engine is on. I have a 2007 C4S, anyone try this option?

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That's a 997 which has more features in the trip computer. I'm still operating the switch manually by the way and frankly I use the low intensity lights 80% of the time. I only use the HIDs on really crappy days and of course at night. My buddy has a CDN market car and he burned through one of his projector lamps, we figure because they burn 100% of the time the car is running. Not cheap and a bit of a pain in the hole to replace.

I recently had mine done at G-Tech in the east end of Toronto. It's not the true head lights that come on when you start the car up but rather the smaller lights just below the main lights. I like this option alot better then having the main lights on all the time ... and it looks better.

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A 997 with Sport Chrono gives the owner the ability to set the DRL as he choses. The issue is for 996 owners. Things are quite different.

Got it, thanks for the clarification. Seems like there are some good workarounds implemented.

3 cent 10 second Fog light hack....just pull out light switch and insert rubber band.

I have a Canadian car and live in Canada. My car was bought new by me and had DRL. About a week ago, I noticed they stopped working. I was pretty happy as I hated them. However the only negative is that the when the high beams come on, the xenons turn off which they never used too. Ah well