LED Daylight running lights (1 Viewer)

[Jerrymjj]

Can anyone advise me how I might determine how bright LED daylight running lights are from adverts? They don't seem to include wattage in what they say about them and having bought a pair that would have struggled to illuminate the inside of a match box, I don't want to repeat the mistake. Many thanks, Jerry.

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

Interested in this as well as the standard tungsten bulb DLR's in our four year old Hymer are getting silvered and will probably fail soon. Living in France returning stuff is not so easy.
Also will I need special ones if it has CANBUS and how do I find out if it does have CANBUS.
I have bought some additional aftermarket LED DLR's but not sure where to wire them in as the cables to the lights are so thin I am amazed they carry the current for Tungsten bulbs.
So please post if you make any progres.
Steve

 

[GAVLAD]

Have a look at LEDCOM.CO.UK website.
They offer DRL's for most van makes/styles and list the power wattage for their lights is in the descriptions - just select your van and click on the writing and it takes you into the blurb. (Although 1 watt LED's sounds poor, I wouldn't want to look directly into my lights)
I bought some from them and was really happy with them - got the straight line of lights which fit into the bumper of the X250 and also the ones which fit into the fog light recess.
Remember that DRL's won't light up the highway like a headlight to see, but are more for being seen.

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[GAVLAD]

Plus, these wired directly in with the Fiat X250 Canbus - one set goes out when headlights switched on and other set go to half dim.

 

[GAVLAD]

 

[Lenny HB]

Can anyone advise me how I might determine how bright LED daylight running lights are from adverts? They don't seem to include wattage in what they say about them and having bought a pair that would have struggled to illuminate the inside of a match box, I don't want to repeat the mistake. Many thanks, Jerry.

I take it the ones you bought weren't "E" so would have been ilegal anyway.

Interested in this as well as the standard tungsten bulb DLR's in our four year old Hymer are getting silvered and will probably fail soon. Living in France returning stuff is not so easy.
Also will I need special ones if it has CANBUS and how do I find out if it does have CANBUS.
I have bought some additional aftermarket LED DLR's but not sure where to wire them in as the cables to the lights are so thin I am amazed they carry the current for Tungsten bulbs.
So please post if you make any progres.
Steve

Both of mine failed on my 2 year old Hymer a couple of weeks ago on the way back from Croatia. They are not in the bulb fail circuit and fairly certain not on the CANBUS system. This means you could replace them with standard LED bulbs without the ballast resistors. Worth doing as my bulb holders were burnt from the heat of the bulbs. Do make sure you buy "E" marked LED bulbs as the cheap ones won't give a good light spread and are illegal.

Have a look at LEDCOM.CO.UK website.
They offer DRL's for most van makes/styles and list the power wattage for their lights is in the descriptions - just select your van and click on the writing and it takes you into the blurb. (Although 1 watt LED's sounds poor, I wouldn't want to look directly into my lights)
I bought some from them and was really happy with them - got the straight line of lights which fit into the bumper of the X250 and also the ones which fit into the fog light recess.
Remember that DRL's won't light up the highway like a headlight to see, but are more for being seen.

LedCom are a very good company with good products and very helpful guy that runs it.

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[Jerrymjj]

All really helpful thanks. I am fitting them to my Duccato based 2006 Autotrail and have bought a relay that dims the lights by 50% when the headlights come on. My problem is trying to get at the headlight lead as it is encased in some solid plastic conduiting which in turn connects directly to the headlight. The actual wire never sees the light of day and I suspect the same is at the other end on the stalk switch. Any ideas how I might get hold of the headlight feed? Many thanks, Jerry.

 

[pappajohn]

All really helpful thanks. I am fitting them to my Duccato based 2006 Autotrail and have bought a relay that dims the lights by 50% when the headlights come on. My problem is trying to get at the headlight lead as it is encased in some solid plastic conduiting which in turn connects directly to the headlight. The actual wire never sees the light of day and I suspect the same is at the other end on the stalk switch. Any ideas how I might get hold of the headlight feed? Many thanks, Jerry.

I could be wrong but with wiring concealed like that it sounds like you have HID lamps.
You definitely don't want to connect to those as they run at around 18000 volts (eighteen thousand volts)
You would need to connect to the wiring BEFORE the ballast unit.

 

[The Wino]

Interested in this as well as the standard tungsten bulb DLR's in our four year old Hymer are getting silvered and will probably fail soon. Living in France returning stuff is not so easy.
Also will I need special ones if it has CANBUS and how do I find out if it does have CANBUS.
I have bought some additional aftermarket LED DLR's but not sure where to wire them in as the cables to the lights are so thin I am amazed they carry the current for Tungsten bulbs.
So please post if you make any progres.
Steve

Led will use a lot less power than the tungstens so if they work the cable should easily run led lamps.

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[Lenny HB]

If you have the later Ducato with only a single position switch for the lights you should be able to wire the trigger into the sidelights.

 

[TerryL]

Bought and fitted a set of DRLs from Ledcom - very easy to fit with full instructions and wiring adapter as required. Took me under an hour - would have been less if I'd tested them BEFORE putting headlamp unit back in. They're wired in so that they go out when the headlamps are on, otherwise on all the time the ignition is switched on.

Have used them all over the continent and on a recent trip to Scandinavia they appear to be an acceptable alternative to headlights on all the time.

 

[Jaws]

Led will use a lot less power than the tungstens so if they work the cable should easily run led lamps.

Actually...............
LED units supplied that are 'canbus' compatible usually use exactly the same amount of juice as normal lamps.
They are fitted with a ballast resistor to 'kid' the system in to believing the lamp is normal.
Straight LED's do indeed use far less current and are seen by canbus systems as being a blown bulb !

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[TerryL]

Judging by the wiring of the Ledcom units, I don't believe the CANBUS system is aware of the DRLs. Main power taken direct from the fuse box via an adapter; a sensor feed taken from the nearside headlamp circuit; earth. Those are the only connections.

I'm happy to be corrected of course.

 

[Jerrymjj]

I still have no idea how to get into the headlight connections. It all seems sealed or plug to socket now. Any ideas or advice?

 

[TerryL]

I still have no idea how to get into the headlight connections. It all seems sealed or plug to socket now. Any ideas or advice?

Assuming yours is the X250, i.e 2007 on, you need to do a little dismantling first - the nearside unit is the easiest. I'm working from memory now but first you need to take off the external scuttle corner plate (2 bolts) and you can then access the three bolts that hold the headlamp unit in. Once these are removed GENTLY prise the unit away (upwards?) from the locating pegs and you will then be able to access the rear of the unit. As far as I can remember you give the black cover a quarter turn to free it away so that you can disconnect the cables. Remember exactly how you did it because it's got to go back the same way. You've then got direct access to the headlight cables.

Incidentally that's how you change a bulb too!

If I've got any of this wrong, someone please put me right!

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[Jerrymjj]

Fantastic Terry. My van is 2006 but I'll give it a go anyway.