Thinking of adding DLR's to avensis

MarkR

A user on another forum has done it. I can't decide whether I like it or not.

http://i52.tinypic.com/15305u9.jpg

Assuming they are installed correctly and turn off when dipped headlights come on etc.

YBTurbo

First off DRL's (Daytime Running Lights)


Secondly they look crap IMHO.

Twin-go

If you want DRL for the reason of been safe and been seen why not just turn on your dip headlight when you get in the car?

If you want these particular DRL for cosmetic reasons then forget it. they look awful.

YouTookMyName

Terrible.

-Chris-

+1 to all the above.

Looks tacky, just use your dips

MugMugs

They look kack! One issue I have with Toyota is that using your dipped lights on sunny days lowers the brightness of the speedometer to a somewhat squinting level.

no1beemerfan

It depends on where they are put too. On the picture the OP attached its obvious they are an after market item and not blended in with the car.

I got some a while ago to put on my car but I'm working on doing something so its not obvious.


Oh and the benefit of them is that not every other bulb is on in your car as they are when you drive with your dipped lights on!

andyseadog

no1beemerfan wrote: »

Oh and the benefit of them is that not every other bulb is on in your car as they are when you drive with your dipped lights on!

and what benefit is that?

no1beemerfan

andyseadog wrote: »

and what benefit is that?

You don't need every bulb on in your dash/cabin etc on all the time. They burn energy and also the heat of them eventually blacken their surroundings and also they eventually blow. Try taking the dash out of a modern car to replace the bulb behind the speedo!

-Chris-

MugMugs wrote: »

They look kack! One issue I have with Toyota is that using your dipped lights on sunny days lowers the brightness of the speedometer to a somewhat squinting level.

Seriously? On a sunny day with your dips on you have trouble seeing the speedo?

no1beemerfan wrote: »

Oh and the benefit of them is that not every other bulb is on in your car as they are when you drive with your dipped lights on!

I prefer that my rear lights are lit up too when I have my dips on.

andyseadog

no1beemerfan wrote: »

You don't need every bulb on in your dash/cabin etc on all the time. They burn energy and also the heat of them eventually blacken their surroundings and also they eventually blow. Try taking the dash out of a modern car to replace the bulb behind the speedo!

extra energy consumed is minimal and wear and tear on bulbs? clutching at straws there tbh. i just drive around with my dips on all the time, always have done... i put a headlight bulb in my car around 2 weeks ago, cant remember the last time before that.

-Chris-

no1beemerfan wrote: »

You don't need every bulb on in your dash/cabin etc on all the time.

That's very true, but...

no1beemerfan wrote: »

They burn energy

Exactly how much energy are you talking about? Do you know?
How does this extra energy measure up against the cost of buying & fitting your DRLs?
How much additional fuel does it use?

no1beemerfan wrote: »

and also the heat of them eventually blacken their surroundings

I've never, ever noticed this. Any further information?

no1beemerfan wrote: »

and also they eventually blow.

I've had one bulb go in the last 6 months/25,000KMs of driving. I don't think it's a major worry to be honest.

no1beemerfan wrote: »

Try taking the dash out of a modern car to replace the bulb behind the speedo!

How often to speedo bulbs go? Again, it's a problem so (relatively) rare that it could probably be ignored.

Rickwellwood

OP why ruin a good car front end with that tacky boy racer DRL shoite

no1beemerfan

I'm not talking about the external bulbs, I'm on about the ones in the dash inside the car. You'd be surprised how black they get and how many blow. I replaced every bulb inside my car last year as the previous driver always has the lights on and the difference was crazy and also I couldn't see the speedo at night properly as two of the three bulbs behind it had blown.

Each to their own though, I was just giving my reason why I think DRLs are a good idea!

phill106

-Chris- wrote: »

Seriously? On a sunny day with your dips on you have trouble seeing the speedo?

Yep, OH has a 06 corolla and its a huge drop in visibility during daytime.

Ardennes1944

oh lord the argument/discussion is this thread is retarded! its your car OP but personally i think they look horrible in 99% of cars which are not factory fitted. the argument of wasting power by having the dash lights on is nit-picking. its like worrying about wind eroding the paint from your car on the M7

Ardennes1944

phill106 wrote: »

Yep, OH has a 06 corolla and its a huge drop in visibility during daytime.

yes, but wouldnt the light of em....day, still make it easy to see?

phill106

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

yes, but wouldnt the light of em....day, still make it easy to see?

You would think so, but no. It is like watching television in a sunny room!

jamiecall

They look shocking. Wouldn't put them on anything.

Ardennes1944

phill106 wrote: »

You would think so, but no. It is like watching television in a sunny room!

maybe they just need to clean their clock's glass

MugMugs

-Chris- wrote: »

Seriously? On a sunny day with your dips on you have trouble seeing the speedo?

As said, it is like watching TV with the sun beaming onto the TV set.

no1beemerfan wrote: »

I'm not talking about the external bulbs, I'm on about the ones in the dash inside the car. You'd be surprised how black they get and how many blow. I replaced every bulb inside my car last year as the previous driver always has the lights on and the difference was crazy and also I couldn't see the speedo at night properly as two of the three bulbs behind it had blown.

This thread is in reference to a Toyota Avensis. An Avensis will illuminate it's dash when the lights are off and dim the same when the lights are turned on. This kind of renders the above useless.... Eg of an Avensis Speedo

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

yes, but wouldnt the light of em....day, still make it easy to see?

As per above, when the lights are engaged the Speedo dims. If the sun shines in, it's actually hard work to make out the Speedo.
No jokesy's !

MugMugs

Also, are modern vehicles not using LED's for back lighting nowadays ?

Vertakill

I'm not buying into the 'they look crap on every car' spiel.

When they're done by twats with sh!tboxes, then yes, they look crap.
But the same could be said for a lot of mods these same twats do.

If it's done well (as in, positioning and actual workmanship), and they're not blindingly bright, then I don't see the problem with them.

But I do agree with some here in saying that pulling them off in an Avensis might be tough.

My brother added them onto a very, very niché car of his and it transformed the car imo (I'm sure I could find pics of it somewhere).
And I was going to add them to my last car but never got around to it (note: not my car below but DRL's would've been the same).

Vertakill

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Now this is only my view but that 350z looks cack. Why ruin a nice car with a tacky bodykit,lights and chrome wheels.

*facepalm*

We're talking DRL's here, remember? That's the only pic I could find online of a 350Z with the DRL's in the position that I wanted to put mine on. It's not my car so say what you want about it.

mondeo

I really hate aftermarket LEDs.. They are chavvy in my opinion, fitted by ding dongs looking for abit of flash for their bora.

Ardennes1944

actually, contrary to what i said previously i also think they look kinda pathetic on the new mondeos and especially the octavias

WM18

i quite like them and have a set on my passat , look no different than any
factory fits i,ve seen...........

dmcar02

You can adjust the brightness of the speedo lights on an Avensis when the lights are on, press the button on the left side of the clocks until you see

---

==

When you see that you simply keep your finger on the button until you find the brightness level you like. Not sure about a Corolla

MugMugs

dmcar02 wrote: »

You can adjust the brightness of the speedo lights on an Avensis when the lights are on, press the button on the left side of the clocks until you see

---

==

When you see that you simply keep your finger on the button until you find the brightness level you like. Not sure about a Corolla

Agreed however can still be quite dim if Dips are on and it's sunny.

EPM

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

actually, contrary to what i said previously i also think they look kinda pathetic on the new mondeos and especially the octavias

Uh-oh. Vectras gonna open a can of whoop ass on you for that:p

The DRLs are the reason I don't like the facelift vrs. Mine are the dipped beam. Much cleaner looking.

The def don't suit the Avensis OP. Although with a D reg you could get some people thinking you're AGS:D

franksm

Mainly for safety reasons, I fitted some to my car and think they look the dogs.

These are DevilEye lamps.

MugMugs

franksm wrote: »

Mainly for safety reasons, I fitted some to my car and think they look the dogs.

These are DevilEye lamps.

Nice car

MarkR

Can open. Worms everywhere. I was looking at ring Aurora ones. They're about the same size as avensis fog lights, and so would be recessed, rather then protruding.

So far, public opinion is decidedly in the no camp!

I do use my dipped lights normally during the day normally.

Besides. I think it would go wicked with my Burberry cap and gold chains. ;-)

Matt Simis

-Chris- wrote: »

Seriously? On a sunny day with your dips on you have trouble seeing the speedo?

Well.. yeah, on a really bright day putting on my dips makes seeing all other controls harder. And I dont mean in theory, I mean I put on the dips the other day and its noticeabley harder.
I also dont like the idea of bouncing hot dips around on fast backroad stints. Which is why I fit DRLs to the Audi. I think they integrated nicer than that Avensis photo though.

DRLs help people see me sooner in all driving conditions, use minimal power and wont get damaged from impacts. Its all Win.

MugMugs

Is it not just a case of having somebody look at the ECU to engage Factory Setting DRL's ?

colm_mcm

franksm wrote: »

Mainly for safety reasons, I fitted some to my car and think they look the dogs.

These are DevilEye lamps.

No offence, but those lights along with The sticky number plate ruins the front end.

Big Nasty

I lived / worked in Germany in '96 / '97 and have used my dips every day (and night) on every car I've had since. I also use my front fogs too but y'all wont like me for that!

ironclaw

MCMLXXV wrote: »

. I also use my front fogs

Why. Just why.

Any aftermarket stuff, just plonked on, looks terrible. Some time and abit of workmanship, I can respect it. But those good jobs are few and far between on Irish roads.

Big Nasty

ironclaw wrote: »

Why. Just why.

Any aftermarket stuff, just plonked on, looks terrible. Some time and abit of workmanship, I can respect it. But those good jobs are few and far between on Irish roads.

Factory fitted front fogs not aftermarket spots - anyhow, use of same is a taboo subject around these parts but feck it I'll post a pic for all the haters anyhow! :pac:

MugMugs

I said kack initially but dont think the picture did any favours as too close up.

If fitted flush these could look "ok" if one wanted them. Doing no harm either way.

MarkR

I was thinking of either something like this where a fog light would be, or something like this if it was on the lower area.

Think I'll have to see these lit before I can decide.

WM18

these are nice , have them on my passat.............

MarkR

TBH i've gone off the idea now. I found a youtube vid with exactly what I thought would be cool. And I don't think it was cool. Looked a bit meh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcjsM84G8pw

Maybe on a newer car.

Matt Simis

MarkR wrote: »

TBH i've gone off the idea now. I found a youtube vid with exactly what I thought would be cool. And I don't think it was cool. Looked a bit meh.
Maybe on a newer car.

Thats a mistake.
DRLs arent for looking cool. They are there to allow other road users see you faster than without and equally importantly tell what direction a distant car is travelling (red lights rear, white lights front).

You can drive around with Dips on all the time, thats an improvement over nothing, however you will permanently illuminate your rear lights (which is kinda taboo in some places as it reduces the perceived effect of brake lights). The other issue with Dips is a dimming of all interior lights, increased power (fuel) usage and also increased wear and tear on light bulbs themselves.

LEDs, by design, make absolutely excellent DRLs as they solve ever issue with running Dips permanently.


PS: Boggle at people who put on their parking lights as driving lights. Minuscule 5w of invisible light and the issue of rear lights lit up. Pointless.

corktina

you could stick any old tat on an Avensis and not ruin it,They are horrible anyway (had an 06 one from new and hated every minute of the year we had it until we sold it.)

MarkR

Matt Simis wrote: »

Thats a mistake.
DRLs arent for looking cool. They are there to allow other road users see you faster than without and equally importantly tell what direction a distant car is travelling (red lights rear, white lights front).

You can drive around with Dips on all the time, thats an improvement over nothing, however you will permanently illuminate your rear lights (which is kinda taboo in some places as it reduces the perceived effect of brake lights). The other issue with Dips is a dimming of all interior lights, increased power (fuel) usage and also increased wear and tear on light bulbs themselves.

LEDs, by design, make absolutely excellent DRLs as they solve ever issue with running Dips permanently.


PS: Boggle at people who put on their parking lights as driving lights. Minuscule 5w of invisible light and the issue of rear lights lit up. Pointless.

Damn you. You do make some good points. I HATE parking lights too.

What will probably happen is I'll come across a bargain set, buy them, attempt to install them, electocute myself, fix my blown fuse, decide I don't like them, then not arse to take them out.

Matt Simis

MarkR wrote: »

Damn you. You do make some good points. I HATE parking lights too.

What will probably happen is I'll come across a bargain set, buy them, attempt to install them, electocute myself, fix my blown fuse, decide I don't like them, then not arse to take them out.

Hehe, you wont really get much of a shock off them as they are delightfully low power. :pac:

I got one of the Ring Automotive "dual function" sets in Halfords. Bar type that auto dim with when your parking/dips are on (so not to distract and look naff at night) and automatically turn on and off with the ignition through a supplied relay. No complicated wiring required!

dell1211

Vertakill wrote: »

*facepalm*

We're talking DRL's here, remember? That's the only pic I could find online of a 350Z with the DRL's in the position that I wanted to put mine on. It's not my car so say what you want about it.

for me they have the same affect as neons, a manufacturer would never put them where they are in that pic.

Matt Simis

dell1211 wrote: »

for me they have the same affect as neons, a manufacturer would never put them where they are in that pic.

One of the French marques now puts LED DRLs in a vertical position on the side of the front bumper in a similar manner..

ironclaw

Matt Simis wrote: »

increased power (fuel) usage and also increased wear and tear on light bulbs themselves.

PS: Boggle at people who put on their parking lights as driving lights. Minuscule 5w of invisible light and the issue of rear lights lit up. Pointless.

That fuel issue is non existant. Speaking as an electrical engineer the draw and load on the alternator etc is minimal compared to other systems onboard e.g. AC, Heating etc

As for bulb wear and tear, thats counting pennys I have to say.

As for the parking lights, I'd be on the fence. I often put them on as I drive a black car and they are better than nothing (led so they are brighter). Dips can look OTT at some times of day. Dark or overcast though I have the dips on.