Daytime Running Lights

[Boston]

Happy New Year to everyone. I had a quick question. I have a 2001 RX300 Silversport that I have shipped to Asia. Daytime running lights are not a requirement here and I have been trying to disable them. According to the owner's manual, removing a #1 fuse in the engine bay (with 7.5 ampere) should disable them. However, after removing them, my DRLs are still on... Can anyone help me in this area...

[wwest]

Unplug the DRL voltage dropping/reducing resistor mounted under the battery bottom plate.

[Boston]

Unplug the DRL voltage dropping/reducing resistor mounted under the battery bottom plate.

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Thanks very much for your reply. I will try to look for the DRL voltage dropping resistor; I am hoping that this is something that a novice can remove without removing the battery or without specific tools...

Thanks again. Happy New Year!

[04RX330]

Any idea how to do it for the 330??

[wwest]

If I owned an RX330 I'd have quick look under the battery to see if it's located in the same place.

[bartkat]

The DRL transformer is usually gonna be in a black box with yellow warning such as "caution hot". Unplug the wire that connects to that box.

[Lexusfreak]

Happy New Year to everyone.  I had a quick question.  I have a 2001 RX300 Silversport that I have shipped to Asia.  Daytime running lights are not a requirement here and I have been trying to disable them.  According to the owner's manual, removing a #1 fuse in the engine bay (with 7.5 ampere) should disable them.  However, after removing them, my DRLs are still on...  Can anyone help me in this area...

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Why do you want to disable this feature? It's a wise safety enhancement that has been standard on ALL motor vehicles sold in Canada since the 1990 models year. It uses a minimum of light voltage & it let's others see you better especially in bad weather. I'd think twice before disabling it. Just my 2 cents.

This feature has also proven to reduce traffic crashes significantly in studies conducted over the years.

[jgr7]

Here in California as of the 1st of Jan if you have your windshield wipers on you also must have on your headlights. DRL might keep you from getting a ticket if you live in Calif.

Jeff

[bartkat]

Here in California as of the 1st of Jan if you have your windshield wipers on you also must have on your headlights. DRL might keep you from getting a ticket if you live in Calif.

Jeff

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Might not, since turning on headlights also turns on tail lights.

[04RX330]

cant find the DRL transformer under the battery of my RX330. Anyone knows where it located??

[bartkat]

Try tracing the wires from your high beam headlights.

[wwest]

First of all its a resistor....

Grayish-white and I don't remember any labelling at all.

[LexKid630]

just rip out the bulbs! if you have the HID xenon package you wont need to use the DRL's as high beams at night, so if you're so anxious to get rid of the DRL's takem out....just flip the hood nd pull them out..nd if u cant reach them cut the wires. just make sure they arent on while doing this you don't want to get shocked.

[wwest]

12 volts isn't very SHOCKING, if at all.

[04RX330]

We are talking about the correct way to disable the DRL here without affecting the high beams instead of just rip out the high beams bulbs. Apparently, no one knows how to do it properly but providing worthless comments.

[Lexusfreak]

DRL's are a wise & useful safety feature........it doesn't harm anything on the vehicle by leaving them engaged. Some thing the 'bulb life' will be shortened with this feature which is simply not the case. One wouldn't disable the air bag or your ABS sensors would they? & if you did, people would look at you sideways wondering why Same applies to the drl's.....they are designed & built by Lexus to enhance safety & so other drivers see you sooner in bad weather conditions. B)

[wwest]

Well.....

NOT!

Your highbeam halogen bulbs will/might fail prematurely, >12,000 miles, due to operation at a voltage too low to allow the filament regenerative effects of the halogen gas.

It will definitely be a worthwhile effort to check the bulb condition on a regular basis once you have reached about this level of mileage. The more use it sees at the reduced DRL voltage the more the inside of the glass encapsulation will "soot" over due to the effects.

Having said that, it's still a good idea, for safties sake, to keep your DRLs operational even if it means changing out the high beam bulbs on a regular basis.

The life you save may be your own!

[Lexusfreak]

Well.....

NOT!

Your highbeam halogen bulbs will/might fail prematurely, >12,000 miles, due to operation at a voltage too low to allow the filament regenerative effects of the halogen gas.

It will definitely be a worthwhile effort to check the bulb condition on a regular basis once you have reached about this level of mileage. The more use it sees at the reduced DRL voltage the more the inside of the glass encapsulation will "soot" over due to the effects.

Having said that, it's still a good idea, for safties sake, to keep your DRLs operational even if it means changing out the high beam bulbs on a regular basis.

The life you save may be your own!

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Intresting......my Dad's 90 Buick Park Avenue (just traded it in) & my Sisters 91 Buick Century Wagon which she still drives are / were still on the original DRL, never replaced any bulbs & were as bright as the day they purchased the car (including regular headlights & highbeams!) The Americans are fairly new to this drl thing (We've had it in Canada now for over 15 years now) as it is not yet the law to have them.

It's also been proven here that on average it saves or assists in saving over 300+ lives a year.......times that by 10 (which is how much roughly your population is more than Canada) & that's over 3000 people! ;) :whistles:

Here is one of MANY studies:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As more cars use daytime running lights, the risk to drivers not using them will steadily increase, according to Transport Canada studies. Starting with the 1990 model-year, all cars sold in Canada must have Daytime Running Lights (DRLs).

The effectiveness of daytime lights in reducing accidents has been proven by research in a number of countries, including Canada, the USA, Finland, and Sweden. The systems have been shown to reduce multiple vehicle collisions by as much as 32 per cent. Finland was the first to make their use mandatory in 1972. Sweden followed suit in 1977.

But Transport Canada's research into the use of daytime lights showed another effect, one that will become more important as daytime running lights become a standard part of the driving scene. Drivers who don't have daytime running lights run a risk of being "masked" by drivers who do. Research carried out for Transport Canada in the mid-'70s by Dr. Dennis Atwood, showed that drivers meeting a line of cars in a passing situation were more likely to miss an oncoming car without headlights if it were surrounded by cars that had headlights on.

Atwood's results played a large part in the change in Ontario's traffic laws requiring automobile headlights to be switched on one hour earlier in the evening and switched off one hour later in the morning.

The masking effect, which Atwood attributed to either the glare or the distraction effect of the headlights (or a combination of both) was strongest at dawn and dusk and increase rapidly as the level of light dropped off. At sunset, the light level can drop by a factor of 10 in as little as 10 minutes, he says, and the risk increases rapidly for drivers not switching on their headlights.

Atwood believes that as a greater proportion of drivers begin using daytime running lights, the danger of masking will increase for those left without them.

Daytime running light systems have a lower intensity than low beam headlights and last longer with less energy use.

While the biggest advantage of the systems is when natural light is low, such as at dusk or dawn or when skies are overcast, research indicates that they are also an advantage even on bright, sunny days. Because the human eye is light-seeking, drivers will see an oncoming car sooner and make a more accurate estimate of its rate of approach.

The effect is particularly important for peripheral vision, which may not see an object at all unless it contrasts sharply with its background or moves against it. Using daytime lights significantly reduces the chances of a car, cyclist or pedestrian moving unexpectedly into your path.

Atwood suggests that drivers of cars that don't have daytime running lights as a standard feature purchase a retrofit kit rather than using low beams.

[wwest]

I don't know if it really makes that much difference, but DRLs for Canada run brighter, at a higher voltage, than in the US. The shop manuals for the 2000 GS300, 2000 and 2001 RX300 indicate that the resister used in US versions is shorted out for Canada.

[Lexusfreak]

I don't know if it really makes that much difference, but DRLs for Canada run brighter, at a higher voltage, than in the US. The shop manuals for the 2000 GS300, 2000 and 2001 RX300 indicate that the resister used in US versions is shorted out for Canada.

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I'm not sure what the technical specs are for the voltage between the U.S. & Canada.

[wwest]

I think the US mandated that the DRL "glare" be less intrusive than in Canada.

[saint_ex]

Happy New Year to everyone.  I had a quick question.  I have a 2001 RX300 Silversport that I have shipped to Asia.  Daytime running lights are not a requirement here and I have been trying to disable them.  According to the owner's manual, removing a #1 fuse in the engine bay (with 7.5 ampere) should disable them.  However, after removing them, my DRLs are still on...  Can anyone help me in this area...

←

Why do you want to disable this feature? It's a wise safety enhancement that has been standard on ALL motor vehicles sold in Canada since the 1990 models year. It uses a minimum of light voltage & it let's others see you better especially in bad weather. I'd think twice before disabling it. Just my 2 cents.

This feature has also proven to reduce traffic crashes significantly in studies conducted over the years.

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Yeah, I have to agree with this. Daytime Running Lights is an excellent feature. It is much easier to see a car heading towards you, especially when it is ovecast or there is light drizzle. As an example, driving on a Hwy 401 (Canada), I have no problem recognizing that there is a car coming when it has DRL's, but when it doesn't, even though it might be closer than the car with the DRL's, it is still harder to spot them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blind nor do I have any problems with my eyesight. All I'm saying is that it is a lot easier to spot a car that has the DRL's than the one that doesn't.

I really see no point in taking them off. I agree that without those lights, you will save some fuel (because the engine no longer needs to generate power to keep them running), but we're talking about, maybe, 2-3 drops.

Aside from, "it is my car, I can do whatever I want with it", do you have a reason for wanting to disconnect your DRL's?

[Boston]

Thank you everyone for your comments. It seems like I need to remove the battery to locate the DRL resistor which I have not tried yet. Is there any other way?

In response to comments regarding DRLs, I agree that they are a great feature. However, as I mentioned before, I recently moved from the US to Asia where the only automobiles with DRLs are those like mine (shipped from abroad). As we have gridlock traffic conditions during any given day and the fact that most people are not used to them, I don't see any reason why removing them would be a hazard to others or myself. I have noticed other RXs here and in my opinion, they look better without them. As a side note, I have read both articles that support and not support the actual effectiveness of DRLs statistically (or else all automobile mfgs. would make them mandatory?). My opinion is that I probably would not make DRLs a critical factor during the purchase of an automobile nor would I go out of my way to add them to a car that I own that currently does not have this feature. We are lucky to have purchased RXs that have this feature but Lexus does not manufacture all RXs with them.

Happy New Year to everyone.  I had a quick question.  I have a 2001 RX300 Silversport that I have shipped to Asia.  Daytime running lights are not a requirement here and I have been trying to disable them.  According to the owner's manual, removing a #1 fuse in the engine bay (with 7.5 ampere) should disable them.  However, after removing them, my DRLs are still on...  Can anyone help me in this area...

←

Why do you want to disable this feature? It's a wise safety enhancement that has been standard on ALL motor vehicles sold in Canada since the 1990 models year. It uses a minimum of light voltage & it let's others see you better especially in bad weather. I'd think twice before disabling it. Just my 2 cents.

This feature has also proven to reduce traffic crashes significantly in studies conducted over the years.

←

Yeah, I have to agree with this. Daytime Running Lights is an excellent feature. It is much easier to see a car heading towards you, especially when it is ovecast or there is light drizzle. As an example, driving on a Hwy 401 (Canada), I have no problem recognizing that there is a car coming when it has DRL's, but when it doesn't, even though it might be closer than the car with the DRL's, it is still harder to spot them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blind nor do I have any problems with my eyesight. All I'm saying is that it is a lot easier to spot a car that has the DRL's than the one that doesn't.

I really see no point in taking them off. I agree that without those lights, you will save some fuel (because the engine no longer needs to generate power to keep them running), but we're talking about, maybe, 2-3 drops.

Aside from, "it is my car, I can do whatever I want with it", do you have a reason for wanting to disconnect your DRL's?

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[tkrussell]

I have throught some investigation and effort worked out the correct way to disable Daytime Running Lights on the RX330 and 350. This is reversible, and does not affect High Beams or any other function. It is a simple 30 minute process.

Daytime running lights are optional on many cars, and can be software disabled on many Lexus models. I do not know why Lexus chose to omit the option of turning them off in the RX330.

There is NO legal requirement for DRL in any US state. Further, there is NO sanction for disabling them in any US state. Canada may well be different.

The studies of DRL effectiveness came out of Canada when few cars used DRL. It is an unanswered question whether DRL is effective in reducing accidents when many or most cars have them. It is also unanswered whether DRL is as effective at latitudes with much ambient daylight, such as the southern US.

So, If you want them, keep them on and use them. Realize that in rain, drizzle, snow, fog, dusk, or overcast, DRL has NO taillights. In those conditions, full headlights and taillights are the safe alternative.

If you do not want DRL for aesthetic or other reasons, there is a safe, easy, reversible option. If anyone is interested, please let me know and I will post instructions in a new thread.

[Arizona]

I have been driving with my headlights ON for over 30 years after reading about an over the road Truck Driver with a perfect driving record --- No accidents… So far the same is holding true for me; and for 12 years I averaged 30,000 miles per year…

I have yet to replace a single bulb front or back of any of my vehicles…

When I park my Lexus, with the lights left on, I simply hit the lock key twice to turn off the lights… Or you can hit it once and after 20 seconds or so the lights will turn off automatically…

There is No DOUBT, in my mind, that you are more visable and that is more than half the battle…