Maxus DRL's working great

[mtb9153]

Hummmm In CA? Guess I'll find out?  The LEDs under the headlights is no more than any new Euro style car comes with new from the factory, including the Tesla made right here in my own SillyCorn Valley.

[fotomoto]

Hummmm In CA? Guess I'll find out?  The LEDs under the headlights is no more than any new Euro style car comes with new from the factory, including the Tesla made right here in my own SillyCorn Valley.

 

Yes the LED's would only be counted as two sources, plus the two DRL's, makes four.  But if some wise guy wanted to count the marker lights..... Thinking about this some more, those are yellow so they probably can't be counted as driving lights so you'd be legal.  

 

Now if you had FOG's and also turned them on, then that could possibly count as six.

[ChuckJr]

mtb,

 

Can you post another daytime pic of your newer adhesive backed addition? A close up as well if you don't mind.

 

Chuck

[mtb9153]

Here are some closer shots...

 

 

[marshtex2]

Greetings mtb9153,

 

Wanting to hook up LED DRLs, I have especially studied your original post of 10/15.  While at my Ford dealer, I asked a service guy about opening that fuse box under the hood and he showed me, making it a reasonable simple thing to do.  Now, please help, which fuse did you tap into?  I'm thinking about running the wire inside and putting a switch in the line so the DRLs can be turned off if wanted.  But it looks like picking up a spot on the fuse box inside, under the glove box, they all are hot all the time, not switched, and I don't want that.

[mtb9153]

Greetings mtb9153,

 

Wanting to hook up LED DRLs, I have especially studied your original post of 10/15.  While at my Ford dealer, I asked a service guy about opening that fuse box under the hood and he showed me, making it a reasonable simple thing to do.  Now, please help, which fuse did you tap into?  I'm thinking about running the wire inside and putting a switch in the line so the DRLs can be turned off if wanted.  But it looks like picking up a spot on the fuse box inside, under the glove box, they all are hot all the time, not switched, and I don't want that.

Hi below are some close-up shots I took with my iPhone.  Hopefully this will aid you in doing this yourself.  I'm not sure what wire I tapped into but  looking in the fusebox standing from the left front fender I took a spaded lug and jammed it into the fourth wire from the bottom left corner.  It appears to be a light gray wire with a light blue stripe.  I tried many different wires before finding this one which turns on the ribbon DLR's as well as my Hella 8 LED lights when the doors open.  They stay on approximately 5 or 6 seconds then go out.  Once I'm in the car and push the start button they all come on and stay on until the ignition is turned off.  They also stay on when it gets dark enough to illuminate the factory headlights.  I'm quite happy with this setup.  I wish you good luck in your project, let me know how it all ends up?  I'd be interested.  Certainly ask me any other questions you might have?

 

 

 

 

[marshtex2]

Thanks for the explanation and the picts which make it really clear what you did.  Would never have figured that out.  Will keep in touch.

[62Lincoln]

It's an interesting visual mod - I think I'm going down the path of HID upgrade for the headlights, once I determine the best course of action.

[Smangerer]

I did a similar mod. I went with Amber Leds to match the non HID lighting. I used the rear wiper fuse to provide power as it is always on when the car is on. I also added a wireless FOB switch to turn them off if needed. That switch also has several strobe programs as well as a dimmer built in, not that I would ever use them. 

 

[mtb9153]

Interesting, how are these mounted to the headlights? As well as the ones below the main grille opening.  I've not seen yellow LED's

Edited January 5, 2014 by mtb9153

[Smangerer]

They are mounted on the outside of the housing with 3M adhesive. The ones on the bottom are stuck on as well. I could have gotten any color I wanted. The two sites I bought from are SuperBrightLEDs.com and CustomDynamics. 

Edited January 6, 2014 by Smangerer

[mtb9153]

I assumed they are flexible to be mounted on the headlights?  I looked at both names you posted and I'm not sure which are the ones you used.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Great work guys, luv it :rockon:

 

 

Brother Mike - great stuff with the :airquote:  show'em the pics mate  :) 

Edited January 6, 2014 by Jus-A-CMax

[Smangerer]

I assumed they are flexible to be mounted on the headlights?  I looked at both names you posted and I'm not sure which are the ones you used.

I apologize but I left out one site, radiantz.com. 

 

Headlight strips are the "Roachez" from Radiantz. 

 

Lower grill is the denser "True Flex" on the costomdynamics site or "Z-Flex" on the radiantz site. I got the first but they appear to very similar in design and price. These have the LEDS packed in there for maximum punch.

 

The switch is http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/installation-supplies/universal-remote-control-with-key-fobs-rgb/1533/3560/ 

 

It took me hours to initially find all these sites and products so enjoy!

 

(PS. I realize the last two links are to the roachez link. It wont let me add new links for the diffrent products. It is the correct website however.)

 

CustomDynamics.com

Radiantz.com

SuperBrightleds.com

Edited January 25, 2014 by Smangerer

[timber725]

Did you mount the strip on the outside of the lamp?

 

Here are some closer shots...

 

 

[salsaguy]

Audi headlights/DROps are the best.those are gorgeous things of beauty.

I doubt they will add a titanium version of the C-max. Makes sense of the FFH but not for the Cmax.

 

Cool, man, well done!  I wish we had "angel eyes" or LED strips in the headlight housings, like the new Audis. Maybe when the Titanium arrives...

[Frankman]

I apologize but I left out one site, radiantz.com.

 

Headlight strips are the "Roachez" from Radiantz.

 

Lower grill is the denser "True Flex" on the costomdynamics site [/size]or "[/size]Z-Flex" on the radiantz site. I got the first but they appear to very similar in design and price. These have the LEDS packed in there for maximum punch.[/size]

 

The switch is [/size]http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/installation-supplies/universal-remote-control-with-key-fobs-rgb/1533/3560/ [/size]

 

It took me hours to initially find all these sites and products so enjoy![/size]

 

(PS. I realize the last two links are to the roachez link. It wont let me add new links for the diffrent products. It is the correct website however.)[/size]

 

CustomDynamics.com[/size]

Radiantz.com[/size]

SuperBrightleds.com[/size]

Thanks for the information Smangerer. I just ordered the True Flex 5.1 inch led light bars from Custom Dynamics. I like the location that you placed the led bar. Did you drill a hole in the lower plastic grill to pass the wires through? I am trying to figure out how to get the wires from the lower grill to the fuse block in the engine compartment. Any tips would be appreciated. Edited February 8, 2014 by Frankman

[mtb9153]

I wish I knew about these before I bought my Hella 5 led lamps and modified my front grille to mount them.  They are fine but irreversable without buying a new grille $$$$

[mtb9153]

 

Smangerer you must be located somewhere close to Richmond CA since that is where you bought your CMax.  Lets hook up, I'm in San Jose near Campbell.  Interested?

 

[Frankman]

Hi below are some close-up shots I took with my iPhone.  Hopefully this will aid you in doing this yourself.  I'm not sure what wire I tapped into but  looking in the fusebox standing from the left front fender I took a spaded lug and jammed it into the fourth wire from the bottom left corner.  It appears to be a light gray wire with a light blue stripe.  I tried many different wires before finding this one which turns on the ribbon DLR's as well as my Hella 8 LED lights when the doors open.  They stay on approximately 5 or 6 seconds then go out.  Once I'm in the car and push the start button they all come on and stay on until the ignition is turned off.  They also stay on when it gets dark enough to illuminate the factory headlights.  I'm quite happy with this setup.  I wish you good luck in your project, let me know how it all ends up?  I'd be interested.  Certainly ask me any other questions you might have?

Thanks for posting the info and photos of the wire in the fusebox that you connected the DRLs to. I have an Energi and will take a look to see if my car has the same colored wire that you used. I wonder what the function is for that wire? Because your DRLs behave the same as the amber front parking lights maybe that is what the grey/blue striped wire is for?

[Smangerer]

Thanks for the information Smangerer. I just ordered the True Flex 5.1 inch led light bars from Custom Dynamics. I like the location that you placed the led bar. Did you drill a hole in the lower plastic grill to pass the wires through? I am trying to figure out how to get the wires from the lower grill to the fuse block in the engine compartment. Any tips would be appreciated.

I used the adhesive backing on the strips to mount them and I pulled the wire up with a coat hanger. Its hard to describe and I doubt I could get a picture but I tied a loop on the end of the wire and pushed it though a gap on either side behind the outer most grill opening. Now standing with hood open looking down, If you hold your head and a flashlight at an incredibly specific angle you can see the wire loop and with careful movements (think operation) I got it pulled up. Im sure I could have taken the car apart but screw that. I then zip tied the wires along framing over to the fuse side. I used an existing bolt on the frame with extra thread for ground and I tapped the rear wiper fuse for power. It may appear a bit loose in spots but I wanted to be able to pull it all out with ease If I desired. 

 

This (kinda) shows the gap. The bottom row of lights is a my cheap first purchase which was underwhelming. I left them in place for the hell of it.

 

This is looking down from the pull through point. (yellow and black wires center right)

 

This is the ground bolt I used. I added nuts to sandwich my ground in there. (black wire, center)

 

 

This is the Fob module (right, with blue and green wires) and the power fuse box (left, with red wire) The module has an inline fuse for additional protection.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Smangerer

[Smangerer]

Smangerer you must be located somewhere close to Richmond CA since that is where you bought your CMax.  Lets hook up, I'm in San Jose near Campbell.  Interested?

indeed I am in the area. I treck all over the bay for work but rarely have time to play while out. 

 

As far as your Hella lights vs. the LED strips... if your primary goal is true DRL's then you went the correct path because of the housing and lenses your lights have. They are, Im assuming, rather visible in full sunlight? I wanted that but didn't want to do any drilling so I went with the brightest strips I could (which is accomplished by having shoulder to shoulder diodes). The strips on the headlights are spaced out and since they are not recessed, they disappear in full sun. The lower grills are slightly recessed and therefore kept in shade so better but not aimed with a projector/intensifier.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Smangerer

[Frankman]

I used the adhesive backing on the strips to mount them and I pulled the wire up with a coat hanger. Its hard to describe and I doubt I could get a picture but I tied a loop on the end of the wire and pushed it though a gap on either side behind the outer most grill opening. Now standing with hood open looking down, If you hold your head and a flashlight at an incredibly specific angle you can see the wire loop and with careful movements (think operation) I got it pulled up. Im sure I could have taken the car apart but screw that. I then zip tied the wires along framing over to the fuse side. I used an existing bolt on the frame with extra thread for ground and I tapped the rear wiper fuse for power. It may appear a bit loose in spots but I wanted to be able to pull it all out with ease If I desired.

Great, that helps a lot Smangerer. I read that the LED strips have 36 inches of 26 gauge wire attached which is thin enough to fish through small spaces as you did. Do you turn on the LED strips when driving at night with the headlights on or are they too bright to do that?

[Smangerer]

Great, that helps a lot Smangerer. I read that the LED strips have 36 inches of 26 gauge wire attached which is thin enough to fish through small spaces as you did. Do you turn on the LED strips when driving at night with the headlights on or are they too bright to do that?

They are not bright enough to overpower the headlights if thats what your asking. I couldn't say if they are too bright for oncoming or rear view traffic but no complaints yet and having seen some truck lightbar mods, Im on the low end of the offensive scale in comparison.

 

I leave mine on all the time unless Im parked with accessory mode on for radio or watching netflix or when taking it in for service. The FOB module has a button dedicated to 6 brightness settings but I leave mine on high. 

[Smangerer]

Thanks for the information Smangerer. I just ordered the True Flex 5.1 inch led light bars from Custom Dynamics. I like the location that you placed the led bar. Did you drill a hole in the lower plastic grill to pass the wires through? I am trying to figure out how to get the wires from the lower grill to the fuse block in the engine compartment. Any tips would be appreciated.

one thing I noticed when I tested these strips is that they have a slight throw up or down depending on how you hold them and they are identical. The reason I mention it is that you will instinctively want to mount them with the wires coming out of the strip to the center for minimal wire exposure. But if you do that, one side will be casting up and the other down. I have both of my strips mounted with the wires going to the right. The one on the right of the car I had to tuck the wires in between the grill and body and back toward the center to the gap. 

 

I doubt that anyone would notice if I had just mounted them but Im a lighting professional and it would have bugged me. Test your lights first and rotate them up and down to get a feel for where the beam is cast strongest.