Daytime running lights - bulb upgrade?

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emerscape

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I'd like to change the color of my DRL. I've considered having them turned off but I do like the additional safety aspect since I often have my 8 month old son in the car. Has anyone used a HID/xenon color like bulb?

Anyone know the part number off hand?
 
Joe_Meehan

Joe_Meehan

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I believe I have seen such bulbs. Of course remember that many of the the colored lamps (I believe all that don't require special fixtures and lamps) are filtered. That means the light light will run a little hotter and will reduce the lamp life.

BTW the color of those HID lamps are not intentional. The color is a result of the way they work to provide more efficient light.
 
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roadhard1960

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On my old 2003 my DRL are my headlights. Any coating you put on the lamp reduces the light output a bit. Do a Google or Bing search for Daniel Stern Lighting and form your own opinion.
 
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emerscape

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thanks for the quick reply. I understand how HID lights work, but for some reason my sleep deprived brain couldn't come up with a better description :)
 
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emerscape

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the 2011 are different they leverage a "city light" option in the high beam housing for the drl. I'm not looking to convert my low highs to hids
 
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PlaneCrazy

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emerscape said:
the 2011 are different they leverage a "city light" option in the high beam housing for the drl. I'm not looking to convert my low highs to hids
Click to expand...
Not quite. The DRLs are now part of the high-beam bulb. It's now a dual-filament bulb, H15. A 55 watt filament provides the high-beams and a 15-watt filament provides the DRL function. Virtually no aftermarket choices at this point. Although you might be able to recode the DRLs to the fog lamps using VCDS. I wouldn't bother though. At least you won't burn out a functional lamp if the DRLs blow, if you use the H15 OEM set-up.
 
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emerscape

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PlaneCrazy said:
Not quite. The DRLs are now part of the high-beam bulb. It's now a dual-filament bulb, H15. A 55 watt filament provides the high-beams and a 15-watt filament provides the DRL function. Virtually no aftermarket choices at this point. Although you might be able to recode the DRLs to the fog lamps using VCDS. I wouldn't bother though. At least you won't burn out a functional lamp if the DRLs blow, if you use the H15 OEM set-up.
Click to expand...

Then why are there two sets of bulbs in the high beam reflector. One positioned as a city light and the other the high beam bulb
 
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Rutch

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Don't know why, but go out and check your car. The DRL are the same bulb as the high beam in my 2011. The city light doesn't come on until the headlights are turned on.
 
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Fordcougar

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Correct the Highbeam is a dual filament bulb (DRL/HI) and City light
comes on only when the headlights are on high or low (which doesn't make much
sense, unless someone cares to explain it to me) If the city light came on with DRLs
it could possibly be replaced with colored bulb to gain the effect you are looking to
achieve. The City light also stays on, when you leave your lights on, and shut off the
car(until you lock it) Nice feature if you have an unlit garage or carport parking
space.
 
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PlaneCrazy

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emerscape said:
Then why are there two sets of bulbs in the high beam reflector. One positioned as a city light and the other the high beam bulb
Click to expand...
The high beam bulb is dual-filament, 15 watts for the DRLs, 55 watts for the high beams.

The city light is basically a parking light, and is only 5 watts. I suppose if you had a european light switch you would have other options to use the city lights. As it stands they're of limited use as others pointed out.
 
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Personne

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PlaneCrazy said:
The high beam bulb is dual-filament, 15 watts for the DRLs, 55 watts for the high beams.

The city light is basically a parking light, and is only 5 watts. I suppose if you had a european light switch you would have other options to use the city lights. As it stands they're of limited use as others pointed out.
Click to expand...
You are correct. With the Euroswitch, you get an intermediate position between Off (DRL only, actually) and full-on headlights. This new position kills the DRLs and I can drive with parking/city lights only, with or without fogs, effectively replacing the 15W white DRLs at will - without the VCDS.

The 5W in the high beam housing produces an interesting effect when only the fog lights are turned on. I got these fogs filtered with a yellow film to give it a euro look and it would be very cool to be able to replace the 5W with amber or even yellow ones.
 
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Rutch

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Personne said:
You are correct. With the Euroswitch, you get an intermediate position between Off (DRL only, actually) and full-on headlights. This new position kills the DRLs and I can drive with parking/city lights only, with or without fogs, effectively replacing the 15W white DRLs at will - without the VCDS.
Click to expand...
You still need VCDS to get rid of the DRL, even with a euro switch.
 
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Personne

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Rutch said:
You still need VCDS to get rid of the DRL, even with a euro switch.
Click to expand...
Absolutely not. When I turn on the parking/city lights, the DRLs are turned off. Completely, positively, definitely OFF. I can turn on the fogs if I need them, or leave them off if I prefer. In Canada anyway. No wiring mods, no pin bending or taping. Drop-in replacement.
 
StaceyS

StaceyS

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Rutch said:
You still need VCDS to get rid of the DRL, even with a euro switch.
Click to expand...
I think what he's saying is that when he sets the euro headlight switch to the "Parking Light" setting, the DRLs turn off. Effectively, he can run the DRLs (with the headlight switch off), or the Parking/City Lights (with the headlight switch in the Parking Light setting)...

He'd need VCDS to drive with NO lights on at all (unless he has a car that can deactivate the DRLs with the turn signal stalk dance other threads have described).
 
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Dakarois

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Yeah Personne is right i have a euro switch and the same thing occurs when you put it on city lights the DRL shuts off and only the city light comes on and then you have choice to turn fogs on/off. I have a 2010 so i can disable DRL with the turn signal stalk which you cannot do on a 2011+ you need VCDS
 
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shovelhd

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I have a 2014 JSW. I want to shut off the DRL in the H15 high beam and use the city light bulb as the DRL. I have VCDS. What do I need to change?
 
WunderKar

WunderKar

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If you want to use the City bulb as your DRL you could remove the hot wire from the H15 15W and transpose it to the hot wire of the City bulb. Tape up the other hot wire and don't use the 15W element in the high beam.

I know this is an old post but I just found it.
 
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