Easy Automatic headlight modification

[Mich_upnorth]

My 2016 f-150 has the led drl and auto headlights. However, the auto lights don’t come on early enough in my opinion or when it is raining or snowing and the drl doesn’t have the taillights on. My fix for that was to take a piece of black electrical tape and put on the automatic sensor on the dash. I then leave the light switch on auto. Whenever the ignition is on the lights are on and I don’t have to worry about leaving them on and running down the battery. If I don’t want the lights on for any reason, I can turn the switch to just the running lights or to off.

[CavemanCharlie]

I don't know why you would need your taillights on when your DRL are on ?
Now that they have started using LED DRL's I'm OK with them.


I don't drive around the campground with the headlights off. I just make sure that they are on the dim setting. But as I back, or pull, into my campsite I turn them off. I don't like it when someone else blinds me with there headlights as I set peacefully around the campfire enjoying the campfire light so I don't blind them either.

[PastorCharlie]

There ought to be a law... 😄

[rexlion]

GordonThree wrote:
Why do so many advocate driving around a dark campground with out lights?

Not 'without lights,' but just without headlights. As a courtesy to other campers.

[GordonThree]

Why do so many advocate driving around a dark campground with out lights?

[Rick_Jay]

Crowe,

I thought that was enacted a while ago...maybe 3-5 years?

For those with DRL's in campgrounds, many vehicles will shut the DRL's off if the parking brake is engaged to the first click. Our motorhome (W-22) and Suzuki XL-7 work that way. When pulling into a campground at night, once I get the rig "roughed in", I lightly engage the parking brake and the DRL's shut off.

~Rick

[Crowe]

MA just passed a law "wipers on lights on". I personally have seen a major difference when driving in the rain. I leave my lights on auto all the time, mostly because I am forgetful at times. I don't understand the big deal about leaving them on or why someone would choose not to run them in darker conditions. Canada did major studies and found that lights on at all times drastically reduced accidents in certain areas.

[GordonThree]

wa8yxm wrote:


Personal observation.. I have been sitting on Clarita waiting to pull out on Telegraph as I did nearly every working day for 25 years, and seen a car with DRL's before I saw the non DRL car IN FRONT OF IT.. Let that scare you,

Had a similar experience driving home from the grocery tonight during dusk.

Driving west, the horizon was bright behind oncoming traffic.

Some jackhole was driving a modern era vehicle with his headlights purposefully turned off. Very hard to see when waiting for a left hand turn. He only stood out as a shadow across the cars behind him with their lights on.

Folks shouldn't be able to endanger other drivers with their protest against government safety mandates.

[wa8yxm]

To DRL or not DRL that is the question:
NOTE: I favor DRL, I was a police dispatcher for 25 years.

Some folks like to say "More recent studies have failed to confirm" but there is a flaw in this. Studies made back when Some cars had DRL and some did not showed those without were more likely to be involved in accidents.

Canada responded by passing a law, DRLs mandatory Chevy (All GM cars) then responded by building them all with DRL. Ford made one car for Canada one for US (one of the reasons I'm anti-Ford).

THe flaw is that now all cars in Canada have DRL's so "No DRL" cars are not much involved in accidents (Being vintage cars over something like 30 years old)

Personal observation.. I have been sitting on Clarita waiting to pull out on Telegraph as I did nearly every working day for 25 years, and seen a car with DRL's before I saw the non DRL car IN FRONT OF IT.. Let that scare you,

[rhagfo]

GordonThree wrote:

Fizz wrote:
Are you all afraid of wasting electricity by leaving the lights on?

X2

Big peave of mine are folks who know they're smarter than the headlight controller and end up driving at dusk or in poor visibility with no lights at all.

I have been driving with headlights/tail lights on for 50 years! Don’t think I used any more bulbs than most, did kill a battery or two.
Like the signs say “ Lights On For Safety!” Much easier to be seen!

[ktmrfs]

spoon059 wrote:
Yup, piece of electric tape on the automatic sensor works great on my Ram. I can easily turn the switch from AUTO to PARKING LIGHTS when I am backing into a parking spot at the campground.

I am a firm believer that lights on all the time makes me more visible and from a further distance, thus making me safer. Its a requirement on motorcycles and a lot of trucking companies believe in the theory of "lights on for safety". I rarely have a bulb burn out, and when they do its a couple dollars to replace. I currently have LED's in my Ram headlights, so I expect them to last longer than I own the truck.

x2. it isn't as much to help me see and to make sure OTHERS SEE ME.

[spoon059]

Yup, piece of electric tape on the automatic sensor works great on my Ram. I can easily turn the switch from AUTO to PARKING LIGHTS when I am backing into a parking spot at the campground.

I am a firm believer that lights on all the time makes me more visible and from a further distance, thus making me safer. Its a requirement on motorcycles and a lot of trucking companies believe in the theory of "lights on for safety". I rarely have a bulb burn out, and when they do its a couple dollars to replace. I currently have LED's in my Ram headlights, so I expect them to last longer than I own the truck.

[msb1766]

I have experienced the same thing, My Ram 2500 does not have day time running lights and you can not adjust the auto headlight sensor like I can on my daughters Jeep Renegade, So I took half a lens from a pair of tinted safety glasses and covered the sensor with it, works great.

[GordonThree]

ScottG wrote:
I had them activated on my Ram.
One thing I didn't think about was pulling into a CG at night and not being able to turn my lights off while maneuvering. I end up lighting up someone else's campsite needlessly.

BTW, on Ram trucks the DRL's are actually the high-beams run at a 50% duty cycle.

The dealer I bought my 2500 wouldn't flash the code for high beams, claiming USDOT specified low beams ... I couldn't find that specification but didn't argue with them. So the low beams are on dim instead.

I don't feel bad about driving around a campground with my headlights on. Being able to see people and objects in or near the narrow road is far more important than temporarily shining light onto someone's campfire.

[ScottG]

I had them activated on my Ram.
One thing I didn't think about was pulling into a CG at night and not being able to turn my lights off while maneuvering. I end up lighting up someone else's campsite needlessly.

BTW, on Ram trucks the DRL's are actually the high-beams run at a 50% duty cycle.

[Dr_Quick]

I believe it was many years ago that "Grey Hound" found out that by leaving bus headlights on in the day time they reduced their accidents about 10 percent.
On dull hazy days certain vehicle colors like grey and med blues on a black top road will almost blend in and are hard to see.
Canada has had a day time running light law for about 40+ years and I wish that the US had one too.
On any vehicle that I have owned in the last 30 years, if they did not have daytime running lights I have added them. I figure the sooner someone sees me coming the less chance they will hit me.