Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) for the 2010 UK Honda Jazz

[guest1272]

OK, so I've done one final mod for now... I thought I'd add DRLs to make it look a bit "fresher".

Before I start, I've seen many "odd" implementations of DRLs around the web, so I thought I'd start off by clarifying that UK and EU law state there are only 2 allowable methods of implementing DRLs.

1) They turn ON with ignition and turn OFF when the sidelights/headlights turn on
2) They turn ON with ignition and DIM to more than 50% when sidelights/headlights turn on

They should NOT be separately controllable (i.e. no wierd and wonderful switches in the cabin which other countries may allow).
They should either be OFF or 50% dim with the main lights (so we're not allowed to keep them at the same intensity when the sidelights or main beam turn on)
They should be electrically separate to the fog lights (because the fog lights are "cabin controllable" whereas DRLs are not allowed to be) - so no splicing into the existing foglight wiring either.

A variation on 2) is what Audi do where, along with dimming, they alternate amber blinking with the indicator lights as well - in effect doubling as "extra indicators".

Anyway, I decided to do the "standard" type 1) DRL's which turn off when the sidelights or mainlights come on, and I simply used the shroud for the foglights to physically house them in so that they look more OEM and less like I've gone to Halfraud's with some birthday vouchers .

So here are the DRLs I bought from eBay for about £14 total, along with the relay needed to make them work for £8:


...and here they are close up:


They're 1.5W long throw LEDs sealed into a screw and bolt, for easy mounting.

I got them as I thought they'd look good and more OEM in the plastic shroud around the foglight:


The plastic shroud has a screw in the bottom hole holding it on and two on the side so it's easy to remove without disturbing the foglight itself or it's wiring:


Notice the two upper holes are simply blind ending (presumably there to make it look nicer)….so I thought I could house the LED's into them. I drilled through them (easy as it's plastic) and then bolted in the leds which secured nicely from behind and came sealed/waterproof so no worries about getting surface water in there:


I then routed the wiring up to the bonnet area and soldered the 4 LEDs in parallel. These were then connected to the appropriate leads on the relay. Here is the wiring diagram for how to wire them up:


Remember to tie wrap to existing wiring cables (so the DRL ones are routed away from hot parts of the engine).

The LEDs have a narrow beam which is important because they need to be bright head on so that people crossing down the road can easily see you in daylight, but rapidly dim off axis so that you don't blind other road users.
You see this trait with OEM ones (e.g. Audi), where they're bright when far down the road and you're looking at them more "on-axis" but rapidly dim as they pass you. This is why specific spot LEDs are better than standard strip lights off of ebay imho as those spread the light more and therefore look good as "styling lights" but no good as "daytime running lights".

So apart from the +ve and -ve of the LEDs, the relay was ground to the chassis, and the signal wire (that turns the LEDs off) was tapped off of the sidelight +ve feed. The trickiest part was finding an IGN+ feed to power the LEDs. The fusebox is in the cabin (there is none under the bonnet) so I had to route it into the passenger side of the cabin running along with the sub positive wire through an existing grommet.
I then routed back across to the drivers side to the fusebox and ended up splicing it with my alarm LED which is protected by a fuse and is IGN+. I used a 5A amp fuse for protection (they're only LEDs) and I strongly suggest if you route the power lead to elsewhere other than the fusebox, to protect it with an inline fuse instead.

Anyway, so here it is all done, looking fairly OEM from a few paces away:




...and here it is with them on...nice and bright for daytime use:


They turn on with ignition and off with sidelights/headlights for a total cost of £22 and look a bit more OEM than most off-the-shelf stuff imo.

[guest3312]

this is very cool. but on my 2012, the DRLs are already there(sort of). The headlights turn on to about 50% as soon as u turn the key to I. I may still do this mod just because it does look cool, its something different w/o being intrusive or obnoxious.

[Garyman]

Excellent work ! 

[Kenneve]

Yes I agree, it does look the job and blends in with the outline of the car.
I would love to add this mod to my 2011 EX CVT. However the spotlights fitted to this model do not have the recesses as shown in the photos.
Does anyone have a solution for mounting DRLs to this model, without looking as though is is an afterthought?

[guest1272]

Thanks guys  .

I would say for the newer shape jazz, to drill a couple of holes either side of the foglight into the bumper and put them there (maybe 3 arranged along the outer border for each side).

The only problem with this is that unless you have a black jazz, they'll stick out, so I would carefully paint over the black metal surround with the exact touchup paint for your car colour code, this way, all you'll see will be small yellowish circles of the LEDs themselves (the surrounds will blend in).

[chrisc]

I saw a Jazz yesterday with some white LEDs behind the grille.  There were 4 each side in a wide square.  The car was on the opposite side of the road so could not stop and ask the driver about it.  Probably no surgery required.

[guest1272]

I thought about being behind the grill myself but decided differently for 2 reasons:

1) It's the exact spot most people who get off-the-shelf stuff put them. Usually either side of the number plate. I specifically wanted it them to be more lateral and therefore look more OEM
2) the grill actually spans the whole length of the radiator so by putting something "in the way" I didn't want to risk obstructing any airflow to the rad' and causing a problem.

Of course, for "updated 2011" shape jazzes, behind the grill may be the simpler option because of where their foglights are, but for my 2010 model, I found placing them as far from the midline as possible but nearest to existing lights (in this case on the outside of the existing fogs) just looks better integrated and less like an afterthought imho.

A different place which wouldn't involve drilling but would be quite lateral would be to get the "standard" off the shelf 5/6/7/etc "bar" type one, but to stand it on its end so that it's upright and place it on the inner surface of the foglight (which is vertical). It would end up looking a bit like those citreon ones and would be even easier to fit.

[guest2878]

Nice one Gaffer!