Mod Description
On some of the newer smarts, daytime running lights (DRL) could be turned on and off quite simply.Mod Details
PremiumNo Difficulty
Mod ID563
CreditEvilution
Cost££0
For
Linkhttps://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/turning-the-drls-on-and-off.htm Copy to ClipboardWhat Are DRLs?
Daytime running lights are just that, lights that come on automatically when the car is running. These are common on most European vehicles as many countries now insist that cars have illumination at the front and rear of the vehicle at all times during driving.
Why Bother?
According to statistics, vehicle collisions reduced when the lights are on the car during the day so they made it essential. Maybe the law was passed by someone who has shares in a bulb company or perhaps even owns the company.
Does It Reduce The Lifespan Of The Bulbs?
Depends on how you look at it. The bulb will last the same amount of time but as it is used more often it will need replacing more often. Many DRL systems reduce the power to the lights so they are illuminated but not at full power, increasing the bulb life.
Do All Smarts Have The DRLs?
No, only some newer 700cc Fortwos, 999cc Fortwo and Roadsters have the system.
MDC sell an add on board for all smarts if you want to add it.
Turning DRLs On And Off
On
- Have the car turned off and the key in hand.
- Pull the left hand (light) stalk towards you and hold it there.
- Push the LOCK button on the key remote.
- The car will beep and the DRLs should be activated.
Off
- Have the car turned off and the key in hand.
- Pull the left hand (light) stalk towards you and hold it there.
- Push the UNLOCK button on the key remote.
The car will beep and the DRLs should be deactivated.
Extra Info
Many thanks to Iain (TwoSmarts) for this bit of information.
Diego found out that this procedure also works on the 454 forfour.
Iain found that the above sequence just didn’t work on his smart. Purely by chance he repeated the sequence with the door open and it worked perfectly.
Marc H found that the above sequence didn’t work so tried pulling the left stalk towards him and pressing the button on the key at the same time. This made the beep noise and the activation/deactivation worked.
Bo B found that the above sequence didn’t work until he turned the light switch all the way on and then off first.
Well worth a try if the first sequence doesn’t work for you.
I Have Them But Can’t Turn Them Off
There have been a few reports to say that owners can’t turn their DRLs off. It could be they just can’t follow simple instructions or perhaps there was a hardwired version in some smarts linking directly to a switched live wire. If you can’t turn them off, you can’t.
Important Info
Please don’t email me saying this doesn’t work on your car, if it doesn’t work, your car either isn’t new enough or simply wasn’t programmed with this particular feature Smart can add it for a price.