Daytime Running Lights To Fit X250 Bumper

Just wondering if anyone has found suitable DRL's that fit in the lower or upper recess's of the X250's bumper?



I know Auto-Sleepers do a set that sit in a pod that inserts into the upper recess but I don't really like the darkness of the pod against the white paintwork and they are very expensive for what they are as well... I would prefer round ones that fit in the lower recess as I have found some dedicated for the X250 but just wondering if others have fitted any and what other options are available?

CC

There is an article being written up as you ask CC, bms10 has fitted them and will be posting soon

Hi CC did think about this a while ago and I know Hella do a dedicated set which fit in the upper recess and whilst the surround is black it can be painted to match the vehicle colour. My neighbour has told me about an article where someone has fitted some directly below the headlights in the removable plastic panel. I will ask him where he read this.
I have fog lights in the lower recess so that is not an option but otherwise would be a good place although do not know if there are any regulations on after market fitting of DRL's.

Hi Moggy... Yes I was aware of the Hella ones and also Ring do a good set. To be honest I think I would prefer a set in the upper recess's myself as the fog light recess's seem too low to the ground to me but they are legal as far as I understand... I know they have to be a certain height from the ground and other restrictions to stay within the law.

Auto-Sleepers fit their LED pods in the upper recess and it's a neat solution but the pod is a dark kind of bronze colour which I think would be much nicer in white to match the bumper otherwise I would have a set of those.... having said all this I will probably still go for the round ones as they seem the easiest solution for the boxer (for me at least)

These are the Ring ones which looks like the owner has made a plate to mount them within the recess




Does anyone know how the round lower fog light recess blanking plug is removed? I understood you could just pop them out, but I've had a look and they seem solid?
does this mean they would need to be cut out with a hole saw or am I missing something? Anyone got any experience of this please

CC

roli wrote:There is an article being written up as you ask CC, bms10 has fitted them and will be posting soon

Hi Roli do you know if the article has been posted yet?

Ihave it here but it was sent as a two page pdf file and I am trying to merge them and put on as a doc or jpeg. Bear with me I have been involved with an Olympics Radio project (for those of you who are licenced its GB2012MV )

Fitted a set of DRL's or Day Running Lights on our Nuevo today, the kit which is a dedicated set for the Boxer X250 and is fully compatible with the vehicle's canbus wiring system. It was purchased through http://ledcom.co.uk/ and seems good quality, fitting is fairly straightforward and despite trying to complete installation today (ran out of time) I just have a couple of connections left... one to the fuse box and a wire to splice into the headlamp feed.




The full kit contains everything needed for successful installation:

Pair of Day Running Lamps
Controller Unit / Wiring Loom
Brackets and all fastners
Easy to follow fitting instructions

The lamps have a cast alloy body, are waterproof to Ip44 standard and should not be confused with the low quality plastic lamps available elsewhere. They are fitted with four 1 watt LED bulbs which have a very high brightness of 6000k, which is the same technology found in many high end manufacturer's vehicles. The lamps are also E marked and meet the current ECE R87 regulations.

The lights will switch on when the engine is started and off approx 1 minute after the engine stops- a useful 'see me to the door' feature. Our new controller is fully compatible with Motorhome wiring systems and they will not be triggered whilst charging on solar or 240v mains hookup.

During night time driving, when your lights are switched on, the lamps will dim to half brightness to avoid dazzle.

These quality lamps are designed to fit into the bottom aperture in the bumper, by removing the blanking plug (easily done with our comprehensive instructions with minimal skill required) or replacing the fog lamps if fitted.

They come with an easy fit wiring loom with only three connections required under the bonnet - no complicated under the dash dismantling. They are 100% compatible with the vehicle's canbus wiring system.

CC

They look very nice CC. I have looked at the one below the headlights which am not too sure about but having read the fitting instructions I am put off especially cutting the hole. I wonder where the manufacturers are now fitting them on the X250?

Hi Moggy...



The ones that sit in the panel below the light would IMO be easier to fit than the round ones Like I have, to do the cut outs you would only need to drill four holes (each corner) then use a hacksaw blade to cut them out, you would just need to take your time and make a neat job.


Finished wiring mine up this evening and really chuffed... had to remove the nearside headlight to tap into the wiring harness but fairly straight forward... a lot brighter than I was expecting and even in bright sunlight they are mega bright!! They are adjustable in the pods so if I get flashed at then I can always aim them downwards slightly... for the money I don't think you could better the quality of these and certainly much cheaper than the £499 quoted by Auto-Sleepers to fit the units they fit which is just crazy in comparison. To anyone else interested... the lights come with mounting brackets so you could mount them in the upper recess if you have fogs fitted or don't like the thought of cutting out the holes in the bumper.



CC

Seen some yesterday fitted to an Audi, white while driving, but flashed amber with the indicators, looked really good.
Pete

In all honesty, I can see no point whatsoever in fitting these things.
The vehicle is 7 - 8 feet wide, 15(?) feet high and white.
If they can't see that coming, a couple of LED are going to make no difference whatsoever they still won't see you!

Frank

couldn't agree more, just thought the dual use ones were better.
Pete

boxerman wrote:In all honesty, I can see no point whatsoever in fitting these things.
The vehicle is 7 - 8 feet wide, 15(?) feet high and white.
If they can't see that coming, a couple of LED are going to make no difference whatsoever they still won't see you!

Frank

Once again it's a matter of personal opinion, they work for me and oncoming traffic can certainly see me coming.... don't think I've seen aftermarket DRL's as bright as these and I'd say they are easily comparable to the factory fitted high end Merc's... Surprised at just how good the quality is and is much more than I was realistically expecting... My earlier photo shows them at half brightness, they are now double this brightness.

Prior to having these fitted I pretty much drove everywhere with my headlights on, not to see but to make myself clearly visible to others.. as you will know this increases fuel consumption as well as reduce the life of the bulbs but with LED's this aint a problem as the pair only consume a total of 8 watts, which was my main reason for getting them... also from next year all new vehicles have to be fitted with DRL's and with everyone else lit up it's common sense to me that any unlit vehicles are just not going to be as visible... a vehicle with "decent quality" LED DRL's (not the rubbish ones) will be far more visible at a greater distance than any vehicle without regardless of it's size... it's debatable whether or not they reduce accidents and like you there are many skeptics but there is info online to suggest they do improve safety.


Multiple studies indicate daytime running lights work. According to a series of studies conducted in Norway, Denmark, and Canada, daytime running lights:

Reduced daytime crashes between 6-11%
Reduced left-hand turn crashes by 34%-37%
Reduced crashes involving pedestrians by 28%
When crashes did occur, the severity of the crashes was lower on vehicles with daytime running lights (slower speeds)

Sorry! don't agree. If they can't see a vehicle the size of a coachbuilt motorhome coming towards them then putting running lights on the front will not make any difference because either a) they are blind or b) they were not looking.

Ask any motorcyclist what a SMIDSY is, its so common we have an acronym for it.

As to whether they reduce accidents, a lot depends on which reports you read.

Frank

Well you best get used to it, as you'll be seeing a lot more about whether you approve of them or not Of course you are entitled to your opinion Frank, but think your theory of a) they are blind or b) they were not looking is overall not very constructive to this thread. Not sure how anyone can suggest lighting or visibility aids of any kind do not add a factor of safety... Bit like saying hi-viz vests are pointless

CC

I've got to say I agree with Frank for a vehicle that size.

And as soon as I saw the design, it seemed (to me at least) to be poorly thought out, irrespective of the quality. Ideally DRLs should be surface-mounted and not recessed, so that they are visible from the side, and they should disperse light as widely as possible. This design not only has them recessed, but also seems to be based on a spotlight dispersion pattern, which is only really effective straight ahead, and much less so off at an angle.

It seems no coincidence that those fitted by the likes of Audi use a row of wide-angled LEDs that run in a line around a body curve to maximise the angle of visibility.

CruizingComet wrote:Well you best get used to it, as you'll be seeing a lot more about whether you approve of them or not Of course you are entitled to your opinion Frank, but think your theory of a) they are blind or b) they were not looking is overall not very constructive to this thread. Not sure how anyone can suggest lighting or visibility aids of any kind do not add a factor of safety... Bit like saying hi-viz vests are pointless

CC

My point is that you should be putting your faith in your own driving skills, experience and reaction times - not in fancy light on the front of your vehicle.

As for hi-vis vests, once upon a time if you saw someone wearing one, you noticed it. Now that everyone wears hi-vis vests, jacket etc. they don't stand out.

Frank

-mojo- wrote:I've got to say I agree with Frank for a vehicle that size.

And as soon as I saw the design, it seemed (to me at least) to be poorly thought out, irrespective of the quality. Ideally DRLs should be surface-mounted and not recessed, so that they are visible from the side, and they should disperse light as widely as possible. This design not only has them recessed, but also seems to be based on a spotlight dispersion pattern, which is only really effective straight ahead, and much less so off at an angle.

The whole purpose of daytime running lights is to provide a bright narrow beam of light, they are not designed to disperse light widely.. their only purpose to make you clearly visible to oncoming traffic from a distance and I can assure you even though recessed and mounted low they do this extremely efficiently.

CruizingComet wrote:
The whole purpose of daytime running lights is to provide a bright narrow beam of light

Ok, I guess we're just trading opinions here, and I'm certainly not trying to wind anyone up, but if what you say is true, why do Audi et al put their running lights in a line around a body curve, and why are they not especially bright in any one direction? Because Audi are not very good at designing cars?

Possibly because design and aesthetics appeal more than function

Hi CC Well I have finally got my Hella DRL's fitted and working. The most difficult part was enlarging the step recess to allow the surround to be fitted. The instructions are all pictures and no template is given for the cut out but with a lot of patience and the help of my neighbour and his very useful tool similar to a Dremel we got the hole enlarged. The inner side of the surround is secured by 2 screws and I used stainless steel as the ones supplied were steel with star heads. The outer part I glued with araldite rapid. The light unit itself slots in at an angle and is held by a protruding lug then the other side has a strong metal clip which locks it in place.
A professional wiring harness and relay is supplied. I had the supplied black ABS surrounds reps rayed to match the vehicle.
I took my Nuevo to a local auto electrician to connect the wiring for peace of mind. he DRL's come on with the ignition and go out when the sidelights/headlights are turned on. Am very pleased with the finished result.

Attached are some pics showing them on and off!

They look very good Moggy Well worth the effort painting the surrounds to match the body....

You say the DRL's go out when you switch on your headlamps.... Do you mean they dim like mine do or that they do actually go out completely?

CC

CruizingComet wrote:They look very good Moggy Well worth the effort painting the surrounds to match the body....

You say the DRL's go out when you switch on your headlamps.... Do you mean they dim like mine do or that they do actually go out completely?

CC

Yes they do got out when the sidelights are switched on and remain off when the headlights are on. That is the way Hella wiring diagram shows. They are supposed to be daylight running lights so not sure about the legal side of things when they dim or remain on. I was out tonight in the dark and saw a car with after market DRL's under the bumper still on bright with headlights on. I am sure in time these will be checked on MOT's when after market ones are fitted.

Just found this which states all other lights should be off when DRL's are on

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/daytime-running-lights.html

Hi Moggy.... I guess as time goes on we will find out

Think I have the option to disable mine when the headlights go on, but as they reduce to 50% brightness when I put on my headlamps (how they are currently wired up) I'm happy. I agree it doesn't seem very defined in the eyes of the current law but our Nuevo has just passed it's MOT a couple of weeks back with no issues and I've passed loads of Police cars since fitting them, but things could change in the future of course.

Talking of the driver with the bright DRL's I passed a van a few nights back and he had two sets, one pair low down and one pair at grill height which I would think is more likely to draw attention. They were cheap lights as they had a very low kelvin output... our DRL's are very bright and I've since seen a few more X250 motorhomes with them fitted and despite being very bright they don't dazzle.