# MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog?



## phatvw (Aug 29, 2001)

I have OEM MkIV HID on my GTI. My car also has the oem fog wiring (GLX trim). I am thinking of modifying the wiring to the HID turn signals so that when the fog switch is on, both turn signals are illuminated to simulate DRL (daytime running lights).


Thoughts:
Would the turn signal bulb burn out too fast and/or melt the housing if it is on all the time? I think its 21 watts which is the same as the brake light bulbs, but there is less air space so it might get too hot.
I would need to rig up a circuit with a power relay and a couple recifier diodes to ensure that the turn signals blink when the fog switch is engaged.
Could I modify the housings to accept a dual filament bulbs such that the lower power filament is always on and the higher power just comes on with the turn signals?

Has anybody tried anything like this?


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## BrunoVdub (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (phatvw)*

interesting. with my jetta healights the blinker has three wires. a power, a ground and another green wire that I believe has something to do with DRL. do you have a euro switch on your setup. if so see if you can just wire that to that circuit. I dont think you should have a problem with the amount of electricity that the blinkers are running. I am sure some of the guys will say its good to run relays when rigging new stuff up especially if it starts to involve multiple devises. and yeah if you keep your blinkers on all the time then yes they will burn out faster.
EDIT: i just realized, why would you want to have your blinkers on all the time when you have a city light?? just curious.


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## phatvw (Aug 29, 2001)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (BrunoVdub)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BrunoVdub* »_interesting. with my jetta healights the blinker has three wires. a power, a ground and another green wire that I believe has something to do with DRL. do you have a euro switch on your setup. if so see if you can just wire that to that circuit. I dont think you should have a problem with the amount of electricity that the blinkers are running. I am sure some of the guys will say its good to run relays when rigging new stuff up especially if it starts to involve multiple devises. and yeah if you keep your blinkers on all the time then yes they will burn out faster.
EDIT: i just realized, why would you want to have your blinkers on all the time when you have a city light?? just curious.









Yep I have the european spec lighting switch.
The city light isn't really that bright at 6 watts. I used to use my integrated fog lights as DRL's to prolong the life of the regular low beam bulbs and want the same kind of feature.


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## BrunoVdub (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (phatvw)*

now are your fogs in the grill???


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## phatvw (Aug 29, 2001)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (BrunoVdub)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BrunoVdub* »_now are your fogs in the grill??? 

No they were the foglights that were integrated into the oem GTI GLX headlight housing which I have since sold:








The ones that go in the lower grille are the aftermarket Hella's that cost $200!!



_Modified by phatvw at 5:37 PM 3-22-2006_


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## GT17V (Aug 7, 2001)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (BrunoVdub)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BrunoVdub* »_interesting. with my jetta healights the blinker has three wires. a power, a ground and another green wire that I believe has something to do with DRL. do you have a euro switch on your setup. if so see if you can just wire that to that circuit. I dont think you should have a problem with the amount of electricity that the blinkers are running. I am sure some of the guys will say its good to run relays when rigging new stuff up especially if it starts to involve multiple devises. and yeah if you keep your blinkers on all the time then yes they will burn out faster.
EDIT: i just realized, why would you want to have your blinkers on all the time when you have a city light?? just curious.









The Jetta 3 wires are for:
ground
parking light (city light)
turn signals
Blinkers as DRLS are pretty common. the 21 watts or so is much easier to discern versus 5 or 6 watt bulbs.
Getting the H21W's as DRLs??? Buy the bulbs in bulk


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## RatRedux (Nov 28, 2005)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (GT17V)*

Here's an aftermarket turn signal DRL system. 
http://www.webelectricproducts...s.htm


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (phatvw)*


_Quote, originally posted by *phatvw* »_
Would the turn signal bulb burn out too fast and/or melt the housing if it is on all the time? I think its 21 watts which is the same as the brake light bulbs, but there is less air space so it might get too hot.


I would hope the housing wouldn't melt. This is likely to make the bulb burn out faster. You could run it at a slightly reduced voltage to make it last longer as they do with the stock NA DRLs.

_Quote, originally posted by *phatvw* »_
I would need to rig up a circuit with a power relay and a couple recifier diodes to ensure that the turn signals blink when the fog switch is engaged.


This is probably going to be the most challenging part - to make the light turn off when the turn signal light flashes without causing "hyper blinking".

_Quote, originally posted by *phatvw* »_
Could I modify the housings to accept a dual filament bulbs such that the lower power filament is always on and the higher power just comes on with the turn signals?


Parking lights aren't really bright enough to be used in the daytime as DRLs.
Why not just install the Hella lights?


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## craigalangibson (Dec 27, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (phatvw)*

What about using the high beams as DTRL's?
I'm curious because I might just do that myself.


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## phatvw (Aug 29, 2001)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (craigalangibson)*


_Quote, originally posted by *craigalangibson* »_What about using the high beams as DTRL's?
I'm curious because I might just do that myself.

Interesting idea.
High beams would be ideal actually because the whole point is to shine a little light in the faces of folks so they can see you - but not enough to cause glare. However, you'd have to regulate the power down a LOT. If those are 55W bulbs, you'd probably have to limit them to 15W max. Not sure how to go about doing that. I doubt a simple voltage divider will work well. Pulse-width-modulation might work but you'd probably damage the bulb over time.


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## craigalangibson (Dec 27, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (phatvw)*

What is the wattage supplied to the stock lamps?


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## mtltdi (Apr 10, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (craigalangibson)*

You can get some of these...








I got them on ebay.de for about 80 euro's


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## craigalangibson (Dec 27, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (mtltdi)*

Nice! But what I'm trying to accomplish and I think Dan is as well, is to extend the life of the HID ballasts and bulbs by having an alternate lighting source for the DTRL. I would like to pick up a set of Hella driving lights in the lower grills though!
- Craig


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (craigalangibson)*

The stock low beams are only run at slightly reduced power as DRL - I'd guess 50watts. But I agree that high beams as DRLs are probably going to be too bright. And reducing the power to the point where they aren't is just going to ruin a halogen bulb.
But why don't people want to run their HID low beams as DRLs? The ballasts should last forever and the bulbs for ten times as long as a halogen bulb.


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## craigalangibson (Dec 27, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (dennisgli)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dennisgli* »_But why don't people want to run their HID low beams as DRLs? The ballasts should last forever and the bulbs for ten times as long as a halogen bulb.


Yes, very good point. But then what would we have to modify?







I tend to over-complicate things!


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## craigalangibson (Dec 27, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (dennisgli)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dennisgli* »_reducing the power to the point where they aren't is just going to ruin a halogen bulb.


What about under-wattage lamps? Would reducing the wattage by half actually harm the filament?


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (craigalangibson)*

I've never seen lower wattage headlight bulbs (except in H3) - and it doesn't make sense to me to reduce the power of the high beams anyway.
Halogen bulbs need to run hot - so I don't think you can run them at half power and have them last.
I'd just run the HIDs off of relays and have them on whenever the DRL, low, or high beams are on. And just plan on having to buy new bulbs in eight to ten years!


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## craigalangibson (Dec 27, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (dennisgli)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
I need to make a relay.


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## RatRedux (Nov 28, 2005)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (mtltdi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mtltdi* »_You can get some of these...








I got them on ebay.de for about 80 euro's









I would have loved to get a set of those but I couldn't find them on any websites to order.








So I ended up building my own dedicated DRL system.


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## craigalangibson (Dec 27, 2003)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (RatRedux)*

New Mexico! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
http://tmtuning.com/


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## Royale5 (Oct 26, 2002)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (GT17V)*


_Quote, originally posted by *GT17V* »_
The Jetta 3 wires are for:
ground
parking light (city light)
turn signals


http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Don't forget to check the bulbs, to do this they need to be a dual filament bulb so they can be on as the DRL and get brighter when you use the turnsignal.


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## RatRedux (Nov 28, 2005)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (craigalangibson)*


_Quote, originally posted by *craigalangibson* »_New Mexico! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
http://tmtuning.com/

$92 for a kit I built for half that? I'll pass.


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## phatvw (Aug 29, 2001)

*Re: MkIV HID - use turn signal as DRL/fog? (RatRedux)*

Also been throwing aournd the idea of retrofitting the Optilux brand micro DE fogs into the lower grille inserts.
They only cost $20 for a set with wiring harness at Rallylights.com:
http://www.rallylights.com/Opt...0.asp


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## slymm (Oct 13, 2005)

i used those in my retro, except i used the clear lensed ones, i got mine from http://www.classicgarage.com, turned out pretty good


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## phatvw (Aug 29, 2001)

*Re: (slymm)*


_Quote, originally posted by *slymm* »_i used those in my retro, except i used the clear lensed ones, i got mine from http://www.classicgarage.com, turned out pretty good

Got any pics?


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