# My Phillips DRL LED-8 Install



## kaysid (Dec 18, 2005)

Hello All.

I decided to go with aftermarket LED DRLs since I have my regular DRLs disabled (ugly) and needed some lighting on my daily commute.
The integrated turn signal approach is the ideal, but time and cost are prohibitive for me right now. So I decided to go with Phillips LEDs, these are sold in Europe and I got them on Amazon for $190. They are quite bright, seem like good quality and come with all connectors and wiring components. They also have a trigger wire that you connect to your headlight power cable so they automatically dim when your headlights are on. There is a decent instructional video on youtube and a few A3 owners have also installed these. Just thought I would share my install.













Decided to use the provided brackets and mount in the middle grill slot. Dremelled out a section
equal to the bracket size.










The leds come with a control box that attaches to the +ve/-ve battery terminals, there are separate connectors for each light and an orange trigger wire that needs to be spliced with the headlight power wire. Had to remove negative first before connecting.This picture is before tiding up the cabling.











The headlight connector has a yellow wire that carries the main beams, used the one touch connector to attach it with the orange trigger wire 











DRL on with engine start.





















DRLs automatically dim when main beams are switched on.


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## ebi718 (Jan 16, 2011)

The installation looks easy enough. However, both fog grills look 'busy'/crowded. A better/cleaner solution, IMHO, incorporates the LEDs inside the clear turn markers, much like the units ACHTuning sells.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk


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## MrRline (Apr 6, 2010)

I actually don't think it looks busy too crowded, but I am a little curious on the fit and finish if it looks like it belongs there or if it looks like a shanked hole and something shoved through and ducktaped on the rear end to fit or something. Also can we get a few pictures from further back to see what it would look like coming down the highway.


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## sergiommms (Oct 17, 2008)

They look way too protruding.
From the provided pictures there´s this optical illusion that they´re placed further down in height, sort of aligned with the lower plastic strip of the fog grills rather than between the two plastic strips.
You should def tuck them then in deeper to get a (much) cleaner look.

Also, things might look less crowded (as already suggested) if you had the whole blinker assembly tinted instead of just the actual bulb space (no offense, but the zebra-style-tinting isn´t cutting it).

opcorn:


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## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

Looks good :thumbup:, but they are sticking out a bit looking at an angle view. Are the units waterproof?


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## GTIOMG (Nov 6, 2011)

Oh Wow. 

Those looks excellent!

I saw the DRLs on my Buddy's 09 Carrera S this weekend and I've been green with envy ever since...you sir did a wonderful job.


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

I added a version of my own DRL's. Yours do look good though. Just not sure if I can justify 200$ for some LEDS. Here are mine. They look much better in person.


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## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

Richie, did you stick the strips inside of the headlight? And what value of the resistor did you use?


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## CC Rider (Jul 29, 2010)

LEDs are something I've longed for on my car, but with all the cars these days sporting LED lights I'm not so sure I want them so much now. Saw them on a Kia the other day, made me want to vomit.


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## phantom2010 (Aug 3, 2010)

CC Rider said:


> LEDs are something I've longed for on my car, but with all the cars these days sporting LED lights I'm not so sure I want them so much now. Saw them on a Kia the other day, made me want to vomit.


I agree, they are everywhere now and to the point that there isn't anything special about them. I personally don't see the obsession with them to me they are almost tacky. 

As far as these go, they don't look bad. I would think they may look better on the CC's without fog lights. With the fog in that space too it just looks a little out of place.


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## MrRline (Apr 6, 2010)

earnhardtfan77 said:


> I added a version of my own DRL's. Yours do look good though. Just not sure if I can justify 200$ for some LEDS. Here are mine. They look much better in person.


Happen to stay in Arizona from time to time? Looks exactly like the pictures a buddy at my gym showed me the other week of his neighbors car out here???


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

dj_cronic_metal said:


> Happen to stay in Arizona from time to time? Looks exactly like the pictures a buddy at my gym showed me the other week of his neighbors car out here???


Nope. I have been to Arizona once and that was a long time ago. Would like to make a trip that way though. 

The LEDs I have are from oznium.com. It's there largest strip they carry I believe. I have them actually right underneath the headlight in the little gap between the bumper and headlight. Looks like they are in the headlight though


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## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

you forgot about my resistor question! 

or did you run the wires to parking light?


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

Epence said:


> you forgot about my resistor question!
> 
> or did you run the wires to parking light?


no resistors...they are hooked up to the parking lights


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## [email protected] (Oct 30, 2007)

Nice DIY job! I'm on the "busy" side of the fence myself but a good smokin' of those turn signal lenses could clean that up nicely! 



de_bklyn said:


> Achtuning Korea sells.


FTFY.


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## Aonarch (Dec 4, 2006)

de_bklyn said:


> The installation looks easy enough. However, both fog grills look 'busy'/crowded. A better/cleaner solution, IMHO, incorporates the LEDs inside the clear turn markers, much like the units ACHTuning sells.
> 
> Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk


This. Looks way too busy, also are they not flush with the grill?


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## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

earnhardtfan77 said:


> no resistors...they are hooked up to the parking lights


how did you run the wire? You are sneaky, sir lol.


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## kaysid (Dec 18, 2005)

All, thanks for the comments and constructive feedback. This install took me just over an hour or
so, definitely room for some tweaking. I do agree the Achtung Korea integrated install is the
best way to go, but I wanted to do something quick and relatively not as expensive for right now.

The problem with the CC lower grilles compared to the Audis are the slots are very shallow, while the brackets used have holes in the back, which means the bracket is then screwed in at a shallow depth and cannot be recessed so that the light is not flush with the grille. However, I think I can drill new holes in the bracket, in the front,which would would then make the bracket sit further in so the lights can be made flush with the grille. This should help with cleaning up the look. The brackets are held in place with screws and are sturdy when attached to the grille.
The actual led unit is sealed and has a metal/plastic casing.

The tinting of the amber section on the clears is something I had done when I did not have the leds. I guess tinting the whole unit would be more uniform. I've done a quick photo edit below to see how it would look before attempting. Once I have remounted them I will post up better pics including some at a distance. 










Earnhardtfan77, do you have any pics of yours in the daytime with the engine off would be interested to see how they look?


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

Epence said:


> how did you run the wire? You are sneaky, sir lol.


Haha. They are ran directly through that gap I'm telling you about. It's easier to see in person.


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

kaysid said:


> Earnhardtfan77, do you have any pics of yours in the daytime with the engine off would be interested to see how they look?


 I will try and take a daytime picture for you


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## sergiommms (Oct 17, 2008)

kaysid said:


> The tinting of the amber section on the clears is something I had done when I did not have the leds. I guess tinting the whole unit would be more uniform. I've done a quick photo edit below to see how it would look before attempting. Once I have remounted them I will post up better pics including some at a distance.


:thumbup:


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## ViperCC (May 23, 2011)

I'd like to see a daytime pic too.


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## arkijak (Jun 15, 2010)

:thumbup:
Looks great! Not "too busy" to my eyes.


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## kaysid (Dec 18, 2005)

I redid the install and was able to mount the leds flush with the grill. However, I could not mount them to the grill slats since they are too shallow so had to improvise and create some brackets to connect the Phillips bracket to the back of the grill.











I have ordered some lamin-x smoked film for the turns in the meantime this is how they look when outside.


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

Here is a pic of mine during the day.







this is with them off.


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## jsams22 (May 7, 2011)

Right here on my CC R-Line, I have a pretty tight squeeze between my bumper and the headlight. Did you have to use any spacers or tools to create space for the LEDs? Also did you use any product to hold the strip in place, or was being wedged in there enough?


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## ebi718 (Jan 16, 2011)

phantom2010 said:


> I agree, they are everywhere now and to the point that there isn't anything special about them. I personally don't see the obsession with them to me they are almost tacky.
> 
> As far as these go, they don't look bad. I would think they may look better on the CC's without fog lights. With the fog in that space too it just looks a little out of place.


+1. I actually bought these LED strips months ago, but immediately shelved the idea of putting them on. 'Tacky' is actually the right word to describe the look. Nothing really cool about these LEDs (any more, IMHO).


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## arkijak (Jun 15, 2010)

earnhardtfan77 said:


> The LEDs I have are from oznium.com. It's there largest strip they carry I believe. I have them actually right underneath the headlight in the little gap between the bumper and headlight. Looks like they are in the headlight though


Please tell us how we can do this ourselves.
I want that look!


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## MrRline (Apr 6, 2010)

Only bad thing or atleast I have yet to see is the smaller led's that fit below the headlight probably don't serve the function that they are supposed to. LED DRL's from what I have read are supposed to be another function to see that a car is there or to identify it. Sure the look is trendy at the moment, but there is a safety function of increased visibility. I'm not sure that tucking it in a crevice below the headlight really helps this or not.


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## ebi718 (Jan 16, 2011)

Exactly! Perfect example of form over function.


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

jsams22 said:


> Right here on my CC R-Line, I have a pretty tight squeeze between my bumper and the headlight. Did you have to use any spacers or tools to create space for the LEDs? Also did you use any product to hold the strip in place, or was being wedged in there enough?


The strips that I got fit right in that gap your talking about. The strips have 3m double sided tape on them


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## DavidPaul (Nov 28, 2009)

earnhardtfan77 said:


> The strips that I got fit right in that gap your talking about. The strips have 3m double sided tape on them


But..............do these actually serve as credible DRLs in bright light?

Didn't think so.

Actually, just a little added bling, right?

As was mentioned earlier, prime example of form over function.


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## jsams22 (May 7, 2011)

DavidPaul said:


> But..............do these actually serve as credible DRLs in bright light?
> 
> Didn't think so.
> 
> ...



Do you think these serve as a credible DRL? It's just a look.

Same reason people get the R-line, for the body kit. No Function, just looks.......


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## earnhardtfan77 (Jan 27, 2009)

DavidPaul said:


> But..............do these actually serve as credible DRLs in bright light?
> 
> Didn't think so.
> 
> ...


I'm 100% sure that the strips are not anywhere near as bright as the Audi LEDs. But at dusk when the LEDs are lit up it looks pretty awesome. I wish I could get lights as bright as the Audi ones but from my understanding that is just not possible. So yes it's more for look then actual function.


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## DavidPaul (Nov 28, 2009)

earnhardtfan77 said:


> I'm 100% sure that the strips are not anywhere near as bright as the Audi LEDs. But at dusk when the LEDs are lit up it looks pretty awesome. I wish I could get lights as bright as the Audi ones but from my understanding that is just not possible. So yes it's more for look then actual function.


Yes, it definitely would be great if we could get the super bright LEDs in stips without having to spend a super fortune.


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## CC'ed (Dec 1, 2009)

The entire CC is "form-over-function" compared to a regular Passat !


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## kaysid (Dec 18, 2005)

CC'ed said:


> The entire CC is "form-over-function" compared to a regular Passat !


:laugh: We should all be driving Routans especially me, since I have car seat in mine..


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## anotheretc (Oct 14, 2012)

*Turn Signals*



earnhardtfan77 said:


> I added a version of my own DRL's. Yours do look good though. Just not sure if I can justify 200$ for some LEDS. Here are mine. They look much better in person.



Hey, 

When you took apart the headlamp assembly, were you able to take the orange turn signal out to look like the euro headlamps?


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## usaf-lt-g (May 16, 2012)

anotheretc said:


> Hey,
> 
> When you took apart the headlamp assembly, were you able to take the orange turn signal out to look like the euro headlamps?


He didn't take apart the headamp.... he put the leds physically underneath the headlamp wedged between the headlamp and the bumper.


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## usaf-lt-g (May 16, 2012)

kaysid said:


> The headlight connector has a yellow wire that carries the main beams, used the one touch connector to attach it with the orange trigger wire


IMO.... I would have NOT spliced in here. I know a lot of people are splicing into the back of the light switch housing.... I dunno, maybe it's because all the cool kids are doing it, but #1 it's a PITA, #2 you just did a lot more work then what was necessary and #3 the splice in there is kind of shoddy and those splice connectors I don't trust. They never hold right.

If the point of the DRLs (like mine, albeit I have the Achtuning ones) is to have them on all the time, irregardless of day or night (like all the cool kids, and fancier cars) but NOT stay on when the car is shut off.... then you could have just run the power to the fuse box (F47, Left side of fuse) Like so...










Btw, these aren't the greatest photos... but here's what you're missing out on with the fully integrated DRLs.


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## baye (May 6, 2009)

Not to self-promote or anything, but I feel there's no reason to do such a hack job with these things now that we have perfectly elegant solutions with integrated LED DRL/turn signal units.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5861526-eBay-LED-DRL-Turning-Signal-Install-and-Pics

And yeah, those clamp type connectors are notorious for failing, especially in high vibration environments. Best way to splice is to strip > twist > solder > shrink tube.


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## usaf-lt-g (May 16, 2012)

baye said:


> Not to self-promote or anything, but I feel there's no reason to do such a hack job with these things now that we have perfectly elegant solutions with integrated LED DRL/turn signal units.
> 
> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5861526-eBay-LED-DRL-Turning-Signal-Install-and-Pics
> 
> And yeah, those clamp type connectors are notorious for failing, especially in high vibration environments. Best way to splice is to strip > twist > solder > shrink tube.


FYI... the pics I posted of my vehicle ARE the fully integrated elegant solution in edition to the one you have. They are both DRL and turn signal. When using turn signal, they automatically cut the DRL on the side of the turn and switch to amber LED turn signal, then switch right back to the DRL. Same as an Audi. Only difference between yours and mine, are that mine came out long before the china ones you got were available. So I paid a premium, but got the same functionality you have, and it's an elegant design without any "hacking."


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## baye (May 6, 2009)

usaf-lt-g said:


> FYI... the pics I posted of my vehicle ARE the fully integrated elegant solution in edition to the one you have. They are both DRL and turn signal. When using turn signal, they automatically cut the DRL on the side of the turn and switch to amber LED turn signal, then switch right back to the DRL. Same as an Audi. Only difference between yours and mine, are that mine came out long before the china ones you got were available. So I paid a premium, but got the same functionality you have, and it's an elegant design without any "hacking."


Sorry I was referring to the original post, not your lights. Those Achtuning ones look great, I just went with the cheaper (and surprisingly simpler) solution. :beer:


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## usaf-lt-g (May 16, 2012)

baye said:


> Sorry I was referring to the original post, not your lights. Those Achtuning ones look great, I just went with the cheaper (and surprisingly simpler) solution. :beer:


No worries, just clarifying.  Cheers mate. :beer:


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## salvadorsantana (Jul 16, 2011)

Which fuse, nut or relay box on the engine do I connect these on?


I'm UNIQUE!


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## usaf-lt-g (May 16, 2012)

salvadorsantana said:


> Which fuse, nut or relay box on the engine do I connect these on?
> 
> 
> I'm UNIQUE!


When looking at your car from the front, where the fusebox is on the right. The fuse in the lowerleft corner is F47. That's the one you would connect to if you're following my example.


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## baye (May 6, 2009)

It depends on the kind of LED DRLs you bought. My version for example needs to be wired up to the driver side fuse box instead. See my link above for details.

Your car trim can also matter too. There are two versions of the fuse box in the engine compartment, you'll find the more complicated one in higher trim models.


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## jigubhai2001 (Oct 23, 2012)

usaf-lt-g said:


> IMO.... I would have NOT



Off Topic. But I like the floor in your Garage. Are they the Vinyl Tiles and what brand are they?


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