Is it possible to make the tail lights come on with DRL's? I know a lot of you guys hate the DRL's but they don't bother me at all. Truth is I feel much safer with my tails lit up than I do with the DRL's, and I'd much rather have the guy behind me seeing my car for safety purposes. I often wonder why auto manufacturers didn't light these up as well.

If anyone knows how to rewire the tail lights so they come on with the DRL's I would appreciate your help.

 

If you turn the parking lights on will it turns the DRLs off? If not, you could just leave those on all the time

 

Yeah turning the headlight switch to parking lamps does turn off the DRL's and lights up all the amber lamps and the tail lights.

Not like the DRL's do anything special for me, but I was hoping to just leave my headlight switch on AUTO and let the DRL's come on like they normally do in the 07-08 TLS, only WITH tail lights as well.

 

Anyone? ideas?

 

Seems like it would be kind of a pita to do, why not drive with the HID's all the time

 

Automakers don't do tail-lights because DRLs are not meant to see with but rather for others to see you. So as you come at people with the front end of your car you are visible. Sometimes people merging/turning into your lane won't see you and DRLs help with this. It is assumed if you are behind someone, you can see them already. Think about it....why would you want your rear visible in the daytime? In the daytime brake-lights is all you need.

Besides parking lights on the rear are so dim anyways. You would probably have to put brighter bulbs (not possible with our LED units) and even if you did they would be confused with brake-lights. Not to mention annoying (Ever tailed an Audi with the rear-foglights on?)

 

haha I agree, I never knew there was such thing as rear fog lights, my cousins Volvo C70 has it and I have found out pretty much most german cars have them...one word...ANNOYING...and no I am not hating either. On Mercedes Benz particularly when the rear fog light is on it looks like they are braking but only one light working, haha too funny! I remember thinking once look at that new mercedes and the tail lights already fcked up... Anyway, To the original post, I can see where you are coming from but to be honest I don't think someone would be able to tell right away that your tails were on, on a sunny day anyway.

 

It's not the times I drive in full daylight that concern me.
The real reason I want the tails to light up with the DRL's is that I drive to work right after sunrise, when it's not full daylight. So my auto headlights detect enough light to kill my headlights and turn on the DRL's, but when that happens my dark red car seems to go invisible to many cars behind me. Most times I don't even notice when the lights turn off and the DRL's get lit up. But what I do notice is that a lot of cars get very close to me before they realize I'm there. Kind of scary. Also in winter I drive home around dusk. The same thing happens during these trips home. So having the tails lit up in those conditions would make me a feel little safer (other cars DO see me in half-light conditions). I know I could turn on the parking lights, but the whole purpose of having auto headlamps is to set-and-forget, know what I mean?

 

put an led bulb inside of both, seperate from the rest and wire a switch in the front of the car so you can turn em on as needed

 

Yeah I see what you mean, IMO right after sunrise and right around dusk are my favorite times to turn my HIDs on, I just think they look sweeeet and I got a 2005 TL, yours would look even nicer cause you got your fogs on your bumper unlike my TL has fogs right next to HIDs I just think you should use your headlights with fogs during the times you mentioned you are concerned.

 

For Canadian cars... in the o4 TL the fogs are our DRLs.
On the second switch on the light-stub our tail-lights, turn-signals and the side-markers will all light up. One more flick and we switch on our low-beams.
Downside is that... we get no fog-lights.
Want to trade cars? xP

 

I think yellow fogs next to the lowbeams look sweet! [except this is hi-beam on with low-beam, same concept though]
Check it out on the 8th Gen Galant!


I'm envious of the USDM TL for this main reason.

 

just drive with your lights on, i do...they turn off automatically

 

Yeah well actually they have grown on me so I do use the fog lights sometimes, I also know of some people who dont use them at all cause they hate the way it looks, that used to be me in the beggining but I am ok with them now, I definately prefer the traditional fog lights that are on the bumpers IMO.