[squidlyboy]

I'm trying to hook up some Philips LED 8 Daylight Running Lights to the charging posts under the hood and i was slightly dismayed to see that these posts are not what i'm accustomed to seeing.

This is my first BMW and i'm used to seeing the old-school type of battery posts under the hood - actually i'm used to seeing a battery under the hood

Anyways, the LED DRL power clips are those defacto red/black clips that normally attach to an auxiliary post off the main battery terminals, but in BMW F30s, there's only a single huge 1/2" post available. I guess nothing is meant to really be attached here as its primary purpose is for jump starting a car with jumper cable clamps.

Anyone know of a good adaptor that allows me to attach these clips to this post to power the LED DRLs? Or perhaps there is even a better or more clever way to apply power to the DRLs?

There must be some other power source interface that was designed to attach applications like this.

Thanks in advance!

[JN1]

You're going to have issues other than figuring out where to wire them. BMW electrical systems don't like you to add on like that.

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by JNLBC

You're going to have issues other than figuring out where to wire them. BMW electrical systems don't like you to add on like that.

Care to elaborate?

Someone on a different forum didn't seem to indicate any issues with the same car.

[squidlyboy]

After more digging i saw that piggy backing on existing circuits could potentially void the warranty if there are any electrical issues.

So... i decided to play it safe and tap into the unused 12v aux lighter port under the glove box. Had to run wires from engine bay into cabin through firewall... what a PITA, but learned a TON.

Next up.. PDC front/rear and rearview cam retrofit!

[Handyman2007]

That doesn't look like a standard front bumper ???

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by Handyman2007

That doesn't look like a standard front bumper ???

m-sport bumper w/ lip splitter

[ji99lypuff]

looks good! Does it help at all with visibility at night or strictly cosmetic?

[squidlyboy]

i installed it as much for function as i did for form... but i haven't driven car yet since i finished the install, so i can't answer that question yet. I'll let you know my impressions in a week or so.

Btw... after noticing how big of a color discrepancy there is between the new LEDs (pure white) and the gharish orange/yellow stock halogen lights are, i'm going to replace the stock DRLs and the parking lights with LEDs, and do a xenon HID retrofit. Everything will be a matched pure white 6000k color temp.

Just ordered the DRL and parking light LED bulbs tonight, and need to do a little more research on the xenon HIDs.

AND THEN i'll move on to the OEM PDC/rearcam retrofit

[G30 B58]

.... man those OEM LED headlights would have looked good there .........

[Dippydo]

LOL... All you had to do was clip these off and crimp on a ring terminal to fit the stud under the hood in your picture... That's where I got power for my motorized plate. That is the main power source from the battery located in the engine bay for jumping. Can't get a better 12v power supply than that stud. A great ground is up front against the passenger side fender with a similar but smaller stud where you see they grounded their components.

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by Dippydo

LOL... All you had to do was clip these off and crimp on a ring terminal to fit the stud under the hood in your picture... That's where I got power for my motorized plate. That is the main power source from the battery located in the engine bay for jumping. Can't get a better 12v power supply than that stud. A great ground is up front against the passenger side fender with a similar but smaller stud where you see they grounded their components.

Great. Thanks. Your timing is impeccable

j/k actually, (to my dismay) I found the extra power posts/studs under the battery post cover _after_ first taking apart the inside cabin (e.g. a-pillar, lower glove trim, glove box, floor trim). And they were pretty close to the standard size i need to hook up the DRLs with those clips, but i figured since i already did the hard work, i'll just use this 12v aux port like i originally planned. But i have other retrofits planned later where the power studs will come in handy. So yes, while i feel like an idiot now, i don't regret taking apart the inside, because i learned a ton of s***

I tried to do everything to make the install look as clean and OEM as possible including wire routing, cable tie everything, and wrapping all the wires using the OEM cloth electrical tape similar to what BMW/Mercedes uses for their wire running. Its hard to tell anything was done under the hood except for the control module that had to be stuck to a clean bare metal area. Everything else is tucked under existing wiring or under the rubber lining running along the edge of the engine bay.

I tried to install the DRLs under the lid of those edge grills to make them as inconspicuous as possible. The nice thing is that if i have to sell the car one day and the potential buyer wants a clean OEM car as possible, i just have to clip off 4 cable ties to remove them, and another 5 mins to pull all the wires out. There was no cutting, no glue, no screws, no holes, no cut wires in the car.

No harm, no foul ...

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by ji99lypuff

looks good! Does it help at all with visibility at night or strictly cosmetic?

My impressions after driving around a couple of days were sorta what I suspected:

1. DRLs don't add significant light to illuminate the road ahead of you for driving (thats what low beams are for). I turned off my low beams at night, and with just the stock DRLs and new DRLs on, it still wasn't enough to light up the road.
   
2. But they throw out a HUGE amount of light for other motorists to see your car easier. I know looks are a little deceiving, because even though the pics show a lot of light visible to the person (or motorist) outside of the car, it still doesn't light up the road for the driver appreciably. Also, due to the location/position I mounted the DRLs on the grills, they are not positioned directly facing forward. But since they are facing about 20-30 degrees outward, and you can see the pie-shaped arc of light cutting out in front of the car.
   
3. The color difference between halogen DRLs and LED DRLs is _really_ starting to bug me now. I'll have the stock halogen DRLs replaced with the 6000k LED ones soon They're on their way!

These pics are with just the new DRLs along with the stock DRLs. The low-beams are not on.

[ji99lypuff]

Oh thanks for the pics! It definitely looks much brighter in the pictures as opposed to real life situation huh? I may be in the minority but i think the contrast of the more yellow drl up top and white led on bottom looks good.

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by ji99lypuff

... I may be in the minority but i think the contrast of the more yellow drl up top and white led on bottom looks good.

Don't mean ta disrepect you, but its my car ... booyah ya know i luv ya jig, right?

[888Concept]

I wouldn't recommend hooking your aftermarket DRL directly to your battery because it can cause your battery to die unexpectedly since the power is constantly on. A proper way to power something like this is by tapping into the ACC or IGNITION-ON HOT WIRES, where power would time out once your car is off or key is removed. A generic DRL harness or a more popular DAEOS DRL harness are recommended for extra protection.


since your car has stock DRL, an easier solution to power your aftermarket DRL is by tapping into the power source of your stock DRL. I believe you can reach to the wires from the back lids of your headlights.

[squidlyboy]

Thanks for the info... fortunately, i did tap into the ACC, but it was in the passenger cabin aux port. It woulda been much easier to tap into the stock DRL power, but i didn't have a wiring layout of the headlight assembly at the time. Oh well...

Speaking of DRLs... I guess these will suffice for now, i'm really bummed out that my F30 didn't come with the Angel Eye DRLs that i had just assumed BMW outfitted with ALL their cars from top to bottom (i.e. standard equipment/option). I mean.. thats one of BMWs signature moves. It like getting a pair of Air Jordans without the Jumpman logo.

I've looked high and low for Angel Eye / Corona retrofits, DIY after-market LED Halo Rings, blueaudi18, ONEighty NYC, OSS, but there always seems to be SOMETHING that prevents a good (complete) solution. And by that i mean, good quality LED lighting (low burnout rate), classy, simple, clean OEM look. I wouldn't mind going DIY route, but none of the Corona LED rings i've found are good quality. The best of rest of the alternatives right now seems to be the Mars Performance retrofit, but i'm a little meh on the style. Not aggressive enough for my tastes, but whatever.

But ... if you happen to hear of anything promising over the horizon, Gullit ...

[azbimmer5]

I have a 2011 BMW 528i and bought some oem direct fit led drl's. Here's the link:
http://store.ijdmtoy.com/BMW-5-Serie...s-p/70-707.htm.

I live in Chandler, AZ and was wondering if you could help me with the install, I would be willing to pay for it. Thanks!

[squidlyboy]

Daymmm... those look absolutely DOPE - super clean and OEM. would love to see them up close. tell you what... have a couple of 4-packs of DogfishHead 90 minute IPA on ice and i'll be over to help

Oh yah.... and Welcome to the Madhouse!!!!

[XKxRome0ox]

hey
how did you mount your phillips 8 DRL's? is there a thread for it? within some other thread?

[squidlyboy]

Yah, this thread

The key is using the mounting bracket and using it to secure the DRLs to either the grill or to the lip, depending on where you are wanting to put it. The bracket has a number of holes that you can use to your advantage to either cable-tie the bracket to the grill or to screw on to the lip.

Remember, this is done at your own risk to your car... i am NOT responsible for what happens if something should go wrong ... This is what i did... not saying you should do this...

If you are placing them under the "lip edge" of your front bumper just beneath the headlights ...

1. Remove wheel and fender liner
   Its going to be so much easier if you remove your wheel and fender liner so that you can see what you are doing. Of course this means having to jack up your car, which is a ROYAL PITA. But i would do this.. especially, if you have never done this before, so that you can get a better understanding of what you are doing and what you are dealing with.
2. Position and secure the mounting bracket on the grill
   Place the mounting bracket where you want it, then secure it against the grill using black cable ties (black so that its discreet) using the outer hole in the bracket. The nice thing is that you can return your car to OEM in like 5 minutes by cutting the cable ties and pulling the wire out. This is one of the best (most non-invasive mods) you can do to your car.
3. Fish the wire through the grill
   Use a fishing/grabber tool to fish the DRL wires through the air vent in the front of the bumper through past the edge of the radiator on each side of the headlights. i cut my wires and put spade terminals on them to make it easier to detach the lights for convenience. You may not want to do this..
4. Follow the DRL instructions on wiring the rest of the lights up
   Secure the controller where it can't move around and ideally, it should be placed where there is good air flow. In my locale (Arizona) where it gets hot in the summer, i needed to make sure the controller does not overheat. You may not have this problem...

If you are placing them on your splitter ...

1. Position the lights where you want them
   Your tastes apply here...
2. Secure them with screws and c-clips
   I used the same type of screws and c-clips that i used to secure my lip/splitter to the inner lip bracket i got from Selma. These work great for securing the DRL lights to the lip.
3. Run the wires through the engine back to the battery jumper posts
   This is where you need to get creative. Make sure you run the wires away from heat, any moving parts (e.g. fans), or any other place where it can get caught, tangled, etc.. and make sure all the slack is taken up so that it can't get loose and get snagged anywhere. You can see from my pic where i ran the wires through to get them to the power/ground posts. Use cable ties and secure all wires to stationary parts in the engine bay that will not cause any type of stress to the parts they are attached to. Again, just use good common-sense judgement here.

I've had my DRLs on for over a year now, with no issues, so i'm pretty sure what i did is fine. But again, what you do ... you do at your own risk

[carlos805]

Originally Posted by 888Concept

I wouldn't recommend hooking your aftermarket DRL directly to your battery because it can cause your battery to die unexpectedly since the power is constantly on. A proper way to power something like this is by tapping into the ACC or IGNITION-ON HOT WIRES, where power would time out once your car is off or key is removed. A generic DRL harness or a more popular DAEOS DRL harness are recommended for extra protection.


since your car has stock DRL, an easier solution to power your aftermarket DRL is by tapping into the power source of your stock DRL. I believe you can reach to the wires from the back lids of your headlights.

Hey after reading your post, your saying that you can just connect those LED wires to existing DRL?

[Allstars_f10]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

Yah, this thread

The key is using the mounting bracket and using it to secure the DRLs to either the grill or to the lip, depending on where you are wanting to put it. The bracket has a number of holes that you can use to your advantage to either cable-tie the bracket to the grill or to screw on to the lip.

Remember, this is done at your own risk to your car... i am NOT responsible for what happens if something should go wrong ... This is what i did... not saying you should do this...

If you are placing them under the "lip edge" of your front bumper just beneath the headlights ...

1. Remove wheel and fender liner
   Its going to be so much easier if you remove your wheel and fender liner so that you can see what you are doing. Of course this means having to jack up your car, which is a ROYAL PITA. But i would do this.. especially, if you have never done this before, so that you can get a better understanding of what you are doing and what you are dealing with.
2. Position and secure the mounting bracket on the grill
   Place the mounting bracket where you want it, then secure it against the grill using black cable ties (black so that its discreet) using the outer hole in the bracket. The nice thing is that you can return your car to OEM in like 5 minutes by cutting the cable ties and pulling the wire out. This is one of the best (most non-invasive mods) you can do to your car.
3. Fish the wire through the grill
   Use a fishing/grabber tool to fish the DRL wires through the air vent in the front of the bumper through past the edge of the radiator on each side of the headlights. i cut my wires and put spade terminals on them to make it easier to detach the lights for convenience. You may not want to do this..
4. Follow the DRL instructions on wiring the rest of the lights up
   Secure the controller where it can't move around and ideally, it should be placed where there is good air flow. In my locale (Arizona) where it gets hot in the summer, i needed to make sure the controller does not overheat. You may not have this problem...

If you are placing them on your splitter ...

1. Position the lights where you want them
   Your tastes apply here...
2. Secure them with screws and c-clips
   I used the same type of screws and c-clips that i used to secure my lip/splitter to the inner lip bracket i got from Selma. These work great for securing the DRL lights to the lip.
3. Run the wires through the engine back to the battery jumper posts
   This is where you need to get creative. Make sure you run the wires away from heat, any moving parts (e.g. fans), or any other place where it can get caught, tangled, etc.. and make sure all the slack is taken up so that it can't get loose and get snagged anywhere. You can see from my pic where i ran the wires through to get them to the power/ground posts. Use cable ties and secure all wires to stationary parts in the engine bay that will not cause any type of stress to the parts they are attached to. Again, just use good common-sense judgement here.

I've had my DRLs on for over a year now, with no issues, so i'm pretty sure what i did is fine. But again, what you do ... you do at your own risk

Does this positive terminal only supply power when the ignition is on? Help I'm having the same issue on my F10 for powering aftermarket DRLs