Been there, done that. AND eaten at Horn and Hardart!

 

To make the photosensitive LED on the dash less sensitive to darkness you can put a resistor in parallel with it. This will allow the dash lights to remain at high luminance longer when the sun is going down. This will also affect when the switch from DRL to low-beam happens. As has been pointed out in post #67 the rear lights of the vehicle do not come on when the DRLs are on. Removing the photosensitive LED or cutting the wires leading to it will only make the dash lights low at all times. I guess you could short them together, but that is not my desire.

Picking the value of the resistor is a trial and error matter. Each photosensitive LED has slight manufacturing variances and more importantly each of us drivers/owners desires vary much more than the manufacturing process. I am in the process of selecting a resistor value that will meet my expectations. So far I know my value is more than 120 Ohms (it swamped the circuit) and less than 3.3K Ohms. Just started on this project today.

I had seen the issue of the dash lights dimming often come up in other threads and thought the writers were just complaining. Well, winter has now hit California with the lowered sun and the dash lights coming and going is now bugging me too. My apologies to whomever can read my mind and what I thought of those earlier commenters.

A better thing would be for Chevy to have a selectable photosensitive LED voltage value that could be programmed into the BCM, within reason.

I do have one question: Where is the inline resistor for the DRL located as mentioned in post #41? The 2009 FSM says it is a coil of wire. Of course most power resistors are indeed just a coil of wire, but where is it?

 

I happen to like DRL. It was definitely a bonus on the trip I just got back from. In most of northern Arizona, it could be the entire state but I only drove through the northern part, there is a requirement that headlights are turned on day or night. Clearly this is so those who aren't really paying enough attention might be more likely to see an oncoming vehicle farther away. It only helps those who are in another world, but that is the vast majority and the percentage just keeps increasing. DRL simply meant I didn't have to turn my lights on. While it seems to be an experiment for now, statistics prove it is effective. Just because you may find it offensive or some kind of issue doesn't mean that others will. When you are in the vast minority your opinion doesn't matter. It's only a matter of time until Police start enforcing it strictly and every state has it. I feel that within the next 5 years the U.S. will have the same requirement that Canada currently has.

 

I don't think anyone here is saying everyone should be against them. I think we are only speaking for ourselves. I do take issue with your thoughts that the minority's opinion doesn't matter. In fact, I think you are in the minority on this thread because the topic is how to disable DRL's not their pros and cons. If DRL's are waking up the morons who can't pay attention to their driving, perhaps we should all start sounding our horns, say every 30 seconds or so. In fact, maybe that could be automatic like DRL's.

 

I've lived in Arizona for 24 years and there no law that requires vehicle headlights be on in the daytime, except for motorcycles. I would like to see these statistics that prove having your headlights on during the daytime helps the morons who are on the phone, putting on makeup, talking to someone in the back seat, etc. see me better if I have my headlights on. Never mind driving on a divided highway. It also seems to me that the 'vast MINORITY' on this thread are FOR DRL's. Or maybe I'm just not reading right, but I doubt it!

 

And don't forget about the ones at night who pull out of brightly lit areas from parking lots and forget to turn the headlights on..with DRL's al least we can see them coming..guy behind will have to hope he's looking in the right spot to see him without tail lights

 

A friend of mine was just telling me the other day that he couldn't get through to his wife that DRL's were not enough at night instead of headlights.

 

Quoting Sno White,
"This will also affect when the switch from DRL to low-beam happens."

I was under the impression that the DRL's were the low beams???


Mo

 

DRLs use the low beam bulbs, but are at a reduced luminance. A resistance is put in line to reduce the voltage to the bulbs.

When the light sensor on the dash determines the ambient light to be low the DRLs turn off, the low beams turn on at full luminance, rear & marker lights are turned on and the dash lights come on.

 

Thanks for the explanation...
Mo