| Kona |
Hello, my first post. I will be picking up an 06 MDX next week and importing it back to Ontario (where it was made) and need DRL's to comply with the regs. Does anyone know what parts I might need ? (Harness?) On my other car it was a programming procedure, so hopefully the MDX has as clean a solution.
Thanks, Bob. |
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| Halgsr |
i did this same thing for an NSX bought in the US, and brought to canada.
all you have to do is get a 4 pin relay (5 pin will work too, just leave the middle pin out)
and wire it up so the running lights come on whenever you power up the ignition.
the down side of this method is that if you sit with the car not running but the key ahead to listen to the radio, then the light wil be on and you will drain the battery quicker. but thats it.
note, you must have a relay.
and you cant just buy a DRL module for a canadian MDX and put it in your, very complicated. |
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| shootist |
Bob,
Several people have tried, but it does involve re-wiring the light switch or wiring in a relay. One company sold a plug in solution, but it caught fire a few times. That discouraged further sales.
There is no fix via programming, but there should be.
Canadian MDX's have a Daylight Running Light module that plugs in to an otherwise blank socket behind the dash. No one has been able to test whether it can be plugged in to a US model. Acura won't cooperate in the determination, saying they don't facilitate customization of their vehicles. |
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| highcountrymdx |
Note that the Canadian electrical system is different than the American spec. For example, the passenger side fuse box is different, depending on the country of intended use. On Canadian MDXs the DRL wiring comes through the passenger side fuse box.
GM used to sell a universal automatic DRL kit (Part #12370445 - $50?) that was extremely well engineered, and fairly easy to install. It could run either the low or high beams, at reduced intensity during the daytime. DRL activation would occur about 15 seconds after the ignition was switched on, and included an optional parking brake disable feature. |
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| Kona |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
Bob,
Several people have tried, but it does involve re-wiring the light switch or wiring in a relay. One company sold a plug in solution, but it caught fire a few times. That discouraged further sales.
There is no fix via programming, but there should be.
Canadian MDX's have a Daylight Running Light module that plugs in to an otherwise blank socket behind the dash. No one has been able to test whether it can be plugged in to a US model. Acura won't cooperate in the determination, saying they don't facilitate customization of their vehicles.
This doesn't surprise me, as the price difference in the vehicles would tend to make me think Acura won't be treating me as a prized customer. An 06 MDX Touring package lists at $53,000 If I remember correctly. Add PDI, freight, gas tax, ac tax, document fees and it is into the $60's.....all this when the Cdn$ is at about .90 USD. Thanks for all the tips. I'd sure like to have this plug and play. |
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| G. COLTON |
quote:
Originally posted by highcountrymdx
Note that the Canadian electrical system is different than the American spec. For example, the passenger side fuse box is different, depending on the country of intended use. On Canadian MDXs the DRL wiring comes through the passenger side fuse box.
GM used to sell a universal automatic DRL kit (Part #12370445 - $50?) that was extremely well engineered, and fairly easy to install. It could run either the low or high beams, at reduced intensity during the daytime. DRL activation would occur about 15 seconds after the ignition was switched on, and included an optional parking brake disable feature.
How do you disable a mechanical function (parking brake) with an electrical addon?
G |
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| highcountrymdx |
The GM DRL module attaches a wire to the parking brake warning light circuit. This wire tells the module the electrical state of the parking brake, either on or off. If the parking brake is on, the module will not supply power to the lights used as DRLs. That's so you can listen to the radio while parked, without quickly running down the battery with the DRLs still powered, for example.
Additionally, the module also uses the parking lights circuit to likewise switch the DRLs on or off. Because the parking lights come on when you switch the headlights on, the DRL module uses the parking light circuit to signal the module to stop supplying reduced headlight power from the DRL module, and return the headlights to their normal ops.
Thus the DRL module is designed to work only when the car is running down the highway, in the daylight: hence, 'daytime running lights'. Again, this little universal module from GM appears to be extremely well engineered.
I did check the wiring diagrams for the X, and the headlights, both high and low, are controlled through the ground side of the circuit. The fogs, however are controlled the normal way, with the relay delivering power to the circuit itself, directly. In this case, the fog light circuit would be a perfect place to attach this DRL module. This scheme of controlling the circuit by switching the ground path on and off is the reason why the Canadian electrical lighting circuits (with DRLs standard) are so different from the American wiring. Again, if I were doing it, I would use the fogs as DRLs on American spec vehicles. |
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| Kona |
| How about this for a solution? If I disable the automatic lights to make it think it is dark, seems to me the DRL's should work right away? I don't know where the sensor is, but perhaps just covering it up would give me functional DRL's. Anyone know if this would achieve DRL's? |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by Kona
? If I disable the automatic lights to make it think it is dark, seems to me the DRL's should work right away? I don't know where the sensor is, but perhaps just covering it up would give me functional DRL's.
The sunlight sensor is in the middle of hte dash, toward the windshield. It controls more than just the lights, however, It also senses bright sunlight and turns up the A/C if necessary to keept the car cool. Some people have done it. |
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| acuramdx101 |
Bob,
Do you mind posting what you ended up doing? I am also ina similar situation where I have to install a DRL on my 06 MDX to pass the Canadian inspection.
Please post your experience here or email me directly.
Thank you.
S. Smith |
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| Kona |
| The most elegant solution. A piece of Black tape over the light sensor on the dashboard. I used a black cloth tape that looks just like the dash material, so everything looks normal. WHen you take the car to Canadian Tire for the inspection, don't mention anything. They didn't ask how I achieved DRL's without re wiring things. I felt like I beat the system that day. I also took it off afterwards, and went DRL less for the summer, but will reinstall it today. That was on my To Do list, so thanks for asking. BTW, let me know if Acura gives you any warranty hassles, because I got the feeling there might be problems when I talked to Acura USA customer service. They said my vehicle was now considered Gray market and that they would have no dealings with me. |
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