[billy butler]

does anyone know where i can buy a automatic light sensor kit to turn the lights on at dusk and through tunnels as in spain its obligatory even though the tunnel could be 50yrds long and sun glasses on for example. You forget and its a 200€ fine cos the government need the money and the cops are crooks.
Driving back to uk at christmas in the dodge ram and it would be good to have it installed
Model 2004 dodge ram 1500 petrol 5.7 hemi the dogs bollax

 

[PCRMike]

LOL. Dogs bollocks. Been a while since I heard that one.

 

[Doug D]

A Ram in the UK? Wow! I can't imagine filling it up with the price of petrol (gasoline for you US readers) over there. My '06 costs ~$85 to fill from empty (26 gallon tank at $3.30/gallon). I'm sure you get some looks. Rams in Europe are rare from what I've heard.

Best I can suggest is to check with a dealer if it's even available for that model year.

 

[stevenspeaking]

Sorry not aware of that option even being available from the factory.


A few other thoughts. Do daytime running lights make you compliant? If so...

STAR Case Case Number 910090199 Vehicle Issue Can daytime running lamps (DRL) be turned on.;Yes. If vehicle is equipped with J1850 Bus. System or Component Activation / Upgrading Issues;Customer Concern (No DTCs);Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Recommendation Use the DRB to program the Front control module. Go to BODY, go to FCM/IPM, then go to MISC. go to ENABLE DRL, then page back to except change. Turn key off and start engine put into gear and DRL should come on. Modification Date
10/05/05 1:20 PM

Another thought would be to get in the habit of turning the lights on at start-up. Then leave them on until you get to your destination. Put something on the seat or dash to remind yourself.

Steven

 

[KOG]

Yep, your only practical option is to turn on the lights and leave them on when you drive. There have been aftermarket kits which turn the lights on for you, but my experience with them has been that they're unreliable.

 

[UN4GTBL]

Sorry not aware of that option even being available from the factory.


A few other thoughts. Do daytime running lights make you compliant? If so...

STAR Case Case Number 910090199 Vehicle Issue Can daytime running lamps (DRL) be turned on.;Yes. If vehicle is equipped with J1850 Bus. System or Component Activation / Upgrading Issues;Customer Concern (No DTCs);Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Recommendation Use the DRB to program the Front control module. Go to BODY, go to FCM/IPM, then go to MISC. go to ENABLE DRL, then page back to except change. Turn key off and start engine put into gear and DRL should come on. Modification Date
10/05/05 1:20 PM

Another thought would be to get in the habit of turning the lights on at start-up. Then leave them on until you get to your destination. Put something on the seat or dash to remind yourself.

Steven

A similar idea is to buy a headlight switch with the "Auto" setting and leave it in Auto. It will automatically turn your lights on when you start the truck.

 

[Doug D]

A similar idea is to buy a headlight switch with the "Auto" setting and leave it in Auto. It will automatically turn your lights on when you start the truck.

You still have to have a sensor somewhere to "sense" the light conditions.

This thread is pretty sad. Are we so lazy we cannot even remember to turn on headlights when conditions require it? :facepalm: I know I would remember if I was fined for not turning them on.

As KOG posted, the simplest solution (and cheapest) is turn them on when you start the vehicle and just leave them on.

 

[BlackSheep01]

Perhaps a Post-It note with the amount of the fine, stuck to the horn / airbag cover?

 

[billy butler]

You still have to have a sensor somewhere to "sense" the light conditions.

This thread is pretty sad. Are we so lazy we cannot even remember to turn on headlights when conditions require it? :facepalm: I know I would remember if I was fined for not turning them on.

As KOG posted, the simplest solution (and cheapest) is turn them on when you start the vehicle and just leave them on.

obviously you didnt read it you knob? the daytime running is not obligatory here in spain in bright sunlight what is ! is a tunnel 20 yrds long law is head lights even with your sunglasses on cos a copper will be waiting one of these days to do you cos they need the money as europes in a mess. Next its nearlly impossible to buy bulbs for an american import here so using them all day every day is crazy especially when you have to carry a full set with you as spare its ludicrus. I understand its law but its bollax as well especially by the time you have turnrd them on you are through it???? a light sensor would be so much better its not being lazy or sad and the conditions are probably fantastic so its not bad weather its better keep ya hands on the wheel and not smokin the hash

A similar idea is to buy a headlight switch with the "Auto" setting and leave it in Auto. It will automatically turn your lights on when you start the truck.

can you mail me a web site to buy parts direct as here in spain there is nowt !! i would appreciate that then i could buy a auto switch . cool

 

[Doug D]

Twist it any way you want, but it's still laziness on your part. Yes, I did "read" your original post.

Daytime Running Lights are not mandatory here in the USA either. My Ram does not have automatic headlights or DRL's and I have no problem remembering to turn them for tunnels when needed. We can be ticketed for driving without the headlights on in the rain or more correctly when the wipers are engaged full time.

I don't know how often you have to replace headlight bulbs but in the 6 years I've owned my Ram, I've only replaced the headlight bulbs once on each side.

For cryin' out loud, when did we humans do before there were automatic headlights in cars???????? Gee, we had to manually turn them on and remember to do so when conditions warrant.

 

[mastertech10]

Virginia Gentleman love this statment.

For cryin' out loud, when did we humans do before there were automatic headlights in cars????????

unfortunatley it is true what we drive is making us lazier and stupid every year. Im a tech in the dealership and its amazing the complaints we get with the lazy functions. for example the automatic high beams and like you said when did we become so lazy to remove our hand from the wheel?? Well since i moved to canada from england the focus appears to be allowing people to have their coffee and not have to worry about the other functions, and also it allows you to chat or text whislt drinking your coffee and having a rat sized dog sitting on your lap.

Billy I can tell your from England too mate, and its true you dont see to many rams in europe. just tell manuel to jogg on!!! lol. How about if you could have day time running lights set up? Like the volvos? It will come on when you come out of park and keep them on at all times. If you get a good set of bulbs from over here they last a lot longer. Even with the crappy roads we have here. I remember when I was doing Mots we were changing bulbs almost every year on most cars.

 

[ImperialCrown]

The DRL (daytime running lights) is a selectable function of the BCM (body control module) and probably the easiest way to fix this problem. They can be toggled on or off with the Starscan tool (or equivalent). Also make sure that your BCM Country Code setting is set for the correct region as this will affect automatic DRL and other vehicle functions.
I don't know if the 2004 DR RAM is even available from the factory with Automatic headlamps and it would probably entail more than just a new headlamp switch with the 'A' position.
The DRL is the hi-beam filament running at about 60% duty cycle, so that the bulbs should still have a long life.
DRL is compulsory in Canada, but took awhile to catch on here in the states.
Back in the 1990's, our dealership's attorney told us not to activate or to install DRL in any vehicles for fear of lawsuits, even though many customers wanted them installed for safety.
GM had some regressive lawsuit against them for trying to make cars safer with DRL and the other manufacturers watched the results of this very carefully. GM finally satisfied the lawsuit by adding a green 'headlamp' icon to the instrument cluster to notify the driver when the DRL were on.
Talk about lazy drivers. It seems that it was possible for the lazy driver to drive after dark with the dim DRL on and forget to turn on the regular headlamps. Lawyers have to protect these idiots from themselves.

 

[Doug D]

Talk about lazy drivers. It seems that it was possible for the lazy driver to drive after dark with the dim DRL on and forget to turn on the regular headlamps. Lawyers have to protect these idiots from themselves.

Every once in a while I've noticed this too. Just another clueless driver behind the wheel. I just don't understand how one cannot notice the lights are not as bright as they usually are.......

 

[ImperialCrown]

.....Or don't know (or care) that they can't see where their gauges are.

 

[mopar56]

well I gota say guys thanks for the laughs this has been a very entertaining thread to say the least! I see both sides of the story here but if I understand Billy correctly he just dosnt see the point in driving around all day in the bright sunlight with all of his lights on and likewise just cant seem to remember to turn them on in a tunnel regaurdless of how much the fine is, hey we all forget, I did a little research I am not so sure his truck has that capability to be programed with the auto feature and even if so the parts would be costly so the simplest way is installing a "drl" or day time running lite system as mentioned earlier it only uses 60% energy of your high beams, there is two available through "Grote" which is a huge lighting company globaly the part numbers are 44040 which sells for about $50.00 here in Canada and 44060 which sells for about $130.00 the second kit has some extra features like turning on the tail lamps as well, both are complete kits, if you can not find one in Spain in your local parts store try www.lordco.com it is a great auto parts store here in British Columbia with about 50 stores I am sure they will ship. Lastly as also metioned earlier, Canada has had this daytime running light law in effect since the early nineties, some of us here including myself dont really care for it as it dose seem silly to drive in the sun with lights on but it has been proven that it saves lives, that being said in the last 20 plus years of driving multiple vehicals with this feature I have probably replaced maybe a dozen bulbs which are also dirt cheap here and available at the same store metioned above, hopefully that helps, again thanks for the entertaining morning read, lol

 

[valiant67]

My opinion, the auto headlights on my 2012 Challenger and the 2005 300C which it replaced don't come on early enough at dusk so I end up using them manually anyway a good bit.

 

[Doug D]

.....Or don't know (or care) that they can't see where their gauges are.

Actually, the last one I noticed driving with just his DRL's on after dusk was fairly new model with lit gauges (I could see them as I passed him). So in all fairness, he may have been under the perception his "headlights" were completely on.

My opinion, the auto headlights on my 2012 Challenger and the 2005 300C which it replaced don't come on early enough at dusk so I end up using them manually anyway a good bit.

Our Journey is the same. Many times I turn them on manually if I'm driving when it transitions from just before dusk to complete darkness.

 

[Hottubjoe]

I like the idea of daytime running lamps, even if they aren't mandatory. They make the car easier to see, even during the day, and you get a small discount on auto insurance. Apparently, some drivers are both blind & stupid, so we need to help them out by making ourselves more visible. I speak from experience. I got hit by a guy who ran a red light in broad daylight, claiming he never saw me. I was in an '06 Cavalier with no DTRL. I have insisted on them ever since. Don't care about the bulbs or the alternator. I just bought an '11 Caliber, but my understanding is that all Chrysler & Jeep vehicles today use the same wiring & light bulbs for fog lights. Since they were already available, I simply wired them to be used as DTRL. I am not a mechanic, and don't claim to be a genius, but I did this myself by simply disconnecting the existing wiring from the bulbs, and installing a $10.00 wiring harness. I wired this directly to the Ign/Acc fuse with a piggy-back connector (instead of to the battery). I connected the red wire that would normally have been connected to a switch, also to this same wire. Grounded the switch and the relay, and--Voila!--fog lights that come on whenever the ignition is on, which is exactly what I wanted. And the factory wiring & set-up is still intact if someone wants to unplug the fogs & plug them back into that. Mostly, I did that, just in case my idea didn't work and somehow interfered with the on-board computer. But so far, no problems. I am very hesitant to mess with the factory set-up (wiring, relays, lights, etc.), because that sometimes causes the computer to defibrillate or the car not to run. But in this case, everything seems fine. I'm sure there is someone out there that will find fault with my set-up, but for me, it works like a charm. Notified my insurance carrier, and got a small discount. I know the fogs are always on, even with the headlamps. Too bad. I have to look out for my own safety, since no one else does.