I don't know if the US version is better.
But the Euro MIEVs have dim 5W front position/side lights in the headlamp shroud that are hardly noticeable when running around town under street lights.
The 13W DLRs are much more noticeable, particularly when loaded with LED bulbs.
So I investigated running the DRLs in all the lighting modes.
The easy solution would be to provide constant 12V when the car is ON, to the DLR's relay coil under the hood/bonnet.
But the socket is mounted low down on a bracket that I can't see how to remove, to get access to the wiring underneath.
The best I could come up with was an extra wire from the DRLs, spliced into the position light wiring.
The A13 and A26 connectors either side of the headlamp assemblies were the easiest place to do the splicing.
I discovered that only one connection to the position light wire was needed, to either A13 or A26.
But that splice caused the rear lights to be on all the time during the day.
So a diode was added to prevent the DRL voltage getting to the side and rear lights during the day. The LED DRLs pull well under an Amp, so I used 3W diodes.
In the end I spliced both A13 and A26, as I'd already run the cables from the DLRs.
Pulling the plug from A13 and A26 gives access to a posidrive screw holding the socket to the side of the bay.
Then cut off the outer sleeve on the socket wiring, to get access to the position light wires.
Remove a short section of the wire outer, and solder on the diode and new wire.
Pin 8, violet on A13 left hand side, Pin 8 light green on A26 right hand side.
Replace the outer sleeve with cable ties and tape.
But the Euro MIEVs have dim 5W front position/side lights in the headlamp shroud that are hardly noticeable when running around town under street lights.
The 13W DLRs are much more noticeable, particularly when loaded with LED bulbs.
So I investigated running the DRLs in all the lighting modes.
The easy solution would be to provide constant 12V when the car is ON, to the DLR's relay coil under the hood/bonnet.
But the socket is mounted low down on a bracket that I can't see how to remove, to get access to the wiring underneath.
The best I could come up with was an extra wire from the DRLs, spliced into the position light wiring.
The A13 and A26 connectors either side of the headlamp assemblies were the easiest place to do the splicing.
I discovered that only one connection to the position light wire was needed, to either A13 or A26.
But that splice caused the rear lights to be on all the time during the day.
So a diode was added to prevent the DRL voltage getting to the side and rear lights during the day. The LED DRLs pull well under an Amp, so I used 3W diodes.
In the end I spliced both A13 and A26, as I'd already run the cables from the DLRs.
Pulling the plug from A13 and A26 gives access to a posidrive screw holding the socket to the side of the bay.
Then cut off the outer sleeve on the socket wiring, to get access to the position light wires.
Remove a short section of the wire outer, and solder on the diode and new wire.
Pin 8, violet on A13 left hand side, Pin 8 light green on A26 right hand side.
Replace the outer sleeve with cable ties and tape.
