Daytime Running Lamp (DRL) upgrade for 2017 Ford Grand C-Max

[Sparrowman1324]

Hello all, 

I currently have a 2017 Grand Cmax Zetec, which does not appear to have DRL fitted. 

I would be interested in exploring options to either upgrade to Ford DRL or consider 3rd party options. 

I don't have auto lamps, however I believe that I have the sensors as the Sat Nav will automatically switch to night mode when entering an area of low lighting. From what I can tell, the fitting of the auto lamp option is important to utilising the Ford DRL. 

Ideally, I would prefer the LED's that are part of the headlight cluster (as per the factory fitted option), however I am happy to consider other options too. 

I'm interested to see how people have approached these upgrades and what options are available. Is it likely to be too much effort or is there a relatively easy way of completing these upgrades. I'm relatively competent at DIY, so I am happy to attempt the upgrades myself. 

Thanks in advance. 

[StephenFord]

7 minutes ago, Sparrowman1324 said:

 

I currently have a 2017 Grand Cmax Zetec, which does not appear to have DRL fitted. 

 

DRLs have been mandatory in the UK since 2011 - if they are not working, that's a whole different thread, but you do have them...

[TomsFocus]

12 hours ago, StephenFord said:

DRLs have been mandatory in the UK since 2011 - if they are not working, that's a whole different thread, but you do have them...

The Grand CMax might have been type approved before that 2011 date - as the Mk3 Focus was.

[Sparrowman1324]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

The Grand CMax might have been type approved before that 2011 date - as the Mk3 Focus was.

I had found something which suggested that the Cmax was type approved, which may explain why they are not there as standard. 

As the light sensors appear to be present, would it be possible to upgrade to the auto lights, in 9rder to activate th DRL? 

Presumably, there would need to be some extra wiring etc. to accommodate this? 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

The Grand CMax might have been type approved before that 2011 date - as the Mk3 Focus was.

Yes, I have a recollection of seeing a Mk 2 C-Max in showrooms slightly before the Focus 3.

Gov.Uk says:

Vehicle manufacturers must fit DRL to new types of passenger car and light goods vehicle (car derived vans) type approved to European vehicle requirements from February 2011^[footn

Another point is some early DRLs are not as obvious as the current dazzling LEDs. On my Mrs's SEAT for example the sidelight bulbs are dual filament (one for sidelight, one for DRL) and not that bright, so to all intents and  purposes just look like sidelights anyway. 

 

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Sparrowman1324 said:

As the light sensors appear to be present, would it be possible to upgrade to the auto lights, in 9rder to activate th DRL? 

I don't think the windscreen light sensor will be present on a Zetec.  I'm guessing you'll just have a sun sensor on the dash instead? 

[StephenFord]

I absolutely stand corrected on my earlier post - apologies...

https://www.cmaxownersclub.co.uk/threads/daytime-running-lights.52305/

 

[Sparrowman1324]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

I don't think the windscreen light sensor will be present on a Zetec.  I'm guessing you'll just have a sun sensor on the dash instead? 

No problem, I must be getting the sensors mixed up, I thought there would only be one sensor for both jobs. 

[Sparrowman1324]

49 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I absolutely stand corrected on my earlier post - apologies...

https://www.cmaxownersclub.co.uk/threads/daytime-running-lights.52305/

 

That's one of the posts I read. It would appear that as the Cmax is a pre 2011 model it was not mandatory. 

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Sparrowman1324 said:

No problem, I must be getting the sensors mixed up, I thought there would only be one sensor for both jobs. 

There's generally a combined rain and light sensor on the windscreen for the auto wiper & light pack.  And then a sun sensor on the dash for the climate control. 

Since auto lights became a legal requirement, the dash sun sensor is now also being used for that on some models without auto wipers.  I'm not familiar with the C-Max setup I'm afraid so you'll have to check if either are present on your car.  The nav dimming must be getting a light input from somewhere as you say.

[Sparrowman1324]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

There's generally a combined rain and light sensor on the windscreen for the auto wiper & light pack.  And then a sun sensor on the dash for the climate control. 

Since auto lights became a legal requirement, the dash sun sensor is now also being used for that on some models without auto wipers.  I'm not familiar with the C-Max setup I'm afraid so you'll have to check if either are present on your car.  The nav dimming must be getting a light input from somewhere as you say.

Thanks, I'll do some more digging. 

I've seen a number of LED DRL kits on various websites, with some wide variety of quality and price.

I wonder if there's a way to fit the LED strip in the light cluster, as per the factory fitted LED strips? 

[StephenFord]

16 minutes ago, Sparrowman1324 said:

I wonder if there's a way to fit the LED strip in the light cluster, as per the factory fitted LED strips? 

To get inside the headlight, which is designed to be a sealed unit, will be a major challenge. You'll have to open it up with the most common method to place them in a domestic oven to melt the seal in order to split them apart. Tough enough with glass units, but if they are plastic, well, fraught with a potentially very unhappy ending!