Eric's Autos: Free and Easy Fixes
* Defeat DRLs -
Daytime Running Lamps are not mandatory but probably two-thirds of all cars built since the late 1990s have them. If it seems dumb to you to burn the headlights in the middle of the day - but your car doesn't have a DRL "off" switch - here's a way to improvise one:
If the car has a manual pull-up parking brake lever, you may be able to kill the DRLs by pulling the lever up just slightly. Not enough to actually engage the brakes (or cause them to drag, which you don't want to do) but just enough to fool the sensor that shuts off the DRLs when the parking brake is engaged. There is usually a certain amount of slack built into the system, so that you can do this (defeat the DRLs) without actually engaging the parking brake. In other words, it won't hurt anything to do this.
Unfortunately, this "fix" does not work on many of new cars, because the car companies got wise to the trick. They removed the slack from the system such that you will engage the parking brake if you pull the lever up even slightly. This will cause the rear brakes to drag - and wear. Also, an obnoxious buzzer will typically harass you if you attempt to drive with the parking brake lever even slightly engaged. The good news is that most new cars do have a DRL "off" switch - though you may have to root around for it in a menu somewhere and adjust that setting - and it may be necessary to adjust that setting every time you drive the car (the automatic default being DRLs always on).
You could also dig a little deeper - and permanently defeat the DRLs by finding (and disconnecting) the sensor that turns the DRLs off when the parking brake lever is pulled up. Remove the trim cover around the lever and look around, the sensor ought to be obvious (it'll be an electrical switch of some kind, with a button that gets pushed in when the lever is pulled up. Push it in permanently.
Of course, if you want to drive around without the buzzer on, you'll also need to find - and kill - it, too. Do it. You'll be glad you did.
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www.ericpetersautos.com or EPeters952@aol.com for comments.
