My 2005 E350 didn't come with DRL, so I bought the Ford module for $65 thinking I'd just plug it in somewhere. The instructions with the module say to CUT wires for the installation which I couldn't bring myself to do, so the module was left uninstalled for a couple years.

We use the van to pull our boat, often racking up 10,000 miles or more on a single trip. Sometimes my wife drives with her hand controls (she has MS and her feet don't work dependably).


Sometimes we drive through Canada where headlights are required during the daytime.


I decided it was time to put the DRL module in the van, and it turned out to be much easier than I thought, because I stumble on these little gizmos:


I had a little trouble stabbing the emergency brake wire cause it was so thin, and for one of the other connections I just jambed a spade into the slot under the steering column alongside the proper wire but used these taps for everything else. They only poke into the existing wire for the tap, and if you remove them the hole in the insulation is almost self-healing.

Anyway, it you refuse to hack into your wiring to install your DRL, fear no more -- these things work...got mine at WalMart.

 

What's the difference between what you just did and just running with the lowbeams on? I thought daytime running lights were a different forward facing white light but with something like a backup bulb in it.

 

The voltage is reduced to the low beams in the DRL mode so they don't burn out sooner, and the daytime running lights go on/off automatically with the key.

We'll often pull into a rest area and turn off the motor for a nap or meal. If we don't get out of the van, the regular low beams would stay on unless we remember to turn them off -- there is no alarm unless the door is open.

If we want to stop and rest with the engine running, the only way to turn off the DRL is to put on the emergency brake.