# LED DRL Daylight Running Light install help!



## royal0984 (Apr 2, 2015)

Hello everyone. I am after the proud owner of a 2014 Cruze Lt and I'm attempting to install some DRLs. After a week of researching the best easy to install these, I have finally decided to reach out to the knowledge base. 

I recently purchased a set of LED Daytime Running Lamps off ebay, and I'm having difficulty figuring out the best way to install them. They did come with instructions, but unfortunately they're in Chinese lol. I have found multiple ways to install these online. Wiring them directly to the battery, or to the ACC on the fuse box, or by tapping into a headlight or side marker light. The lights came with a wiring harness attached to a small box. I'm assuming this is an On/Off relay box?? I just want to figure out the safest way so I don't burn up my Cruze. 

I used a Google translate app on the directions, and it translates the following:

Red wire to ACC 
Black ground
White headlight wire line access

So I guess that sounds pretty self explanatory, but in being a slight noob when it comes to lighting and wiring, I still want to get everyone's opinion. I have provided pictures of the DRLs and the wiring harness that came with. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!


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## royal0984 (Apr 2, 2015)

I forgot to mention that my Cruze does not have fog lights already installed. I'll be replacing the plastic covers with these DRLs.


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## Couch (Oct 11, 2013)

i have the same kit. i just wired to acc on and they're on all the time. with the laws in canada about DRL i didn't want to not have my headlights come on during the day. the cops in the lower mainland are picky and never hesitate to give a inspection notice to anything aftermarket


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Here's my guess:
Black is ground
Red is power - connect it something that will turn on the DRLs as desired.
White is to the headlight (although I'd probably use parking light). When "hot" it will cause the DRLs to dim to "nighttime" brightness.

Note that none of this will take away the factory headlight DRL.


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## KENSTV123 (Sep 21, 2014)

I bought similar ones with the turn signals also, best way is just hook up ground and the red to a switched fuse in engine fuse box, I used #54 5 A fuse position and CAREFULLY drilled a wire size hole in the left corner (facing from DS) of the fuse box, if you look closely you will where light can come through the bottom at that corner-drill there it's the only safe place to not hit wires, I then ran the wire tucked around the box parameter where it cannot be seen (warranty) and connected to a add a circuit fuse holder--note direction on the add a circuit fuse holder matters--use a ohm meter to check and you will see the right way to use it
if you decide to use the OPTIONAL white wire connection to the headlight circuit things will operate weirdly, the way the little controller module works is if it sees 12V full power it will turn OFF the daytime running LEDs and if power is reduced as it is with the vehicle daytime headlights it will allow the leds to turn on, problem with hooking them up with the white wire is if the low beam HEADLIGHTS are turned on the LEDs will turn off and if high beams are turned on the daytime leds will come back on, just not connecting the white wire keeps them on if the car is running under all the different headlight combinations which for me seems more sensible since the lights are more accent than anything


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## royal0984 (Apr 2, 2015)

Thanks for the replies everyone. 

Kenstv123... So did you just use the add to circuit fuse holder with one 12v fuse and connect the red wire to it? I just want to make sure I don't do anything that could cause a fire haha. Also, you said fuse #54?

Im assuming this is the fuse holder you're referring to...


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## royal0984 (Apr 2, 2015)

Another thing I'm wondering.... and i apologize for my noob questions lol... but with an add on circuit, does the second fuse support the wire itself? So would it be adding a fuse to my red line connection? 

Thanks guys.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

With the add-on circuit, there's two fuses. One for the original circuit, and one for the added (red wire) circuit.


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## KENSTV123 (Sep 21, 2014)

royal0984 said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone.
> 
> Kenstv123... So did you just use the add to circuit fuse holder with one 12v fuse and connect the red wire to it? I just want to make sure I don't do anything that could cause a fire haha. Also, you said fuse #54?
> 
> Im assuming this is the fuse holder you're referring to...


Yeah that's the right one, what's important is the DIRECTION you plug in the add a circuit fuse holder and know that the ORIGINAL fuse goes in the fuse holder CLOSEST to the blades, when plugged into fuse 54 the red tap wire needs to point towards the REAR of the car, what's confusing about these fuse taps is if you reverse
the direction you plug it in to the original fuse slot it puts the new circuit in series with the original fuse, the blade on the fuse tap AWAY from the red wire needs to go 
to the HOT side of the original fuse--otherwise the new circuit load will go through the original fuse and the new fuse, the fuse slots on the add a circuit CLOSEST to the blades is for the original fuse and the ones furthest away from the blades is for the new circuit and the direction it is plugged matters-just plug it in as I said and all will be fine, I know it all seems confusing but really is not if you study the add a circuit tap closely
I cut the fuse holder off the red wire since it is not needed now and mounted the controller with mounting tape on the inside wall towards the front of the car of the battery holder, I hid the red wire because my car is still under BB warranty and I can easily unplug the fuse tap incase I have electrical problems (very common on the cruze) and they try to blame my lights, which indecently are run directly off the switched battery circuit and do not impact the BCM or anything else, the BCM module is the main brains to this car and is the buss master to all the other modules AND it DIRECTLY runs all the lights except the high beam headlights, as far as I can tell current is monitored by the BCM module on all the lights and if a person taps into any of the car lights they risk burning out the expensive BCM module so trailer lights, DRL or any lights (especially HID headlights) need to be properly connected to not impact the BCM, even though they seem to monitor current on the light loads as well as probably other loads it's most likely a small surface mount transistor doing the controlling within the BCM and these can easily be shorted out with to large of a load on them--trust me I've been a electronics repair tech for 50+ years--you do not want to mess with these cars electronics wise unless you know what you're doing !!


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## KENSTV123 (Sep 21, 2014)

Also to add to this thread, those led DRL only pull about 1/2 amp current each so use a 3 or 5 amp fuse not the 10A they provide in the included fuse holder


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## jjducky (Oct 22, 2013)

I have these as well. I just wired mine to the side marker lights as a few others have.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

KENSTV123 said:


> if you decide to use the OPTIONAL white wire connection to the headlight circuit things will operate weirdly, the way the little controller module works is if it sees 12V full power it will turn OFF the daytime running LEDs and if power is reduced as it is with the vehicle daytime headlights it will allow the leds to turn on, problem with hooking them up with the white wire is if the low beam HEADLIGHTS are turned on the LEDs will turn off and if high beams are turned on the daytime leds will come back on, just not connecting the white wire keeps them on if the car is running under all the different headlight combinations which for me seems more sensible since the lights are more accent than anything


Interesting. The DRLs I looked at mentioned dimming during nighttime so I ass/u/med that's what the wire is for. Not sure as I understand being turned off. It might be worth testing just to see how this particular controller behaves and wiring accordingly.


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## SteelSH (Aug 4, 2017)

I have a 2018 chevy cruze. Im getting this set of fog light with DRLs, they have the white wire also. So from reading this post, shouldn’t use the white and just ground black and red on acc in fuse box?


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## Dawson060 (Feb 24, 2020)

jjducky said:


> I have these as well. I just wired mine to the side marker lights as a few others have.


Sorry that this is 5 years later haha but doesn't wiring these lights to the parking light circuit make it so your AUTO headlight function is disabled since the parking lights are not on when in DRL mode? So to use the lights you would need to turn the headlights to the parking lights mode every time you drive?


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