Explanation why Prius v did not have DRLs

2012 and 2013 Prius v's (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) in the US never came with DRL's and the dealer cannot add them, regardless of what packages you have. You can modify the car's wiring with aftermarket equipment to add DRL's, but the dealer will never do it.

 

You can add DRLs to your v, as se-riously has pointed out.

I have added DRL functionality to my 2011 Prius hatchback (link in my signature below), which uses the highbeam bulbs at reduced power, like a lot of older USDM vehicles out on the road.

Priuschat member Offline has added DRLs to his Prius v using a module sold by Webelectric. This thread details how the Webelectric module uses the turn signals bulbs for DRLs: WebElectric DRL-2P installation into 2012 Prius v | PriusChat

Then there are the aftermarket kits, like the Philips Daylight LED kits: DRL, anyone try these Philips LEDs? | PriusChat
Unfortunately, the most popular, and affordable kit, the Daylight 4 (under a hundred dollars), is not currently available on Amazon: Amazon.com: Philips 12820WLEDX1 DayLight 4 High Powered Luxeon LED Daytime Running Light: Automotive

 

This is probably not possible with a US car, post sale, but in Canada, the high beams serve as Daytime Running Lights, running at half brightness. So fog lights still possible: they come standard on Touring package. The stock fog lights are pretty ineffective though.

Part of the reason it's likely optional is the lack of regulation in the States? You don't HAVE to have it, like in Canada for example. The Canadian implementation of half-bright high beams is seamless and effective. Maybe not as sexy tho, lol.

 

The OP could easily rewire the oem foglights to come on when in Ready Mode to serve as DRLs, but Toyota would not do it, nor condone it.

A module like this could be used: Universal DRL Module Relay Daytime Running Lights with Follow Me Home Function | eBay and then the OP would have the additional benefits of the delayed off feature and current sensing delayed start. I once used my oem style foglights as DRLs, but I substituted 35w H8 bulbs (link in my signature below) so that there wouldn't be as much heat buildup in the small foglight housings during the 80+ daytime temperatures here in Hawaii.

This looks like a good inexpensive, solid state DRL module as well: New in Box Gall's DRL Daylight Running Light Module FS030 | eBay

It has the option to operate the sidemarker/parking lights in DRL mode, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to connect them to the parking lights if you don't want to use them.

 

Southeast Toyota distributors sells a DRL kit which my dealer installed on my '12 v three. It has a Toyota part number on the box, Toyota logos all over the installation instructions, uses LED strips in a round housing, installs in the semi-triangular blanks in the lower grill.

I've had them installed for well over a year and 12k miles with no issues other than they attract bugs and cause me to have to wash the car more often. All DRLs do.

So it is true that a dealer can install DRLs in a '12 v three. It is true that it is a Toyota part.

Why it isn't there on all models is, I presume, marketing and pricing.

I'm sure I posted the part number when they were first installed. Use search.

Or to make life easy

LED Daytime Running Lights - Black-Out Style at Sparks Toyota-Scion, Myrtle Beach, SC

 

Mike refers to a Southeast Toyota product. They are so big they have their own Toyota parts.

I figured out a way to get the same OEM DRL function, but in order to do it nicely one would need to open the fuse box to replace one of the relay blocks. I got a salvaged fuse box for this purpose, but found that there are pins from the fuse box into the fender. You need to pull the box towards the right side of the car, requiring one to remove the inverter/converter assembly. When I was attempting this job I had the car facing into the garage and had no good access to drain the inverter coolant from under the car/did not know about the pins into the fender. (One can also harvest the relay block from any fuse box with the green relay, ie. from a Prius c.)

It's doable, but I suck at soldering and would want to solder or have someone solder the harness for me....

?

BTW- I thought the latest vs come with DRLs?

MT2L03 ?

 

I added CREE DRLs to my v's grille. Very bright. Got them from JDMToy.

'Vegas is a 24/7 drinking and drugs town and I want to be seen as much as possible. Hence the rear bumper lights replacing my reflectors.

 

NEW HEADLIGHT QUESTION:

I have a Model two and thus filament bulb lights. I changed the OEM halogens out for Sylvania/Osram Silverstar Ultra bulbs, the brightest street legal xenon-halogen bulbs.

Q.-> Is it possible to "transplant" the newest LED headlights into a Model two? i.e. will there a wiring or fuse problem?
I realize the LED v headlights also move (stay level) as the vehicle changes the nose attitude to higher or lower.

 

The LED headlights use a different headlight housing. There's also headlight washers, since the bulbs (apparently) don't get warm enough to melt off snow. That's probably just tip of iceberg, lots more variations? If one burns out I think the dealership wants something like $850 to make it good (ahh, progress).

And of course we've got 'em.

 

While many of us like to mod our cars, I accidentally found that my Prius already had driving lights (DRLs). It's called the light switch. You can turn them on manually or just leave them on because they time-out after shutdown.

 

I don't "like" modifying cars at all but I added a cheap (US$40) DRL kit to my wife's 2012 Prius v for her safety. She's doing well to drive at all let alone to remember to turn headlights on during the day. Having the DRL kit allows her to leave the headlight switch in the Auto position so that she has DRL during the day and headlights at night. I added the also inexpensive Scion IQ mirror covers with turn signals to her Prius for the same reason. Trust me ... you want all the warning you can get that my wife is driving towards you or going to change lanes. At least she usually remembers to signal.

We would have not bought the Prius v if we had known it did not have DRL The owners manual, which I looked at online before the purchase, seemed to indicate that it had DRL. The salesman told us it had DRL. Even the Toyota dealer service department thought that it had DRL and tried to activate DRL with a scan tool.

I drove with headlights on during the day from about 1969 until we started buying cars with factory DRL. I burned out a lot of headlight, taillight and dashboard bulbs doing that including expensive-to-replace lighted diodes in one car's dashboard that apparently weren't designed to be on all the time. In some of those cars, having the taillights on during the day made the brake lights harder to see.

Driving with headlights is certainly an alternative if you want to deal with the problems that can cause.

 

On the EBay, I purchased from UK a set of original DRLs for 2012 Prius Plus parts # 81521-47070 and 81511-47070. It cost me including shipping to CA about $200 and installed myself in an hour without any difficulty. I hooked up through relay - as soon as I turn on the main lights, they turn off automatically, it’s very comfortable.
PS UK EBay item # 181468922127

 

They use a different control relay which is green in the fuse box. Yes, they run the high beams using a square wave pulse which gives a lower than full power effect. It is supposedly tied to the ambient light sensor for a variable output depending on brightness conditions.

MT2L03 ?