My ARB Bumper "DRL" Modification (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

ok, so im getting ready to order a set of these lights p/n 12824wledx1 found on amazon and ebay etc. there is a new listing [daylight 2.8 ]
runs a lot higher at around 129.99 vs the 79.00/89.00 for the daylight 8's.
the pn says -12824wlvwac1 but most searches combine the two numbers AND both boxes say new generation luxon rebel led's, so anybody got the scoop on if the pricey ones are actually better or just a new way to raise the price back up?
 
I installed these lights, finally, over the weekend.

I purchased the brackets from Wildyoats and had quick shipping on them. The lights i purchased off amazon almost a year ago. They have been sitting on the shelf just waiting.

The install is really not too bad. I used a combination of a cut-off wheel and a sawzall to cut opening wider to fit the bracket.

The only thing that i found to take extra time and that should be noted, on my ARB (don't know if it's an old design or what) but there is a lip around the turn signals. So, when you cut open the area to fit the brackets, there is still a small lip on the inside of the bumper. This lip will cause the bolts to almost not thread down until you grind down the lip to make the back flush. So keep that in mind. Also, the small tabs on the side that secured the turn signals also need to be ground off.

The ONLY thing i would suggest wildyoats do to the bracket is space the mounting holes just a tad further out. What i found is that the holes were so close to the edge of the metal that there wasn't much material left for the bolts/nuts to fasten to.

Other than that, the fit and finish is great.

Now comes the wiring part.....

I didn't want the lights to be on every time i started the truck, so i decided to wire a switch in line to cut the power to them. This works great. What i did was take the + red power line from the box and run it all the way to the switch in the dash to the power pole. Then on the ground on the switch i ran it all the way to the + on the battery. Then, the black - on the black box i ran to the negative on the battery.

They are bright and show up fantastic when driving down the road. They are literally almost as bright as my low beam headlights. Pretty impressive.

THE BAD:

Now comes the one bad thing... the damn things flash! I was puzzled as to what was going on. They would be on while the truck was running and then all of a sudden after a few minutes start intermittently flashing. I thought i had wired them wrong. After a google search i read several reviews on amazon that others had the same issue. Apparently the little black "driver box" is very sensitive to current. The review says that Philips will send you a replacement box if your lights are flashing and that it should fix the problem. I called them this morning and explained what happened and about the review. We will see if they send me a replacement box.

For now, the lights are in but i can't really run them since they flash.
IMG_5815.JPG
IMG_5819.JPG
IMG_5821.JPG
IMG_5823.JPG
IMG_5856.JPG
 
Haven't read the entire thread but any reason these wouldn't work with the Ironman 4x4 commercial?
 
I wanted to update this thread with my experience.

Still love the look of the lights... when they aren't blinking!

I have been in contact with Philips regarding the lights flashing. They have been very pleasant to deal with. When i told them about the problem they immediately told me it was because i didn't wire them exactly to their specs. I understood that and explained to them that i expected that, but my only caveat to that is that i'm on a land cruiser enthusiast forum and there have been MANY of us who have installed the same lights on the same truck. I'm the only one who has posted this issue. After that conversation she said she was going to take note of it and get back to me.

Over the weekend i spent some time wiring the lights every way possible. The way i have them wired currently has the dimmer wire just capped off and ziptied off to the side. I have the positive wire running to a switch in the dash, then back to the battery positive, the negative is to the negative post on the battery.... they flash.

Then i wired them exactly the way the instructions show, with the dimmer wire connected, ect... they flash. Then i wired them without the switch... they flash.

Today i planned on calling them to let them know what i did. I went home at lunch to let the dog out and there was a fedex package on my front porch. Inside was a new "driver box" for the lights from Philips.

I had mentioned to them about what i had read on the internet regarding this "box" and how it was extremely sensitive to voltage and that one of their tech guys had been sending out a replacement box which fixed the problem. I feel like that's pretty good customer service. I'm about to call them to thank them.

I will hook the box up and let everyone know if that fixed the issue.
 
I would like some assistance if anyone could help me.

So Philips sent me a new "box" that says it's an updated box. The instructions that came with it were VERY short and to the point, but they do at least admit that this new box is supposed to solve the issue with intermittent light output... aka flashing.

So i hooked up the new box and the lights still FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This box came with a blue wire where the older box did not. The blue wire says connect to "ACC" .... what is that?

Anyone want to chime in as to why i'm the only one who seems to have flashing lights and to anyone that can tell me where to hook this blue ACC wire to?
 
I'm not exactly sure how the box works but the old one somehow detects the alternator voltage output and triggers on. Seems like the new box offers an additional input to verify the vehicle is on to trigger the lights on. If your lights are still flickering I wonder if it detects low output from your alternator and doesn't know if your vehicle is on or off. I would suggest running the lights off another vehicle to verify.

Might be time for the sequoia alternator upgrade.
 
Last edited:
I am going to give this "patch" a little time to see if it works.

I basically took the blue "ACC" wire and stuffed it into the fuse at the fuse block in the "charge" fuse. I figured it was active when the key was on.

Had the truck running for about 10 minutes and the lights didn't flash, then went for a quick 5 or so minute drive around the block and no flashing. So, we will see.
 
concretejungle said:
I am going to give this "patch" a little time to see if it works.

I basically took the blue "ACC" wire and stuffed it into the fuse at the fuse block in the "charge" fuse. I figured it was active when the key was on.

Had the truck running for about 10 minutes and the lights didn't flash, then went for a quick 5 or so minute drive around the block and no flashing. So, we will see.
Click to expand...

Any update on your flashing issue? Hoping the new box and wiring resolved the problem.
 
OK, sorry for the late delay, i was camping on the beach the last few days.

The new driver box that they sent me which had the extra "blue" wire to be hooked up to "ACC" did the trick. Hooking up the blue wire fixes the flashing issue. I ended up bringing the little blue wire up from the bottom of my fuse box under the hood and push it into the fuse slot where "charge" fuse is... i think that's it, i'll have to go look and confirm.

That seemed to fix the problem.
 
What number did you use to contact Phillips?
 
1-800-257-6054
 
My understanding is that Phillips is no longer making these...what can we use that will work in the brackets?
 
wchain said:
My understanding is that Phillips is no longer making these...what can we use that will work in the brackets?
Click to expand...

Interesting, I had not heard of this. Did Phillips tell you this? I did a quick search online, and some are still being sold new. Ebay specifically, fwiw.

John
 
WildYoats said:
Interesting, I had not heard of this. Did Phillips tell you this? I did a quick search online, and some are still being sold new. Ebay specifically, fwiw.

John
Click to expand...
Yes sir.

My 95 DRLs stopped working, so I figured I'd buy a new set, but when I was looking, I saw they weren't available, but I saw mine were still under warranty.

I contacted customer support, who sent me a new set, and they advised that they would no longer be carrying these. Which sucks because I need a set for the LX450 I just picked up, however looks like I'm in luck as you stated ebay has them. I'll be ordering brackets from you soon!
 
My personal opinion is great! These lights suck. Mine only didn't flash for a few months and then started right back. The driver box is always hot so i'm sure that's the problem.

If i can find something with the same dimensions to replace the flashing ones i have, i'll swap out.
 
concretejungle said:
My personal opinion is great! These lights suck. Mine only didn't flash for a few months and then started right back. The driver box is always hot so i'm sure that's the problem.

If i can find something with the same dimensions to replace the flashing ones i have, i'll swap out.
Click to expand...
I see theres a 1249 series thats new and improved now...not sure if they are the same dimensions or not....
 
those look nice but i would not buy another unless someone from Phillips would email me that they guarantee no flashing. The first go around as documented above took me a while to find someone who could even answer my question about the product and had to differ me to someone else who then passed me on to another person.

I hope these are improved.

One thing i would do different this time is mount the driver box as close to the front as possible for air to blow on the box while driving and keep it cool.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
ARB Front Bumper
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
jsnow
jsnow
luyota
ARB bumper On JDM
Replies
5
Views
1K
MUDZLLA
MUDZLLA
Mark W
Smacked a moose a couple of days ago... I love my ARB.
2 3
Replies
53
Views
5K
CrabCake
CrabCake
yoda-g3
Help! - Which ComeUp winch will fit my ARB? 9.5 vs 12k?
Replies
9
Views
783
Shoredreamer
Shoredreamer

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom