I was looking at setting this up so that I do not forget my lights on during the daytime. I found quite a few solutions but this one is probably the neatest.
http://www.midknightmagic.com/...rchime/#comment-1077
This last one is the most elegant in that with one relay normally closed you can do it very nicely and no door involvement etc.
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After I added relays to my lights I just moved the headlight switch power wire from a constant hot to switched hot. Took me about 5 minutes and it was free. Now my lights only come on when the car is running.
And with a bit more thought, you could use the existing headlight switch for something else or eliminate it entirely.
some cars have parking lights that you can use to park at night on the street that was my goal
I did what Robert M did: wired lights with relays, and powered the headlight dash switch from the switched hot on ignition switch. Turn the engine off, lights go off. Simple and effective. No more dead batteries. We (or at least I) have been spoiled by the time delay switches used in real cars these days. Quite used to having headlights be on and stay on, and turn themselves off when not needed. Using the ignition switch is the next best thing. And they will power up when ignition is switched to accessory position, so can have lights w/out turning on the ignition/motor, ifn you want.
PS: I hate those damn buzzers, and would not install one on purpose.
At my friend's body shop ....Randy has a Beer Buzzer :~)
Why couldn't you just wire the power source for your lights to the accessory terminal on the ign. switch ? .....Bruce
I only have one thing to say ... BZZZZZZZZZZZZ.... lol 
(Still looking at my options)
A few years ago, I stopped worrying about this. If my car is running, I want my lights on. I'm wired so the lights can only be on when the ignition is turned on, so that I can just keep the light switch pulled out.
I'm driving around in a 180 hp golf cart. I want to be seen. Every little bit helps.
Stan: that is how I do it.
Well here is another option to have "got home" lights that have a time delay and stay on a minute for you to walk up the stairs to your home.
I've been guilty of leaving the lights on, but I enjoy the ability to do that. Modern cars turn us into automatons with little latitude for decision making: climate control, rain sensing windscreens, automatic headlights, daylight running lights, delayed interior lights, etc.. I get frustrated at having some engineer or computer person having made decisions in the creation of a car that take away my ability to do the same.
There are so many aspects of current cars that I would like to be able to override. So, I will enjoy the fact that I can leave the lights on in my Speedster, and that I can turn the ignition on without the lights coming on.
Bob,
The encroachment of a computer "helping me to drive" is something I hate as well. Having my lights shut off seems like a convenience to me, not an attack on my ability to operate a machine.
I use these LED Halos for daytime running lights (wired to the Acc. terminal on the Ign. switch. They are on all the time. The headlights still have to be switched on for night running. The effect is pretty bizarre looking and gets the visibility/attention I want , hopefully Of course, game Over when the ignition switch is turned off.......Bruce
Funny I was thinking about what you had done to those lights just the other day as I was pondering tinkering with mine... Those are Hella Eurolights correct? I have them but they already have a parking light function which looks like a ring somewhat but not angel eyes. Those are really cool.
Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:Bob,
The encroachment of a computer "helping me to drive" is something I hate as well. Having my lights shut off seems like a convenience to me, not an attack on my ability to operate a machine.
Stan: Part of the fun on a weekend when we were young was sneaking up on parked cars and then turning on the headlights. You just can't do that these days...
Life has lost all its joys.
And here I thought you were such a nice retired guy........
We never did that sort of thing around here. Instead, we would crawl up to the car and put big rocks on both front and back of the rear wheels.......
Bad Boy Bad Boy
Ray.....Thank you......I used that parking light hole to wire in the Halos. They put out way more than the Hella bulb does and they are closer to the parabolic reflector, plus light up all the way around it. At night they look almost like the head light is on but inthe daytime they look like the Halo or "Angel eyes"
The only bad part is that now when I tow the car, those lights don't come on with my towing set up. I wired up the car with a plug to plug into my truck so that all the lights on the car work off of the truck. But when I wired in these Halos to the Ignition switch, that eliminated the tail lights (Ignition Switch is off). I haven't figured that part out yet but I think a simple SPDT switch marked for "towing mode _ normal" mounted somewhere will eliminate that issue....Always something...But that's the fun of it Huh !
The LED strings are from Superbright LEDS .com.....24 inch ones and you will have to cut them to size. Not sure if that web is correct but I'm close...........Bruce
