A rather large number of people (this includes me) have expressed the desire to make use of the upper part of the brake/tail lights which has gone unused in US-spec cars as additional brake lights. European-spec cars have this area as a rear fog light. When the MINI was released into the US market it was decided that the rear fog lights were not going to be offered mostly because it was not a requirement here in the states. So, the toggle for the rear fog lamps and the programming for them in the Body Control Module was omitted. Was wasn't omitted was the wiring and the bulbs, which remained. Curious decision, because here were parts installed that were never going to be functional. True, it is cheaper to make certain parts cross-market compatible, but to leave the bulb in place in the holder was the source of not only amusement but a rallying point for US MINI customers to try and get the option made available here. In the meantime, those more creative among us decided to make the orphaned bulb work as a brake light. This has the benefit of making the car more visible during braking and may increase the chances of avoiding a rear-ending of your car by a somewhat inattentive motorist behind. An added asthetic bonus was now the entire area of the brake light was being used. It just plain looked better.
Most of the brake light mods (as they became universally known) were done mostly by adding a jumper wire between two contacts of each brake light assembly or a splicing of two wires in the wiring harness at each taillight. Simple, cheap, and easily reversible if desired.
Those who wanted the rear foglights asked MINIUSA and signed petitions to have them made available here. All that effort has paid off and now there is a kit available from MINI to finally get what we have been wanting.
The 'kit' is simply a replacement switch bank with the missing toggle. Everything else is already in place. You get the entire assembly because the toggles are not individual pieces.
Okay, great! Now we can have the rear fog lights like we always wanted. Some people will do without the rear fog light option because they simply don't want ot need it. Some want to have their brake light mod and leave it at that. Others, like me, want the best of both worlds. This takes a little bit more work.
The problem arises when the brake light mod is done as it has been by jumpering or splicing wires. The jumper/splice allows current to flow from the circuit containing the brake lights to the fog lights, illuminating both when the brake is applied. If the fog lamp circuit is now activated and the fog lamps are lit, the jumper between the circuits will now direct the current meant strictly for the fog lights into the brake light circuit and illuminate them as well. Not good. This will have the perceived effect of riding the brakes and not allowing them to come on only when braking, a serious safety issue.
This is where my simple mod comes in.
(Note: If you have already done the jumper or splice mod, remove the jumpers or return the wiring to the original configuration.)
First, remove the lamp holders from either side of the car (this can be done without tools through the two access panels in back. Press upwards on the locking tab and withdraw the assembly. Squeeze the tab on the harness connector and pull it out. This is what you will have:
The area on the other side of the connector is where the 'mod' takes place:
You will need a soldering iron, wirecutters, and a pair of diodes rated for 3 amps each. I used a pair of surplus NTE580 3amp PIV Schottky diodes for my mod, but realistically any diode capable of carrying 3 amps with a peak inverse voltage (PIV) of 50 volts or more would do fine. Why these specs? The bulbs used in the fog light draw about 1.5 amps each. Doubling this provides a good safety margin. The PIV rating is how much voltage a diode is able to block in the reverse direction before it can't hold it anymore. Again, a safety margin for trouble free life. These are the diodes:
The diode needs to connect the two 'tracks' of the bulbholder as shown. Bend the leads of the diode as shown and solder it in place. The cathode end of the diode must connect to the foglight bulb as shown. The cathode is the end marked with the black band. The diode has to be installed in this fashion so that it will not interfere with replacing the bulb holder in the tail light assembly:
This is another view of the lead forming:
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...lbum04/fnz.jpg
I removed the entire tail light assemblies from both sides of my car to make sure that no interference would happen between the added diodes and the housings. The bulb holders are identical on either side of the car, the housings are different. This shows where the diode fits in relation to the assembled tailight:
Repeat this procedure for the other bulbholder assembly, reinstall the bulbholders into the tailights, connect the wiring and it's done!
Some of you are wondering why this is needed. As I said previously, if one has the brake light mod done with a jumper or splice, the fog light circuit will activate the brake lamps when the fog lamps are turned on. The diodes act as one-way valves preventing the current from 'going backwards' into the brake light circuitry, allowing it to operate in complete independence. The diodes will allow current to flow TO the fog lights when the brake lamps are illuminated and turning them on as well, but not the other way around.
In other words:
Foot on brake with foglights off: Upper and lower lamps lit (the 'brake light mod')
Foot on brake with foglights ON: Upper and lower lamps lit (this is normal operation)
Foot OFF brake with foglamps on: Upper lamps lit ONLY (completely independent)
Foot off brake with foglamps off: Everything off.
The tail/marker lights operate independently as before.
I will be finishing up the installation of the switches and the front fog lights (this is probably going to be another how-to) and taking the car to the dealer to have the computer recoded to activate the option very soon. I will post pics of it all in action then.
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'03 MCS, Dk Silver, 17" R85s, NAV, DSC (often turned off!), Packs #1 and #3, Rally lights, etc, etc. Fulton, MD. FRS 7-21
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