I want...

I have a 09 MCS and I just had the light kit added to my car. Well I guess I did not do my research enough. I relize that the light only come on when the high Beams are on. I want them on when I want either high or low.

I've read 90% of all the post on this but I cannot find any info on how or where to rewire the OEM install.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Interested as well.

 

I have the Mini Driving lights and they are so bright that if you try to leave them on with cars coming at you you will blind somebody. That is why they come on with the hi-beams only. There is really no need to use them without the hi-beams at all. They are great lights when used properly and safely.
Ronnie948

 

yeah but in places where you really need them you have the distance of the driving light, and the closness of the low beams.

 

I guess you should already know this. When your hi-beams are on, Your low-beams are also on.
When you turn on your driving lights you will actually have: Hi-beams, Low-beams and the driving lights are all lit up. Only the fog lights will be off.
The fog lights function when the low-beams are on. When switching to hi-beams the fog lights go out.
The driving lights will also blind cars coming at you in brood daylight. They are useless in the fog. They do make fog light bulbs that are yellow to replace your driving light bulbs but you would have to adjust your beams down to make them work like they should.
Ronnie948

 

It's easy enough to do, but as ronnie948 said, there's a good reason they're wired in conjunction with the high beams. Other than control issues, there's no reason to have the driving lights act independently, and every reason to have them high beam dependent. Ever been blinded by driving lights? It's not fun, or safe for either the blinder, or the blindee.

 

Well My dealer wired it up to turn on when I wanted them on. High beam Low beam with driving light below. whatever combination i wanted.
The only thing you cannnot do is have them on by themselves.

 

Driving lights should NOT be used when you have oncoming traffic - just as high beams should not be used in that situation. That's why they were wired up the way they were. They're illegal to use at oncoming traffic.

Don't be a jackass and use them this way. It's not only inconsiderate, it's downright dangerous.

 

double post

 

I think I would have to concur with KevinC - and I think the dealer should know better...

I would like to see them come out with a set of driving lights that had that circular "ring" light (BMW) that could be on when parking lights and low beams are on, and then function normally when you need them as driving lamps. After all, BMW is our parent company. Just a pointless dream of mine...

 

i realize my lights are vibrating.... i have checked all screw are tight....anyone has idea why? the left hand size(view from inside the car) is vibrating crazily....

even when the car is idling...


helpppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

 

Are you sure the light rail itself that bolts to the car is properly secured?

 

Please tell me that you don't want to use them in the daytime, like the idiots who run with their fog lights on when it's light, clear and dry out. Maroons........

 

all bolts are real tight...i don't see the bracket vibrate....but the light itself is keep shaking........

 

Could be a mistake above. I have been researching HID conversions to get a harness to work without a bulbout. On my 09 JCW, if you use daytime running lights the low beams stay on when you select high beams (flash position). without daytime running lights only the high beam will come on in the flash position. With the lights turned on if you select the high beam position the low beams turn off. That is the problem that most H13 installations solve by using a relay harness to keep the ballast lit (off the low beam) when you select high beam.

This jives with the complaint that when on high beam you loose the near field of view. I don't see the problem with flipping a switch to deactivate them when on coming traffic is approaching. How is that different from deactivating your high beams under the same circumstances?

 

I agree. It's hard to see when the sun is driving at you from the other direction. High beams shouldn't constantly be used and neither should every single light on your car at once.

 

My driving lights come on whether I have low beam or high beam on. They were wired that way from the dealer. I was told by the previous owner that that is the way they wire them where he bought the car. He bought it US spec in England.

 

I think some dealers incorrectly install the driving lights. Both of our '06 MINIs had the driving lights installed by the same dealer before we took delivery new. On both cars, the driving lights would come on with either the high or low beams. I didn't worry about it too much because I knew not to use them in traffic with the low beams, but we later had the dealer re-wire both cars because they failed state inspection due to the possibility of the driving lights being used with the low beams.

Basically, the driving lights are powered via a relay that's (supposed to be) only energized when the high beams are on. By incorrectly attaching the relay's trigger wire to the low-beam circuit instead of the high-beam circuit, the driving lights can be on any time the headlights are on.