Sorry for the delay, threar! I just got your PM because I've been away for the last several days. Here's the info you wanted:

I spliced into the factory signal wire for the high beams. Geoffrey used the fog light activation.

The gasket is actually easier than it appears - there's a nipple pointing out of the gasket from the cabin area. Take a scissors and cut a small hole in the tip of that gasket nipple. Thread the wire through that slice, and it will seal up nicely if you made the hole smaller than the wire.

If you need info on where to splice into the high beam wire (at the BCM at the driver's footwell), I'll be more than happy to post that for you.

 

Did you just tap directly into the hot wire going directly to the fog light?

 

Hello,

Excuse my bad english, I'm posting from France.

I'm currently installing additional headlights "mini" on my countryman Cooper S.
No problem to remove the grille and install the brackets and lights.
by against, I do not know how to remove the front door sill strip and the left knee protection to access to the BCM for wiring the command at the driver's footwell.
Is not it more convenient to connect directly to the cable (yellow / blue) on the light rather than disassemble the fittings to connect to the BCM inside the car?

Thanks for your advises

Gilles

 

Got my lights installed, connected up to the fog button. Still need to install the override switch (snow followed by a vacation has made project completion a bit more difficult). I like the mounts, makes the front look a little more angry (at least I think so).

 

What lights did you use?

 

I've got the VIP Quad 6.4" Hella's. Blog posting is here. I think they look quite cool:

 

anyone try installing hid in the oem driving lamp.

 

Anyone have a guide or rule-of-thumb for aligning the lights?

 

You have to ensure that the ground is fairly level. They should come with instructions on how far back to face a flat wall and what height the hotspot should be, but typically you want the beam to be parallel to the ground so that the hotspot is the same height up on the wall as the light is on the car. Have someone sit in the drivers seat to simulate your weight or else the beam will point up slightly when you get it.

I can remember back in the 80s aiming my Cibié driving lights on my 1974 Audi in front of my garage with my dad. That was back when all the beemers had Hellas under the front bumper on each side with guard bars around them. I bent up some scrap round stock from work and made my own guards for the Cibiés.

 

The 4 light rack looks incredible, I'm looking to do the same on my Light White CM. I'd like to buy just the lights though, and make my own bracket, does anyone know if its a special 4-light harness, or is it just two 2-light harnesses that you splice together at the end?

By the way, the blog "how-to" write up is great, thanks for posting!

 

There isn't much special about the wiring for the lights, just some extra taps on the driver's side for the lights to plug into.

 

Here is my 2012 Countryman with IPF 968. (I also have a set of white covers)

 

Got my VIP brackets installed.....I'm sure you could tow the car with these...lol

I bought the Hella 500 BM and want to tap them into the fog lights like this guy mentioned.
Is this the hot wire? I have not been in there with my meter yet but just looking for a quick answer. Did you guys tap the wire outside or inside?

I'm putting in yellow bulbs so I just want them for low beam only no need for high beam overide.

 

Brown is ground the whole car round.

 

LOL. Installing them tonight.

 

Done tapped into the fog lights. They look awesome, we will see how they perform next time the fog rolls in....should be any minute.

 

Ok I have a stupid question. I have the factory driving lights, blah. Can I get the Hella Black Magics and just replace the ones I have spicing into the existing wiring that powers the factory lights?

 

It's essentially just a power and ground - should be good to go on that theory.

 

I am curious about this as well. I have factory chrome driving lights but I am blacking out the chrome on my car, and while I am looking into PlastiDip and Vinyl wrapping them, I am also looking at improving them by replacing them with Hellas. I have the OEM switch and brackets, but if I go the route of the Hellas, do I need a mounting bar or a different mounting solution to the OEM brackets? Regarding the electrical wiring, I am sure the wiring would be fine assuming the Hellas draw the same or close to the same amperage as the OEM lights do. If not then you can get into some problems.

 

Amperage isn't really the issue - it's simply wattage.

Regardless of the 12v bulb type used, just keep it under 60w and you'll be more than fine.

I use 85w bulbs in my Hella Black Magics, and no issues.

 

Ok you say keep it under 60w but you said you are using 85w with no problem.

My actual question and I guess I will need to ask VIP if I can reuse my oem brackets or if I need to buy the VIP brackets and bar.

 

I'm also using the Hella relay and wiring - you are using the factory wiring. I'd play it safe on factory wires and not exceed 60w. The Hella wiring is good for up to 100w, I believe.

 

Well no, it's the amperage the higher wattage lamps draw on the 12v load. So yes, it is amperage, which can be higher based on the wattage of lamp you are running. So we both are correct in that sense.

-Z

 

I certainly wasn't implying that amperage didn't matter or (possibly even scarier) didn't exist in this case.

I guess what I was saying is that what we're worried about is overheating the wires, which has more to do with the sustained load / resistance rather than load.

For others looking at this thread:

A x V = W -- Amps multiplied by voltage = Watts

For 60w bulbs, the result would be: 60 = 12(A) -- 5 amps.
For 85w bulbs, the result would be: 85 = 12(A) -- 7.08 amps.

So I'm not disputing the amperage difference - just the causation of worry - the heat buildup by increasing resistance of smaller wire and increasing wattage.

 

Theta,

If you have that info I would love it. I am at that point at my install with Hella 500's on VIP brackets.

Thanks!

-Jac