I just installed the Alta rally style light bar with IPF driving lights. The kit is well-made, but directions for wiring the lights up are, (of course) universal, and not specific to my MCS.

Anyway, I have everything wired up, except the wire that must be attached to my existing high beam wire. You see, when you activate the high beams, that action also turns on these IPF lights. So I need to tap into the high beam wire.

The problem is, my MCS is equipped with those high-current Xenon low beams, and I simply don't know which wire is my high-beam wire. I do not wish to get electrocuted by 1.21 gigawatts of electricity when I accidently cut into the high-current Xenon low beams.

Can anyone tell me definitevely where the high-beam wire is on a 2004 Mini Cooper S, with Xenon lights?
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"What we've got here is... failure to communicate

 

I was thinking about buying that light bar. Is there now way to make up a seperate switch to where you can turn them on/off anytime you want? How nice does it mount up to the bumper? Post some Pics if you can. I know I have seen pics on ALTA's website but im just trying to see it on someone else's car.

Thank,
Matt

 

The high beam wire is the white/green wire on the left side or the white/blue wire on the right. Either one can be used. Most (good) light kits draw very little current off of the headlight circuit, using the current to operate a relay and not the aux lamps directly.

 

jonnieoh,

Welcome to NAM

Let us know how the install ends up

The MINIs do look good with driving lights.

Earl

 

I do have a picture or two already, but I don't know how to post it into the thread. Any quick tips on how to do that?

Greatbear, how certain are you about those wire colors? If you were playing "Who wants to be a millionaire", would that be your final answer?

To answer DrkSilvrMini; the kit comes with an on/off "arming" switch, much like the MINI factory lights do. They arm the system; bring up to stand-by mode, until you turn your high beams on.

I would imagine that you could wire it up so you can turn them on regardless of high or low beams being on, but I've heard in some states where they require yearly inspections, you might get some trouble if your car has the ability to have low beams and your driving lights on at the same time--they should only be wired to go on when your high beams are on, (in the opinion of the law, that is).

 

Yeah I know how the law can get. Anyways thanks for the answer back. I guess I will just have to order mine and see what I can do as far as a seperate switch. Another question is how bright are these lights that come with the Light Bar?

 

Well,

uh, I don't really know! I haven't been able to turn them on yet, since the wiring job isn't finished yet. As soon as I get them working, I'll let you know. But one thing is for sure, the reflectors are gigantic. I think they'll be very VERY bright! Like a supernova.

 

Oh yeah duh, Forgot you were asking about the high beam wire. Well good luck on getting them hooked up .

 

Jonnieoh,

While some folks prefer the bonnet mounted lamps I think you're really going to enjoy the Alta lamp setup. I use mine quite a bit driving down through Mexico so I get a fair amount of use out of them, otherwise they'd be strictly for looks. Regardless, I think they add a real nice touch to the car (mine is the DS one pictured on the bottom of Alta's lightbar page).

Welcome!

AMPR

 

I've been looking to speak with someone who's installed these exact lights. Thank god.

Okay, so how did you wire yours up? Where did you clip into the high beam wire, and do you agree with the earlier post that the wire I'm looking for is the white/green one?

Is the best/easiest place to clip into this wire on the wire harness just before it connects to the drivers' side headlamp?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

Okay, here's my first attempt to attach a picture:

If it worked, attached is a picture of the light bar on the front. Note: I didn't buy all 4 lights. They're sold as a set of 2. The kit from Alta comes with 2 sets of 2 lights, (that's 4 lights total). But they were very accomodating at Alta, and let me order only one set of lights. As you can see, my front license plate is in the way, but since it is a vanity plate, I don't mind keeping it there. Luckilly, with just 2 IPF lights, everything works out quite nicely.

 

How hard was it to do, the mounting

 

Click onto this thumbnail for a bigger picture. It is quite a complex mounting system, but it is VERY secure, therefore the lights will not vibrate while you drive. Installation involves completely removing the front bumper cover, and the bumper itself, because the bar that holds the lights mounts to the back of the bumper. (The bar is kinda hard to see, as it is black). You have to go through the mesh grille in two spots to accomplish this.

See Alta's page about it: http://www.altaminiperformance.com/p...r/lightbar.htm

As far as removing the bumper, I used this web page to help me through that: (thanks Motoring File and Sean Bartnik). http://mini.uglydoris.com/archives/000020.html

 

I wish I could answer that but I actually had it installed at Steve's Auto Clinic. They did a great job only I'm not sure how they wired it. I do know that it's wired independently and works with both high & low beams and fogs.

Hope this helps.

AMPR

 

I was told when I was ordering my 2005 MCS, that the high beams are what is used by the "daytime running lights" since the Xenons were not dimmable by cutting the voltage. I was told that the high beams are confused into working at low light output by switching the curent on and off at a very high rate. I was also told that this would blow up any relay hooked to it for use as a driving light relay. So when I ordered the car, I specified no daytime running lights. Any truth to what I was told?

 

It's actually rather true, but it's not a case of relays blowing up, it's just that you'll end up with questionable operation. The daytime running light feature works by running the high beams at half power. Half power here is achieved by switching the current on and off about 200 times a second, one for 50% of an on-off cycle, off for the other 50%.

If you apply such a square-wave signal to a relay, a couple things can happen, depending on the relay's design. The relay could 'chatter', opening and closing with each on-off cycle, sounding to all the world like an alarm clock going off. This will not immediately damage the relay, but if allowed to continue it will wear out the contacts and/or the mechanism of the relay. Some other relays will either close normally or stay open with the cycling current applied, possibly making noise during that time. Again, there is no predicting how this would turn out, you'd have to 'experiment' with various relays.

Since I am not sure of the DRLs go off with the running lights on, the solution below will work only if this is the case. I don't have DRLs activated and cant find out in owner's manuals and such if it's indeed true. If the DRLs go out with the headlight switch in the first (running lights) position, then this solution would work. If not, skip it.

It's a rather simple solution to make the add-on lights work normally, all it takes is an additional relay added to the wiring that is controlled by the running light circuit. The closure of this relay will be used to complete the circuit which operates the main relay controlling the lights. This way, the aux lights will only function when the actual headlights are in use because the running lights come on with them.

Wire up the aux light kit according to the diagram that comes with it. Adding the extra 'lockout' relay is a matter of connecting the coil of the lockout relay in parallel with one of the running lights, then connecting it's contacts in series with the aux lamp control switch.

 

this looks great, exactly what I want to do.
Thanks for sharing

 

Finally, THEY WORK!

I wired them up, and they work now! They also happen to work with either low or high beams on, which is contrary to how I thought they'd work. I was sure they were only going to come on with the high beams. Perhaps I tapped into a wrong wire, but hey, they work, and that's all I care about. I still haven't seen them on at night yet, that will be tonight when I go home from work. I can't wait! Attached are pics of them working, as well as a tighter shot of how the bar mounts to the car.

 

You tapped the wrong wire. You wanted the yellow/green wire for high beams only.

 

I knew something was incorrect. Now after I've been using them for the past few nights on my commute home, I am kinda annoyed that I have to use the included switch to turn them on and off, (in addition to my regular duty of turning my high-beams off). When oncoming traffic is coming, I have to quickly try to find the switch to turn them off, and then I also have to turn off the high beams. That is two inconvenient steps, and therefore not something I could live with very much longer. I really want the high-beam stalk to turn them on and off, simplifying things immensely, so I'm going to try to tap into to the yellow-green wire this weekend. Hopefully, that'll do the trick.

Thumbnail below shows the lights on at night.

 

Okay, I'm officially ending this thread. The project is now OFFICIALLY DONE! Today I switched to the GREEN and YELLOW WIRE, and low-and-behold, the high beam stalk now turns the driving lights on, just as God and the good folks at IPF intended.

That means they'll only be activated when I have a.) armed the lights with the switch, and b.) turned on my high beams.

These things are so bright, I don't see the need for them to ever be on with the low-beams, (even though there are some of you out there who would no doubt disagree with me).

This is the end of the project, so thanks to all who helped with your tips and tricks. So to anyone trying to wire driving lamps up to be activated with the high-beam stalk, use the green/yellow wire (on the drivers' side, that is).

 

Could you post a picture of the arming switch and where you mounted it?

 

I mounted mine on the left side of the steering wheel, on the dashboard.

See the attached thumbnail image. It is a black wire that comes up from under the dashboard, and the switch itself look like a miniature computer mouse... I tried to route the wire up that seam in the dashboard, seemed like a natural place for it.

See it?

 

Sure do.

Thanks!

 

The switch has double-sided tape on the back, so it can be mounted ANYWHERE you want. For a while, I had it hidden down under the dash (didn't want to mess up the dashboard's "feng shui"). But then I wanted to be able to see the two LED indicators on the switch, which tell me whether the lights are on or not.

So it's all up to you, as to where you mount the switch.