I am about to purchase an '04 MC with an Aero Kit already installed. The car has the openings for the front fog lights but currently has none installed. I have asked the dealer (an authorized Mini dealer) to verify whether the foglights (and harness) can be installed in the car. With verification by VIN, the advisor has stated the harness is not installed. He further stated that it cannot be installed without dismantling the car and running the harness along with installing the foglights..a multi thousand dollar job. I have researched here and on other Mini sites and have found the front foglight retrofit wiring harness/foglight install instructions for this car. Am I to believe it takes this amount of effort the dealer is stating or shall I have more faith in the retrofit install guide (a 2 hour installation effort)?


Thanks!

 

I retrofitted OEM foglights on my '06 MCC (the procedure would be the same for your '04 MC). I thought it was a fairly difficult installation and think it would be not unreasonable for a dealer to charge 4 hours of labor (certainly not a multi-thousand dollar job!). A 2 hour installation may be possible, but it would have to be done by someone who has done exactly this procedure before, and working efficiently.

 

Thanks for the info rkw! I now own this wonderful car and am beginning to get my nerve together to install this harness.

 

If you didn't see it already, this thread should be helpful: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=33918

 

OK, all of the work is done, lights installed wires ran and connected, new switch installed, now I have no headlights or fog lights. Will having the system recoded fix this problem?

I have read around on several site and it does not sound like anyone else reported this problem

I have double checked and triple checked all connections.

Thanks for any responses.

Shawn.

 

Yikes!!! The fog lights won't operate until the system is recoded, but the headlights should have been unaffected. Did you do all the work in one shot, or did the headlights only stop working after your last work session? Were any other lights affected?

I would first check if the headlights have a blown fuse. Then starting from the last step, work backwards and start to disconnect and restore connections to their original state and see if the headlights come back at some point. My own installation was done in starts and stops spread out over several weekends, and the car was fine during the stages of partial installation. The consolation I can give is that you've lost your headlights during the longest days of the year.

 

I did it in stages, just got my toggle bank and finished the interior work today, I tried reinstalling the old switch bank, its the same, checked all the fuses and everything else I couls think of.

If the key is off and I switch the headlight switch from dims to brights the lights come on and stay on for a few mins (courtosy lights), but as soon as I turn on the key switch they go out again, If I hold the light switch to the brights they do burn but do not stay on when the switch is released.

Man is my wife mad at me.

 

If you've backed out all your changes for the day and it still behaves oddly, I'm not sure how to approach it. Try disconnecting your battery for a while to see if it resets something.I know what that's like. It may be a long night working on the car.

 

Well I found the problem with the headlights, a blown 5 amp fuse inside the car, dash lights.

Now all I need is the coding.

Thanks for the replys, Shawn.