base F56: aftermarket LED DRL/Fogs
 

Has anyone bought something like this: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-vinstar-.../v-130116~vin/

I have a new for me base 2016 justa Cooper. Came with LED headlights, but no fogs and no LED DRLs. I want to get matching LED DRLs that also have a viable fog function. I have visual issues and really need the extra light in inclement weather.

If I got these aftermarket lights -- how does one turn on the fog portion of the light? If I installed the switch/controller, would they work? I tried asking at ECSTuning, but apparently they have non-existent customer service.

Hello Sorry to hear that, who did you talk to? We are here for you. :)

Those are very close to the same hue as the LED omega lights. They have a little more blue tint so they are very close. I have seen those and the factory LED fog kit and they are close to that.

On the turn on from the factory with no fog light, I can check on that and post back up. I believe it was you turn them off then on again. But let me check.

@ESTTuning: well I tried calling, asked to talk to sales, and waited on hold for 15 minutes without getting someone. Then I tried live chat, and someone finally came on after 10-15 minutes, but then never responded to my questions at all, (just a hello, and then they disappeared). But because I did live chat and gave my email address in for live chat, I got an email advertisement from EST saying what wonderful service I would get. In summary, there seemed to be no easy way to get my questions answered, plus now I am getting ads that I didn't ask for.

With regard to my question above -- the real issue is that I am not sure if I need new wires to activate the fogs on these headlamps. I have been told that I can't just buy the mini OEM LED fog lamps and install them, as they won't work on a non-fog equipped car (even if I do install the switch/controller, the wiring just isn't there). If that is the case, how is it that these work? Are we certain that they do actually work, or would the Fog component just never turn on?

Ok, thanks yep they are super busy but we did have some live chat issues today due to volume. Sorry about that. I am always here as a backup and just a PM away.

Yep, wire is just not there on the OEM retrofit. I am checking on those as we just added the vinstar ones, i have seen them in person just never installed them myself. I reached out to them and will have more info and will update the description also.

**Updated only for cars with the original factory halogen bulb fog lamps.

If you need extra light, consider mounting a set of Rally driving and/or Fog lights. I have the halogen version (not a great color match to the LED headlights) of the MINI lights on my bumper and they sure do light up the road ahead. Need to be ready to flick them on and off if traffic is coming. The stock MINI built in fog lights are pretty useless compared to the LED headlights on my car.

Thanks for the responses -- I will consider my fog options.

We just got them in stock, V-130116 free shipping,.


https://www.ecstuning.com/b-vinstar-.../v-130116~vin/

https://c1552172.ssl.cf0.rackcdn.com/1400927_x800.webp

https://c1552172.ssl.cf0.rackcdn.com/1400926_x800.webp

You might want to update your Does this fit my vehicle list. It's showing that it fits a 2019 JCW. I believe it won't fit any of the JCW's because there's no fog light openings on them.

Fixed, thanks for the catch.

And so that you know, you have a Cooper or an non-S. There is no such thing as a “base” MINI, unless it is one without any options at all.

Sorry to bump a stale thread but has anyone installed these? I found more pics on amazon: and it seems there are 3 different ways to have this light on. Does anyone know which positions correspond to headlights on/off? Judging by the last pic it looks like the halo is for DRL, which would be super cool.

Finally got around to installing these and they look fantastic! Nice round halo when during the day and two cool looking shapes when the headlights are on. Now I need to do something about the yellow halogens (probably get the sylvania silver stars).
The lights do not come with instructions, but I found some online: https://store.ijdmtoy.com/pages/3rd-...-install-guide
The guide suggest removing the lights via the access panel in the wheel well, but do yourself a favor and just remove the front bumper right away. There is a small line there that I totally missed: "You will have to remove the water reservoir to get to the stock passenger side fog light." Whaa?! Yeah, there is no way to remove the light on the passenger side through the access panel, so just remove the bumper - https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...cw-bumper.html

Once I removed the bumper the whole thing was super easy. A few tips:

1. When removing the front bumper, watch out for the outside temperature sensor. It is very easy to just rip it out. Don't forget to put it back in the bracket when reinstalling the bumper (this part was PIA!)
2. When installing the bumper back, lightly screw in the top screws and then screw in the bottom middle - on my car it did not seem to fit correctly so if you start with sides, the middle will be impossible to install.
3. The lights come in with a DRL module that is pretty hefty. On the passenger side, you can wedge it between the bumper and the water tank, but on the driver side, there is no good place to secure it. I did not want to just leave it bouncing around in the bumper so I used double sided tape to stick it to the outside of the wheel well. I guess theoretically, if you code the lights to be LEDs, you could remove the module, but I don't trust myself to re-wire everything back correctly.