Me again

If my toggle switch idea doesn't work, next thought would be to find someone parting out a MINI with heated seats. Would those switches work to arm driving lights? Heaters take a lot of juice so I figure they run off relays just like driving lights...no reason to think they wouldn't work.

(BTW, Pelican Parts lists that switch panel at almost $200 bucks...more than the toggle bank actually...so I'm not thinking buy new here).

Thoughts?

 

The heated seat switch is also the heat control electronics - including temperature monitoring. A simple on/off switch would not work safely.

 

Not sure why you would want to use the heating switch to activate driving lights. In my '03 Cooper, I didn't have the heated seats, so I mounted a lighted toggle for my driving lights here.

 

Thanks Richard...I saw that before, but I was trying to find a way to be inconspicuous. If that doesn't work I'm thinkin these...reminds me of my days in jets...

Well, it was worth a shot

 

Awww, yeah I definitely wasn't going for inconspicuous, lol. Yeah those "arming" switches would be cool, lol. =)

 

This is really funny cause I was thinking of doing the same exact thing. I went to my MINI dealer today and asked the mechanic about it. He told me that if I already have heated seats (which I dont) it wouldnt work because the heated seat switches are connected to a module that controls the different settings. But if I dont then they say that it sounds like it could be done. Theyve never seen it b4 but they dont see a problem with it. As long as you connect it correctly with all the resistors and all that good stuff. (I dont know much about electrical work so I got kinda confused once he started mentioning that, but basically he said it could work but you have to make sure its done right).

Let me know if you do this cause I really wanna do it. I also want a "clean" / "OEM" type of look to go with my lights

 

Interesting (I don't have the heated seats either) ...wonder how I could find the specs on the heated seat switches?

Wonder if anyone has a wrecked MC willing to part out that switch panel...

 

Have you looked at just getting the OEM driving light switch and adapting it to work with your lights? I think that could be made to work...

 

Finding a switch to fit where the OEM switch fits isn't an issue (in the bolster...and with a euro shelf the hole is already there)...but I was not planning to combine mine into a single switch so I thought I'd go somewhere else.

 

Do you have a rear fog?

 

idk if Sin MINI does but I dont....

y???

 

Me? Nope. I have one open slot on my toggle panel.

 

Okay...so this is what I did...I *think* he'd still do it but I don't know for sure, you'd have to email and ask...

I bought a new full toggle panel from Classic (I think like $70 or so with shipping after NAM discount). Then I had Ian (GBMINI, he sells the auto-up circuits) custom make me a circuit to make the rear fog toggle operate the driving lights instead. I mailed him the wiring harness and he mailed it back with the circuit. I think with shipping it was no more than $70.

So it wasn't as cheap as just wiring a random switch in somewhere...but it is absolutely seamless. No one but a MINI fan would know what that switch is supposed to do, and that instead it's working the driving lamps. Plus, I got auto-up windows and all-the-time fogs!

OH. And then I sold the OLD toggle panel here on the Marketplace for like $30! Bonus.

 

ML's solution is the most fabulous...
but I was thinking the switch location to the left of the ebrake (runflat reset is on the right side, empty plate is on the left side).
Will the same OEM driving light switch that fits there? (so could do one there and one in the bolster if you needed two?)

 

I added two switches where the heated seat switches would have been if my car had bum warmers. One is for OEM foglights installed/wired like aftermarket lights, the other for the Hella driving lights. If you don't look carefully you'd just assume they were for seat heaters. They worked out really well.