I'm sure there is a thread on this somewhere but I was unable to locate what I needed via the search function...
So... before I purchase a HID kit to replace my standard bulbs how hard is it to replace the bulbs and add a balast for the front fog lights?
I heard that it might require taking the bumper completely off or just jacking it up and removing the wheels.
This would be for a 2009 MC56, any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

TBgator85

I just got a set of fog lights and will put them in later today. I do not want to take off the front bumper so I am looking at just removing the headlights. Each one has four bolts on top, unplug and lift out is what it looks like. Then I should have a large cavity to reach down and access the fog light area. I will post later and let you know.

 

booktrout, if possible, could you take and add some pictures as well, I am sure a lot of people will be interested to see how it works..!!
thanks

 

I'm confused; I thought you could access the fog light thru the access panel in the wheel well. Replacing the parking lights on my justa with oem fog lights is on my "to do" list and I planned to do it thru the wheel well after removing the tire. Is removing the headlight assembly a better way?

 

I guess we'll find out once he gives us his results :P

 

After my post I went out and looked under the hood. I think booktrout is on to something here; removing the headlight looks like the way to go and a lot easier than jacking the car and removing the wheel. Let us know how it goes.

 

Okay I'm back,

I started after dinner (6PM) and finished at 10PM so four hours.

To access the fog lights just to install a ballast for an HID system this could work, but not to install the new fog lights. I was able to pull the "off the lot justa Cooper" parking lights out through the opening. I ended up pulling the bumper to install the new fog lights. I did a quick FRONT BUMPER search and found a post that said to go to the ALTA INTERCOOLER site for instructions. There is a good pdf on the procedure if you click on the INSTRUCTIONS tab.

I didn't take any pics of the bumper removal just pulling the headlights. The pdf instructions from ALTA were good, and easy to follow and once you get going on it it is pretty easy. I only took out four fender liner clips, two above the fog light access door, one near the front edge and one near the side scuttle. There is a clip that holds the wheel arch to the bottom portion, one holding the wheel arch to the bumper and three holding it to the metal iner fender and then the front edge of the wheel arch slides forward and out giving you access to the #20 torx screw that holds the bumper at the sides. Having the headlights out helped in pulling the bumper because you can get a light in there and see the things you need to disconnect. Also you don't need to put the car on jack stands and pull the wheels. I just cranked the wheel all the way left to work on the left front and all the way right for the other side.
I had things pre-wired since I knew the lights were on the way and that made the install faster.

THE HEADLIGHT PULL.
Mark the top outer tab (the one that sits on the painted metal) with a sharpie pen and this will help you get it in the same spot when you reinstall it. If you don't put it back in the same it may effect the aim of the lights. The plug with all the wires is just a "pinch to pull" connection. Remove the four bolts with a 10mm socket and the top outer bolt is the only short one. The two on the bottom will require an extension. They may fall down in the hole but once the light is pulled it will be easy to get.

To reinstall the headlight just set it in place, put the bolts back in and tighten them down using the mark on the outer bolt to get it back in the same exact spot. I do not know of any torque specs for these, but they were not very tight coming out and I just snugged them down. If you have a screwdriver type socket driver, a little more than hand tight seems just right for these.

Once the headlight was removed I had enough room to take the parking lights out and after I had the fog lights in and the bumper back on I had a lot of room to finish the wiring and bulb install.

So now you probably think I need an HID set up in those fog lights.

 

Thank you.

 

This whole thread I was reading and very confused... I was like why is he taking off the bumper to swap a bulb?? yeah, I'm dumb =p. Realized its the foglight housing. Mine both cracked within a month of buying the car... i've seen one or two other people with the issue, but noone else, very odd. Its not a surface crack, as you cant feel them, but its definitely spidered out inside. I was gonna change them but decided not to.

I'm running HID's on the fogs, with matching LED DRL's above it. Its seemed to be OKAY without a projector lens in there, but other lower oncoming cars will definitely be bothered by the light. The light output is great, it lights up the road directly infront of my car very nicely, and is definitely bright.
Ballasts can fit between under the headlight and above the foglight housing. My ballasts came with clips I just screwed into an existing screw under the headlights.

Def worth the 40-50$ spent on ebay for those cheapo kits. Ran one in my projector lenses in my audi's headlights for 3 years, never blew a bulb. Been running strong with these ones for 1 yr now. Just make sure to get the capacitor connector too, as otherwise you'll get flickering in the lights.

 

Can you elaborate on the capacitor connector; what exactly is it, where did you get yours, anything I need to be aware of as an electrical-newb? Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

 

FWIW you can install oem fog lights without removing the front bumper (you'll still need to remove the headlights). It's a little complicated; but, basically you remove the oem fog light reflector assembly from its mounting bracket and insert the reflector thru the opening in the wheel well. Once it's inside the cavity below the headlight, reattach the reflector unit to the mount and attach the whole assembly to the bumper (3 screws). A ratcheting offset torx screwdriver is a must to tighten the lower screws. The right side is pretty easy; the left side is a little harder because the bottom of the washer fluid tank is in the way. Working thru the wheel well, remove the lower 3 connectors holding the wheel well liner in place and push the liner out of the way. Next, you need to free up the washer bottle by removing 2 screws in the wheel well and one connector up at the filler cap. This allows you to lift the bottle up slightly (there's and indexing stud at the very bottom of the bottle) and flex the whole bottle assy toward the wheel. This allows you to squeeze the reflector portion of the fog light into the cavity below the left headlight. Reattach the mounting bracket to the reflector and then attach the assembled fog light to the front bumper. I used this method to install oem fog lights on my justa today. It took about 30min for the right side and about an hour for the left. I haven't finished the wiring yet but I'm leaning toward a Hella rocker switch to the left of the steering wheel next to the Hella driving light switch.

 

amodave,

Cool, an hour and a half is a lot better than my four hour ordeal.

I hope this thread encourages more non fog light MINI owners to check fog lights off their list. I guess this started out as a HID fog light thread.

Thanks BostonR56S for getting us back on topic.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/hid-k...Q5fAccessories
(just an example, you can search HID kit on ebay)

"A special error message canceller Harness is needed for certain higher end types of car to by-pass the computer error message. (no additional cost)"

Basically the computer error message is a bulb out warning, as well as flickering that'll occur. So what it does is it uses either a resistor or capacitor that draws more power from the car (to make the car think its using the same power as a stock fog light bulb), and thus doesn't produce flickering/bulb out warning. It just clips in between the stock wiring harness and the ballast. Its very simple and is in the diagrams. For me they didn't send it to me when i originally asked for it with my initial auction, but once i got it and saw the flickering, i emailed them and they sent it out to me. You can try to explain that you've had other sets and know you need the special harness they talk about.

These things have gotten so cheap, and they are much much better/brighter than those 'blue bulbs' that people sell. Give it a go, you'll be happy with it