I went to the dealer because I wanted to install the eom fog lights, not the driving lights (not yet anyway). They said that I could not just put them in if it did not come prewired from the factory. Then I asked if I could just get the wiring done and he said no because they did not offer a retrofit kit for them. How can I tell if it came with the prewiring? Can anyone shed some light on this? (sorry for the bad pun)

 

You can indeed retrofit the fog lights after the fact. I know because I did it myself. It is not easy, because you have to add the wiring that was omitted by the factory (this includes running wores from the lights to the underhood fuse box, thought the dash and to both the toggle bank as well as the body control module behind the right kick panel). The car will also have to be coded by the dealer to activate the option as well. Brian at Classic MINI can set you up with a kit. Do the rear fogs at the same time (no wiring needed there).

 

There is a MINIUSA approved and issued factory retrofit kit for the foglights. I know this because I wanted them installed after the fact and I waited for MINI to issue this kit again this year. (It was available early this year, and then they stopped offering it for a while to upgrade it, but mine were done over the summer.) .

The first dealer I approached about this work (the one I bought my car from in VA) gave me the same run around that you are getting and told me it was not possible. They made me do all the work to get them the information (Gabe Bridger's Motoringfile site was the best place to find this and he was a big help to me. And I have dealt with Brian at Classic Auto Campus who Greatbear mentioned and if you want to do it yourself, definitely get the parts from him.) After doing all this, they still refused to do the work and gave me a hard time so I went to another dealer who knew exactly what I was talking about. While I did have to wait a few months for the parts to come in, they kept me informed about progress and were wonderful to deal with. (MINI of Towson MD)

The dealer did the work for me because I don't have the technical skill set to do it myself. It does involve changing the wiring harness the car came with from the factory

I don't have the information hear, but I could dig up my work ticket and get you the part numbers. PM me!

 

http://motoringfile.com/howto/Fog%20Lights.PDF

This a link to the retrofit instructions found on Gabe's site. There are several kits available, depending on the options your car has (DSC, ASC+T, nothing) and whether or not you want to add the rear fog lights at the same time.

You have to install the front lights, run the wires and replace the toggle switch panel. The front fog lights will not need dealer coding; if you choose to do the rear fog lights, they will need coding.

My car has ASC and I plan on adding the rear fog lights as well. Classic sells the kit for my car at about $160 or so.

 

What was the price on the front fogs? With and without dealer install?

 

I'd have to go back and look it up. But I can do this and send to you by PM.

 

Thanks, I'd appreciate it, if it's not too much trouble.

 

Jen, I would like this information as well if it's not an inconvenience? Thank you.

 

Hello all. Thank you all for your help. I really appreciate it. And to Jen I will PM you for that info if you can get it. Thanks.

 

*bump* Did you find your paperwork on this?

 

Yes, I did. I pm'd the answer but here in the information for others interested

Part number 1 63 17 0 391 814 Fog Lamp Kit. This kit did the front retrofit and the rear activation for me.

Dealer charged me the parts cost and 2.5 hours of labor

 

are these foglights for Mini coopers or Mini Cooper S?

 

The overall kits are the same, the only difference is in the switch bank as this changes depending on model and options. For a MC the second toggle might be blank or might have ASC. For a MCS it could have ASC or DSC. All of these instances can come with or without rear fog lights (I recommend doing the rears when you do the fronts. Unlike the fronts, everything is in place for the rears from the factory, the only difference is the switch bank. Since you have to replace the switches anyway, get the one with the rears. You can have them both activated at the same time).

 

I had an aftermarket shop installed my front foglights last week (the parts, kit are from ClassicMINI) they installed step by step followed by this instruction http://motoringfile.com/howto/Fog%20Lights.PDF (properly, precisely done and cheked twice) We have a problem with the switch bank--when we turned the fogliths on so we could not turned them off--this is part of coding or something? Also, if I wanted to install rear foglights? How to? Do I have to buy parts or they are already there so all I need is just bring the car to the dealer for coding?

Thank you much.

 

Those instructions contain an error (I found this out way back when I did my install) Where it says to connect the wires at the switch bank to pins 3 and 7 instead should read 13 and 17. I had to trace out the wiring and match it with the wiring diagram to get it right. Newer versions of the instructions have been corrected. Make sure that is the case with your installation.

As for the rear fogs, if you have a '02-'04 car, everything else is in place for the rear fogs, all that is needed is the toggle bank with the switch and a session at the dealer for coding and you are set.

 

Greatbear,

You may be right. We followed the instructions. Where can I get the new version of the instructions? Thanks for your help.

 

*Bump T.T.T

Well, based on this post with everybodys input, I have purchased and received the Front Fog Lamp Kit W/ Switch bank with a Rear Fog as well. I've looked over the instructions, and Im going to give it a shot on Saturday afternoon. I'll keep you posted

 

I also purchased the Front Fog Lamp Kit and switch panel, and I am half way through the installation. I installed the lights and routed the harness in the engine compartment but I still have to route the harness through the grommet to the interior and make the inside connections. I have a couple of other wiring projects I will be doing around the dash and center console, and I am waiting until I can do all of them at the same time. At the moment, the rest of my wiring harness is coiled up in a safe place under the hood.

I have a 2006 MCC. The fog lights have 4 attachment points (holes for the screws to pass through), and 3 of them are actually used. On my car, the 3 attachment points used are different from the 3 shown in the installation diagrams. I think it is because bumpers changed design for 05/06 model years. A problem I ran into was that the speed clips provided to attach the lights would not fit on my car. They are too long and did not provide enough clearance for the lamp fixture. A remedy is to get different speed clips and screws from the hardware store. I didn't want to make the trip, so I took off the bumper (takes only a few minutes) to give myself access to the other side. This allowed me to use the back half of the speed clip like a nut to secure the screw.

I case you don't have the newer instructions, they are here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t_Retrofit.pdf

 

RKW, You don't know how much happier you have made my day.

I had used the instructions from the earlier part of this post. I followed it for the most part. The only part I got carried away was near the driver side hood-latch. I used too much in legnth of the harness, neatly wrapping it in existing looms. I was careful in learning how to open the connectors and making the new connections. Nearing completion and anxious to see if they worked, I hooked up the battery cables and hit the switch, opps the fogs didn't come on. Few choice words were said.

And then, today I felt pretty bad that I was going to have to trace my steps from the beginning and start fresh. But you saved the day with NEW instructions. Your version of the instructions indicates the car needs to be recoded. My old instructions used a Body Module that did not need recoding. So thanks to your help in posting updated instructions, All I have to do is call my dealer and make an appointment for a reflash

Thanks again,
Kevin

P.S. 2.5 hours more like 8.

 

Thanks for all the help! I had East Bay MINI code up the BCM today, and the three fog lights work just like they are supposed to. GO NAM

 

Now it's my turn to need some help. I had installed the fog lights but the rest of the harness has been coiled under my hood for the past few weeks until I could get back to it. I had some time today and started on the next step, which is to hook up the harness to the fuse box in the engine compartment. Well, I immediately got stuck as I couldn't figure out how to open the underside of the fuse box.

The drawing in the instructions shows the underside of the fuse box exposed, where I will have to access the connectors:


Here is my fuse box unbolted from its mount and tilted up slightly (the top cover is removed):


There is a plastic cover (outlined in yellow) over the bottom of the fuse box, where the connectors are. The bottom is completely closed except for an opening at the far end where cables enter. I'm sure there must be tabs or hooks to release the bottom cover, but I spent the better part of an hour looking for how it comes off. Not wanting to force or break anything, I simply put everything back for now. Does anyone know how to take this cover off?

 

RealOEM has this exploded view of the engine compartment fuse box:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...39&hg=61&fg=20
At least I can see how it's put together, and I'll make another try at pulling off the bottom cover later this week. This is rather embarrassing for me because it seems like it should be so simple.

 

If you don't mind saying, what did East Bay MINI charge you for the coding of the fog lights?

 

FWIW, MINI of San Francisco (where I bought my car) coded my front and rear fogs for free while they were doing some other work. Whether your dealer charges you will be somewhat arbitrary, depending on whether you bought the car there, your relationship with the service department, which SA you talk to and his/her mood, etc. If they do charge, it would likely be their minimum unit of labor, which could be as much as a half hour. If you want any programmable options changed, it would be a good time to do it at the same time.

 

One half hour labor, $80. Expesnsive yes, but worth it.