My 2006 MCS came with 3 switches. 2 for the windows and 1 for the ASC control. I am thinking about buying a full switch toggle bank so that I may add rear and fron fog lights. My question is if i go with after market fog lights for the front, will I be able to make it work with the toggle bank switch? I was going to get the rear fog light from My Mini, and to my understanding, since my car is a 2006, I should already have the wiring ready. So will the rear fog light wiring directly plug into the toggle bank since it it OEM? Thanks
Ryan

 

For the front fogs, you need to tie in to the MINI wiring harness - that's the best way to get the functionality. You also need to get this programmed by the dealer. They may not be willing to set up the programming if you don't have the OEM lights.
Alternatively you might be able to rig up a circuit using a MCAW or Ian Cull's Auto-up, etc. but that would be a bit of work.
The rear fog will wire up just fine.

 

I couldn't afford all the options, so studied the toggles since I didn't want them looking funky... I ended up just adding the rear fog light for $100 to my order - that way I have two outside toggles and two inside toggles. It looks a lot better that way if you can't get all six.

 

Why "rear" fog lights?

 

Why rear fog lights?
Best way to NOT get rear ended in
(A) Rain
(B) Fog
(C) Snow
(D) Or by some klutz on the cell phone, holding coffee, while driving (?) a SUV

 

Except with option "D" you could have lights and sirens on your car and they will still hit you. My sister the cop can't tell you how many times she's been hit by option "D" in her squad car....

 

(E) It is a great way to get tailgaters off your rear. Just flip the rear fog on and watch them hit the brakes
(F) It filled my toggle bank. I didn't want 1 hole.

 

I used option "F" as my justification too.

 

Can just the chrome toggle switch peice be purchased? I do not have rear fogs on my '06, nor do I plan to add them, but I have something else in mind for that single, remaining hole, should I find a switch... Also, are there instructions somewhere on how to dismount the switch plate form the dash? Thanks!

 

Well, like I said, it was mostly for cosmetic purposes - so I would have two toggles outside and two toggles inside. (example: ! o ! ! o !)

But I feel they are handy in situations when you have tailgaters and maybe lowering the possiblity of someone backing into you... It was only $100, so worth it just to have a semi-good looking toggle bank

 

Option F was my justification as well!

 

If you want to control aftermarket fog lights through the toggle panel, your best bet is Eric's suggestion to add MCAW or Ian Cull's auto-up circuit and make it trigger a relay. The toggles on the panel are not like simple switches and are not hardwired to their functions. They send signals to the BC1 computer, which actually performs the tasks.

By the way, the rear fog does not operate unless your running lights are on. You can't just flip it on during the day to warn somebody off.

 

Once in a while someone will have some available on NAM in the martket place, see post above for functionality.

 

I understand this... What I wonder is if a switch that matches the stock ones could be purchased and then wired *apart* from the computerized controls already there? I've never seen a photo of the back of the switch plate, but seeing as how my current switch bank has a knockout peice, there must be a way to fit a switch in there, right?

Not sure what MCAW means, sorry, and I thought the auto-up simply added functinality to the existing window button - is this not true?

Thanks!

 

MCAW is companies accomplishment of the same thing as an auto up, expcept that it apperently is more programmable. THe auto-up can be used to add functionality to any switch, some have used it to add a mode radio function to the MFSW spare buttons. I've seen photos and what you're talking about can be done, however I think the conclusion was it was more cost effective and faster and easier to purchase the full bank or add the switches to the existing bank and then utilize a auto up or MCAW to accomplich the task.

 

OK, I must be missing something... I just scanned through the MCAW installation instructions, and all it speaks of is installing the new circuit wafer in-between the existing connection and the switch bank connector. Is there something else on MCAW's that speaks about where to obtain a spare switch and then install it into the last remaining opening that I have on my bank? FYI- I've seen a bunch of chrome toggle switches out there but none that match the Mini's OEM switches (with the tiny LED in the end), plus, it appears form installation photos that the switch bank is a solid block - how would a dealership install the last switch for the rear fogs, for example? Does the switch that's intended for that use have a proprietary plug interface, allowing it to be used as an add-in to the existing toggle bar? I had hoped that I could obtain an OEM switch and solder in my own wires to whatever posts that unit uses, but it sounds like that might not be an option...

 

I am getting ready to have the rear fog retro-fitted to Gromit(to fill the empty spot, among other reasons ). I was told that they would replace the toggle switch bank with one that has the toggle installed instead of just adding it my existing toggle bank(which is fine since it will have the rear fog label by the switch). If you look around the NAM Marketplace, occasionally you can find spare toggle banks, and sometimes just the switches, for sale. Last time I saw the switches for sale, they were sold for around $4 a piece.

Concerning just installing the rear fog yourself, when I talked to Service Advisor about the retrofit, he told me that installation takes about half and hour, and then they have to program the car's computer to activate the rear fog light "feature" just like they do for the OEM driving lights

 

The switches go directly to a circuit board. If you get a rear fog retro fitted the entire switch bank is replaced, and the computer programmed to activate the use of that switch. My understanding is a programming interface to give added functionality to existing switch banks, they are not in the market of adding switches. YOu can however add the switch by dissasembling the bank inserting it and getting it reprogrammed via MCAW or dealer, of which the MCAW will likely provide more felxibility.

This is the closest BMW comes to selling the switch
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...90&hg=61&fg=35

 

Its mandatory in Europe for the reasons stated. I too have that ugly missing hole that needs a fog toggle switch and desperatly want to have it fixed.

Where can I purchase one of those Toggle Switch Banks with all the functions included? Is the part number on the realoem website correct?

 

Yes you can get just the switch and install, look on the marketplace or MINI

You will need to make the hole in your switch plate
easy to install. CAREFULLY reem it with a knife. The plactic is partially molded exactly were the hole shoud be. (I used a utility knife and just went slow)
I use the stock foglight switch for aftermarket units and added a switch to the panel (it is my ICU program "2" switch)

If you want to get really neet, you can scratch off the black paint and put a "symbol" for the switch you are adding. It will light up just like the others.

I added an "!" as it was easy to scratch.

I have done one were we added the mister for the intercooler and scretched a water spray pattern.

 

The RealOEM part numbers are correct. You can purchase from any MINI dealer or mail-order with NAM discount from Classic MINI.
The toggle panel is manufactured and sold as a complete replacement unit and wasn't designed for individual switches to be added or removed, although people have fitted their own DIY switches into blank spaces. If you truly want a stock appearance, get a full panel and use one of the auto-up circuits to make one of the toggles control what you want.

 

Or you could purchase another partial panel from eBay (like this one) and then move the guts from one switch panel over to fill the missing switches in the other. Typically much cheaper than buying a full switch panel from the service parts counter.

Moving the guts from one OEM switch panel to the other is really quite trivial. It is definitely a very do-able do it yourself project.

Then get one of the auto-up circuits to actuate it


-Randy

 

Yes, this is PRECISELY the panel I have in my car now...



So, you're saying that if I got this I COULD remove a single toggle from this unit, then use a tool to open up that last, unused slot in the one in my car and fill that spot with a toggle switch taken from this unit?

Can someone post a picture of what the removed actual toggle switch device looks like on the back? Does it have posts, screws or other points where wires could be soldered or attached? I'm getting that the way it's SUPPOSED to be used is to add the MCAW wafer to then somehow reprogram the entire switch bar, thereby activating the newly-installed switch, but I'm unclear how one would actually run the required wires to be controlled into that device.

Let's use a simple example. Say I want to wire a lamp, with a single red (hot) and black (ground) wire into that last switch. Ideally, I'd simply wire the switch such that those wires are soldered into the switch, and flipping the toggle makes or breaks the connection. If this is not physically possible due to the design of the stock switch (sounds like it's got specific, non-mechanical connections on it), then how would I wire up the MCAW such that the switch, when thrown, instructs that circuit to be completed?

Interesting that you have to replace the entire bar to simply add a last switch... it seems terribly inefficent, so I assume there's some deeper reasoning behind that puzzling choice...

 

An interesting and creative approach! Would the same technique work for someone retrofitting a rear fog (adding just a toggle, would it become electrically equivalent to the factory panel)?

 

Here are some images of the switch panel disassembled. http://www.iniw.net/gallery/v/switch...3_std.jpg.html

To fill an empty switch position, you purchase another partial switch panel from ebay. Tear it apart and remove the mechanical links to the missing switch which consists of the chrome switch lever (be careful they break easily). You also remove the white pair of what I call push rods. These are the small plastic pieces that are actually pushed into the contact on the PCBoard when the chrome lever is pressed up and down. The rest of your existing switch panel already has a full PCBoard with electronics capable of supporting the switches. Drill a hole into the front of your existing panel so that the chrome lever can come through and fill the oppesite side with the pair of white push rods and reassemble.

If you go with MINI OEM Front or Rear fogs you simply need to have the dealer activate the programming in the BC1 to recongnize the signal from the switch when you throw i up or down to turn on the factory fogs.

If you are going after-market, then the MCAW Circuit can be added to the back of the switch panel. The MCAW has two configurable auxiliary outputs that are triggered by the rear fog light switch. The MCAW has a small pin header connector that you wire from the MCAW to the automotive relay circuit that is part of your after-market lights.

When you throw the rear fog light switch the MCAW sees the signal from your newly retrofitted rear fog light switch and pulls your auto relay circuit to ground thus switching it off or on accordingly.

I hope this helps explain one option for you.

Regards-
Randy