Hmm.... This is the dealer response:

A little off-putting, to say the least....

I guess the issue is whether an 05/05-build R53 is in fact pre-wired for the rear fogs. I thought they were, but maybe not?

If it is pre-wired, I may try another avenue, such as Classic MINI (thanks rkw!) or Customminishop, as noted above....

If no pre-wiring, I'm starting to think it might not be worth the hassle/expense....

 

Your 05/05 is prewired. The price for the switch panel has jumped up a lot! It was available for as low as $75 in past years. Remember you'll also have to pay the dealer to program the activation.

You could keep a watch on eBay. There are several switch panels right now but none with the full toggle set. Search motors.ebay.com for "mini cooper switch".

An alternative is to skip the rear fog and make the lamp an extra brake or backup light instead.

 

My full toggle bank arrived yesterday (thanks DotBob!), and it took me about 15 minutes this afternoon to swap it in for the old one (front fog only). The most difficult bit was my "dry run" removing the knee bolster (I was so paranoid I'd break something) and actually getting the right size torx driver. (I borrowed a set from a friend, but ended up having to go to the hardware store to get the right sizes anyway.)

- Remove knee bolster; open glovebox
- Remove T40 screws from downtube. (Wrinkle: It turns out if you have the cupholder installed, those are T25s.)
- Push downtubes aside to allow access to toggle bank
- Remove T20 screws from toggle bank
- Carefully detach toggle bank from harness
- Connect new toggle bank
- Reassemble



It turns out the rear fog lamp module itself didn't ship from Mini Mania until yesterday, so it will be a few more before that arrives. That should take about 5 minutes -- most of that spent untaping the wires.

Then off to the dealer to pay out the **** to have them spend 5 minutes activating the rear fog lights.

Just out of curiosity, would it be possible for the dealer to activate the rear fog lamp without the lamp module actually being in place?

 

I think you took the long way, all you have to do is take off the downtubes 2 screws each side and 2 total holding on the switch that is it

 

 

I thought you took out the entire glove box i read it too fast last night

 

 

@#$*@^#$!!!

I just e-mailed a local dealer to get a cost/time estimate for the software activation. The response:

From what I've read elsewhere (NAM, etc.), the software upgrade should take about 5 min, and most dealers charge a 1/2-hour minimum.

$175 for a 5-minute job seems insane.

Have an inquiry in to another dealer -- a bit further away -- to see if they're any more reasonable.

 

Rear fog light active!!

I'd inquired with another dealership (1 1/2 hours away, rather than 45 min), who quoted 1 hour @ $115. Not as cheap as some here have been able to get, but better than the first dealer.

It fact took 2 hours because the programming didn't take the first time, but the dealer was good to their word and only charged an hour's time.

Man, is that light bright! I feel like Rudolph!

 

Ok, so I am confused. Being tired might be part of it. I have a rear fog light built into my '03 R53. I thought it was a backup light, cause I don't have a switch on my toggle for it. Am I able to convert it if this is true?

 

It is a backup light! In an '03, the rear fog is the top bulb of the taillight. If you don't have the rear fog option, you might have noticed that the top bulb of your taillights never light up. You can have your dealer activate it (you'll also need a new toggle panel). The rear fog was moved to the bumper beginning on '05, which is what you may be confused about.

 

Thank you rkw. Makes sense now. Would it be possible to convert that from a backup light to a fog light? A fog light in the tail lights seems kind of weird.

 

Wow.... It *might* be possible, but I suspect it would hardly be worth the effort/expense.

You'd need to upgrade to the '05+ tail lamp assembly -- because you'll need the reverse light -- plus the rear fog lamp unit. (I think -=gRay rAvEn=- upgraded the rear lamps on his '03, but I don't know if he also added the rear fog.) And you'll probably need a new toggle panel, unless you want to rig it so that one switch operates both the front and rear fogs. That's the least of it.

Old:


New:


I have no idea how significantly the rear lamp wiring differs between the '02-'04 and '05-'06, but that could be an issue, and of course, you'd need a software update to make the new hardware functional. Again, I don't know how compatible the '02-'04 is w. '05-'06. (And given how much of a PITA getting the software upgrade on my '05 was....)

 

Looks like he kept his original backup light in place:

R56ExhaustTips007.jpg?t=1261443716

And if Dave didn't add the rear fog when he had the chance, you *know* it has to not be worth the effort!

 

Wow, thats intense. I was hoping for a little of bit of rewiring, and a new toggle panel. Hmmm...this might be not worth it. I was hoping to just convert the back up light to a switch activated fog light. Then convert it to HID. It sounded like a cool idea, but idk now.

 

It's basically easy to do but the problem is the cost of parts. The rewiring should be very easy. The electricals are the same, just backup and fog lights routed to new locations. The problem is paying for new taillights, red fog light, toggle panel, and dealer activation of the rear fog.

 

I see. Would I need the red fog light, or could I use the white one I already have there?

 

For it to be legal in most (if not all) states, it would need to be red.

 

You can put a red bulb in your clear light fixture. A red LED bulb might be ideal. It would be adequate, although it won't look as bright as the red fog light because the clear backup lens is designed to throw out a different light pattern.

Or you could go crazy with it like I did: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d-extreme.html

 

Thats kind of stupid that it has to be red to be legal. Its separate from the brake lights, but I guess it would confuse people. I like your setup rkw. Good use of the LEDS. Im not sure what to do now. I wanted to do after market tail lights, but that will probably complicate things even more. Thanks for the responses.

 

Well I don't think you'd want to allow rear fog lights to be white! Actually rear fog lights are probably allowed only in red throughout most of the world.

 

lol, I would. I just think it would look better. But legal is legal, so red it would be.

 

If you are interested, I bought the parts for my '06 MCS. I now have the full switch bank (DSC, front fogs, rear fog).

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-fog-lite.html