Anybody spring for these? If so, are you happy with your purchase?

I think they look very retro cool, but I was quoted around $750 installed. That seemed pretty pricey to me.

Also, my MA said that they only turned on when the highbeams were activated. I thought I read that you could turn them on independently as well. Anybody know for sure?

 

You can go the aftermarket route for at least 1/3 of that price if not better. Brackets can be bought from Minimania, or Outmotoring then you have a choice of what ever size and style lamps you want ie chrome black, clear lens amber lens etc, in my gallery I have large PIAA 520's with Outmotoring brackets, did the whole thing for $200. Hope that helps

 

when the dealer installs the lamps they're wired to the high beam circuit only. if you have them fitted at an auto-electrician, he/she'll wire them up any way you like. but you'll risk having aqn ugly aftermarket switch somewhere in the car. If you've got the front foglamp option, wire them to that. but then you won't be able to flash them at oncoming traffic.

 

Yes... and yes.

Yep, that's a lot of green. I priced out some nice Hellas. Installed with brackets and everything they were a couple hundred less then the MINI branded lights. But, I wanted mine right away and the dealer said they would cover the instal, lights, wiring etc under warranty if they did it, so... I went for it. Oh, well.

True. With high beams on or not at all. Wish it was different, but it's not.

 

They are designed to be used in conjuction with the high beams, both for efficacy and legality issues. If you have them both on, then you're blinding some poor person coming the other way as you fiddle to find your driving light switch.
A rewire would not require an aftermarket switch, but if I go to Sacto and am blinded by a MINI's driving lights, I'll turn around, hunt you down, and force you to stare at MY driving lights while I rewire yours to work in the proper manner.

I believe the law is no more than four lights on at a time. Note that when you hit the high beams, the fogs automatically turn off.

 

Do any lights/kits come with instructions on how to wire these yourself? Recommended at all?

 

Pay attention to the legal issues. Eric-Rowland is dead on.

 

I got them, and like them, but I've decided to keep them covered most of the time, as I commute on the highway and I started thinking about rocks thrown from trucks.

I got the chrome lamps, which look nice.

But the covers were white, and my car is DS/B (no stripes).

White driving light covers on a DS/B would stand out like, well...

http://www.bookofjoe.com/images/jerry_colonna.jpg

So I got some Krylon black paint for plastic, and now they look very nice when covered up, and I can remove the covers for a different look when I want.

I did buy them for looks, not for function, but it's important to me that they do function.

 

Thanks dwdyer, I have a pepper white with black roof and black stripes. The pure white covers look funny. Krylon black would look better.

 

I promise! No blinding!!

Thanks for all the great input, everyone!

 

I wonder if they could be wired so that when the headlights are on, they are off, when the headlights are off, they are on. That way, they would be like a daytime driving lights. They are not going to blind people during the day and saving the life of the xenon headlights.

 

Better to use your fogs. While not as bad as daylight, driving lights will 'dazzle' other drivers.

 

Tread carefully with that subject. There's lots of foglight ****'s who hate that. It's also illegal in many areas.

 

I'm one of them. But it's better than using the driving lights!!!

 

This will look good as well

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=103794

 

Yes they do and a lot of us have done it ourselves ( I did)

 

I did it too , a little time consumeing but well worth it .