As title states, do I need to take off the front bumper to remove the fogs?
And do all MINI's come pre wired for fog lights? Or would they need the wiring as well?

 

Yes.
No (or so I believe.)

Edit: Oops, I stand corrected - bumper does not need to come off.

 

Thanks Eric. Not the answer I was hoping for. :( Is taking the front bumper off easy like an E36? =)

 

The official instructions for installing the fogs do not involve removing the bumper. Access is from the back side, by removing the wheel well liner. You should be able to remove fogs from the back side as well, without removing the bumper.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t_Retrofit.pdf

MINI's are wired for front fogs only if the car was ordered with fogs from the factory. Cars not ordered with fogs are NOT prewired. That's why the retrofit instructions describe how to install the wiring harness. I retrofitted fogs on my '06 and had to install the harness.

The front bumper is easy to remove. It just lifts off after removing something like 8 easily accessible screws.

 

You loosen the fender liners & pull them back at the front lower edge. That will give you access to the fogs for removal. The bumper stays on.

 

Thanks much for the help guys, it will be put to good use.

 

The reason I asked is I don't find the fogs useful for my needs.
Since other minis wont have the wiring if they want the kit, is it possible to cleanly remove the wiring from my car? Or is it a cut and patch type of deal?

 

Sort of talking out of my tailpipe here, but I would wager that your wiring loom is all taped together nice and clean. I'm sure you *could* remove the wiring, but odds are at a minimum you'll need to retape everything to keep the wire bundles together.

 

I'm hoping the 'other end' of the wiring is into a plug type socket. Just like the fog light end. If that was the case, I'd do like you said and just follow the wires out and pull em.

 

If you look at pages 6&7 of the retrofit instructions, you'll see they require inserting pin receptacles into various modules, thus it is likely that to uninstall and provide a harness, you'd need to do the same.

 

I've done a lot of electrical mods on my car, and this retrofit was one of the most involved. The wiring is added not only in the engine compartment but also runs into the cabin to the toggle panel and BC1 computer. Study the installation PDF for details.