The diode does nothing to the voltage draw. It only allows current to flow in one direction.

With the mods mentioned you are actually doubling the draw from the BCM. This is the reason dealerships will not cover a BCM failure.

 

The two fog light bulbs are 21 Watts each, just like the brake lights, so the additional current draw should be in the neighborhood of 3 or 4 amps.

 

Why not? That's exactly how mine work. They light up when I turn on the rear fogs (which is rare), and they also light up with the brake lights. Why doesn't that make sense?

As another data point - I did this mod (with the diodes) and had my rear fogs activated when I first got my '03, and 155K miles later it still works fine and there have been no problems.

 

Because you are one of only a handful of states that allow the rear fog lights therefore most won't have the option. And the problems mentioned do occur, if it hasn't happened to you great. But it still has happened and the cost of a new BCM is not covered under warranty if this mod is found to have been done.

Most folks hate the rear fogs as they give the impression that the driver is riding his brakes because they are just as bright as the brake lights. And it makes it very difficult to see when the brakes are applied as only the lower ones will light up.

 

Bingo! I had mine for about a year until my BCM failed!! Horray!

No warranty, cost me near 800 bucks to fix it. If your smart you'll take out the mod and be happy with not getting screwed later.

 

Although many have done this mod with success and no problems, it carries a risk because it pulls significantly more power from the BCU. There is variation between individual cars and what is safe for one car may not be the same for another.

However there are ways to do this mod safely. The simplest way is to use LED bulbs in the fog sockets. Otherwise, with standard bulbs you can use relays and a separate power source as described by ScottRiqui.

 

Well this thread has just about convinced me to remove that mod, tho I do like the extra bright brake lights it gives me. Or I'll go the LED route. Anyone have a link to the LED bulbs I would need?

I prefer that another driver see me in the fog and think I'm an idiot riding my brakes, than for him to not see me in time.

 

I did the mod on my MINI a couple of years ago and everything is fine. I did replace the bulbs with LED bulbs I got at AutoZone. The LED bulbs look cool, come on a split second sooner, and only draw about 1/20th current of the regular bulbs. That should remove any possibility of hurting anything in the electrical system by overloading it.

 

Do you have a part # for the LED bulbs or a link?

 

For maximum effectiveness, you should get LED bulbs that fire mostly sideways into the reflector, otherwise they'll only create a small focused hot spot. You want maximum red output, so choose a red LED. The bulb size is 1156. Here's an example: http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED/T...48473-1-2.html ($25/pair -- not cheap but a fair price for this type of bulb)

 

Superbrightleds.com has these bulbs for the 1156 and are only 9.95 each for the red and the amber. They white ones are 5.00 more

 

Those fire at right angles in one direction. You want a 360 degree radial spread. Also they use 5mm LED elements, which are much dimmer than the SMT type from v-leds.

 

No, but like I said I got them at AutoZone. They work perfectly, the LEDs are positioned exactly right, they are plenty bright and they weren't that expensive.

It was obvious as soon as I looked at them that they were exactly what I needed.

Good luck.

If you don't have an AutoZone and can't find them elsewhere, here's one website that has them....and there are lots more:

http://www.signaldynamics.com/products/bulbs/1157.asp

 

Thanks!

 

One more update....I looked in the glovebox of my MINI and I had the original bulbs, which are 1156, in the package the LED bulbs came in. The LED bulbs have a website with information and pictures and a list of were you can buy the bulbs.

The address in www.jamstrait.com and the phone number is 601-683-0104. The bulb package says Super-Bright Red LED 1156R.

Also, the JamStrait bulbs fit through the opening in the tail light housing with no problem.

Check it out.

 

I have an R56, and want to do this mod. (I have factory rear fogs, just want to add them into the brake circuit)

I would prefer to do it with LED's and not with an added relay for simplicitys sake (not worrying about mountng the relay, etc)

A few questions. Does the R56 have a BCM to worry about? If not, then no problem. I have my wiring and diodes, I'm ready. But I doubt that it is that easy, so ..........

Is there a LED light replacement for the R56 bulbs? They are different than the ones shown here, here are a few pics:





The writing on the bulbs says:

Toshiba 921
12V W16W
A12V18W

Any thoughts on this?

 

The bulb number is 921. I have LED's in my fog light/brake light mod. If you go here: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...ct=CAR#921-x12 about 3/4 of the way down on the page. They have the lowest prices on LED's that I've seen. That LED bulb is available in different LED configuration, for instance, you can get it with 9 led diodes, or 12 led diodes. I have the 9 and they are plenty bright for me.
Hope this helps!

 

You might want to post this question in the 2nd gen forum for a quicker and more direct response.

 

I did this morning, no response. Saturn above gave me a great answer, thanks Saturn!

 

 

No prob buddy!