Greetings all,

I have recently acquired a 2009 Mini Cooper S. I really love this car, even with all the quirks it did not keep me away....yet. Anyhow, the only complaint right now is the lighting. It's terrible. I have trouble seeing anything in front of me at night. The headlights just seem dim, and don't travel far. I know it's not just my crappy vision, as the halogen lights in my winter beater are excellent compared. I have already upgraded to Sylvania Silverstar Ultra's and while they are certainly better than what was in it, they aren't really all that great either. Am I expecting too much or is there a better alternative? I am not interested in HID kits or anything like that.

My second lighting question is the fog lights. What is the number for the bulb(s)? Can they be upgraded to brighter lights? Does this car have 2 foglight bulbs on each side? It seems to me that there is a light on top (that has some sort of material overlayed) and a light on the bottom of the light, like eyelids. Is that the case here? If so, why does each foglight have a top light and a bottom light, and whats the point of it? When I turn my foglights on, does the top or bottom, or both light up?

Sorry for the stupid questions, but I am still new to this car. Happy motoring.

 

headlights being inadequate: Make sure they are properly aligned/aimed, and also are the lenses hazy at all? A good buff on the lenses might be all you need.


Fog lights: The top portion is just a running light. It serves as a light in the front end to provide other motorists to see you better, but does not illuminate the road for you. The light in the lower/larger section is your fog light and that is the one that is only active when you turn the fog lights on.

 

the small ones are called DRL. daytime running lights.