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So I am trying to cheaply wire driving lights to my mini cooper 2009 S. I know there are a few posts regarding this and some which include great DIY however I really don't want to tap into a fuse box or cut anything considering how delicate this car is. So my idea is as follows
I found a toggle switch which resembles the mini toggle switch (in looks and function) or so I think. They are called latching momentary on-off-on toggle switches and are about $4 shipped. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1pcs-Latching...-/300867140543
as far as my understanding, the switch goes back to its neutral position after toggle and toggles on and off every time you switch the switch. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Also I found some cheap fog/driving lights (LED) that are about 4" in diameter at walmart for $30.
Finally my idea is to put the toggle switch in an empty spot where the rest of the toggle switches are and wire the ground of the fog lights to the chassi of the car, and the power directly to the battery (unfortunately the lights will stay on if you turn off the car). Perhaps I will find a location which is easy to get to that turns off when the car is off.
That looks like a spring loaded toggle that will only be on when it's held in the ON position. The oem switch for the driving lights is not located with the toggles on the console; it's on the left bolster near the steering wheel. If you buy aftermarket driving lights, they will come with installation instructions, just follow them. If you're not comfortable doing the install, find a competent friend to help. FWIW you can install lights without a switch and just use a relay so they will be on anytime the high beams are on.
That looks like a spring loaded toggle that will only be on when it's held in the ON position. The oem switch for the driving lights is not located with the toggles on the console; it's on the left bolster near the steering wheel. If you buy aftermarket driving lights, they will come with installation instructions, just follow them. If you're not comfortable doing the install, find a competent friend to help. FWIW you can install lights without a switch and just use a relay so they will be on anytime the high beams are on.
I initially thought the switch was just a momentary on off switch but the b113 switch is a latching switch which is supposed to latch and be stateful. Not sure if that is correct. I need to do some more research.
I can definitely wire the lights myself, and would like to be able to have them come on when I want vs on high beams. I do however want them to go off when the car goes off so that I don't forget to turn them off , perhaps I can tap into the 12v auxilary lighter as that goes off with the car.
Well bought these cheap lights that are slightly bigger than the OEM ones (5.5"), total cost was $30. The chrome covers come off but I actually like the way they look with them on, also with them off it looks more OEM-ish.
Not a fan of the chrome trim, but to each his own, otherwise they look fine. The real question for me is how do they perform? Many do extra lights for that rally look, but I actually need aux lights in my area due to no street lights and my lousy night vision. I have a half mile of dirt and gravel between home and paved roads that is chock full of big and little critters so good lights are a necessity for me. I bet when the bulbs go on those, if you pop on some PIAA, Silver Star, or other quality bulb, there will be a huge improvement, but one PIAA bulb can set you back more than you spent on whole light kit.
Coachvminis I actually had to return the walmart ones, they didn't look all that nice. Too small, so I bought these on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291452838051?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
2010chili, the light output does suck I will be honest. Most likely it has to do with the crap quality of the bulb as you said. I just did it for the look, but I am also wondering if the quality is bad because I am running power from the cigarette lighter as I want them to turn off when the car turns off.
2010chili, the light output does suck I will be honest. Most likely it has to do with the crap quality of the bulb as you said. I just did it for the look, but I am also wondering if the quality is bad because I am running power from the cigarette lighter as I want them to turn off when the car turns off.
try using the lighter power to trip a relay and feed that relay with larger gauge wire with an inline fuse straight to the battery. This way power to them will be straight off of the battery, and will cut off with the ignition. If there is any more power to be gotten, this will get it. I use a similar trick on old bikes and cars where the harness is old and questionable, and it can get amazing results, but on a modern car I doubt there is much lost in the wiring. I wonder how big a fuse the lighter circuit has, that could be the culprit, but I would not just throw a bigger fuse in, as that can go horribly wrong.
try using the lighter power to trip a relay and feed that relay with larger gauge wire with an inline fuse straight to the battery. This way power to them will be straight off of the battery, and will cut off with the ignition. If there is any more power to be gotten, this will get it. I use a similar trick on old bikes and cars where the harness is old and questionable, and it can get amazing results, but on a modern car I doubt there is much lost in the wiring. I wonder how big a fuse the lighter circuit has, that could be the culprit, but I would not just throw a bigger fuse in, as that can go horribly wrong.
Thats actually a good idea, I will look for a relay (don't have much experience on this). The lights actually work about as good as the regular car lights so perhaps that is as good as this will get.
Also the nice thing about these lights is that I bolted them directly to the grill, with a washer on the other end so that it distributes the pressure correctly, no need for a mount or anything . The bolt is long enough to go all the way through the grill without modifying anything.
, perhaps I can tap into the 12v auxilary lighter as that goes off with the car.
