A rather large number of people (this includes me) have expressed the desire to make use of the upper part of the brake/tail lights which has gone unused in US-spec cars as additional brake lights. European-spec cars have this area as a rear fog light. When the MINI was released into the US market it was decided that the rear fog lights were not going to be offered mostly because it was not a requirement here in the states. So, the toggle for the rear fog lamps and the programming for them in the Body Control Module was omitted. Was wasn't omitted was the wiring and the bulbs, which remained. Curious decision, because here were parts installed that were never going to be functional. True, it is cheaper to make certain parts cross-market compatible, but to leave the bulb in place in the holder was the source of not only amusement but a rallying point for US MINI customers to try and get the option made available here. In the meantime, those more creative among us decided to make the orphaned bulb work as a brake light. This has the benefit of making the car more visible during braking and may increase the chances of avoiding a rear-ending of your car by a somewhat inattentive motorist behind. An added asthetic bonus was now the entire area of the brake light was being used. It just plain looked better.

Most of the brake light mods (as they became universally known) were done mostly by adding a jumper wire between two contacts of each brake light assembly or a splicing of two wires in the wiring harness at each taillight. Simple, cheap, and easily reversible if desired.

Those who wanted the rear foglights asked MINIUSA and signed petitions to have them made available here. All that effort has paid off and now there is a kit available from MINI to finally get what we have been wanting.

The 'kit' is simply a replacement switch bank with the missing toggle. Everything else is already in place. You get the entire assembly because the toggles are not individual pieces.

Okay, great! Now we can have the rear fog lights like we always wanted. Some people will do without the rear fog light option because they simply don't want ot need it. Some want to have their brake light mod and leave it at that. Others, like me, want the best of both worlds. This takes a little bit more work.

The problem arises when the brake light mod is done as it has been by jumpering or splicing wires. The jumper/splice allows current to flow from the circuit containing the brake lights to the fog lights, illuminating both when the brake is applied. If the fog lamp circuit is now activated and the fog lamps are lit, the jumper between the circuits will now direct the current meant strictly for the fog lights into the brake light circuit and illuminate them as well. Not good. This will have the perceived effect of riding the brakes and not allowing them to come on only when braking, a serious safety issue.

This is where my simple mod comes in.

(Note: If you have already done the jumper or splice mod, remove the jumpers or return the wiring to the original configuration.)

First, remove the lamp holders from either side of the car (this can be done without tools through the two access panels in back. Press upwards on the locking tab and withdraw the assembly. Squeeze the tab on the harness connector and pull it out. This is what you will have:



The area on the other side of the connector is where the 'mod' takes place:



You will need a soldering iron, wirecutters, and a pair of diodes rated for 3 amps each. I used a pair of surplus NTE580 3amp PIV Schottky diodes for my mod, but realistically any diode capable of carrying 3 amps with a peak inverse voltage (PIV) of 50 volts or more would do fine. Why these specs? The bulbs used in the fog light draw about 1.5 amps each. Doubling this provides a good safety margin. The PIV rating is how much voltage a diode is able to block in the reverse direction before it can't hold it anymore. Again, a safety margin for trouble free life. These are the diodes:




The diode needs to connect the two 'tracks' of the bulbholder as shown. Bend the leads of the diode as shown and solder it in place. The cathode end of the diode must connect to the foglight bulb as shown. The cathode is the end marked with the black band. The diode has to be installed in this fashion so that it will not interfere with replacing the bulb holder in the tail light assembly:



This is another view of the lead forming:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...lbum04/fnz.jpg


I removed the entire tail light assemblies from both sides of my car to make sure that no interference would happen between the added diodes and the housings. The bulb holders are identical on either side of the car, the housings are different. This shows where the diode fits in relation to the assembled tailight:


Repeat this procedure for the other bulbholder assembly, reinstall the bulbholders into the tailights, connect the wiring and it's done!

Some of you are wondering why this is needed. As I said previously, if one has the brake light mod done with a jumper or splice, the fog light circuit will activate the brake lamps when the fog lamps are turned on. The diodes act as one-way valves preventing the current from 'going backwards' into the brake light circuitry, allowing it to operate in complete independence. The diodes will allow current to flow TO the fog lights when the brake lamps are illuminated and turning them on as well, but not the other way around.

In other words:

Foot on brake with foglights off: Upper and lower lamps lit (the 'brake light mod')
Foot on brake with foglights ON: Upper and lower lamps lit (this is normal operation)
Foot OFF brake with foglamps on: Upper lamps lit ONLY (completely independent)
Foot off brake with foglamps off: Everything off.
The tail/marker lights operate independently as before.

I will be finishing up the installation of the switches and the front fog lights (this is probably going to be another how-to) and taking the car to the dealer to have the computer recoded to activate the option very soon. I will post pics of it all in action then.

_________________
'03 MCS, Dk Silver, 17" R85s, NAV, DSC (often turned off!), Packs #1 and #3, Rally lights, etc, etc. Fulton, MD. FRS 7-21
Let's Cooperate

 

Very nice write-up, Greatbear.

See ya,
JS

 

Greatbear,

Nice write up and well docuemented. I do have one question. Are you removing the jumper? The reason I ask this is that the jumper provides the electrical current for the Brake Light Mod and if you still have the jumper installed the current will still following the path of the wire from the rear foglight to the brake light. ( You also stated this). Nothing in the write up says to remove the jumper. I would think that the jumper must be removed as you are defeating the purpose of this change.

Dave
MINI-Rolls

 

Yes you remove the jumper. My bad!

Since I went directly with this mod and didn't have anything previously installed, I had nothing to remove in the first place. I'll jump back up and edit the post for those who already did a jumper mod. I actually did this mod over two months ago, but with the interest in the recently released rear fogs, I am just now getting it up here for everyone to use. Thanks for bringing it my my attention!

 

Very good write up! You need to be working with one of the Mini companies!

 

>>Very good write up! You need to be working with one of the Mini companies!

 

Greatbear
It should be pointed out this mod would void your warranty. A short jumper harness with the diode that could be installed and removed would be a good solution for those MINI owners with warranty concerns. Thanks for the great post.
Charles

_________________
If you must cry over spilled milk, please try to condense it

 

We converted my rear-fog light into a brake light with a paperclip and electrical tape. I believe you just connect 1 & 5 on the plug. It's a lot more simpler, and no soldering.

 

Geez, people are STILL doing this the jury-rig way? I did mine this way almost a year ago, before people knew about jumpering the 1 and 4 wires, which is MUCH easier since you don't have to pull the unit out and it does not require soldering. Search this site and you should find how to jumper the 1 and 4 wires.

_________________
[img]albums/album25/ama.gif[/img]VinceAndJessica.com
Alta pulley, Stebro exhaust, Pipercross intake, Progress rear anti-sway bar.

 

Is there any problem with the bulb taking double the load? Like when fog and brake lights are on.

 

I think you last couple of posters might have missed the point here. This is not the same as the regular brake light mod. This is a mod for if you want to add the fog lights in their fully functional fashion (i.e. with the toggle switch activation) AND still have a double brake light when braking. See the difference?

 

I sort of figured that some people would not want to do/could not do any soldering or wanted something very easy and reversible. This is it, call it 'the jumper mod meets the diode':


Do this to the connectors on both sides, making sure to insert the cathode (striped) end in the #1 cavity. That's all there is to it, you get the same functionality, but without the permanence of a soldered connection. The same type and rating of diode still applies, and make sure to cover the diode and it's wires with electrical tape.


_________________
"Earl Grey" - '03 MCS, DS over DS, 17" R85s, NAV, DSC (often turned off!), Packs #1 and #3, Rally lights, etc, etc. Perf Mods by the boatload, on the way! Fulton, MD. FRS 7-21

Let's Get Small!

 

>>Is there any problem with the bulb taking double the load? Like when fog and brake lights are on.

This is what I was wondering before too, but Bear said in the other post that it would be fine.

 

How would it be taking twice the load? The voltage and resitance are both the same, so the current would be the same. It would be like taking 2 leads for the + end of a light bulb and 2 leads for the - end. In reality, the resistance is lowered ever so slightly by the addition of wire (think thicker guage), but I think this pales in comparison to the resistance of the actual bulb.

 

Schottky diodes!! hahaha oh man... those things...

 

>>I think you last couple of posters might have missed the point here. This is not the same as the regular brake light mod. This is a mod for if you want to add the fog lights in their fully functional fashion (i.e. with the toggle switch activation) AND still have a double brake light when braking. See the difference?

Do you have double brake lights when the toggle has been activated? The upper light is ON when the toggle is activated, then when you brake the lower brake light comes ON but the upper light doesn't become any brighter does it? The bottom one does become brighter if your lights are on. Therefore, it seems to me that if you have the toggle activated you only give the appearance of a single brake light on each side but you do have dual tail lights on each side when your lights are on.
Am I understanding how this works correctly?

 

MINI-Rolls,
I know you had a wiring kit that you were selling. Any thought about adding this diode into your wiring kit so as to provide the best of all worlds, i.e. no modification to the stock wiring and having both use of the rear fogs and double brake lights?
I'd be very interested in this. Otherwise, do you still have the wiring kits available? i can splice in the diode myself.

Thanks

Fred

 

I am wondering if you or know somebody who has had the programing done and gotten the rear fogs to work. if you already had front fogs then you can not go in and program them again. it tells you they are already fitted. if you just put the switch panel in with the rear switch they do not work, if you are installing front fog lamps and you then program them will the rear fog lamps work then? I know of nobody that has done that yet. I tried the first option with existing fog lamps in the front and the rears would not work.
I think that if you install the front fogs and program them that the rears may work.
Would love to hear about what other people have experienced.

 

It is my understanding that the dealer needs the latest software for the car (CD 35?) in order to have the option available for programming. Since it was not an option here before, there was no selection available in the programming sequence for the rear fogs at all. The kit was released in concert with the latest software version so it could be activated.

I hope to be able to get my car coded next week to activate front and rear foglights as well as the alarm system. I am not completely done installing the front fogs, and I havent started at all with the alarm.

 

well, crap. i ordered the toggle panel kit today from my parts department (although it took them 20 mins to find the bulletin i was referring to), but now there's some concern that those that already have front fogs can't have the rear fogs reprogrammed to work? i already have front fogs, and have the rears being used as brakes, so really, i just want the extra toggle, and it would just be nice if it actually worked with something. I think with the rear fogs lit, the toggle is orange, in the same way the toggle is green with the front fogs.

if i can't get it to wire correctly to the rear fogs, do i even need to get anything programmed? i can just hook the new toggles up where they go, and not connect anything to the rear fog switch, right?

also, is the kit i'll be getting simply new toggles, or that whole bottom panel WITH toggles? if it's the whole panel, i don't know if there was an option for the color of the little spacers between each toggle. I think they are different according to trim option, right? so who knows what i've ordered, the parts people sure as hell are clueless, but it'll be here soon, and I'll wait for futher install updates as to what to do and what will and won't work, etc.

- wags

 

Yes you are correct, I just looked on my computer and it is there for V35
retrofit rear fog lamps USA
I know somebody that I installed the front fogs and it had the rear switch only it did not work, i will try programing their's.

thank's for the info

 

I don't know where you can order the specific diodes, but here is the link to Radio Shack offers in a 3 amp diode.

Radio Shack link

 

>>I don't know where you can order the specific diodes, but here is the link to Radio Shack offers in a 3 amp diode.
>>
>>Radio Shack link

FWIW, I just went to Radio Shack and bought the 3amp, 50PIV Diode, however, they look different. It appears the old ones were rounded like a ball, but the new replacement ones look more like:

THIS

I'm looking at the package now and it says 276-1141. I actually bought 2 packs (4 of them). They did have some really old looking packages that had the diode looking like the picture, but they only contained 1 per package. I'm assuming that how the diode looks shouldn't matter as long as the specs are correct.

 

>>I sort of figured that some people would not want to do/could not do any soldering or wanted something very easy and reversible. This is it, call it 'the jumper mod meets the diode':

>>Do this to the connectors on both sides, making sure to insert the cathode (striped) end in the #1 cavity. That's all there is to it, you get the same functionality, but without the permanence of a soldered connection. The same type and rating of diode still applies, and make sure to cover the diode and it's wires with electrical tape.
>>


I just did this MOD tonight with Lil'Octane. I created a little HOW TO page. Greatbear's single picture is brilliant and all you need, but in case you want to see a little more detail, along with a part number, and also compare the brightness of a Modified Light to a Standard Light, go HERE

_________________
Octane Guy

 

>>
>>I just did this MOD tonight with Lil'Octane. I created a little HOW TO page. Greatbear's single picture is brilliant and all you need, but in case you want to see a little more detail, along with a part number, and also compare the brightness of a Modified Light to a Standard Light, go HERE
>>
>>_________________
>>Octane Guy

you just did the regular "brake light mod" but with using a diode, right? you didn't use a new set of toggles at all, if i'm looking at it right in th wee hours of the night.