Wiring foglights to headlights

[Danstrolie]

Thinking of getting a set of low intensity fogs and wiring them to my headlights or sidelights. I'm not sure if this is legal in the UK but I am willing to find out the hard way. I don't see a problem if they are not fog light intensity and just end up as extra driving lights.
Anyone got any tips or links to guides to help me with this? I can do electrical stuff but I have never done any on a car and don't want to mess it up.

[PhilipWOT]

Ummmm.... Call me crazy, but have you looked into OEM foglights, perhaps?

[Danstrolie]

I havent been able to find them with the wiring loom. I have nothing in the car just now, not even a switch for fog lights. Are they hard to wire up? If I can find a set with all the wiring and schematics for installation I'll give them a go.

[E36 Phantom]

Why do you need the wiring loom? I'd go for OEM lights, buy your own wiring, follow the schematics and hook it up. The switch is easily installable as you should have a blank for it, and I think you only need 2 or 3 colors of wiring. Don't overload the headlight circuit, either put it on the circuit they should be or give them their own circuit, I think there are a few blanks.

[Danstrolie]

Cheers, any idea where I would get the schematics?

[B/\/\W]

Cheers, any idea where I would get the schematics?

Realoem.com, the back pages of the Haynes manual, or the back of the Bentley manual.

[oakley]

You will also be facing a nice fine everytime you go out :) (plus it doesnt look good) and if u have wired them in u'll be forced to remove the bulb's or the entire wiring loom (which the friendly officer will be more then happy to assist u in ripping it out).. Fog lights are there for a reason and the name should give you a hint as to their intended use!! Dont do it! u'll soon realise its only very young boyracer's that drive with their fogs on all the time- u'll get bored with looking like a fool then be stuck with tryin to unwire them!! You drive a nice car dont ruin it by turning it into a mcdonalds carpark car!!
All the above is of course just my own humble opinion and im sure you'll do what ever makes u happy!! :)

[B/\/\W]

You drive a nice car dont ruin it by turning it into a mcdonalds carpark car!!

Haha I know exactly what you mean by that, suckers!

[oakley]

Yeah i didnt think till after I wrote that that its only uk'ers that will understand!! Unless the states have the same phenomenon!!

[Danstrolie]

Ah, the Mcdonalds carpark. You have stumbled upon my secret, haha. I didn't realise it was the same in England, it happens here but haven't seen it in Scotland. I wasn't planning on high intensity fogs, just driving lights. I think they look okay but now you mention it you are right about the car parkers. I'd rather wire them up properly and have them as an option in the fog. I just think they complete the look of the car, even when off. Was looking around the front bumper today though and they seem like they would be a bitch to put in. Then I looked at the fuse box and that fried my mind so that's the guessing without using the schematics out of the picture!

[Danstrolie]

PS. Don't suppose anyone has an electronic version of the *cough*Haynes manual*cough* lying around?

[oakley]

Iv got the bentley one at home mate i'll pm u providing i remember (im at work at the mo) If i forget just give me some stick...As for the driving lights- you can change the bulbs but legally they will not be classed as driving lights- they will always be fogs due to the lenses (design as fogs therefore they dispurse the light in a particular way) and also their position- they are too low to be legally classed as driving lights. If u want the exact legal measurements etc i'll send em pm to u but unfort there aint nothing u can do but use them as fogs when its foggy or get a nice ticket for using them when its not!!

[NYe36er]

You will also be facing a nice fine everytime you go out :) (plus it doesnt look good) and if u have wired them in u'll be forced to remove the bulb's or the entire wiring loom (which the friendly officer will be more then happy to assist u in ripping it out).. Fog lights are there for a reason and the name should give you a hint as to their intended use!! Dont do it! u'll soon realise its only very young boyracer's that drive with their fogs on all the time- u'll get bored with looking like a fool then be stuck with tryin to unwire them!! You drive a nice car dont ruin it by turning it into a mcdonalds carpark car!!
All the above is of course just my own humble opinion and im sure you'll do what ever makes u happy!! :)

In England you can't drive with Foglights on always? In the US we have our fogs on ALWAYS. I know I always do even though I have a switch to turn them off (i never do), especially with my headlights...white HID + yellow fogs = sex! :thumbup:

[shane12345]

My car is a maccys car :)

[Danstrolie]

My car is a maccys car :)

All my friends are involved in that scene on a Sunday night. I have a dodgy driver's side window though. That's the reason I give them for not going.

[B/\/\W]

My car is a maccys car :)

I had a feeling that was the case when you first joined...;) and then started putting rice elements on your car.

[uncle ken]

In England you can't drive with Foglights on always? In the US we have our fogs on ALWAYS. I know I always do even though I have a switch to turn them off (i never do), especially with my headlights...white HID + yellow fogs = sex! :thumbup:

Dont do it! u'll soon realise its only very young boyracer's that drive with their fogs on all the time

Dear UK: as you may surmise we are afflicted with the same phenomenon here in the colonies. In Texas we are constantly bathed in intense solar radiation. Nonetheless, just as in the Sceptered Isles, we must endure a certain subset of Morlocks who think having their FOG lights on at high noon is somehow cool. In fact it's simply a universal signal, to whit: "I have no brain".

You can make money off this. It's 5:1 odds the driver is also wearing his pants around his knees so all and sundry may enjoy a panoramic view of his buttcrack and the tops of his three day old boxers.

[B/\/\W]

Dear UK: as you may surmise we are afflicted with the same phenomenon here in the colonies. In Texas we are constantly bathed in intense solar radiation. Nonetheless, just as in the Sceptered Isles, we must endure a certain subset of Morlocks who think having their FOG lights on at high noon is somehow cool. In fact it's simply a universal signal, to whit: "I have no brain".

You can make money off this. It's 5:1 odds the driver is also wearing his pants around his knees so all and sundry may enjoy a panoramic view of his buttcrack and the tops of his three day old boxers.

Hahah, very funny, and true. :tsk:

[Danstrolie]

Hahah, very funny, and true. :tsk:

+ approx 5

[NYe36er]

Dear UK: as you may surmise we are afflicted with the same phenomenon here in the colonies. In Texas we are constantly bathed in intense solar radiation. Nonetheless, just as in the Sceptered Isles, we must endure a certain subset of Morlocks who think having their FOG lights on at high noon is somehow cool. In fact it's simply a universal signal, to whit: "I have no brain".

You can make money off this. It's 5:1 odds the driver is also wearing his pants around his knees so all and sundry may enjoy a panoramic view of his buttcrack and the tops of his three day old boxers.

Let me clarify, my foglights come on with my parking lights, which come on with my headlights at night. I don't use any lights during "high noon" periods. I only use the parking lights/fog lights without headlights when its either raining, or at dusk when its too late for no lights and just too early for headlights. TYVM.

FWIW, there isn't really anything wrong with having lights on during the day. It increases your visibility to other drivers and is actually safer, hence DRLs. For those of us with no DRL, using any set of lights in the daytime is just as effective.

[Danstrolie]

Fog lights or side lights on in the day time don't bother me although I wouldnt do it myself.

[oakley]

Side lights yes- Fogs NO..Its not foggy- Why cant u understand the simplicity of that statement!!

[Danstrolie]

Side lights yes- Fogs NO..Its not foggy- Why cant u understand the simplicity of that statement!!

Yeah I know. I said I wouldn't do it myself. When I started the thread I didnt actually want proper fogs, just low driving lights. I didn't realise that they were illegal also.

[jason_recliner]

Fog lights ARE just low driving lights.

The theory is that if its too foggy to see using your low beam, with its 2 beams of intense white extending from your car, you should turn them OFF and use the fog lamps instead.

[jason_recliner]

Yeah i didnt think till after I wrote that that its only uk'ers that will understand!! Unless the states have the same phenomenon!!

BTW, I live about 200m from a Maccas. I know exactly what you mean.

[uncle ken]

Fog lights ARE just low driving lights.

The theory is that if its too foggy to see using your low beam, with its 2 beams of intense white extending from your car, you should turn them OFF and use the fog lamps instead.Precisely. The greater the vertical distance from the driver's eyes to the the lights, the less light is reflected into the driver's eyes from the vapor droplets in the fog (or falling snow) Angle of incidence = angle of reflection.

So in fog it's fog lights on, low beams off. When you see someone driving around with fog lights on in clear weather the only fog is between their ears; a common condition amongst those who put their caps on backwards, can't tie their shoes and have their buttcrack sticking out of their pants.

[oakley]

Fog lights ARE just low driving lights.

The theory is that if its too foggy to see using your low beam, with its 2 beams of intense white extending from your car, you should turn them OFF and use the fog lamps instead.

WRONG!!!
This may just be a regional issue but over here driving lights are a special kind of light and are completely different to fogs- Its all to do with their position and the lens distribution- Like I said it maybe just a regional difference but im sure if u looked into it ud find there are specific "driving" lamps available in the states too.....:)
Plus you cant use just fogs you have to have at least the low beam on....

[jason_recliner]

WRONG!!! @ "WRONG!!!"
Of course they are. They are slightly different, but they effectively amount to the same function. They are an alternative lamp, just as are the named "driving lights" that are often (and often incorrectly) used as an alternative high beam.
And of course you can turn the low beam off. That's what you do when it's really foggy and you've got white in your eyes... use the fog lamps.

[oakley]

U cannot turn the fog lights on unless you have the low beams on- As I stated this maybe a Uk\ euro thing only but u cannot use just the fogs- they wont switch on. If you turn them on then turn ur lows off ur fogs will go off as well. might be different for u US chaps I dunno :dunno:
Either way I think most people have agreed it looks stupid if it isnt foggy anyways!!

[uncle ken]

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l453/rentiers/fog.jpg

In the interests of easing international tensions, and not wanting to contradict a resident of the UK when it comes to foggy matters, I RTFM.

In the US E39, when the light selection switch (left most illustration) is off, you cannot turn on the foglights. The foglights will come on as well as the low beams, when the light selection switch is in the "auto" position, and you turn the fog light selector on. When the low beams are switched on by turning the dial to the far right, the fog lights will come on if requested. The fog lights will be extinguished if high beams are chosen.

In addition, if just the parking lights (angel eyes ) are selected the fog lights can be turned on without illuminating the low beams.

In summary: you're both right!

You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just might be a lunatic you're looking for
Turn out the light
Don't try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right

- Billy Joel

[oakley]

Iv never tried putting my fogs on with just my parking lights- Its not possible to drive with parking lights as they only come on when the engines turned off and key removed (but again thats Uk Im refering to so it may be different in the US!!!!!!!)
And ta for taking the time to do that mate :)