20 replies to this topic

[JP Detailing]

Previous owner stuck on a pair of Wipac fog lights and didnt wire them in.

They are practically brand new and each have a single wire that protrudes from them. My question is, how do I wire them up and when I do, to which switch is best (fog light rocker for example).

Can anyone point me in the right direction of a guide to this or explain. I'm not a total noob to wiring but just want to see how its done on Minis.


Thanks guys

[nev_payne]

Possibly the most straight forward (and safe for other road users) is to have them wired to high beams. When the high beams are switched, the relay is fed from the loom, switching on the spot light circuit. Saves an awful lot of fussing in and around the dash.

The colours here are simply for show - you'll have to find the actual colour of the high beams in your loom. Take the live feed off the solenoid in the engine bay. Green is earth, red is live. As for mounting the relay, place it up on the driver side inner wing so it's away from fluids, and close to the live feed and grounding points for sake of easy cable management. Don't forget the inline fuse.

Edited by nev_payne, 11 May 2012 - 08:29 AM.

[JP Detailing]

Excellent guide Ill be having to have a go at that this weekend. Thanks nev_payne

[SamMason]

Nooo!! Not that! Sorry but are you sure they are fogs? If they are then that wont be legal when you use them. Its completely fine to do that set up with driving/spot lights. But you're only allowed to use fog lights when visibility is less than 100 meters..

I only scanned this link very quickly, but it seems to have all the info for wiring both fogs & spots..

http://www.accesscon...ghts_wiring.htm

I've done both on mine, it wasn't to hard to do.. The worst part was trying to get a wire from the engine bay into the dash

[JP Detailing]

To be honest Im not sure if they are fog or spot. Probably spot thinking about it. You can see a better picture here http://www.theminifo...inally +mayfair

How do I tell the difference between a fog light and spot lamp?

[SamMason]

Eeerrrmmm.. Its the lenses.. If you can get a picture of the glass, then I could cross check with mine.. I know that spots have vertical 'lines' running up & down the glass right in the centre & the sides are clear. Fogs, I believe have the vertical 'lines' covering the entire lens..

Does that make sense to you?

Yeah thinking about it I would have guessed the previous owner would have put spots on. BUT as you say they aren't wired in, so they could be fogs just to look like spots.. I don't know though..

[JP Detailing]

It has vertical lines in the centre. Doesnt quite cover the whole lens. In fact, Im sure the are spots.

[SamMason]

Yep, They'll be spots..

Ignore my blurting out at you earlier, the diagram nev_payne put up will work just fine.

Just to let you know, they earth through the mounts. So scrape a little paint off of your brackets.. I had that issue when swapped my light bar for a spotlight grille. They couldn't earth properly..

Hope you get it all to work !

[JP Detailing]

So I should wire them up as Nev mentioned yes? Thanks guys

[Dan]

The E mark on the lens will tell you what they are. Above the E11 mark that means it's a UK spec lamp, it will have a square with B if it's a front fog lamp or HR if it's a halogen main beam of any kind (driving, spot, etc.). It may also say PL for plastic lens if it has one.

Nev suggests that wiring them into the main beam is convenient for spot lamps, it is more than that it's the law! Any auxiliary main beam lamps must be switched off by the dip switch. As said above front fogs should be wired so that they can be used when the weather is bad. If they are wired so they can be on independantly of the dipped lamps, they must be positioned on the vehicle as dipped lamps would be (within 400mm of the outside edge etc.). If they have been fitted in the middle, and are fog lamps, you should wire them so that they can only be on while the main light switch is on and then have their own switch as well. It's also a good idea to wire them so they can only be on while the rear fog is on, as this should be on long before front fogs. When fitting any extra lamps, relays and new circuits must be added as none of the original wiring can cope (except on MPi cars that are pre-wired for additional lamps).

Edited by Dan, 11 May 2012 - 10:10 AM.

[JP Detailing]

So just to keep things simple (for a simpleton like me), where they are positioned at the moment (see signature) is fine and if I wire them up to the main beam so that when switched on, the spots do so as well.....all is gravy yes?


Also, thanks for clearing up how to check the difference between fogs and spots!

Thanks

Edited by JP Detailing, 11 May 2012 - 10:20 AM.

[miniman retford]

Yep thats how mine work

And yes the look fine where they are .

Edited by miniman retford, 11 May 2012 - 10:30 AM.

[Dan]

If they are spots there is no position requirement really, only if they are fogs and then only if they are being used without other lamps on (which is the best way to use them really). If they are spots then yes, wire them through a relay switched by main beam.

I don't see signatures, I have them switched off because some people's are far too big and I don't need to sit here downloading hundreds of copies of the same massive image constantly. The forum is a lot faster without!

[nev_payne]

Yeah this is why I said, "and safe for other road users".. was cloudy on the actual legal bits. Thanks Dan, glad we got that sorted heh

[JP Detailing]

Thanks guys ou have been a great help!