I really appreciate all of the useful information I've found on these forums regarding what options are available for retrofitting fog lights on my 2010 Prius. That said, I'm still on the fence about which option to choose so I'm hoping some of you with experience in this area can help me (and maybe others like me) make a decision. My needs in priority order are as follows: 1. Functional fog lights for occasional use in heavy fog - no more than a few times per year 2. Aesthetics - something to replace the dark gray blanks on the front of my car My options as I understand them are as follows: Blinglights Lowest cost ($65+) Lowest quality Easiest installation More for aesthetics rather than function Appearance not OEM-like OEM covers + aftermarket kit Moderate cost ($130+) Medium quality More difficult installation OEM-like appearance OEM parts Highest cost ($500+) Highest quality Installation difficulty the same as using a kit OEM appearance Here are my questions: Are my conclusions/assumptions accurate? Can you recommend a good quality kit that includes an OEM-like switch? I really don’t want something that looks cheap and/or doesn’t function as well. Is there enough difference in the quality of OEM parts and aftermarket kits to warrant the huge difference in cost? (I'm guessing there isn't but I'm trying to get a sense of the difference in quality) Thanks so much for sharing your time and expertise, Laura
Some bedtime reading: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...s-install-retrofit-fog-lights-2010-prius.html
Thanks but this very informative thread raised most of my questions in the first place. In particular, I wasn't able to derive from it how the non-OEM parts compare to the OEM parts in quality, appearance and functionality. Of course, it is quite extensive so I may have missed something.
For the interior, cockpit switch: in my opinion, the best looking switch is the OEM one. The Yaris kit switch looks the second best. The rest are a distant third (IMHO!) I did not want to mess around with crossing the firewall so I wired my foglights to come on when the headlights come on. After I installed them this way I never had to think of them again. For the fog lights and covers, I would get the OEM covers and the fog lights from the kit. You absolutely can not tell a difference between the fog lights from a kit and the OEM ones. I can't imagine paying multiple hundred dollars for the fog lights when I can get them both for $40 off ebay. I hope some of this helps. Basically I went with your 2nd option.
Only possible issue is the lack of "DOT" indication on the Yaris kit's lamps. The Yaris kit does not have DOT on the lens. This could be a problem with a licensing inspector at some point. Depends on the state, their regulations, and the inspector him/herself. I chose to take the risk. Likely the worst that could happen is you need to find another aftermarket kit with a DOT stamp. They are out there, too, for about $70/pair, if I recall. Still cheaper than OEM, even paying for both sets.
I bought the Bling kit first. Installed one. They look really cheep. Nothing at all like the OEM lights. No way I'll have those things on my new car. Bought the Yaris kit with the OEM covers. Install was nearly the same as the Blings as you have to take off the same parts to access the mounting area. Happy camper now!
that's a pretty good idea. Is there a reason NOT to have them on with your headlights (low beams only)?
I don't know about the Bling kit, but the Yaris kit looks as good as the factory installed Foglights - and for only about $27 plus shipping on Ebay. My total cost for the Yaris kit plus the OEM covers (about $32 each plus shipping from www.parts.com) was about $125. You cannot tell them apart from a Prius V set of foglights. As for installation details, this has been covered extensively in another thread in this forum - including lots of photographs. Jim
I think it's illegal in Canada or something. I live in Louisiana so I'm pretty sure I'll never find my way up there!
As previously mentioned, the DOT marking is the only meaningful difference between the $40 kit and the OEM lights. You're stuck with the same OEM cover/adapter thingies no matter which lights you get, unless you want to hack up the blanks and do the blinglight thing. So the only real decisions in my mind are: 1. Do you care about DOT markings? If not, get the Yaris eBay kit. If yes, buy the OEM lights. 2. Which wiring method to use? You have 3 main choices: Factory stalk switch (my choice, most difficult). Some dash mounted switch, like the Yaris switch or another similar switch, less difficult, but slightly less elegant. Relay off the headlights from under the hood (no unsightly switch and all wiring in the much easier to access underhood area, no messing with dash).
Best visibility in thick fog is with fog lights and sidelights only. To be forced to have headlights on at the same time sounds to me counter-productive. I used OEM kit with dashboard switch circuit only operable with ignition on. This seemed the easiest installation and also the most practical.
