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2010 Prius OEM-quality Fog Light Kit Now Available!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by Danny, May 10, 2010.

  1. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Yes, but it does not help support this forum that you visit ;)
     
  2. lnsprius

    lnsprius Junior Member

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    Do these fog lights work in the Prius IV?
     
  3. The Architect

    The Architect New Member

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    I just installed the fog lamp kit on my 2011 Prius and I’m very pleased with the results. I followed the instruction step by step with only a few variations of my own.

    Here are my comments that I’ve gathered from my fog light installation.

    Step 2.0 to 2.3Removing fog lamp cover from driver side. The instructions say to disconnect wire harness first. By looking at the picture for step 2.0 it looks logical that removing the wire harness requires cutting the zip ties. DON’T CUT THE ZIP TIES.
    One mistake I made was first removing the factory blue electrical tape (step 2.0) at the top of the cover holding the harness, this was unnecessary, because had I removed the light cover first I would have been able to pinch the backside of the clip holding the wiring harness thus removing the wiring harness with the clip intact. When I realized my mistake I proceeded to remove the fog light cover first (step 2.1 – 2.2). Once the fog light covers were loose, then I was able to remove the wiring harness by pinching the underside of the clips. When re-installing the clips I used wire ties in place of the blue electrical tape.

    Step 3.0 to 3.4Installation of fog lamps. The instructions say to attach the fog lamps to the bezel then place the assembly on to the vehicle. I installed the bezel first without the lamp and secured the 10mm bolt. Then I placed the lamp in the bezel and tightened down the side screw. The reason why I did it this way was because it was easier for me to snap the bezel in place first without the lamp loosely placed inside.

    Step 5.0 to 5.4Fog lamp switch wiring. Here I followed the instructions fully. The problem I ran into was running the white wire through the V-channel. There is already a wire bundle using that V-channel and finding space to run the white wire through there was difficult. I found it impossible to push the white wire through the V-channel , so I used a small gauged metal wire (think picture hanging wire) and carefully poked around the back of the V-channel until the wire emerged out the front. I then secured the white wire to the metal pull wire with vinyl tape. Make sure to tape quite a bit of the pull wire to the white wire taping all the way to the black sheathing. Once secured to the white wire pull the metal wire from the back of the V-channel. I found this step the most time consuming and difficult. It took me several tries but in the end it worked. I finally used pliers to grip the metal pull wire and with a stern tug the white wire came through the V-channel.
    Another step that I performed that differed with the instructions was connecting the ground wire of the lamp switch to the dashboard frame. I chose to mount the ground wire to the same metal frame but up higher using the 10mm bolt holding the dash board pad to the dash board frame. To me that seemed to be a better grounding point because it was a metal on metal attachment.

    Step 6.10Mounting the relay and ground wire. I mounted the relay switch as instructed. I used a 10 mm wrench to remove the relay bolt and a 10mm socket with a 12 inch extension to remove the ground bolt. Tightening the 10mm relay bolt is difficult with the relay mounted, so I moved the relay to the side, tightened the bolt until it was snug, then I moved the relay back into position until it was facing up. The problem I see with mounting the relay in this position (upside down) is that water can drip on to the relay contacts causing a short circuit. To properly mount the relay switch the electrical contacts should be mounted facing down. That way should any water drip on to the relay it has less of a chance to creating a short circuit.

    Other thoughts:
    · Use a 12V automotive test light to find the brown wire to tap the lamp switch. Follow the brown wire to plug. With the power on and the headlight switch on the test light comes on. With the headlight switch turned off the test light should turn off.
    · To poke through the firewall grommet I used some 10 gauge copper wire I had left over from a previous electrical project. I cut a 3 foot length of wire, stripped of the insulation and cut the tip at an angle to create a sharp point.

    [FONT=&quot]Overall the installation went according to instructions. It took me longer than a few hours but I was in no rush and a quality installation was more important than a speedy one. And I’m pleased to say the car now has an OEM “finished” look with the fog lights installed.[/FONT]
     
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  4. 06d

    06d Junior Member

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    agreed..... plus the instruction on the ebay is horrible, a friend of mine bought it and took me all night ( 4 hours )to install the ebay one due to having to test a bunch of wires.
     
  5. JMG

    JMG Junior Member

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    Did mine tonight on 2011 Four.

    Working at a relaxed pace, it took me about 3.5 hours but I did a bit of rewiring for a USB power outlet that I had installed for my GPS in the driver mini-window so call it 3 hours.

    As previously noted for 2011 owners, the power block in the front fusebox is in the upper left corner (think rearview mirror corner) not in the front center. It does turn out that the red wire connector fits nicely on the white line connector but it doesn't give any power. It took me a few minutes to diagnose the switch lighting up, relay clicking yet no lights on...I probably should have read the whole thread instead of just the instructions.

    Two other modifications to the instructions...
    I used a hanger to feed the fusebox wires down to the steering wheel grommet and I sprayed PAM on a napkin, wiped the wire/hanger/electrical tape combo and it slid right through.

    They look great...and they appear bright in the garage. A few days of driving in the dark in the rain and I will report back on the real effectiveness.

    Thanks,
    JMG
     
  6. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    When installing the fog light onto the bezel, should there be a gap between the lens and the bezel? Reason I'm asking is that with the kit that came from a SET dealer, it had a 1/4 in. gap between the bezel and the foglight lens. I was thinking that it should look flash.
     
  7. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Unfortunately yes. They could have done a better fit and finish job.
     
  8. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Thanks Spiderman. Finnally got it all hooked up and working. The installation took me all day yesterday.:(

    MY ADVICE for those who are planning to buy a foglight kit and do the DIY install, just buy the one from the PC store. Much easier to install and have the option to turn the foglights on without the headlights on. The SET kit comes with 2 relays and needs to be tapped to the negative hi beam headlights requiring removal of the steering wheel column cover - a pain if it is your first time. Instructions were not complete on how to remove the steering column cover and that wasted me soooo much time.

    I replaced the original H11 bulb with the putco jet yellow and I'm really liking it so much.

    I did noticed though that the lights are aimed high even after I did lowered it. Got to the lowest I could go. Has anyone experienced this problem? BTW, I covered the headlights so I can see the beam pattern for the foglights while I was adjusting it.
     
  9. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    ^ mine started low and had to adjust upwards. Are you sure the lights are fitted correctly in the bezel/surround?
     
  10. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    I am sure it was. Had all the screws tightened up. The driver side was higher at first and had to aim it down. I was trying to follow SAE standard for aiming the foglights but won't go lower than what is recommended. I may need to look at it again one more time but that has to wait. Just got too tired from working on it all day yesterday and need a break.
     
  11. cobradb

    cobradb Member

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    what lamp is used in the 2010 fog; i want to go led and full time on.
     
  12. sdtundra

    sdtundra Senior Member

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  13. Wowzer

    Wowzer Junior Member

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    Hello Everyone,

    I am curious if there is a way to turn the fog bulbs so that the light goes predominantly outwards? When I drive home, I have a right hand turn that's quite dark...I was hoping that the fog lamps could serve as a cornering light.
     
  14. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    The foglight was not meant for a corner light. You also cannot adjust the foglight to point more to the side like corner ligths(fixed at a certain angle) do. Adjustment of foglight is only up and down. No sidie to side adjustment. The foglight throws a wider beam pattern more on a forward direction.
     
  15. Fore

    Fore Don't look back!

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    Does anyone here know if you can just hot wire them to the regular lights in the engine bay area somehow so that they will come on only when the regular lights are used and off when the high beams are used?
    I too live in Virginia and you can’t have your fogs lights come on with the high beams during a yearly inspection. (Yes, their anal here they do check and push the in-cabin fog light switch to test for that!) I would be happy with no switch in the cabin, plus I would think that it would be a lot easier to install.
    I have no clue where or how to put in an extra relay to get it to work properly inside the cabin dash area so I would like to know how to do this in the engine bay area instead. Thanks!
     
  16. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Bought a set from SET(southest toyota dealer on ebay) dealer with the fog lights turning off when highbeams are on. You have to do additional work though like removing the steering column cover and tapping the highbeam wire from there. Instructions where not complete though when removing the steering column cover but I'll be glad to help you out. The kit comes with 2 relays - 1 in the engine bay and the other in the dash. If you want the feature as you have described, buy a set from a SET dealer on ebay. I hope that helps.
     
  17. cobradb

    cobradb Member

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    i just installed my fog lamps using LED lamps with good results,, i used separate relay and run them full time with the ign sw.
    picts on my profile
     
  18. Fore

    Fore Don't look back!

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    That's what I would like to do sort of. Can you give us a detail write up on how you did this. No switch in the cabin right? I would like them to come on only when the low beams are used. In Virginia you can't have them come on with the high beams.
     
  19. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Can you post a picture of the beam pattern for your new LED foglight againts a wall. Make sure you cover your headlights so the beam pattern of your fog lights will show. Would like to see what it looks like.
     
  20. cobradb

    cobradb Member

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    My goal was DLR but i leave them on all the time. (They dont work that well as fog lamps)
    my lights are on when the SW is on Ready, and operate separate from any other lights.
    re; low beam use,, u would need to find the low beam relay (or take pwr from ur low beam line)to pwr. ur relay.
    i used a separate relay with pwr from a fuse that only has pwr with the car SW.
    and no other manual sw.'s
    LED Beam on wall,,,,, there is not a very good beam at all, but a lot of visibility and the pic in my album is not as good as it actually is.
    if you can see my car you can see the fog LED's during daylight.

    As i stated i another post; u can keep the H11 OEM if the large white wire will supply the pwr, and that i dont kn