Auxilliary lighting installation

[Schwartz's Deli]

Hey everyone.

My L300 came without the stock fogs. So I've picked up a set of PIAA 510s (with the kit) http://www.piaa.com/Lamps/Lamp-pages/510.html and want to get them on there.


So the question for the elders on here is this: Should I wait till the next visit to the mechanic or can someone with my limited intellect and motor skills take this on myself?

If any of you see a guy with a ruler skulking around the front of your rig taking measurements, it's just me. Please stop calling the police.

Thanks for any help,

[after oil]

are those fogs or driving lights. theres rules about where you can mount them. hopefully somebody else can elaborate

did it come with a switch and a relay, and hopefully a wiring diagram?

automotive wiring aint that big a deal. at least you know youre not gonna shock yourself to death.

the more wiring i have done, the cleaner the job has become. i was proud of my wiring for my wvo install, but now it looks sloppy to me. ive done a few since then.

i think you should give it a shot.

as for mounting the lights...
did you think about how you'll mount them?
is there brackets from the stock fogs? did the piaa's come with any brackets?

so give it a shot and maybe we can talk you through it. its not rocket surgery

[Schwartz's Deli]

are those fogs or driving lights. theres rules about where you can mount them. hopefully somebody else can elaborate

did it come with a switch and a relay, and hopefully a wiring diagram?

automotive wiring aint that big a deal. at least you know youre not gonna shock yourself to death.

the more wiring i have done, the cleaner the job has become. i was proud of my wiring for my wvo install, but now it looks sloppy to me. ive done a few since then.

i think you should give it a shot.

as for mounting the lights...
did you think about how you'll mount them?
is there brackets from the stock fogs? did the piaa's come with any brackets?

so give it a shot and maybe we can talk you through it. its not rocket surgery

Hey thanks.

I'm loaded for bear with this things. Mounts, harness, diagram, relay, switch, the works. Fog lamps they are (say that in Yoda's voice in your head). Which I will aim down just a tad.

I'll be working on a pristine and untouched bumper...

Thanks for the reply!

[Green1]

The "pristine" bumper should still have the mounts for the fog lights if you cut the plastic in the right places (I believe the plastic is scored in the right place if you look at it from underneath)
Beyond that you need to get a wire from them in to the passenger compartment, I find a good way to do that on the L300 is in the driver's footwell up near the nose of the vehicle, there are several rubber grommets there that you can force a wire through. you'll also need to get power, you can tap that from the fuse box, or straight from the battery, again running the wires out of the vehicle through one of those gromets and then up in to the engine compartment is a good way (resist the temptation to just run it through the "hood" to the engine compartment, when you close the hood again you risk damaging the wires (I nearly started a fire in my delica using this method!))

[Schwartz's Deli]

The "pristine" bumper should still have the mounts for the fog lights if you cut the plastic in the right places (I believe the plastic is scored in the right place if you look at it from underneath)
Beyond that you need to get a wire from them in to the passenger compartment, I find a good way to do that on the L300 is in the driver's footwell up near the nose of the vehicle, there are several rubber grommets there that you can force a wire through. you'll also need to get power, you can tap that from the fuse box, or straight from the battery, again running the wires out of the vehicle through one of those gromets and then up in to the engine compartment is a good way (resist the temptation to just run it through the "hood" to the engine compartment, when you close the hood again you risk damaging the wires (I nearly started a fire in my delica using this method!))

Eggsellent. Looks like I'm sorted then.

The mounting holes were a concern. But not anymore. Everything else sounds the same as installing driving lamps on my GTI.

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can...

[Erebus]

If you want the fog lights to really be useful in fog, don't mount them where the factory fogs are on the top of the bull bar. That's too high to be really useful. Mount them below the bull bar.

DSC02901.JPG (40.85 KiB) Viewed 4841 times

On the back of the lower bar, there are two 10 mm nuts welded on. I mounted the fog lights on a piece of "c" channel, then bolted the entire "c" channel onto those nuts. Lets me remove the lights fairly easily -- well it did until I put on the skid plate. Not it is harder -- the skid plate has to come off before the lights will come off.

[Schwartz's Deli]

Hmmm. Good call.

My only worry with these big suckers is that they might inadvertently BECOME the skid plate if I did it that way.

Thanks for the tip - I'm going to take a peek at doing it that way to see.

[after oil]

Hmmm. Good call.

My only worry with these big suckers is that they might inadvertently BECOME the skid plate if I did it that way.

Thanks for the tip - I'm going to take a peek at doing it that way to see.

my deli came with lights mounted down there. very first time out 4x4ing i smashed one to pieces

off topic, i was driving along on vancouver island yesterday minding my own business and suddenly i "got" "schwartz's deli!" lol.. ill have a pastrami on rye please

[FalcoColumbarius]

In the picture you show in your post, the lenses of the lamps are clear. Fogs have amber lenses. Are the bulbs amber? The reason fogs are amber is because amber light bends differently from white light, enabling you to see better through the fog, where white light bounces back off the fog. Just thought I would mention that.

Falco.

P.S.: The centres of your fog lamps must be lower than the centres of your headlamps. The stock ones are half an inch lower.

[mararmeisto]

In the picture you show in your post, the lenses of the lamps are clear. Fogs have amber lenses. Are the bulbs amber? The reason fogs are amber is because amber light bends differently from white light, enabling you to see better through the fog, where white light bounces back off the fog. Just thought I would mention that.

Falco.

P.S.: The centres of your fog lamps must be lower than the centres of your headlamps. The stock ones are half an inch lower.

Ah Falco, you just HAD to mention the colour of fog lamps didn't you? ...wait for the response from Green1...

The jury is split on the colour, but placement of fog/driving lamps IS important and I concur: mount them lower. And by law, in BC at least, any lights ABOVE your headlamps are supposed to be covered when on public roads.

[Erebus]

Fogs don't have to be amber lensed. Nowadays, they can put a coating on the reflector, or even have a yellow-tinted bulb.

But yes, in general, yellow works way better in fog. Especially if you can have the fogs on without the headlights being on. Something that was illegal in most of North America for years. Alberta law says it is legal to have the fogs on without the headlights "when conditions warrant", but another law also specifies that they must be wired to only operate with low beams on. Huh? Typical lawmakers.

[mararmeisto]

...Alberta law says it is legal to have the fogs on without the headlights "when conditions warrant", but another law also specifies that they must be wired to only operate with low beams on. Huh? Typical lawmakers.

I've never understood this one, mostly because it doesn't seem to make sense, but the whole reason for turning on amber-coloured lights is to the not have the scatter-effect of white-coloured lights, which are supposed to still remain on...

Anyway, I've found that the fog lights can help while the whites are on, but they do work even better when I turn my low beams off (don't know how that happened).

[FalcoColumbarius]

Ha. Colour is where it's at. Placement is important, too ~ and if you were driving a spyder then I would recommend mounting the fogs below the bumper as the fog floats roughly eight inches off of the ground and below bumper mountings would light the ground and not the fog, so long as they are calibrated correctly.

However, as we are talking about Delicas I would not make that recommendation, as you would loose the lights the first time you left the pavement. Personally I don't think it really makes a difference if you hang the lights off the bottom of the bambie bars or mount them on top of the shroud ~ they will still be aiming into the fog.

Amber makes a difference to your quality of vision in the fog, or snow for that matter. This is a known fact, which is why the street lamps got changed from white light to amber/rose. Shine a bright white light into a thick fog and you are blind.

Smiles.... I hear that there is a new technology for submarine doors. I hear that screen doors should be installed on submarines because they weigh less, handle the pressure better and also help with extremely efficient ballast exchange when the submarine dives...

Falco.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Motor Vehicle Act
Motor Vehicle Act Regulations

[includes amendments up to B.C. Reg. 236/2009, November 15, 2009]

Hours prescribed for lighted lamps

4.01 A person who drives or operates a vehicle on a highway must illuminate the lamps required by this Division

(a) from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise, and

(b) at any other time when, due to insufficient light or unfavourable atmospheric conditions, objects on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of 150 m.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]

Daytime running lamps

4.08 A motor vehicle may be equipped with daytime running lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle at a height of not less than 30 cm and not more than 2.11 m, that comply with the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada).

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]

Fog lamps

4.11 (1) A motor vehicle may be equipped with 2 fog lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle below the headlamps, that are capable of displaying only white or amber light.

(2) Each fog lamp must be

(a) mounted not more than 30 cm below the headlamps, and

(b) adjusted and aimed so that, at a distance of 8 m from the lamp, the centre of the beam is at least 10 cm below the height of the fog lamp.

(3) The fog lamp wiring and switch must permit simultaneous operation of the parking lamps, tail lamps, licence plate lamp and, if required, clearance lamps.

(4) The operator of a vehicle may use fog lamps instead of headlamps when atmospheric conditions make the use of headlamps disadvantageous.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]
Source: http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/fre ... _58_01.xml

P.S.: Regarding 4.01: When they refer to "highway", do they mean "public road" or a "highway". Does this mean I am not required to have my headlamps on after dark so long as I am not driving on an highway?

Falco.

[Green1]

When laws say highway they mean any public road.
There is no law stating what colour fog lights should be, though yellow does work better. (but position is more important than colour, not just height above road surface, but also how far away from the driver's eyes they are)

The law allows the operator of a motor vehicle to use the fog lights without the headlights when appropriate in both BC and Alberta, however in both provinces it is illegal for the vehicle to be wired in a way which allows it (go figure!)

For mounting location, the law states they must be equal height or lower than the headlights, but not more than 30cm lower. (once again though, the lower the better)

On my L300 I didn't have the plastic bull-bar guard, so I don't know if this would work on one that does, but I mounted my lights above the lowest metal cross-bar, but bellow where the plastic guard would be. Got them quite low without leaving them exposed to all the things I was bashing the bottom of my vehicle in to. (and considering I managed to smash in my license plate bracket, and push in both of the under-step radiators off-roading without hitting them, I think it worked)