brudsman22

I just wanted to share the first/latest project that I did with my xD. I decided that I wanted to put in some custom fog lights or drl's since the OEM fogs for the xD have been discontinued (lame). I started with some small LED lights that I bought on ebay and a wiring kit with a relay. I didn't take pictures of each step of the project but here are some.

First, I took off the bumper guard and wired in the leads for each fog light. I took off the hole covers and reattached the bumper.

brudsman22

I made four plastic plates to replace the hole covers so that I wouldn't have to drill holes in the original covers. This was just in case I messed up

I mounted one plastic plate on each side with bolts then used a second plate on each side to cover the bolts for a clean look. The second plate was attached with command heavy duty velcro strips.





This picture shows the back of the mounting plate from underneath the bumper on the drivers side. Here you can also see the blue zip tie holding on the wiring for the lights on the passenger side.

brudsman22

Here is one set of lights mounted.

brudsman22

I wired a switch to the interior through the main grommet in the firewall using a wire hanger. The two wires were a lot easier to get through with a little WD-40 on them. I mounted the switch on one of the blank switch covers in the center console below the parking brake. Here is a picture of where I attached the ground. By attaching the ground wire in the interior I didn't have to run it through the firewall.



Here is the finished switch (off)



switch (on)

brudsman22

Here are some pics of the lights on...woo finally. Took me a couple hours over several days. I was working on them after work during the week.







If there are more pics anyone wants to see, just let me know. I forgot take pictures of everything when I was working on the lights.

Also, the lights are pretty bright, but not that focused. They function more as indicator lights than as actual fog lights, but I am pleased with the look and the final outcome.

brudsman22

These are the lights that I used.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/150918981177?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

dartanian

Thanks for the write up. I'm trying to understand how you did the plastic plates and where you got them and what you velcroed over the top of them?

I bought the same lights and a switch for the center console. I am just going with one light centered in the opening though, not two. I was planning on one small mounting hole in the center and if I ever wanted to remove them a black plug could go in the hole but I am intrigued by your new plates idea. Should have mine in soon.

nguyener

iTrader: (3)

got any daytime pictures with these things on?

brudsman22

No problem man. Sorry it is not more detailed. I cut those plastic plates out of the lid for a rubbermaid container using tin snips. I cut two for each side. One I bolted on, and I velcroed the second one to it so the bolts would be covered. You could skip the plastic things and just mount the lights on the factory covers. I chose not to do that so I could put them back in if the lights came out bad.

brudsman22

Here you go. I would say that the night time pictures make the lights look brighter than they are and these pictures make the lights look dimmer than they really are. It's probably because I took all of the pics with a crappy cell phone camera. I can try taking some with a real camera and see if they come out better.





I would say that they are not focused enough to light up the road at night, but I can still tell when I turn them on, even with my main headlights on. The light pattern is scattered because there are no reflectors, projectors, or anything; however, looking at the lights, they are quite noticeable even in daylight, which is a good thing if you are just going for drl's. We don't get much fog where I am in PA so I can't say how effective they are in that regard.

brudsman22

I added a few more pics of the switch that I installed too...look up haha.

dartanian

Thanks for the further explanation and the switch photo. So you had a rubbermaid container cover that was black and big enough to let you cut four pieces? Wow! Pretty resourceful amigo.

Can I also ask how you got the original cover plates off? Do you have to take the bumper off or can you just pop them off from outside? Do they just snap in? What tool if any, did you use to get them out? Maybe a photo of the back of the ones you took out would help. Thanks again! I will probably put my switch in the same exact location.

brudsman22

Haha yeah man I bought a big one for storage for five bucks. The lid was probably 2.5ft x 2ft.

For the cover plates, I took the screws out of the splash guard on the underside of the bumper to gain access. You can stick your hand in there but it is pretty hard to see anything. I just felt around until I found the back of the hole covers and squeezed the clips to release them. There are four clips on each cover. Here's a pic. Sorry again for the crappy cell phone camera. The tricky part is that the clips are all oriented in a different direction. Hopefully the arrows help.

brudsman22

Also, I didn't have to take the bumper off to get the OEM covers off, but I did eventually end up removing it to run the wires for the lights. You could run them somewhere else in the engine bay to make things easier, they just won't be hidden as well.

dartanian

Thanks bro.

brudsman22

^^^no problem. Just let me know if you need anything else

brudsman22

Here are some better pictures that I took with a real camera.

Light pattern


This one with the headlights on gives a better idea of how bright the LEDs are.

dartanian

Got mine in - just one on each side of the exact same lights you used from China, centered in the stock plate. Used an amber lighted switch too. I can't fricking believe how bright just ONE of these little suckers is! Love these and they cost like $3 for the pair. Can't beat the price!

brudsman22

Looking good man. I definitely agree, they are really bright and cheap. I bought a bunch of extras just because they cost almost nothing.

dartanian

Thanks. Here is a shot of the switch and daytime with them off.