Factory Fog Light Mod

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04-19-2013, 12:34 AM

#41

miloxb

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Join Date: Jul 2009

Location: Rapid City, SD

Posts: 114

I didn't connect the two red wires on the car side just the relay side and also one of my bulbs was shot!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk while cruising the xB

04-21-2013, 04:52 AM

#42

BigDragon

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Join Date: Dec 2012

Location: Hampton, VA

Posts: 60

I really want to do this! I will get this done once I get some tap connectors. Thanks for the post!

04-23-2013, 01:10 AM

#43

Tobias_Sturgill

Junior Member

Join Date: Apr 2013

Posts: 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by lildann

The wire shown it this pic is the illumination wire from the hazard switch. I used this wire to power the relay only when the interior lights were on. This way when I turned the parking lights off, it would turn off the fog lights. If you wanted to turn on just the fog lights with no parking lights, you could give it a hot wire that provides power. You can use a switched power that is only hot with the ignition on or you could use a hot wire with power even when the ignition is off. I wouldn't recomment that because you may forget to turn them off and kill the battery.

What do you mean interior lights. You mean the light switch on the center dome? Or one of the 2 dome lights twards the front of the car.

04-23-2013, 04:37 PM

#44

elbowlobstercowstand

Junior Member

Join Date: Feb 2013

Posts: 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobias_Sturgill

What do you mean interior lights. You mean the light switch on the center dome? Or one of the 2 dome lights twards the front of the car.

Actually, neither of those. Though I see the confusion. OP (original poster) is talking about all the—maybe put more clearly—illumination lights; the ones that light up in your controls, buttons, *****, etc.

To be extra clear...

Hop into your xB at night and turn your headlights on (3rd position). See all the illumination on all your controls turn on? Then back of one turn (2nd position) and you'll be in "parking light" mode. You'll still see illumination lights on. Back it down one more final turn (1st position), and illumination goes away.

After doing this mod, the fogs will only turn on when you have have your headlights on. OP is modifying this behavior by killing the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) link between the headlights (3rd position) and the fogs, and instead getting power from the 2nd position parking light setting.

When the parking lights come on, the illumination lights come on.

A smart move from the OP as that still gives you the warning bell if you leave your fog lights on, as they are tied to the parking lights (aka daytime running lights). I'll be doing this mod probably in the next month. Thanks to the OP!

04-25-2013, 01:20 AM

#45

Tobias_Sturgill

Junior Member

Join Date: Apr 2013

Posts: 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by lildann

Ok. First, the fog light relay is located behind the shifter in the center console. Kind of hard to get to. I think that Scion didn't want anyone to do this. I didn't take pics of taking the center console apart. The gear shift know spins off by turning it counter-clockwise. Then the gear shifter trim pops up. The lower tunnel has two screws at the top then pulls straight forward. With it removed it should look like this.

How exactly does the trim pop off? Were talking about the pleather covering around the shifter.

04-25-2013, 01:28 AM

#46

Tobias_Sturgill

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Join Date: Apr 2013

Posts: 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by lildann

Ok here is the deal now. The fog light relay gets power from the headlights on the two red wires. These same wires also power the indicator in the dash that shows the headlights are on. I cut both red wires that went into the relay and butt connected them together. (On the left by my thumb.) This is necessary to have the headlights turn on the indicator in the instrument cluster. Make sure, when you cut the wires to the relay, that you leave enough wire going into the relay to connect them to the other wire from the hazard switch. (or whatever you are using as your power source). I butt connected them together and connected the wire from the hazard switch with another T-tap. (On the right). I did it this way because I already had it tapped from before I cut the wires. You could just use a butt connector to connect the leads at the relay directly to the wire tapped into the hazard switch. This is what it looked like when I was done. You can see in the pic that I ran the power wire, from the hazard switch to the relay, behind the console so that it didn't get pinched by a panel.

Just to be clear. This method will just make the fog lights come on by themselves without the need for headlights or running lights to be on?

So after you connected the two red wires from the "thinner" end of the relay. You tapped from Hazard dark green wire. Will this not cause more current to flow and thus triggering a fuse to blow?

Lastly, the two red wires on the right of the picture. Those are JUST +12V hots that were originaly going to the red wires on your left thumb. Is that correct?

Again all I'm trying to do is make the fogs go on by themselves. I don't "need" the beep reminder but I would like to have the dash light still come on letting me know the fogs are on.

Sorry If I seem like such a noob I just don't want to blow anything

12-06-2014, 04:13 AM

#47

BCoonrod

Junior Member

Join Date: Dec 2014

Posts: 1

2014 xB Fog Lights

WOW,
I have been researching this since I got my 2014 xB back in March and I finally hit the right "keyword" to find this thread.
Although my gearshift cover/mechanism was a little different, this mod worked GREAT and I am a happy camper.
Thanks!!

Factory Fog Light Mod-20141205_232033.jpg

Last edited by BCoonrod; 12-06-2014 at 04:38 AM. Reason: Added Photo

02-21-2015, 04:30 PM

#48

XBEEZY

Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: San Francisco

Posts: 9

Quote:

Originally Posted by lildann

Hey guys. I haven't had time to be on here lately but I did get the HIDs in my fog lights. Here are the pics.

I hate to dig up old post, but I have a 2012. Wheres the best location to mount the ballast? if I were to do this, and I assume taking off the bumper is the only way to do a clean install?

Thanks in advance

03-09-2015, 05:19 AM

#49

bond007

Member

Join Date: Dec 2014

Posts: 21

Did the deed. Thank you @lildann for such an easy to follow set of instructions. I have to admit, I was apprehensive at first but you made it sound so easy.

Attached Thumbnails

Factory Fog Light Mod-2015-03-08-10.39.28a.jpg

Factory Fog Light Mod-2015-03-08-10.39.08a.jpg

Last edited by bond007; 03-09-2015 at 05:48 AM.

12-21-2016, 05:46 PM

#50

GHERITAGE

Junior Member

SL Member

Join Date: Dec 2016

Posts: 3

HIGH BEAM CUT OFF

Quote:

Originally Posted by lildann

Yes? Wow. I'm suprised. Not on my xb. The fog lights still turn off when I use my high beams. Maybe a different year does it differently. Mine is a 2011. How about yours?

Were you able to figure out why fog lights turn off when high beam are on?

12-22-2016, 09:00 PM

#51

GHERITAGE

Junior Member

SL Member

Join Date: Dec 2016

Posts: 3

[QUOTE=MR_LUV;4179056]

FYI, this Member hasn't been here for nearly 3 years.

Elvis has left the Building.

[/QUOT

Can you think of any reason why the turning the high beam lights on would cut out the fog lamps after this mod was done ?

12-23-2016, 12:29 AM

#52

afterlifespecialist

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Join Date: Jun 2009

Location: Rochester, NY

Posts: 102

I did this mod years ago to my xb. Still use it all the time. The reason that the fogs go off when you turn on the high beams is because it's required. Manufacturers are required to do this with all cars to prevent oncoming traffic from being blinded. That being said, there are ways around it. I have a tundra that I installed factory foglights in that work independent from my headlights, just like this mod, however in the tundra my fog lights don't go off with my hi beams. It all comes down to how you supply power. There must be another wire that when you turn on your hi beams, it triggers the relay to not supply power to the fog lights. Find that wire and remove it from the equation and you will have hi beams with fog lights.