HIDs in Fogs write-up!

[KaOTiKM3]

i tried to use this method but it didn't work the ballasts starts clicking when i turn on the power to the fogs but the bulbs don't light up...any ideas?

[dinomite]

You can, however, keep them on with your high beams so you could blind everybody that way :

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?p=2613848

Heh, I don't want to blind everyone, I just sort of want to turn the stock fogs into long-throw driving lights.

[clumpymold]

i tried to use this method but it didn't work the ballasts starts clicking when i turn on the power to the fogs but the bulbs don't light up...any ideas?

Did you upgrade your fuses?

[KaOTiKM3]

negative, what do you mean by upgrade the fuses? I just followed your directions...

[clumpymold]

negative, what do you mean by upgrade the fuses? I just followed your directions...

Yeah, I may have forgotten to add that in later (don't remember). Anyway, you'll need to upgrade your fuses from 7.5, I believe, to 15 amps each. That should do the trick.

[KaOTiKM3]

Yeah, I may have forgotten to add that in later (don't remember). Anyway, you'll need to upgrade your fuses from 7.5, I believe, to 15 amps each. That should do the trick.

which fuses are the ones for the fogs? and is there anything else I would need in accordance to your directions to make this work?

[clumpymold]

which fuses are the ones for the fogs? and is there anything else I would need in accordance to your directions to make this work?

See post #2 here:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=223299



Hope that helps. Otherwise, try emailing me for a faster response: clumpymold@sbcglobal.net

[Droptop///m]

I had a really bad electrical "buzzing" sorta thing goin on when I installed these at first and only one, or none of the fogs would turn on...? By trial and error I realized that this usually only happened when I kept turning the bulbs off and on repeatedly. If I wait a little while they turn on without a hitch.

Oh and FYI I did upgrade the necessary fuse to 30 amps and it still acts up from time to time.

Any ideas why its doing this?

[clumpymold]

I had a really bad electrical "buzzing" sorta thing goin on when I installed these at first and only one, or none of the fogs would turn on...? By trial and error I realized that this usually only happened when I kept turning the bulbs off and on repeatedly. If I wait a little while they turn on without a hitch.

Oh and FYI I did upgrade the necessary fuse to 30 amps and it still acts up from time to time.

Any ideas why its doing this?

Double check your grounds. I had this same issue as well. If the grounds "look" fine, try grounding in TWO places for each ballast. The buzzing eventually went away.

[Droptop///m]

Double check your grounds. I had this same issue as well. If the grounds "look" fine, try grounding in TWO places for each ballast. The buzzing eventually went away.

Now im kinda confused... How can I double ground? Are you saying that I should splice into my ground wire and ground it to something else?

[clumpymold]

Now im kinda confused... How can I double ground? Are you saying that I should splice into my ground wire and ground it to something else?

You COULD do that but it would be even better if you could just find where the ground wire attaches to and create ANOTHER wire and ground that to something else. If it fixes your problem than your original ground may not be sufficient enough.

[DarksideE36]

I'm using the same install that is written here. I did the exact same thing and changed the fuses to 7.5 to 25's as well. I start it up and the I hear a clicking noise and the bulbs do not light up. Help anyone? I searched but could not find a definitive answer. Thanks.

_Paul

[E36M3wantedinNY]

I'm using the same install that is written here. I did the exact same thing and changed the fuses to 7.5 to 25's as well. I start it up and the I hear a clicking noise and the bulbs do not light up. Help anyone? I searched but could not find a definitive answer. Thanks.

_Paul

check your wiring connections, and look for a better grounding point. also, try keeping your ground wires as short as possible.

[DarksideE36]

Thanks bro I figured it out though, Just some grounding and what not. Good times. Pics soon, muhahha.

_Paul

[KaOTiKM3]

Thanks bro I figured it out though, Just some grounding and what not. Good times. Pics soon, muhahha.

_Paul

how did you figure it out? I have the same problem...

[E36M3wantedinNY]

Thanks bro I figured it out though, Just some grounding and what not. Good times. Pics soon, muhahha.

_Paul

yeah, i'd love to see pics. i was considering hid fogs until i got my car and saw the beam pattern of the fogs. with the current beam pattern, i can't see how to make it worthwhile (unless you're just doing it for looks). So eventually I'll be looking to pickup a set of audi tt/s4 headlight projectors and sticking them in the fogs. or perhaps oem e46 projectors. if any of those will fit in an 36 fog housing, it would be a really clean look just sticking the projector in (with *some* modification to our fog housing. )

another option would be getting just a fog housing that's made for hid's, and using a stock foglight as a *cover* so it still looks good on the outside. i think osram makes a fog hid kit that's supposed to be good (good light cutoff and such).

[clumpymold]

I'm using the same install that is written here. I did the exact same thing and changed the fuses to 7.5 to 25's as well. I start it up and the I hear a clicking noise and the bulbs do not light up. Help anyone? I searched but could not find a definitive answer. Thanks.

_Paul

Yep, I would check your grounds as well. Looks like you did and it worked. This is, BY FAR, the most common problem with HID kits.

E36M3wantedinNY: It's WAY more than just looks. Just having the fogs on and nothing else is a HUGE difference over stock. It helps illuminate the entire front of your car (not blinding to others but helps YOU) out. It's simply amazing and if you're unsure how helpful it is, you should sit in someones car with HID fogs. WAY worth it for me. But then again, I'm a HUGE lighting person. I have to have my stuff BRIGHT. Even my room's got huge flourescent bulbs vs. halogens. My garage has twice that.

[E36M3wantedinNY]

Yep, I would check your grounds as well. Looks like you did and it worked. This is, BY FAR, the most common problem with HID kits.

E36M3wantedinNY: It's WAY more than just looks. Just having the fogs on and nothing else is a HUGE difference over stock. It helps illuminate the entire front of your car (not blinding to others but helps YOU) out. It's simply amazing and if you're unsure how helpful it is, you should sit in someones car with HID fogs. WAY worth it for me. But then again, I'm a HUGE lighting person. I have to have my stuff BRIGHT. Even my room's got huge flourescent bulbs vs. halogens. My garage has twice that.

I've seen hid fogs in a car with good foglights (good light dispersion & pattern)

The stock fogs I've got now (diamond cut or whatever, made by depo) do not seem to project light well in front of the car. They do a great job at projecting the light to the sides though, which is good. However - and maybe it's just me, but I can't see the ground for the first 7 feet in front of the car from a normal driving position. Therefore, I can't say I care if the first 7 feet or so are lit up like times square. I'd like fogs that project wide, as these do - but also further in front of me than the current ones do --- like a good 50 feet in front of the car. with that sortof angle, they would be useful in fog, and in everyday driving. however, these fogs still wouldn't have a sharp cutoff. audi tt, s4, etc projectors DO have a sharp horizontal cutoff. take a look at the inside of a bmw or audi projector, and you'll see the metal cutoff. it prevents light from projecting above a certain line. the sharper the cutoff, the less likely you'll blind anyone, because the light isn't being thrown everywhere. Some degree of reflection is good, it helps light up our roadsigns, but it seems like the stock fogs, and the ones i have now don't have a sharp enough cutoff to be acceptable. however, if you wouldn't mind taking pictures at night with just your hid fogs on, from your drivers seat, i'd really appreciate that. who knows, maybe i'm wrong and the oem housings would benefit from brighter bulbs.

but what i'm basically saying, is that i don't think the oem/oem style reflector fogs will do well in light projection, no matter how bright the bulb used. consider how much better the euro headlights for e36's are compared to stock headlights with hid's. it's not just about how bright your bulb is, it's also about how good your housing is.

but like i said, i could be wrong.

[DarksideE36]

I've seen hid fogs in a car with good foglights (good light dispersion & pattern)

The stock fogs I've got now (diamond cut or whatever, made by depo) do not seem to project light well in front of the car. They do a great job at projecting the light to the sides though, which is good. However - and maybe it's just me, but I can't see the ground for the first 7 feet in front of the car from a normal driving position. Therefore, I can't say I care if the first 7 feet or so are lit up like times square. I'd like fogs that project wide, as these do - but also further in front of me than the current ones do --- like a good 50 feet in front of the car. with that sortof angle, they would be useful in fog, and in everyday driving. however, these fogs still wouldn't have a sharp cutoff. audi tt, s4, etc projectors DO have a sharp horizontal cutoff. take a look at the inside of a bmw or audi projector, and you'll see the metal cutoff. it prevents light from projecting above a certain line. the sharper the cutoff, the less likely you'll blind anyone, because the light isn't being thrown everywhere. Some degree of reflection is good, it helps light up our roadsigns, but it seems like the stock fogs, and the ones i have now don't have a sharp enough cutoff to be acceptable. however, if you wouldn't mind taking pictures at night with just your hid fogs on, from your drivers seat, i'd really appreciate that. who knows, maybe i'm wrong and the oem housings would benefit from brighter bulbs.

but what i'm basically saying, is that i don't think the oem/oem style reflector fogs will do well in light projection, no matter how bright the bulb used. consider how much better the euro headlights for e36's are compared to stock headlights with hid's. it's not just about how bright your bulb is, it's also about how good your housing is.

but like i said, i could be wrong.

E36M3wantedinNY, Check out how my HID FOGS came out. I inclueded a pic of the Drivers Perspective so enjoy. I'd say get them you just need to aim them right. I think your projector retrofit would be even better though. Good Luck man.

_Paul

[clumpymold]

I've seen hid fogs in a car with good foglights (good light dispersion & pattern)

The stock fogs I've got now (diamond cut or whatever, made by depo) do not seem to project light well in front of the car. They do a great job at projecting the light to the sides though, which is good. However - and maybe it's just me, but I can't see the ground for the first 7 feet in front of the car from a normal driving position. Therefore, I can't say I care if the first 7 feet or so are lit up like times square. I'd like fogs that project wide, as these do - but also further in front of me than the current ones do --- like a good 50 feet in front of the car. with that sortof angle, they would be useful in fog, and in everyday driving. however, these fogs still wouldn't have a sharp cutoff. audi tt, s4, etc projectors DO have a sharp horizontal cutoff. take a look at the inside of a bmw or audi projector, and you'll see the metal cutoff. it prevents light from projecting above a certain line. the sharper the cutoff, the less likely you'll blind anyone, because the light isn't being thrown everywhere. Some degree of reflection is good, it helps light up our roadsigns, but it seems like the stock fogs, and the ones i have now don't have a sharp enough cutoff to be acceptable. however, if you wouldn't mind taking pictures at night with just your hid fogs on, from your drivers seat, i'd really appreciate that. who knows, maybe i'm wrong and the oem housings would benefit from brighter bulbs.

but what i'm basically saying, is that i don't think the oem/oem style reflector fogs will do well in light projection, no matter how bright the bulb used. consider how much better the euro headlights for e36's are compared to stock headlights with hid's. it's not just about how bright your bulb is, it's also about how good your housing is.

but like i said, i could be wrong.

Yeah, I understand what you mean. But I didn't realize the fogs are supposed to have a cutoff. I thought they were supposed to just illuminate the ground in front and to the sides of the vehicle. My low beams, however, have a cutoff. The cutoff sucks though since it goes upward to the right (to help illuminate the street signs, I believe). I would love to get rid of that but that's another story. I actually just checked them out now and no, they don't help TREMENDOUSLY but they DO help. My gf was looking at them and she said it DID help but that they were a bit extreme. I just told her that since I have them, I'm going to use them. Also, it's better to have it more bright than less (as long as it's not blinding others, obviously).

I can snap some pictures if I remember. Try emailing me to remind me though: clumpymold@sbcglobal.net

[E36M3wantedinNY]

Yeah, I understand what you mean. But I didn't realize the fogs are supposed to have a cutoff. I thought they were supposed to just illuminate the ground in front and to the sides of the vehicle. My low beams, however, have a cutoff. The cutoff sucks though since it goes upward to the right (to help illuminate the street signs, I believe). I would love to get rid of that but that's another story. I actually just checked them out now and no, they don't help TREMENDOUSLY but they DO help. My gf was looking at them and she said it DID help but that they were a bit extreme. I just told her that since I have them, I'm going to use them. Also, it's better to have it more bright than less (as long as it's not blinding others, obviously).

I can snap some pictures if I remember. Try emailing me to remind me though: clumpymold@sbcglobal.net

neither foglights or low beams have to have a sharp cutoff in the US. US dot laws allow a lot of scatter. The reason for this is that we don't have lit up highway signs, but much of europe does. E code lights will generally have a sharper horizontal cutoff, and less scatter. Less scatter means you're less likely to blind oncoming traffic, or the guy in front of you, unless you align your headlights to project higher than the horizontal plane. For example, your lights should angle slightly downward when properly aligned.

Now, although neither fogs nor low beams HAVE to have a cutoff, they are generally much more effective when they do. This is because you're projecting more of your light output on the road. also, the sharper the cutoff, the more effective your fogs and low beams will be in actual fog or rain or snow. This is because you're getting less reflection from the inclement weather. I saw the picture darksidee36 sent me, and i think the stock fogs with hid's will be ok. They still have quite a bit of scatter, but this will probably be good, since i ordered bosche ecode's, which won't light up highway signs well. The fogs will help to take care of the highway signs, and hopefully won't be blinding. If they are, then i'll pursue my projector retrofit.

[PourkyM3]

Nice write-up.

[clumpymold]

neither foglights or low beams have to have a sharp cutoff in the US. US dot laws allow a lot of scatter. The reason for this is that we don't have lit up highway signs, but much of europe does. E code lights will generally have a sharper horizontal cutoff, and less scatter. Less scatter means you're less likely to blind oncoming traffic, or the guy in front of you, unless you align your headlights to project higher than the horizontal plane. For example, your lights should angle slightly downward when properly aligned.

Now, although neither fogs nor low beams HAVE to have a cutoff, they are generally much more effective when they do. This is because you're projecting more of your light output on the road. also, the sharper the cutoff, the more effective your fogs and low beams will be in actual fog or rain or snow. This is because you're getting less reflection from the inclement weather. I saw the picture darksidee36 sent me, and i think the stock fogs with hid's will be ok. They still have quite a bit of scatter, but this will probably be good, since i ordered bosche ecode's, which won't light up highway signs well. The fogs will help to take care of the highway signs, and hopefully won't be blinding. If they are, then i'll pursue my projector retrofit.

Ahh, I see what you mean. I actually think maybe my low beams are aimed too high since they're pretty much straight as opposed to downward. I'll check again.

Nice write-up.

Thanks!

[Keechy E36]

this is on my list of things to do...but $300 on fog lights, do anyone know where to buy cheap ballast?

[E36M3wantedinNY]

this is on my list of things to do...but $300 on fog lights, do anyone know where to buy cheap ballast?

i believe umnitza has a 5 year warranty on their hid's. I'd say the $300 is well worth it as long as you feel umnitza will be around for the next 5 years, and that they'll continue to provide the great level of service as they do now. Cause in all honestly, I figure the xtec bulbs or ballasts will go within the 5 year warranty period. Even if they don't, the $300 range is great for a brand new hid kit with a warranty. most people sell hid kits used for that kinda money. Course, this is assuming the umnitza hid kits are in the $300 range. I believe they are, and I do plan on getting one for my fogs.