i would like to express my thanks to Brent (zx7rhitch) for this excellent write up, well done.:buttrock

start by popping the fog light out, use a long flat screw driver to pry it out.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f7.jpg

bracket minus the fog light.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f8.jpg

remove the connector and cut the wires, leave a bit of slack should you ever get the urge to go back to stock..:rolleyes
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f1.jpg

minus the plug.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f2.jpg

one more, black and red wires are from the adapter harness (marked as input from hid box) we include with the hid kit:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f3.jpg

remove back cover from fog and pry the back cover plate:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f6.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f9.jpg

drill a hole in the back cover, ~7/8" will do:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f11.jpg

this is what you should have when you are done:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f10.jpg

solder the harness into the factory wires:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f4.jpg

heat shrink and cover with elec. tape for good measure:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f5.jpg

this is what it should look like at this point:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f12.jpg

lit up :D:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/BavToys/f17.jpg

mount the ballast in the bumper support beam or another solid surface, pop the fog light back in place and enjoy.

Excellent writeup.

Damn, nice work. This one was awesome too.. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=716091

Damn, nice work. This one was awesome too.. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=716091

not really, cutting and splicing your hid kit is not a good idea not to mention that your warranty would be voided on the spot.

not really, cutting and splicing your hid kit is not a good idea not to mention that your warranty would be voided on the spot.

:buttrock

:buttrock

car looks badass:buttrock

car looks badass:buttrock

Ditto :buttrock:buttrock

Do the bulbs get very hot? Will it melt any of the plastic? How does the bulb mount to the fog assembly?

:redspot

Mcdonalds just own this photo.... ^^ haha
NIce ride..

Do the bulbs get very hot? Will it melt any of the plastic? How does the bulb mount to the fog assembly?
Its a H1 socket from the factory so as long as you get a H1 hid there is no issue about fitment.Not sure about the tempature but I havent had any problems and I havnt heard others having any either.Maybe with cheap after market I supose

Are any of you guys popping fuses by running the ballast 12V through the fog light switch? This doesn't seem like a particularly good idea to me.

EDIT: I neglected to notice that the original poster is using an electronic ballast as opposed to a more conventional magnetic-type ballast (with internal igniter). The electronic-type, which I believe BavToys carries (although not exclusively) does not need to be powered separately from the battery.

Are any of you guys popping fuses by running the ballast 12V through the fog light switch? This doesn't seem like a particularly good idea to me.

3 years later im still waiting for the fuse to pop.

:)I dont have a lot of experience over a period of time with this but Ive done 2 cars with hid heads and fogs and 1 with just the headlights and have not blown a fuse with any of them.:)

I'm assuming you're using the electronic ballasts (external igniter)? Have those been readily available for 3 years? I thought electronic ballasts have only been available from automotive lighting retailers since early 2007.

Are you implying that you've been using magnetic ballasts for 3 years w/o popping a fuse? That certainly seems odd. Please clarify...

Thanks,
Mike

3 years later im still waiting for the fuse to pop.

I'm assuming you're using the electronic ballasts (external igniter)? Have those been readily available for 3 years? I thought electronic ballasts have only been available from automotive lighting retailers since early 2007.

Are you implying that you've been using magnetic ballasts for 3 years w/o popping a fuse? That certainly seems odd. Please clarify...

Thanks,
Mike

35w hid kits draw at least 30% less power than halogen why would the fuse be a problem??
i have had full size hids in my fogs, i have had digital kits, i have had 55w kits and digital 50w kits, 3 years later and countless combinations later the fuse is still intact.

and for the record, yes i am running a full size 3 year old magnetic core prolumen kit, the original one that i installed.

In an e36, the low beam circuit only has 7.5A fuses from the factory. Magnetic HID ballasts powered directly by the low beam switch 12V WILL draw more than 7.5A on cold start-up, thus blowing the fuses. This is a fact.

I have seen two solutions for this: 1) replace 7.5A fuses with 15A; 2) use 12V relays powered from battery 12V and switched by the low beam circuit.

The second method is superior from an engineering standpoint, but either will get the job done.

Honestly, I can't speak to a fog lamp application nor an e46 as I never installed HID's in either, but am curious as to individual results.

In an e36, the low beam circuit only has 7.5A fuses from the factory. Magnetic HID ballasts powered directly by the low beam switch 12V WILL draw more than 7.5A on cold start-up, thus blowing the fuses. This is a fact.

thats not fact, i as well as 95%+ of my customers run a 7.5A or lower fuse, there's no reason to up the fuse unless you are running a 5 or 6 year old ballast, newer ones magnetic or not work just fine with the 7.5A fuses, thats a fact.

In an e36, the low beam circuit only has 7.5A fuses from the factory. Magnetic HID ballasts powered directly by the low beam switch 12V WILL draw more than 7.5A on cold start-up, thus blowing the fuses. This is a fact.

I have seen two solutions for this: 1) replace 7.5A fuses with 15A; 2) use 12V relays powered from battery 12V and switched by the low beam circuit.

The second method is superior from an engineering standpoint, but either will get the job done.

Honestly, I can't speak to a fog lamp application nor an e46 as I never installed HID's in either, but am curious as to individual results.

I've been using a newer (aftermarket) 7.5 fuse since the install of my HIDs for the past year and a half with no blown fuses as a result of the HID or any disruption of my HID lighting and I'm using the older "brick" type Prolumen ballast.

I thought that HIDs only consume like 5-6 amps or something like that. I don't see the need for a larger fuse. If anything you'd end up blowing the circutry of the ballast by allowing too much power.

No LBF either. ;)

thats not fact, i as well as 95%+ of my customers run a 7.5A or lower fuse, there's no reason to up the fuse unless you are running a 5 or 6 year old ballast, newer ones magnetic or not work just fine with the 7.5A fuses, thats a fact.

Yah I have had no problem... Stock fuse... 120K on the car... Kit is ~4 years old...

No problemo!

This is also a fact hehe

no problem here with stock fuse. just installed 55w's too. nothing blown, no need for bigger fuse!

Interesting. I'd like to know what changed btw 5-6 years ago and later magnetic ballasts. I'm an electrical engineer and know that magnetic ballasts, which have been produced for over 30 years, use a reactive circuit to stabilize the output current being delivered to the bulb's electrode. In order to achieve a reasonable power factor (amount of potential power delivered to the load), these reactive circuits employ a (large) capacitor to minimize the phase angle between output current and voltage.

A capacitor appears as a short circuit at time instantaneous, or turn-on state, before settling to a nominal steady-state current draw. The turn-on short circuit causes a car's electrical system to "see" an extremely high transient load, which in the case of HID's requires greater than 7.5A.

Furthermore, if the ballast is powered directly from the headlight switch, all of the other loads sharing this power source will temporarily experience a low power condition due to the high current draw of the ballasts' capacitance. For example, the dashboard guage cluster in an e36 use the same power source as the headlights; hence, when the high transient load of ballast turn-on occurs, the gauges reset due to a temporary low power condition.

In response to Habbie's certainty that 95% of his customers have never had such problems, there are a few explanations for this....

1) BMW's other than e36's have different electrical layouts for the lighting circuits (I only have direct experience with e36's)

2) There has been a substantial change in magnetic ballast design in the past 5-6 years which I do not know about

3) Foglight circuits are substantially different than low-beam headlight circuits in e36 BMW's (possible, but unexpected)

I really don't know the answer, but I do know that for those experiencing problems such as reseting gauges, audio pops, etc. upon switching on your HID lights... if you want to fix the problems you need to isolate the power source of the HID ballasts from the low-beam supply by using relays powered directly from the battery. In fact, many HID kits used to come with these relays... not sure if they still do or not. It's possible that these problems only affect older HID kits and not the ones the Habbie sells, so I am in no way trying to defame Habbie or Prolumen-- just trying to help those having problems.

Best,
Mike

Hey Mike.

I don't know about older HID ballasts. That's your area, but I can assume from your previous response regarding larger fuse and connecting to the main battery terminal that they drew A LOT of power way back when.

But the newer HID ballasts only draw 5-6 max draw at start up and work concurrently with the standard fuse box and fuses. No "modification" needed to get the HIDs to work correctly.

Edit: AND just did a little google investigation and the stats for HID power draw for new ones are like 3 and 55w Ballasts ones draw about 6 max.

O... And nobody is having problems with the draw of the current HID Ballasts.

LBF though is a hit or miss occurence and there are already DIY's and proper ways of addressing those problems.

Interesting. I'd like to know what changed btw 5-6 years ago and later magnetic ballasts. I'm an electrical engineer and know that magnetic ballasts, which have been produced for over 30 years, use a reactive circuit to stabilize the output current being delivered to the bulb's electrode. In order to achieve a reasonable power factor (amount of potential power delivered to the load), these reactive circuits employ a (large) capacitor to minimize the phase angle between output current and voltage.

A capacitor appears as a short circuit at time instantaneous, or turn-on state, before settling to a nominal steady-state current draw. The turn-on short circuit causes a car's electrical system to "see" an extremely high transient load, which in the case of HID's requires greater than 7.5A.

Furthermore, if the ballast is powered directly from the headlight switch, all of the other loads sharing this power source will temporarily experience a low power condition due to the high current draw of the ballasts' capacitance. For example, the dashboard guage cluster in an e36 use the same power source as the headlights; hence, when the high transient load of ballast turn-on occurs, the gauges reset due to a temporary low power condition.

In response to Habbie's certainty that 95% of his customers have never had such problems, there are a few explanations for this....

1) BMW's other than e36's have different electrical layouts for the lighting circuits (I only have direct experience with e36's)

2) There has been a substantial change in magnetic ballast design in the past 5-6 years which I do not know about

3) Foglight circuits are substantially different than low-beam headlight circuits in e36 BMW's (possible, but unexpected)

I really don't know the answer, but I do know that for those experiencing problems such as reseting gauges, audio pops, etc. upon switching on your HID lights... if you want to fix the problems you need to isolate the power source of the HID ballasts from the low-beam supply by using relays powered directly from the battery. In fact, many HID kits used to come with these relays... not sure if they still do or not. It's possible that these problems only affect older HID kits and not the ones the Habbie sells, so I am in no way trying to defame Habbie or Prolumen-- just trying to help those having problems.

Best,
Mike

95% of my customers own e36's.:)

Interesting. I'd like to know what changed btw 5-6 years ago and later magnetic ballasts. I'm an electrical engineer and know that magnetic ballasts, which have been produced for over 30 years, use a reactive circuit to stabilize the output current being delivered to the bulb's electrode. In order to achieve a reasonable power factor (amount of potential power delivered to the load), these reactive circuits employ a (large) capacitor to minimize the phase angle between output current and voltage.

A capacitor appears as a short circuit at time instantaneous, or turn-on state, before settling to a nominal steady-state current draw. The turn-on short circuit causes a car's electrical system to "see" an extremely high transient load, which in the case of HID's requires greater than 7.5A.

Furthermore, if the ballast is powered directly from the headlight switch, all of the other loads sharing this power source will temporarily experience a low power condition due to the high current draw of the ballasts' capacitance. For example, the dashboard guage cluster in an e36 use the same power source as the headlights; hence, when the high transient load of ballast turn-on occurs, the gauges reset due to a temporary low power condition.

In response to Habbie's certainty that 95% of his customers have never had such problems, there are a few explanations for this....

1) BMW's other than e36's have different electrical layouts for the lighting circuits (I only have direct experience with e36's)

2) There has been a substantial change in magnetic ballast design in the past 5-6 years which I do not know about

3) Foglight circuits are substantially different than low-beam headlight circuits in e36 BMW's (possible, but unexpected)

I really don't know the answer, but I do know that for those experiencing problems such as reseting gauges, audio pops, etc. upon switching on your HID lights... if you want to fix the problems you need to isolate the power source of the HID ballasts from the low-beam supply by using relays powered directly from the battery. In fact, many HID kits used to come with these relays... not sure if they still do or not. It's possible that these problems only affect older HID kits and not the ones the Habbie sells, so I am in no way trying to defame Habbie or Prolumen-- just trying to help those having problems.

Best,
Mike

Dont get to mad. My dad is also a engineer but you people THINK WAY TO MUCH!!!!!!.Im not trying to be a smart ass but somtimes thinking to much gets in the way:):)

Guys, I apologize... coming back to the scene after a rather lengthy hiatus. I was poking around in another thread and saw a post by Jim Powell addressing the discrepancies...

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=10229664&postcount=4

At any rate, back in the day (2001-2002) the fuse popping issues were widespread and plentiful. Most installed relays to solve the problems. I was surprised to see that nobody is doing that anymore, but apparently there have been innovations in ballast design in the last 5 years that have corrected the original issues.

I stand corrected. On the bright side I am happy to see progress in an area where so many used to have problems with after-market HID kits.

Best,
Mike

Its all good!!!!!
Glad to have you back!!!!!

It's all good. I'm not mad. I was just concerned that vendors who sells loads of these products might not know the implications of their suggested installation procedures. This happens far too often.

I'm relieved to see that this is not the case with Habbie or Prolumen.

I understand your point regarding not "over-thinking" problems, but I don't believe thought ever hurt anyone. Burned out ballasts and fried electrical systems, on the other hand, cause pain and frustration.

Thanks for your concern,
Mike

BTW, I think I/we should stop hi-jacking poor Habbie's installation thread.

Dont get to mad. My dad is also a engineer but you people THINK WAY TO MUCH!!!!!!.Im not trying to be a smart ass but somtimes thinking to much gets in the way:):)

BTW, I think I/we should stop hi-jacking poor Habbie's installation thread.

damn straight...:)
and Brent's not all to happy either..:)

Nice Write Up:thumbup:

It's all good. I'm not mad. I was just concerned that vendors who sells loads of these products might not know the implications of their suggested installation procedures. This happens far too often.

I'm relieved to see that this is not the case with Habbie or Prolumen.

I understand your point regarding not "over-thinking" problems, but I don't believe thought ever hurt anyone. Burned out ballasts and fried electrical systems, on the other hand, cause pain and frustration.

Thanks for your concern,
Mike

BTW, I think I/we should stop hi-jacking poor Habbie's installation thread.

not to beat a dead horse but..
remember the engineers who make these products know the limitations and implications of their product, if its shoddy then they cost their respective companies a lot of money.

the product has evolved in the last couple of years, and its nothing like the old days, if a relay and wiring harness makes you feel better then by all means, its your time and your dime.
like anything else on the net there is more misinformation then anything else, much of it coming from "experts", some from lighting vendors asking for your confidence and support on this very forum, yet they have no clue about the product they sell or research they quote as if it was their own.

lots of people feed on scaring others while padding their own pockets selling unnecessary parts...

Were can i get one of these HID kits for the fogs?

Were can i get one of these HID kits for the fogs?

www.bavtoys.com
choose any of the kits we carry and add the fog light harness kit to your order.

:buttrock+ 1

not really, cutting and splicing your hid kit is not a good idea not to mention that your warranty would be voided on the spot.

I dont have a warentee:D......(:()

I just want the HID for the fogs. What do you recommend and price?

I just want the HID for the fogs. What do you recommend and price?

check out all the kits we have on the site and choose one that suites you and your budget the best.
the digital kits by prolumen are the best followed by the kwd.

Thank you Mike and Habbie.

It is good to see open discussion on the board about this matter because I have been considering this upgrade for a while. I have seen a ton of units for various prices and I have also heard just as manny horror stories as success stories with these units.

Granted most have been from owners of other cars however if it will mess up in a Honda why would I trust it in my e36 & e34 BMWs? I just want to put out the most light so that (a) these SUV drivers can see me coming and get out of the way (b) I can see hazards before they end up under or inside of my grill.

Lighting and brakes are safety upgrades to me and I just would like to get as much information as possible so that I can make an educated choice.

Hey quick ques., is a fog harness necessary? I'm going to buy a kit locally, same in my headlights so i know its good, and i know they dont have said harness.

Thanks a lot, I'm going to be installing these soon.

Just installed mine last night using this. I was laughing at how easy this was. :)