Last time I asked for help on a project -- the glove box 12V battery booster -- folks were most helpful. I'm hoping that I haven't worn out my welcome and that will be the case again. Well, I've got another project in mind that this time is only slightly over my head. It is this; I want to cover the holes left when I remove the HybridSD badges on the fenders with operational "arrowhead" shaped side marker lights like you see on some of the BMW 3 and 5 series cars. OK, OK, let there be peace in the kingdom. Take a deep breath and hear me out. Admittedly this is a little loony, but an obsession is difficult thing to live with. There was a time when I was going to cover the holes from the HybridSD badges with Subaru "pzev" badges. Well, no longer. I've only been able to get one used pzev badge set -- five separate pieces -- and anyway, now I'm going in a different direction and I don't want anything chrome on the fenders. I figure I might as well put something over the holes that adds something to the car, and something that adds to safety is a good thing. (Yes, I know about a potential $$ hit on resale. I'll take the chance.) Euro and Asian market Prii have side marker lights in addition to the HybridSD badge. So, the idea of marker lights is not totally alien to the Prius. But the OEM Prius' side marker lights are not long enough to cover the two holes under the badges. I've checked out a gazillion cars, and the BMW side lights are the smallest, most stylish ones that will cover the holes. The parts: http://priuschat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11973&stc=1&d=1225237468 All together, the parts come to ~$40 from an internet source, as an example: Bimmer Specialist I'm going to do this. Right now, I'm searching the wwweb for a full scale or dimensioned drawing of the holes I have cut in the fenders. If hard pressed, I can take measurements from the lights and confirm the layout by making a proof cut in some sheet metal. Somewhere along the way, I'll need a circuit drawing or word picture of where to hook into the turn signal wiring. But, before I walk purposefully but naively into this swamp, I'd like to ask if there's anything in the way of bodywork or electrical that I need to be especially mindful of... you know, crocodiles lurking just below the surface that will take a good sized chunk out of my butt... or my wallet.
Here's a couple of not really good pix showing my progress so far. http://priuschat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=12067&stc=1&d=1226286306 http://priuschat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=12068&stc=1&d=1226286306 I wasn't able to find a BMW body style 92/90/60/46 side marker light cutout template anywhere on the WWW. So I carefully measured a light and made my own. First from stiff card stock And then from some copper roof flashing that was lying around the shop. Much to my surprise, I was able to cut the copper, albeit slowly with multiple passes, with a "box cutter" retractable blade knife and titanium blades from Irwin. I won't be cutting into the fenders with the box cutter. Still working out how I'll do that. Like the Prius side lights, these also attach by the compression of the flat spring to the right, and a notch on the left catching the edge of the ctout. No screws or anything. While I'm planning to use OEM BMW orange lights, there are a number of alternative afte rmarket styles/colors available, clear, smoked, black, crystal: eBay Motors: BLACK 04 05 06 07 08 BMW E60 LED SIDE MARKER LIGHTS (item 260301495983 end time Nov-15-08 11:48:30 PST) Bimmian LED Side Lenses for BMW 5 Series and M5 - 2005+ E60 eBay Motors: 04-08 BMW E60 528/535/550 LED SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SMOKE (item 260302908277 end time Nov-18-08 09:38:56 PST)
This should look very cool - looking forward to the completed project. I haven't had my prius apart yet (yet), so I am of no use to you for information. But I will be watching and learning from you!
subarutoo, A good question. For reasons which are buried in my subconscious, I am bound and determined to dechrome our beloved Amapola. I blame all this on PriusChat. Apparently I've caught some kind of particularly virulent virus since I came aboard back in Jan.'08. Prior to this, over many decades and more than a dozen vehcles, the only customization I have ever done was an aftermarket cruise control and a leather steering wheel cover. But, I consider myself somewhat handy. So, the HybridSD badges have to go -- although if I get desperate I could just paint them. I've considered covering the holes with a simple elliptical plate. But it would still look like something is missing. And it seems to me that installing the BMW side marker lights is a net positive. (With a possible hit on resale, but I see that coming a long way down the road.) My hangup also extends to the Circle-T badges on hood and liftgate. How I'm addressing those is detailed here: Debadgng: Circle-T/HybridSD Hole Cover Plate This is a sad. sad situation, but I'm working through it slowly. All this isn't work, it's therepy.
My Subaru came with the side marker lights. I was thinking or removing them and putting Hybrid badges over the holes. Just kidding...if it works for you, go for it. The Prius is a great blank canvas, and with so many of them around its nice to see one a little different from the herd. I do like the shape of the bimmer lights much better than the foreign market OEMs that Prius decided we didn't need over here in Amurica. I was going to do the OEM lights, but I like the bimmer lights much better. Maybe I'll join you, but the badges stay. If you could attach a pdf of your template, it would be a big help to other users.
subarutoo, +1 on the "arrowhead" BMW side markers vs. OEM Prius. I've intentionally held off giving dimensions for the template I''ve made. I laid it out for simplicity in cutting. I'ts not the shape on a BMW. I'm slowly working towards getting dimensions on the "official" hole. Today, a 525i parked next to me in the parking garage. This is crazy. So, I went back at lunch time and removed one of the side markers to see the real hole -- the light is spring loaded and easily slips out and in. Between what I've made and what I saw, I can now get a very close approximation of the real thing. I think this is important as any/all of the aftermarket lights are designed for the OEM hole, and I'd hate to put out bad info. It's also in my interest as I'm not sure how long I'll be hot for the orange lenses. I have a suspicion at some point I'll be switching to smoked lenses with orange bulbs. I'm moving forward and will of course post my progress.
Although I really wanted to debadge the HybridSD badges, this project has stymied me for a year. To overcome psychological and practical barriers, I finally identified three separate steps that I can address sequentially: * Install the BMW side markers, I'll do this. * Get the lights wired in, I may need professional help here. * Choice, or necessity, of installing LED bulbs, The good news is, I've gotten the side marker lights installed: :rockon: None of the three body shops that I visited were eager to take on this job. Even at ~$300 estimated cost they couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't gobber-up the panel with bends or dents, or overheat the panel, and burn the paint requiring a whole panel repaint. However by talking to the techs and slowly learning what the constraints were, I figured out how I could do it for only ~$100. The pictures and accompanying text in this album pretty much tell the story: PriusChat Forums - Rokeby's Album: BMW Side Marker Light Mod I must admit that the picures aren't that great. And I didn't take enough of them. Well, I was so nervous that I was right at the point of throwing-up throughout the whole process. It took about two hours. However, one hour was to recharge the Dremel tool. Looking back, it wasn't that very difficult at all. I just had to get over the fear of screwing-up a non-reversible modification to the body work where anyone/everyone could see it. So, now I'm looking for some electrical help to get the lights working. (In the meantime, I'm elated just to have the chrome badges removed.) With luck, this step won't take another year to complete.
IMO, the HYBRID badges are overkill on a Prius - busy, superfluous ornamentation. Who, that cares, doesn't already know that a Prius is a hybrid? But then, I think less is more when putting badges on cars. I'd take them off my car if there weren't holes underneath...
I believe this is required by law, so that emergency workers know that this a hybrid and take necessary safety precautions.
In the spirit of exchanging information, can you provide a link/cite on this? I haven't been able to find anything.
Interesting, hadn't thought of that, but I doubt it's true in that the Honda Insight and the Honda Civic Hybrid don't have HYBRID badges on their sides. And I couldn't find a link to support your hypothesis either.
As an emergency worker I can tell you this is not the law, not in my state anyway. It's nice to have for hybrids that have non-hybrid twins, but most hazards we face within and around wrecked cars aren't related to hybrid systems.
Actually, quite a nice job you have done!!! I like the color coat on the rims, Powdercoat I presume??? All in all, A+ ATTABOY!!!
KK6PD, Thank you. Yes, it is a three layer powder coat. More info here: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...hrome-silver-paint-em-instead.html#post836751 I'm using an idealized/simplified concept of a flamenco dancer as the guiding principal for modding Amapola... I'm aiming for a look that says cool restraint, dark mystery, and passion just under the surface. I've got some additional mods to make as time/$$ permits, including rear wheel skirts. More on the skirts here -- completion pends my finding/making a mounting method I like: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...288-wheel-skirts-another-take-3-4-length.html Here's a pretty good picture of the car before I did the side light mod. http://priuschat.com/forums/attachm...45452979-your-rim-preference-amapola-rims.jpg I have not read or found anything on the legality of removing the front fender HybridSD badges. Even if it were illegal, I've got that covered. It you look closely in the rear quarter triangular window. There are custom inside-the-glass vinyl stickers that say PRIUS (red with black surround) and HYBRID in silver. Both are as close to the OEM size and font as I could get them. The rear hatch is debadged except for the Circle-T. I did the Hybrid sticker specifically because at least in early '08 there was some concern on the wwweb about rescue workers being able to identify Prii in a ditch. Since then, I've seen many reports that convince me they are not needed anymore. When I feel so moved, I plan to remove them.
It is a concern, but a car lacking a hybrid badge shouldn't add to the risk, assuming well-trained rescuers. First, in a collision serious enough to activate air bags, the battery pack relays automatically open to shut down current flow. Second, rescuers are trained to disable the 12V power supply in any vehicle rescue situation, which also opens the HV battery relays. Third, the HV cables are isolated electrically from the chassis and are well out of the way of common rescue tool "bite" points. Fourth, a well-trained rescuer will recognize the orange cables as being unique to a hybrid HV system and will avoid them in the unlikely event the system still is energized (which will be the case for five minutes after the battery pack is shut off). The untrained rescuer won't know to avoid the cables with his tools regardless of whether the vehicle is marked with hybrid identifiers.
* Get the lights wired in, I may need professional help here. If I were doing this, I would thread a plumbing snake, or maybe just a coathanger, through the new hole and try to work it forwards and into the engine compartment. Once in the compartment you would run a wire over to the existing turn indicator. The turn signal will have two wires running to it. You hook into each one separately and just run them inside the fender to connect to the bulb on the new marker. Now what happens is that when the lead to the existing turn signal energizes, your new lead energizes too. * Choice, or necessity, of installing LED bulbs, If your new light is incandescent (old skool) then it doesn't matter which wire goes where. If the new bulb is LED then they are polarized, which just means they care which side has the positive and which the negative. If you hook it up backwards you won't hurt it, it just won't light. You switch the two leads and it'll work fine.
