Fog Lights

Can someone post a pic of a Prius that doesn't have foglights? Thanks.

 

I mentioned in a recent thread my past experience with "Bosch Compact 100" amber fogs and white spot/driving lights on an Acura TSX. The install is basically similar on a Prius (or any car):

1. First, find a drill point to "solid" metal. With that car, we were able to go up through the lower grill and drill mounts in the front bumper bar under the plastic bumper cover. Didn't even have to remove the front plastic bumper cover. We did this for both the fog set (outside) and the driving lights (inside).

2. Run your wiring back through the firewall. Most kits, both aftermarket and OEM, use a Hella relay that snaps together.

3. Hook up the relay to a live set from the fusebox. We don't have wiring charts yet, but will by the time you're ready for this.

3. Determine your on/off switch mount. The one that usually comes with the standard Hella relay set is a toggle with a red/green LED, that we found a location for (knockout plastic plugs next to the VSA switch) in the lower left front panel. I actually bought two more sets of the VSA switches, but decided I liked the LED toggles better.

That's it! Almost any experienced mechanic could do a foglight install for you in a couple hours; maybe 25% more if you opt for both fogs and driving lights.

Your future maintenance consists of (1) aiming the lights properly, (2) replacing bulbs occasionally (and these are stock items everywhere), (3) having a set of replacement fuses nearby if something happens, and (4) if the glass/polycarbonate lens shatters from road damage, probably replacing the unit. We had no problems with chips or moisture in 60,000 miles of running. We used up 5-6 15-amp fuses at 25 cents each in the original install, making sure the electric was configured right.

You want the fogs mounted low and wide since (with these Bosch units) they have about a 70-degree wide coverage good out to 80 meters or so. Driving lights would ideally be mounted higher up; the beam pattern is narrow -- 10-15 degrees, usable to 300 meters. Driving lights will double or triple your long-distance viewing over stock halogens. Because of the tight spot focus, they will go out 1.5-2X the effective distance of your "high beams".

You might have fun looking at various PIAA aftermarket lighting kits, but in our experience, these are not powerful enough, nor do they give an effective beam pattern to the road. The same is true for nearly all the "auto parts store" sets -- these are for lighting effects: for other people to look at your car, and not to help you, the driver, see out.