4 Attachment(s)
HID fog light retrofit doityourself
In a never ending quest to have the best light output possible, I decided to install an HID kit into my fog light housings. The increased light output is awesome, and the yellow color of the 3000K bulbs is a nice addition in the inclement weather. Of course, some people will want to match their headlight bulbs, but I chose 3000K because I like the look of the yellow light. Anyway, onto the steps needed...
1. Remove the front bumper. If you haven't done this, you can follow another of my DIYs... That link is HERE.
2. Now that the bumper is off, you have access to all the space needed for the job at hand. As you will notice going to an HID kit, you now have some electronics to install as well as new bulbs. The electronics units are the ballasts (and igniters if not incorporated into the ballasts). All of this will need to be mounted somewhere, so the bumper coming off will give you a chance to find a place for everything. Two options here, so here is where you get to figure what's best for you. For me, I had done a similar kit in a previous car, and I found putting everything inside the bumper to be easiest.
3. Remove the stock fog light bulbs. Save them just in case your HID kit doesn't function.
4. Now is a good time to test all components of your HID kit. Plug the bulbs into the ballasts, and the ballast connections into the OEM fog light connectors. Turn on your lights and make sure both sides ignite and light up. Make sure to keep the bulbs inside the protective plastic cases to prevent touching the bulbs. Fire them and make sure they light, and then shut them off right away to prevent them from warming up, the bulbs get VERY hot. Disconnect everything and set it aside.
5. For the ZHP, I found the best location for the ballast units was inside the crash bumper. It appeared to be the most protected location, and also seemed to be safe from moisture. The pic below shows the available real estate. Not very much...
Attachment 8849
6. The wiring on my kit was only about 12" long, so I had to stay as close to the fog light connector as possible. Therefore, I had to make room. Looking at the pic above, you'll see that the crash bumper doesn't have a lot of space outside of the horn, and just inside the horn is the hole for the large bumper attachment bolts. So, I decided to relocate the horns and then put the ballasts in their place. So, remove the horns and then remove the brackets they mount to. The following pics show some progress.
Attachment 8850
Attachment 8851
Attachment 8855