LED Foglight idea

[blh_wakeboard]

These pics are from this summer but I figured from how it turned out and how well they've done I would show it on here. I bought 2 9.5 inch white LED strips from off the website listed below. Installed them on the sill of my fog lights after blacking out the lights. I wired them to my parking lights, they are way bright and look pretty sick, I think it'd be pretty cool to see a lot more mazdas rockin it, so there you go....


http://www.oznium.com/led-flex-strips

 

[OnebigTymer11]

Wow i likey! Nice Job!

 

[mrdouble99]

Look nice

 

[Ricktalife]

Looks like the new Audi headlights. LOVE IT!

 

[Hank3]

Looks cool. Post a "How-To"

 

[Sport6]

I was thinking of doing something similar, but also thought of doing the C shaped trim piece on the outside of foglight.

 

[SallySpeed3]

I'm loving the black accents around the fogs, is that vinyl??

 

[BlackCherry06]

That's actually quite cool looking! (Hmm....getting ideas for the Forte's fogs).

 

[blh_wakeboard]

I'm loving the black accents around the fogs, is that vinyl??

The accent around the fog light is actually black plastic that is there on all the Speed3 models, its one of the ways you can identify a speed from a regular m3. But the black coming from the accent to the front wheel well is flat black vinyl....

I was thinking of doing something similar, but also thought of doing the C shaped trim piece on the outside of foglight.

That was actually my original plan, but the LED's were almost too much, too long, too commanding kind of, not sure how to put it, and it was going to be a little harder to mount. So I blacked out the actual fog lamp and then epoxied the strip in. The aesthetics turned out a little better I thought than if I had stuck with doing the accent part, but that is only my personal opinion. There is also an amber horizontal strip running the top of the sill I wired to the blinkers, I'll take more pics and post a sorta "how to"

 

[speed3guy]

This looks pretty good... Ive always liked these kind of lights, just never got around to doing it to my car yet lol.

 

[BlackCherry06]

Bummer. The only place available around my fogs to put these is exactly 4" long. Since they don't sell it in exactly 4" lengths, I'd have to buy it too long and then try to trim it. Not sure if I'll endeavor that.

 

[Doozy]

looks great. a how to would be nice.

 

[60181]

Nice. Just saw a new 2010 E550 MBZ and they are set up like that.

 

[hectik1]

One of my POS Nokya yellow fog bulbs burned out so this is a good alternative! Which one did you get? I would like to do this mod!(cool)

 

[blh_wakeboard]

Alright, here is the how to. This is my first time doing a how to so if got questions ask away.
If you do end up putting these on your car please post pics of the end result. I'd love to see how it looks on other MS3s

Here is what you'll need
the two 9.5" white LED strips and 2 9.5" amber/orange LED for signals if you want em
Epoxy, got mine from wal-mart, goes clear when curing
sandpaper
box cutter
electrical tape/shrink tape/soldering iron

I started out buying two 9.5 inch white LED strips from the site listed above(http://www.oznium.com/led-flex-strips). They come with about 4ft of wire and that is all you need. I was lazy and didn't use a solder iron like I should but rather spliced and used electrical tape. It has held up since last summer and doesn't show any deterioration so far. But once you get them you will want to sand the area on the LEDs that will be on the bottom, and the area that you will be epoxying it to on the sill of the fog light so that it will bond better.

You will want to remove the the intercooler intake scoops from your bumper/grill of your car for this install

I know this photo shows it all finished but that is because i'm doing this "how to" post install. What you would do next is cut a 1/4" slit on the top and bottom of the inside of you fog light sill as shown. Once you have done that feed the wire from the LED strip through the hole. you may want to tape the wire to a short piece of hanger type wire so you can grab it after feeding it through.

Once you feed it through it will come straight into your front lower grill area. You will want to reach down through where your intercooler scoops were and grab the wire and pull it up. You will also want to tuck it back in on the side so that when it is taught it will be hidden. Before pulling it taught you will want to epoxy the light in. practice getting it formed and place a little before applying the epoxy. You will want to hold it in its place for a bit till the epoxy sets.

Once that is done you will want to pull the wire up taught and tuck it behind all the plastic parts you can such as shown above

Now to wire it to the parking light you will want to unbolt the main headlamp from the hard plastic crash/frame guard and from the frame itself. depending on your hand size you will probably also want to unbolt the fuse box so you can move it a bit out of the way. you will reach back in and twist and pop out the parking light. You'll want to test to see which wire is the main line and which is the parking light wire and which is the signal wire. for the white LEDs you will wire into the main line and the parking wire. LEDs will only work if the + and - are correctly wired fyi. once you figure that out you can just splice in and tape em up. Put the bulb in and your set. For the signal LED strip its the same just wire it into the main line and the signal line. You can see where I placed it below. Also 9.5" is a bit too long for a horizontal signal strip. you will want to cut the last three LEDs off the strip. Do not worry as it will still work just fine...

One other thing, I chose to black out my foglamp with vinyl. If you do the same or even if you use a clear bra type tint or most tints, do not turn on the foglamp as it will melt the material or shrink it and melt it to the lamp itself. Seen it done on other cars, didn't look good. I just never turn mine on, who needs em when you got the LEDs?

Oh and doing the left side is a bit easier than the right, you just dont have the PITA fuse box in the way.... but it's pretty much just repeat what you did on the right....

 

[Hank3]

Thanks for the write-up. You may also want to post it up in the "How-To" forum. I didn't realize you lost the fog lights (I didn't look close enough in the previous pics), but it makes sense that they can't co-exist now seeing the up close pics.

 

[meicalnissyen]

Nice Idea,
another supplier:

http://www.v-leds.com/Strip-Lights-LED/12-inch/sc244685-1-3//page/1/checkForLanding/true

 

[blh_wakeboard]

Nice Idea,
another supplier:

http://www.v-leds.com/Strip-Lights-LED/12-inch/sc244685-1-3//page/1/checkForLanding/true

I actually bought my LED bulbs to replace my stock filament bulbs from v-leds, for my tail turn signals, side markers, reverse lights, parking/signal light, and interior lights. But I would not use these strips for this application, they are not even close to as bright as the LEDs I found. I first tried using the strips v-leds supplies and it didn't turn out like I wanted, too dim and the LEDs spaced too far apart. For bulb replacements I would highly recommend v-leds.com, and for those who don't know, make sure you get the resistors if you replace your turn signals or they will flash super quick as if your turn signals are burnt out. But for LED strips oznium makes the best i've seen so far. Not dissing on your post at all, just thought I would let you know their strips aren't the best for exterior application, interior they work great though.

 

[08SPEED3Veteran]

I see a BDU jacket and desert boots wakeboard! Army maybe? it would make sense that a service member came up with such a great idea! props on a very sexy mod!

 

[blh_wakeboard]

I see a BDU jacket and desert boots wakeboard! Army maybe? it would make sense that a service member came up with such a great idea! props on a very sexy mod!

Heh heh, I thought one of you might notice... Former Marine actually, yourself? And thanks!