Replacing Fog Lamps with LED Bulb

[ibe121]

Just wondering if anyone's done this yet. i was looking into replacing the standard halogen bulbs (H11) of my fog lamps for better function and a cleaner look, matching the HID headlights more. There's a ton of LED H11 bulbs out there but a lot of them look cheap or suspect.

I came across this ->http://www.philipsxtremevisionled.com/

and was wondering if anyone's tried them yet or has even replaced their bulbs. it should be plug and play right? The philips site even says so. But there seems to be some additional wiring to these bulbs and am concerned about the fit. Also, i found them on sale on ebay but the vehicle compatibility check said it wouldn't work. Not sure how reliable it is but was worried about spending 6 times as much as some of the "generic" LED bulbs i found online. Any kind of input would help, thanks!

 

[yrwei52]

H11 Front Fog Lamp for your Mazda CX-5

You can get name brand Philips and Osram H11 equivalent LED's here to replace your front fog. I don't believe Philips has H11 X-tremeVision LED yet hence it's not on the list. And I believe it should be plug and play otherwise the powerbulbs.com website will say something. I've purchased bulbs from them before and they are reputable. You can send them an email expressing your concerns.

 

[njaremka]

don't do it. get these instead: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?64078-New-Mazda-XB-LED-Fog-Light-Group-Buy-is-a-Go!

 

[ibe121]

@yrwei52 thanks for the link. According to philips site (http://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-li/x-tremevision.html) they do make an H11. Still curious if it'll fit and the quality.

@njaremka thanks for the link as well. The forum post you sent was from a month ago and it looks like there's an H11 Fog Lamp bulb for 100 on the site (http://www.theretrofitsource.com/le...moto-xb-led-headlight-bulbs.html#.Va0d0flVhBc). Never heard of Morimoto. Are they any good? In any case, similar to the philips bulb, it says H11 but has some additional wiring leaves me concerned about the fit.

I'll be contacting the customer service department with questions and may even get under my car to have a look at the fog light housing myself. Stay tuned.

 

[njaremka]

the link i sent you is for a full replacement fog housing with LED optics. the output is eleventy-billion times better than the OEM housing with even the best H11 LED replacement bulb. the link i sent you is for a group buy offer. i would suggest getting in on it before the first run all dry up.

 

[ibe121]

Thanks njaremka! I actually went over to the TRS site and was email exchanging with Matt from TRS. just placed my order. Funny side note, the side of the box for the other morimoto fog lamps show Philps.

 

[ibe121]

Thanks again for the tip njaremka. Just got in on the promo deal and order is expected to ship out this week! I'll try to post pics once i've installed them.

Now i just need to replace the DRL's with the white bulbs to get rid of the dingy yellow look.

 

[njaremka]

no problem!

 

[ibe121]

update: i finally got around to installing the fog lamps but found the plastic housing for the OEM fog lamp needed to be trimmed in order to fit the Morimoto fog lamp. The heat sink for the LED fogs wouldn't fit. I didn't have anything to cut the housing at the time so will have to try another day.

 

[levani27]

I did install For LOW and High beams light newest CRE matrix light, awesome quality. One exception, CX-5 using 6 volt for standard halogen light (High beam) to use as DRL lite. Is anybody know how change programming to have 12 volt instead? 6 volt is to low let CREE light start. Thank you in advance.

 

[MikeM.]

I did install For LOW and High beams light newest CRE matrix light, awesome quality. One exception, CX-5 using 6 volt for standard halogen light (High beam) to use as DRL lite. Is anybody know how change programming to have 12 volt instead? 6 volt is to low let CREE light start. Thank you in advance.

I'm pretty sure the voltage is not programmable. This means you need to use a light that is compatible with your CX-5 or wire in a 12V circuit. Don't the resellers of these products list compatible models?

 

[zoomie888]

@yrwei52 thanks for the link. According to philips site (http://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-li/x-tremevision.html) they do make an H11. Still curious if it'll fit and the quality.

@njaremka thanks for the link as well. The forum post you sent was from a month ago and it looks like there's an H11 Fog Lamp bulb for 100 on the site (http://www.theretrofitsource.com/le...moto-xb-led-headlight-bulbs.html#.Va0d0flVhBc). Never heard of Morimoto. Are they any good? In any case, similar to the philips bulb, it says H11 but has some additional wiring leaves me concerned about the fit.

I'll be contacting the customer service department with questions and may even get under my car to have a look at the fog light housing myself. Stay tuned.

Morimoto is a very popular brand that enthusiasts go to for retroffiting their halogen housings with HID projectors for their custom conversions. I know this b/c I used to be a huge fanatic, but could never afford the kits back then and by the time I could, I ended up buying cars that already had HID's. I would have no doubt that Morimoto is a good brand and good to trust. A lot of technical people with more smarts than me choose this. Customer service at TRS I hear is amazing too. I've purchased bulbs from them before. Very happy with them. They were for a 2003 Mini Cooper.

 

[ibe121]

So I finally got the Morimoto fog lamps onto my car. I didn't take any before pics and haven't taken the "after" pics. It's 12 noon and 90 degrees outside so i'll have to wait until a few hours to take any good pics. All in all, I'm happy how it turned out. However, I have some words of caution for anyone attempting to install the lights themselves. Since the lamps came with no manual, I had to learn as I went.

-First of all, allow for about 3 hours to get the job done.
-You'll need a phillips and flathead screwdriver, a durable pair of cutting pliers and an adjustable wrench or socket wrench.
-*IMPORTANT* It would also help to have an allen wrench where one end is a philips screwdriver or to have a very short philips screwdriver (more on this later).
-The driver side lamp is fairly straightforward. After removing the paneling you can get to the fog lamp housing. There are three screws holding the housing in place. Once removed, you can take the entire housing out. The wiring harness is clipped onto the housing. If you disconnect the harness, you can take the entire lamp out and work on it on a desk top, which is what i did.
-With the lamp out of the housing, use the cutter to trim the plastic housing so the fog lamps will fit.
-*IMPORTANT* The Morimoto fog lamps come with a plastic adapter that allows the positive and negative wires to connect to the fitment on the car. DO NOT attach the adapter until you are under the car and ready to install the lamps. I made the mistake of attaching the adapter in advance and switched the positive and negative terminals and needed to adjust them after. So, check the black and red wires to make sure they match up on the end where they connect to your car.
-After getting the driver side lamp in, leave the paneling off so you can still access the lamp. You'll want to leave it accessible in case you need to adjust the lamp on the driver or passenger side to match up.
-The passenger side is a pain in the a$$. The reservoir for the window cleaning fluid blocks the fog lamp making it difficult to access. Remember the note about the short philips? You'll need it in order to disconnect the fog lamp housing. I didn't have one on me but i did have a drill bit. I managed to use my kung fu grip and some elbow grease to unscrew what i needed. however, a short handle philips would have been much easier.
-After installing and verifying the light patterns were even, i reconnected everything.
-*IMPORTANT* I needed to reset the automatic driverside window after. It's real easy in case you need to DIY. Just roll the window all the way. Then roll it all the way down. Roll it all the way up again and hold the button in the up position for about 5 seconds after the window closes. Voila! You automatic window should work again.