Rewired Fogs to run without headlights on

To clarify- Daytime running lights are just two lights like headlights, that are designed to be on during the daytime. To leave all your lights on would be overkill. The taillights are supposed to be off as well as the parking/marker lights, which wouldn't really show anyway during the day. Some car manufacturers skimp out and actually do just that- my 2002 Volvo V40 for instance. On that car, if you set the preference for DRL, all the lights remain on whenever the key is switched on. This causes the headlights to prematurely blow out, and many people complain on those volvos that their headlights burn out about once a year.
A better implementation of DRLs would be the dedicated ones in my 2004 3-series BMW. The 3-series has 2 separate white lights, that are dimmer than actual headlights, and they switch off at night when the headlights turn on. I have now had the car for 5 years and not one bulb on the entire car has yet to burn out.
After spending last week in Canada I (once again) appreciated the fact that every car on the road has DRLs. It really is a no-brainer as in certain conditions you can really spot a moving car much further than you would in say the USA where most cars don't have DRLs. I have no idea why this is not a law for all cars in the U.S., nor do I understand why some people are so against them. In NY, every time it rains I see people driving without their lights on, which is illegal because it causes accidents not to be seen. If these people had DRLs then at least I could spot them in the rain!

Back to the CX-9... I finally figured out how to wire up a relay so that the driving lights are on in the day and then get shut off when the headlights go on. They are useless once the headlights are on, so their life will be preserved during night driving. Now I just have to find all the leads... I will do this as a summer project and post a DIY with photos when I finally get around to it.
 
Oh CRAP!

Well, I spliced the green/red wire from the far right relay to the much thinner pink from the second to left relay. But then the fogs would not work at all. The only thing that changed is my heated seats and heater/AC/fan/defrosters all stayed on until my headlights timed out.

I wired it back to normal; fogs worked as they did before. So, I decided to give it one more try. This time, like a dummy, I wired the green/red stub from the relay to the pink; no fogs, no heated seats or heater/AC/fan/defrosters.

I wired everything back to normal. Fogs work fine, but heated seats, heater/AC/fan/defrosters and HVAC red LCD display are all dead. Great, it finally gets below freezing in NC, and I lose my heat and defrosters!

Is a main fuse blown? If so, I'll have to have the dealer replace it. Or is it probably something else?

Sounds like you connected the wrong ends of the wires.

When you cut the green/red wire, you need to insulate the end coming into the relay box. The piece going to the relay is the one you want to connect to the pink one.

You shouldn't actually cut the pink wire. It still needs to function as before. You want to splice the green/red wire from the relay to the pink one. If you've already cut the pink one, just connect both ends of the pink wire plus the green/red from the relay all together.

You probably blew a fuse somewhere. I would start by checking the ones in the glove box (2007 owner's manual pages 8-44 to 8-51)
 
Thanks L-miwa,

It was a fuse. I had already checked all the HVAC fuses under the hood and decided this morning to look behind the glove box. It was #9, a 7.5amp fuse marked A.C.
 
Fog Lights

This is a great mod. However, does anybody know how to make fogs to stay on when flashing high beam?
 
DRLs

Indeed it will qualify. I can't believe that Mazdas don't just come with DRLs like all the cars i have owned since 2000.
All Canadian Mazda models have em, so it's probably just a small difference in the wiring - comparing US/Cndn schematics might give a clue to the lack of proper DRLs on US versions ! (dunno)
 
...so it's probably just a small difference in the wiring...

That's what I was hoping as well, but there's another thread about DRL's that compares the two wiring diagrams. There are significant wiring differences and no way to just change a plug, insert a relay, etc. Sure wish there was!
 
Just got done doing this. I did what was a bit simpler for me. I just cut the green/red wire, extend it bout 4 inches with a similar guage wire then shove the wire it in the relay prong where the pink wire comes out of then plug the relay back in, no splicing required(I was out of splicing tools and got lazy). All I have to do to reverse it is just reattach the original wires.
 
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Could someone please please please post a picture or something to better explain this I get it but where again is this relay?
 
It looks like from your icon that your car doesn't have driving lights... could this be fog light envy?
;-) just kidding.

The real reason that I am thinking people want to put on their driving lights without headlights is to use them as DRLs. Do people driving Acura MDX's all look like morons because their car is smart enough to have the driving lights on as daytime running lights?
I plan to eventually configure my lights to be DRLs as well. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. When I drive in canada I always have to keep all my lights on, which seems a tad ridiculous, not to mention it burns out your bulbs faster. I would rather just replace 2 fog light bulbs once in a while.
 
Let er rip, but...

do you guys actually think you look cool driving with your fog lights on when it's not foggy? Cos you don't.

You just look like insecure MORONS. easier to paint "LOOK AT ME" on your car


Wow, such negativity towards people that just wants to have a DRL and better control of their FOG LIGHTS. How come your avatar says "Look at me! I have a big ugly blue thing on top of my car"
 
Let er rip, but...

do you guys actually think you look cool driving with your fog lights on when it's not foggy? Cos you don't.

You just look like insecure MORONS. easier to paint "LOOK AT ME" on your car

I agree somewhat. DRL excuse may apply to the CX-9, but how many vehicles equipped with DRLs do you see driving around with their fog lights on during the day? IMO simply "look at me" factor.

All 4 of my vehicles are equipped with fog lights, and I cannot remember the last time I used them. Hell, they may not even work! (thought)
 
Where I live it is illegal to drive with your fog lights on unless it is actually foggy. We rarely get days where fog would require the use of fog lights but you see MANY people driving around with them on all the time.

The police and traffic authorities seem to take great pleasure in extracting cash from us in many ways but for some reason they fail to enforce this rule much at all. It's a shame because they could make a fortune!

As with the previous reply, I wouldn't even know if mine work. I've had the car for 10 months and they have never been switched on.
 
If anyone is interested in a simple way (based on your wiring skills of course) to do this here goes:

(May have to have heated seats for this..)

On small (4 relay) box in very front of engine compartment above fans.
Open top of box, detach from front, and remove bottom cover. Of the four relays, the two SMALLER ones are: fogs (right one viewed from front) and heated seats (2nd from left viewed from front). The pink wire on the SEAT relay provides ignition power (what you want) the green w/red wire on the Fogs relay provides switched power from the headlight relay ( Hate that!). I cut the green wire far enough back that I could splice into the pink wire. Be sure to insulate the left over stub from the green wire. Now the fog relay is "hot" when ignition is on instead of when headlights are on. Done.

(If you don't have the pink wire due to no heated seats..all you need to do is get and ignition source wire to this relay instead)

Now your fogs will come on with ignition and still function on/off from the stock switch (which provides the relay ground thus eliminating the need for an add-on switch)

Cheers.

Andy

Following AZ-CX9 guidelines, I followed the first steps of splicing the GREEN/RED from the far right relay.

2) I located the mint green cable( located in the fat corrugated plastic tube wrapped with electrical tape) passes under the fuse box by the fans, which are the Parking lights. ( Parking lights is a yellow cable, but the Mint Green cable is the main cable from the fuse box.

3) Splice the Mint Green cable and attach a piece of wire to the Green/Red cable.

4) Pass the cable inside the corrugated plastic tube and retape. Everything will look original.

5) The fog lights will work once the Parking Lights are on and the Fof Light Switch is on, just like most European Cars.
 
In my case I live in Costa Rica and I travel much to the Mountains with my trailer and ATVs ....I made the setup for the fog lights to work with the parking lights , because in dense fog the fog lights and headlights on at the same time do not work well. I installed yellow fog lights, and use only the fog lights with parking lights on (not the main headlights). In my case of severe weather the xenon lights dont mix well with fog, only the yellow lights.

I agree with CX 9 Sportowner, I think what makes the problem worst is those people installing fake Xenon light bulbs which produce a horrible bluish light and very high wattage ( lumens ), not as the real thing. In Costa Rica you get fined if driving Foglights where not needed.

If I want to look cool I will have to buy a Sports car!!!!
 

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OP chiming in...

This thread or, at least the original post, was meant to be purely informative. Whether individuals choose to adhere to or ignore local legal statutes is a personal choice. Here in Arizona we have no such restrictions, so to that point this issue is moot. Having said that if OEM fog/driving lights on any vehicle are blinding oncoming traffic they are either poorly adjusted or simply improperly installed. The real glare culprits are those who put HID bulbs in non HID housings!

OEM fogs, and in most cases OEM driving lights, provide a much different lighting pattern then conventional headlights. These lights produce a very thin horizontal beam aimed low and level and thus should never cause glare to oncoming traffic. This pattern does effectively help cut through fog, mist, heavy rain, and dust.

I chose to make this modification for two main reasons:

1) I do not like auto manufacturers making decisions for me on what equipment I can use and when. For example not being able to use search function on Navi when driving. I get the idea why this was done and realize some drivers can be too easily distracted by such things including talking on cell-phones. I, however, find this particularly frustrating when my wife and I travel because she, as a passenger, should be able to make entries without my having to stop the car! But that is a whole other topic.

2) The true function of fog lights is greatly diminished if one has to have their headlights on to use them. This is especially true if your headlight are HID such as my CX-9. Though in the lower deserts of Arizona we rarely get fog, we do get a fair amount up in the mountains where we spend a great deal of time. The glare produced by OEM HIDs in foggy conditions all but eliminates the usefulness of the fog lights.

In my case, I do drive with my headlights on during city driving both day and night for safety. I never run my fog lights unless it is foggy or during the occasional heavy rain and dust storm when I want extra visibility. I made the personal choice to put yellow bulbs and film on my fogs for the express purpose of using them for what they were intended and not for showing off.

PS.

Making generalizations of others is not productive. Even "cool" people make un-cool choices sometimes, and vice-versa. Some may have equipment they will never use while others may lack the same equipment and wish dearly they did have it when the need arises. If you DO have the fog lights and find yourself really needing them someday, you will find that they are practically useless with your bright-ass HIDs over powering them... Unless, of course, you did this mod! (thumb)

Cheers,

Andy
 
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