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Old 08-20-2009, 05:10 PM   #1
ellenbetty
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Fog lamps as back up low beams.

Is it possible to safely use fog lamps as back up for low beams? I hate one eye monsters. Nether of my Toyota Yarises have fog lamps. If fog lamps can be used as back up for low beams, which fog lamps would be the best choice? OE? LEDS?

Total cost to install in a Yaris? (x 2 for me).
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Old 08-20-2009, 05:18 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by ellenbetty View Post
Is it possible to safely use fog lamps as back up for low beams? I hate one eye monsters. Nether of my Toyota Yarises have fog lamps. If fog lamps can be used as back up for low beams, which fog lamps would be the best choice? OE? LEDS?

Total cost to install in a Yaris? (x 2 for me).

I would think that if you mounted them in the standard fog lamp position they would be too low to have any effective use as regular headlights. I had a Mustang that I mounted 100w fog lamps on a switch to either side of the pony in the grill to use as headlights since I had headlight covers. They seemed to work but they were real bright, and I only got pulled over once... for forgetting to turn my regular headlights on...! Paid maybe $50 for them.
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Old 08-20-2009, 05:18 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ellenbetty View Post
Is it possible to safely use fog lamps as back up for low beams? I hate one eye monsters. Nether of my Toyota Yarises have fog lamps. If fog lamps can be used as back up for low beams, which fog lamps would be the best choice? OE? LEDS?

Total cost to install in a Yaris? (x 2 for me).
If you have a headlight out, replace the fuse or bulb, is my advice. The purpose of fog lights is to help you see under foggy conditions, not to "back up" other lighting.
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Old 08-20-2009, 05:29 PM   #4
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Police officers I know will pull someone over for using foglights as headlights in town at night, and will possibly give a ticket for it.
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Old 08-20-2009, 07:43 PM   #5
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I would think that if you mounted them in the standard fog lamp position they would be too low to have any effective use as regular headlights. Paid maybe $50 for them.
Switch under the hood for each fog lamp. I never considered that idea. I planned to put the switch for the fog lamp in the dash. switch in the dash is easy to use in a heavy wind blown rain. I am not much for laying on my back installing fog lamps in a parking lot. Good way to get run over. Plus a violation of rental contract to work on car in driveway or parking lot.

Plus I suffer from neck, back and shoulder injuries from being hit by a van while in the USAF. So labor cost is also part of my question.

If I lived in Maryland, I would just call Pep Boys and make a appointment to get the fog lamps installed. Maybe I should have added a question about where to buy the fog lamp and then have the fog lamps installed. Dealer would be a choice for OE fog lamps.
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Old 08-20-2009, 07:57 PM   #6
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The Fog lights Garm sells , are real easy to instal , 98% plug and play
just fit the lights and splice in 2 wires your done . Or you could spend
another $170.US approx and buy the OEM Light stalk for the steering colum
and be totally plug and play .
the whole instal takes about 2 hr's .
i would do it for you but your a bit far away .
maybe another member on here might be willing to help you out .
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Old 08-20-2009, 08:01 PM   #7
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Switch under the hood for each fog lamp.

The switch was next to my shifter. The relay was in my dashboard.
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Old 08-20-2009, 08:17 PM   #8
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please don't do it. I hate the truck guys who do it. And as said before, police will pull you over for it. I only use it when leaving my apartment complex at night to not shine my lights in my neighbors houses. After it get to the main road, I turn on my headlights.
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Old 08-20-2009, 09:35 PM   #9
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.
i would do it for you but your a bit far away
What, you haven't installed a big enough gas tank to drive that far?
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Old 08-20-2009, 09:44 PM   #10
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Leds won't illuminate enough but will make u visible to others.and as other members have said fogs are too low to give you the driver enough illumination.
You talking about those LED circle after market head light assembly I seen on the Internet? Or LED lights to be placed where the fog lamps are placed?
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Old 08-20-2009, 09:59 PM   #11
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What, you haven't installed a big enough gas tank to drive that far?
The Yaris still has not mastered the act of water walking
or i would be over there already
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Old 08-20-2009, 10:13 PM   #12
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please don't do it. I hate the truck guys who do it. .
I am not talking about a bunch of lights on top of a fake roll bar. My brother had fog lamps installed behind the grill of his Ford Ranger. I forgot about that. Higher but harder to install. But the fog lamp would have to put out about the same lumes and cover about the same area as low beams to do what I want. Fog lamps with the same output as high beam head lights would not be what I want. The built in mounts for OE equipment is not the only place I could mount the fog lights.
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Old 08-20-2009, 11:31 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ellenbetty View Post
I am not talking about a bunch of lights on top of a fake roll bar. My brother had fog lamps installed behind the grill of his Ford Ranger. I forgot about that. Higher but harder to install. But the fog lamp would have to put out about the same lumes and cover about the same area as low beams to do what I want. Fog lamps with the same output as high beam head lights would not be what I want. The built in mounts for OE equipment is not the only place I could mount the fog lights.
I think they're referring to the idiots who have certain models of cars who drive around with just fog lights and 'parking lights' on; those fog lights are usually mounted on the front bumper or o.e.m into the headlight area (like GM escalade/avalanche)....they're too bright and just plain out suck for those at the sedan/hatch eyeline.
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Old 08-21-2009, 10:24 PM   #14
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Exactly. Not the roof ones. It isn't that hard to replace a $12 bulb in our housings. Just reach in and twist.
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Old 08-23-2009, 12:30 AM   #15
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Exactly. Not the roof ones. It isn't that hard to replace a $12 bulb in our housings. Just reach in and twist.
It would be cheaper to buy some bulbs and put them in a glove box. But I do not like the idea of opening the hood to change light bulbs in the middle of a storm. Nothing like pouring wind driven rain to make changing bulbs a shocking experience. Plus Ohio is known for some bitter cold winter weather. Some times a push button backup is the best solution.

The behind the grill fog lamps would be better height wise for visibility. But I think the behind the grill fog lamps would be harder to install. I think the OE fog lamp kit would be easier to install.

Since I have this round of modifications to pay off my credit cards, I am not in a rush to charge the cost of buying and installing fog lamps.
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Old 08-23-2009, 02:27 AM   #16
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I don't think fog lights will work as a backup... My old grand am had fog lights and the switch for the head lights went out, so i could only have on amber parking lights and my fog lights. The lights were too low and barely illuminated 10 feet in front of the car (dimly)... maybe if they were VERY bright (do they make projector fog lights?) it might work, but in my grand am, limping home was a miserable experience...
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Old 08-23-2009, 10:17 AM   #17
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I don't think fog lights will work as a backup... My old grand am had fog lights and the switch for the head lights went out, so i could only have on amber parking lights and my fog lights. The lights were too low and barely illuminated 10 feet in front of the car (dimly)... maybe if they were VERY bright (do they make projector fog lights?) it might work, but in my grand am, limping home was a miserable experience...
Thanks for the info. They do make different types of after market kit fog lights. All I have seen are meant as replacement units for already installed fog lights. A few kits are meant to be mounted on the bumper or behind the grill giving greater area coverage.

As someone on this forum likes to day, just do it. So I ordered the fog lamp kits from MicroImage. Support the forum type of act. Even if OE fog lamps (or after market copies of Toyota parts), are not bright enough to do the job, and I need to add a second set of fog, LED or head light lamps behind the grill to do the job properly, I still need the wiring harness, instructions, and switch for the dash for the fog lamps. I just hope that the dash switch and wiring are thick enough to handle a second set of lights.

Last edited by ellenbetty; 08-23-2009 at 04:37 PM.
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Old 08-23-2009, 04:55 PM   #18
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Run it throught the factory wiring for the first set ,
when and if you put a secound set in worry about the new wiring then
personally i think you will be fine with just the OEM set up .
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