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View Full Version : The OEM/Esuse (ebay) Fog lamp FAQ Thread



Chad
04-22-2008, 08:12 AM
Well, may as well start up a new one and try to keep it in one place :mbiggrin:

Been digging around my archives.

Here's the tidbit I wrote up when installing my Non-OEM fogs:
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I got my eBay fogs installed and have a few hints from the experience. This may be common knowledge to some but may help others.

First off, beg, buy, borrow, or steal one of these:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/cwahls/Tech%20stuff/th_BodySaw.gif (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/cwahls/Tech%20stuff/BodySaw.gif)
It's a pneumatic body saw and can be had a harbor freight now for 20 bucks. It goes thru the bumper material like a hot knife thru butter and allows a nice tight cutting radius. That will save you some time.

The "Steps" mentioned below are from the Honda fog light installation instructions.

Inside the car you can omit steps 23,29,30,31,32. No part of the eBay harness goes over to the passenger side, it is all done at the fuse box.

In step 9... There ARE guide lines molded into the stock bumper, you will feel or see them and thank Honda for this!

Steps 35-37, the eBay kit does not have "clips" like the stock set-up. Wire-tie the harness to the hood release cable, there's plenty of wire there so make nice curves.

Step 22 and 27. The eBay switch will not fit into this hole. The mold lines on the switch cause it to hang up. One can sand these mold lines down and repaint the edge of the switch and it will work. I opted to go to the hole below as it's easier to see and operate anyway, it fits right in. In order to do this there's a piece of Styrofoam behind this switch cover. It needs to be removed. Remove the pocket below the switches to do this. There are 2 screws at the top and 2 clips at the bottom, push the clips from the back while supporting the dash assembly, it is thin plastic and may be damaged if you are too rough. The foam will come out of this void. This hole makes it easier to do wiring anyway. Taking it out will save you more time than it takes to remove, trust me.

Other tips...

Have more wire ties on hand

Have 2 large blankets, one to place under the bumper when it comes off, it's larger than it looks on the car, and comes off in a hurry! The other blanket will be somewhere else or draped over saw-horses for doing the bumper cutting and lamp install.

If you used the stock hole for an amplifier wire, like I did, you will need to drill a new hole..... This REALLY SUCKS. I recommend some cutting oil on a damn good bit and a right angle pneumatic drill.... It's tight in there and if are you are a decent sized mammal you will probably feel it in the morning. Drill a 1/8" hole, make it large enough with another bit to get a step bit in there and have at it with a step bit. I drilled between the stock fog light hole and the hood release cable. Remember that the release cable is behind the new hole, be careful. Disconnect the clutch switches and get them out of the way, I pulled back on the hood release cable with a hook I made of romex ground cable #14 and thru the body drain hole after removing the tubing. Don't forget to put all this back together, the body drain can slip your mind and leave you with a wet car :mwink:

You don't need to remove the battery as described in step 38. I did not even disconnect the battery, if you have the tendency to Flub-things up then I recommend it, I had no problems.

The install can take some time depending on your competence. I split it into two evenings but I have a family and had to tend to those matters too. I also had to drill the PITA hole, that took a while. If you are good you can probably pop it out in 2-3 hours. It took me considerably longer but I have a lot of extra wiring under there I had to contend with, making things much tighter.

Pics to come... I'm badge-less on the front now due to my JDM "H" that should hopefully be arriving soon. I'll get some of the completed process.

Best of luck!!!

Chad

kokopuffs405
04-22-2008, 08:17 AM
how good are the ebay fogs?

Chad
04-22-2008, 08:32 AM
Great till they take a rock, just like the OEM's. There was a DIY up from CRSX I believe on how to replace the lense with Lexan, someone may know where it's at. One of my first ones EXPLODED from a rock, as in BAD! I now have a cracked one. TYPE-X pre-server-crash DIY'd up some projectors to fitr in the housings and they were HAWT! dunno if he made it back yet????? He used these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-06-BMW-E46-M3-Black-Projector-Fog-Lights_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33709QQihZ004QQi temZ140226091858QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

BMW E-46 projector <---- ebay search that.

He put HID's in them!

dtt02278
04-22-2008, 10:36 PM
funny i got my fog lights from tunerzimage and they also say esuse on them.... wonder if they are the same..

dtt02278
04-22-2008, 10:37 PM
had it for a year now and they still work great and in good condition