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9th Generation (2003-2008) Specific discussion of the 9th generation

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Old 12-19-2008, 11:51 AM   #1 (permalink)
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My experience with eBay fog lamps

I installed fog lamps in my '07 LE. I bought a kit on eBay for $50 shipped. It came with the wires and harness and lamp housings and bulbs. Here's my honest assessment of it.

I think it was worth it. They included the entire harness, with inline fuse, relay, switch to fit the little coin holder plate in the dashboard next to the "Security" light, etc. Right off the bat, I figured I'd spend 50 bucks screwing around trying to put all that stuff together, going from store to store, etc. So from that perspective, I figured that even if the lights themselves were a total loss, I was breaking even with having the harness and a good switch.
I ended up re-wiring the entire harness because the harness appeared to be rather generic and not exactly suited to the Corolla. No big deal...after I tore everything apart, removed all the looming, etc, it was pretty easy to lay out. Here's how I wired it:



If you're not familiar with electrical systems, here's how it works: the fog lights are wired directly from the battery, but they're wired through a relay (it came with the kit). When the relay is activated, from the switch, it brings 12V straight from the positive battery cable to both bulbs, and I grounded them to an existing ground point on the passenger side of the car, near the power steering fluid reservoir.

The interior switch is what activates the relay. I pulled the switch's power from the 25A wiper fuse. It doesn't really matter WHAT fuse you use...the current through the switch is extremely low. Anyway, when you hit the switch, it sends 12V to the relay. When the relay "sees" those 12V, it connects its internal contacts and powers the lights. If you turn the switch off, the relay no longer sees that 12V signal, and disconnects the power to the bulbs. It's mechanical; you can actually hear it clicking. And the fog light switch is the kind such that if you depress it, it stays depressed. And if you press it again, it pops back out. So I just leave it depressed all the time, so whenever the ignition is on, my fog lights are on; I use them as daytime running lights.

So...about the lamp housings themselves...well...I'm replacing them. They were pretty cheap to begin with. They fit okay in the bumper housings. They used the stock-type brackets and most folks wouldn't know them from the stock housings. But they didn't have the DOT markings on them, and the beam pattern isn't good with them. There are a lot of "hot spots" and "dark spots". In addition, the lamp housings had metal shrouds in front of the bulbs -- to control the light. Well, the lamp housings are directional -- there's a left and a right. But the shrouds were not. They used the shroud designed for the right side light on both sides. So not only was the reflector a bad design (to produce an uneven pattern), but the left side was really bad because it wasn't even getting the light it was supposed to get because they didn't "mirror" the shroud...they just used the right side one. But...they're installed and wired and working fine. As far as the material quality of the housings, they are fine. They appear to be sealed correctly, the plastic lens is clear and scuff-free.

So I scoured eBay and I actually found a right side fog lamp housing for $19 shipped. And it's an OE housing...from Toyota. So I know it'll have the right pattern. That's supposed to arrive today or tomorrow. So I'll have ONE side that's OE Toyota. Now I just need to hunt and peck until I find a left side OE housing.

So...that's my experience. If you really don't care about the beam pattern and just want fog lamps so you have fog lamps, the eBay kits should work fine for you. But don't expect a nice well-defined beam pattern from them. I'm a real stickler on automotive lighting and good optics and all that. And I'm not satisfied with the eBay ones. But that's okay...I still feel I got my money's worth because they did come with all the wiring and switches and all that.

I'll add some more pictures later tonight showing the switches and my wiring, etc.
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Old 12-19-2008, 12:22 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Ive been eying those for a while now.
maybe Ill buy myself a Christmas present

Thanks..
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Old 12-19-2008, 07:50 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Here's one teaser shot. I got the RH side lamp housing I ordered off eBay tonight. Notice the nice well-defined OE beam pattern, and the very loose and disorganized beam pattern of the aftermarket housing still installed on the left side.

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Old 12-19-2008, 09:29 PM   #4 (permalink)
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the entire post is nice. kinda hard for me to understand tho. i am planning to add those fog light on my 08 ce. however, i don't know if it's possible... first thing is that, my don't have an coin holder.... it's taken up by tire thingy. so no empty spot on the dash for the button. and the major problem is that i am an total noob.... i doubt i can install it my self heheh. i check with my dealer, they are asking for LOT! i guess i will get an spoiler before anything, it's much more easier i think lol
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Old 12-20-2008, 06:37 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Oh that's right, by '08 the tire pressure monitor was standard on all Corollas. You could easily install the switch in place of the little security blinky light -- it really doesn't do anything -- it just blinks when the ignition is off.
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Old 12-20-2008, 08:38 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MeteorRain View Post
the entire post is nice. kinda hard for me to understand tho. i am planning to add those fog light on my 08 ce. however, i don't know if it's possible... first thing is that, my don't have an coin holder.... it's taken up by tire thingy. so no empty spot on the dash for the button. and the major problem is that i am an total noob.... i doubt i can install it my self heheh. i check with my dealer, they are asking for LOT! i guess i will get an spoiler before anything, it's much more easier i think lol
Since your car is an 08, it maybe worth while to check if your car is prewired for fogs. Check for a blue plug taped to your bumper or surrounding area behind the fog light covers.
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Old 12-20-2008, 09:01 AM   #7 (permalink)
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i will go check on it. i don't think i have it tho. since i called the dealer about fog light and stuff. they say there is no kit for 08 and they have to put in relay, hard wire it and stuff..... sigh...
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Old 12-20-2008, 10:14 AM   #8 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MeteorRain View Post
i will go check on it. i don't think i have it tho. since i called the dealer about fog light and stuff. they say there is no kit for 08 and they have to put in relay, hard wire it and stuff..... sigh...
Maybe it is just the LEs that are prewired. If they are prewired, all you need are the lights, a relay (horn relay works), and a light stalk from a corolla S, that has a switch for the fogs.
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Old 12-20-2008, 07:59 PM   #9 (permalink)
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My '07 LE is pre-wired.
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Old 12-20-2008, 09:53 PM   #10 (permalink)
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i probably goona hold the fog light for now....

waiting on my spoiler to come. and i am getting my window tint soon!

oh yea, anyone what's the normal price for a window tint? i am thinking 100-200
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Old 12-20-2008, 10:02 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MeteorRain View Post
i will go check on it. i don't think i have it tho. since i called the dealer about fog light and stuff. they say there is no kit for 08 and they have to put in relay, hard wire it and stuff..... sigh...
see for yourself

its hard to determine which trims and years were prewired since toyota haven't said anything

if they were prewired, its not as simple as plugging in the bulbs
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