Stefan_TC

Hi all,

I just got a 5spd TC and was about to order OEM fog lights when realized that they IMHO are plain ugly. In the same time I noticed two ugly plastic covers underneath the headlight and wonder how come there are not foglights there? Plastic things AFAIK do not play any role and there is plenty of space right behind it so I figured this is going to be my first custom project. What I am going to do (unless someone will tell me there is a kit for it available already) is to take out these two plastic uglings, bore a large hole in each one of them and put in one of these add-on round (could be square) halogen lights. Then I will put them back on the car.
It seems fairly easy and by reusing these tow pieces of plastic should be able to achieve a good fit and original, decent look. Now, I need some guidance here.

(1)First of all - is there a halogen kit available with similar functionality (light in pseudo-vents)
(2) Is the wiring for standard OEM foglight already existant on the car and if so where is it? (where to find it?/ color coding etc..)
(3) Where to get the console switch for the lights?

Please let me know if you have attempted or completed such a project and I can promise that I will document and post (with detailed instrutions) every step so other can benefit, too

Thanks,

'05 TC 5spd black [Brooklyn]

aznJ

Most fog light kits will come with all necessary wiring and will come with a switch.

getting wiring and lights into those openings is a little bit harder. the openings behind those small vents are all blocked off, you would have to take the bumper off in order to make this as simple as possible. Bumper removal is also fairly simple, i can show you how to do that if you'd like.

other than that, i had thought of this, but since i have a mssive PA horn-type speaker behind one of those openings, it's not possible. Good luck to ya


P.S. I think someone did this already, and since the search function blows, i'm not even going to try and look for it

nycazn79

1) There is no kit that I'm aware of that fits into those vent covers. Some people drilled holes into the cover and mounted PIAA fogs there. I read somewhere that a IS300 light will fit there.
2) The wiring for the OEM Fogs is already on the car. Read this how-to and you'll get an idea: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27616
3) If you can get the wiring for the OEM fogs, it'll have the switch, relay, etc. Otherwise, you can get a small switch from radio shack and splice/connect the correct wires yourself. (most fog kits come with switches anyway)

Also, you don't have to take off the bumper to get access to the vents

maximus96

i'm also interested in doing something like that.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

in the above ebay link for a grille, the person's car has foglights installed in the fake vents. i'd love to have somethign like that instead of the expensive stock fog light kit.

panasoanic

Best option for decent fogs are Hella Micro DE projectors. PIAAs are for the most part, crap, unless you get to their high end rallye ligths.

No other decent performing fog lights will fit into the opening other than Hella Micro DEs. Don't waste your time with others.

tcHoya

Stefan TC,
You beat me to the post. Been meaning to ask about this myself. Wanted to do it for my car during my time off between xmas and new years. From the initial research I've done, when you buy fog light kits, the come with a harness, switch and basic wiring. The plans I've seen have them connecting the wires to the headlight wires. You can even buy wireless kits so you don't have to drill a hole in the wirewall. Brand wise, everyone I've spoken to has recommended Hella. I've been to their site and they do have a nice product (not to mention its a fraction of what the TRD fogs cost).

With that, the only thing I was concerned about is the size and I know I've seen a couple of people post custom fog light pics. If those who have can chime in with what kit they used, specific models if possible, and perhaps a close up shot so we can see how it fits, would be greatly appreciated.

THE_DON

Hey, I happen to like the stock fog lights!

I did use to own a Matrix though :D

-THE DON

putz

remember when you bore your holes, start with a small bit and work your way up or else you are gonna crack your plastic.

purpled_out_tC

panasoanic,
Do you have pics of your tC w/Hellas? And Where'd you get them?

panasoanic

I'm still torn between mounting Hella Micro DEs in the vent holes on the sides of the car or using the larger Bosch Compact Sport 100s in the lower grill like the factory fog lights. I'm going to wait until after the holidays when I have money again before I make the final decision.

Maybe I'll just spend $1000 on installing the HID driving light version of the Hella Micro DE in the side vents AND the Bosch Compact Sports as fog lights. hahaha.

You can buy the Hella Micro DEs from many places including tirerack.com. Daniel Stern of www.danielsternlighting.com has excellent customer service, so I'll be buying them from him once I get the money. He has helped a lot of people over the years with their lighting needs and has put a lot of time into writing good technical guides on his site. Plus he is a lighting engineer, so I trust his judgement more than some random salesman at tirerack or another store. If you search groups.google.com, you'll see he has been around for a few years helping out people.

aznJ

true, you don't have to take off the bumper. It's just a lot easier than sticking your arm down from the top or through the vent opening. Prying open the wheel well liner works also.

maximus96

how do i take the bumper off? are there instructions somewhere online?

Stefan_TC

Evryone,

Thanks so much for info. Based on what I read I am definetely going to try the install.
Three more questions:

What is the exact size of the vent covers??
To get the vent covers out, do you have to remove the bumper or you can do it from underneath the car? WHat is the easiest access?
Also, the OEM switch, is there any way to get that from the dealer??

Thanks,

PS> I am looking at Hellas you guys recommended. I will keep you posted on progress here )

aznJ

if u have really skinny arms you can reach down through the engine compartment and pop out the vent covers like i did. Otherwise.... https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39576

maximus96

so they pop out toward the front and not the rear? from casually looking at it last night, it looked it its to be pushed out the rear.

aznJ

yup

piercedlip81

You think we'll get something like this?
http://images.andale.com/f2/107/105/...GRILL_HALO.jpg
I like those cause its CF and halo, and i have a black tC :-D that'd be sweet!!! prob eventually once aftermarket support gets going.

Stefan_TC

Pierce it does look good, but I really want something almost on the pavement level so it works like a fog light. Those cheesy plastic OEM covers scream rice as they are as fake as plastic cover faking a vent can get. I would either replaced them with real vents or better yet put a fog light there.

piercedlip81

yea I would like that kind of setup, but for the lower grill like the stock ones are, but that'd be CF and halo lights, which I think is much better than the stock offroad looking ones.

purpled_out_tC

anyword on if we can get the IS300 type foglights in the aftermarket?