Rewired Fogs to run without headlights on

[AZ-CX9]

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

[wakblak]

Nice, I need to try that because I hate how the stock system works.

[l-miwa]

Excellent mod! Following the very simple instructions provided above, it took me less than 30 minutes to complete this.

My fog lights are now useful instead of just decoration. Why manufacturers insist on switching the foglights with the headlights is just beyond me. They really should be switched by the marker lights.

[jeg0024]

Why manufacturers insist on switching the foglights with the headlights is just beyond me. They really should be switched by the marker lights.

Who drives with just their running lights and fog lights on anyways? Honestly they aren't bright enough to be anything other than cosmetic anyways. They shouldn't be switched on by the running lights or the headlights, they should be totally optional to have on or off whenever you want as long as at least your running lights are on(required by law). Nice write up tho, it is nice to have control over your fogs even if they are just cosmetic.

[l-miwa]

Who drives with just their running lights and fog lights on anyways?

If you are actually DRIVING IN FOG, then you want ONLY your running lights and fog lights on. And having upgraded them to high power xenon bulbs, they are actually relatively bright.

The point of fog lights is that they are mounted low with a sharp cutoff on the top to prevent the light reflecting back off of the fog into your eyes. This is EXACTLY why you don't want the regular headlights (or even worse, the high lights) on in heavy fog.

If fog lights have become purely cosmetic, then by all means, switch them on / off with the headlights. If however, they are actually supposed to be usable as fog lights, then they should be either switched by the ignition or by the running lights.

[BoostedSpd6]

would this work on the speed 6 cuz we have heated seats also.. just wondering if the relay's were in same location

[AZ-CX9]

Just an observation or three...

With the low wide beam of the fogs they are, in fact, very usefull in fog, dust and even heavy rain, especially with the intense light from the HIDs which can actually reduce visibiliy in the above situations by having light scatered back at the driver. However if switched by the headlights and thus only on with the HIDs they DO provide only cosmetic value. By being able to run them alone they THEN become more then cosmetic. I replaced the bulbs with yellow ION increasing their effectivness for fog etc..Though even the stock lights will be better then the HIDs due, again, to the low wide beam pattern. Additionally this is not a bad way to get DRL function...

Cheers and thanks for the kudos!

Andy

[jeg0024]

Is it even legal to drive at night with just the running lights and fogs? I see your point but I just dont see anyone really doing it, I mean my car is low enough that my low beams shine under the fog and my fogs just point straight down at the road until I find the time to adjust them.

[l-miwa]

...Additionally this is not a bad way to get DRL function...

I was hoping the same thing, but the sharp cutoff prevents them from appearing very bright to other drivers. I think that's why most manufacturers use the high beams at reduced power. Plus, running the fog lights a full power all the time will mean regularly replacing burnt out bulbs.

[rc51]

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


Excellent write up, Andy. I went to do this yesterday and made a modification...
One thing to remember is that this wiring scheme will require you to turn off the Fog light switch when you don't wnt them on (i.e. the daytime). Instead of tapping the heated seat lead, you should tap a parking light lead so that the fogs come on w/ the parking lights (this is the 'look' that everyone likes since the beginning of time). I ran a wire from the rely box to the drivers side headlamp unit. There's a connector (for the constant parking light) there just above the bulb socket (turn signal). The connector has a black and a yellow wire- tap the yellow and now you'll have the fog lamps controllable when the parking lights are on.

[ux149]

The current fog lamps are 51 watts. If I crosswire the fog lamps to the heated seats, how high a wattage can I use for a whiter bulb?

[Lindyrect]

I'm kinda confused by this thread. My foglights work in tandem with my headlights. They only switch off with the hi-beams. This is done purposefully according to law. If the mod is to keep the foglights on with the hi-beams I get it.

[tidriver]

since my insurance co gives discounts to cars with daytime running lights, I wonder if this "mod" to run fulltime will qualify.

[l-miwa]

The current fog lamps are 51 watts. If I crosswire the fog lamps to the heated seats, how high a wattage can I use for a whiter bulb?

The current relay / fuse rating is 90w for each fog lamp. I have had no problem using the 80w Vision X 4300K bulbs.

I also use the 100w Vision X 4300K high beam bulbs as well. The relay / fuse rating for them is 120w.

[ux149]

I'm kinda confused by this thread. My foglights work in tandem with my headlights. They only switch off with the hi-beams. This is done purposefully according to law. If the mod is to keep the foglights on with the hi-beams I get it.
Hot wiring the fogs is not a perfect solution for the lack of daytime running lights, but it is currently the least expensive and simplest solution. Fog lights with high beams would be kinda useless.

[ux149]

The current relay / fuse rating is 90w for each fog lamp. I have had no problem using the 80w Vision X 4300K bulbs.

I also use the 100w Vision X 4300K high beam bulbs as well. The relay / fuse rating for them is 120w.
Thanks l-miwa. I wonder if the 80watts will overload the heated seats if I crosswire for faux DRL?

[bill42]

since my insurance co gives discounts to cars with daytime running lights, I wonder if this "mod" to run fulltime will qualify.


Indeed it will qualify. I insured my car from the start knowing that I will be doing this mod. I personally do not want all the parking lights on during the day, as someone else stated. That would put unnecessary wear and tear on all those bulbs. I can't believe that Mazdas don't just come with DRLs like all the cars i have owned since 2000... A nice trick set-up would be to install sone kind of 3 pole relay switch so that when you turn ON the parking lights or headlights, these "fog" DRLs switch off. This is how proper DRLs work like the ones on my 3-series, and it prolongs the bulb life. However, since I don't remember much of my electronics schooling, I think I'll just hook it straight into the switched 12 volts. These bulbs can't be that expensive to replace...

[l-miwa]

Thanks l-miwa. I wonder if the 80watts will overload the heated seats if I crosswire for faux DRL?

No potential overload problem. The heated seats circuit is only used to trick the relay into thinking that the "headlights are on". The power for the fog lights still comes through the fog light fuse.

[ux149]

No potential overload problem. The heated seats circuit is only used to trick the relay into thinking that the "headlights are on". The power for the fog lights still comes through the fog light fuse.
Thanks again. You're a wealth of information!

[Lindyrect]

So they are hotwired for daytime running lights? Why do that when you just turn the headlight switch to on and you have lights in the day. My 2007 GT has full time lights and autolights. I must be missing something!

[AussieCX9]

That's what I was thinking also.

[bill42]

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.

[~JoJo~]

a bit off topic but wondering if it would work with ms3 too.

[Lindyrect]

Gotcha, post picts and instructions in the summer pls.

[l-miwa]

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)

[ux149]

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.

[CX9Zoom]

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

[Rivman]

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)

[l-miwa]

...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!

[2008GT]

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.

[Int3grity]

Could someone please please please post a picture or something to better explain this I get it but where again is this relay?

[CX9 SportOwner]

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

[bill42]

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.

[2008GT]

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"

[Force-1]

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)

[SydneyGuy]

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.

[AWD CX-9 GT]

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.

[CX9 SportOwner]

DRLs my ASS. All of you want them on so you can get attention. I'm tired of my family's safety put at risk at night because so many insecure idiots think they look cool with fog lights on. Fog lights are designed for fog, not clear weather. Otherwise all they do is blind oncoming traffic.

We don't have them because we never get fog where we drive. Period

The big blue thing is a kayak, and it's a photo from a favorite trip. Moron.

If you want DRLs, turn your damn headlights on. If you want to look cool, then you are out of luck, because you guys are anything BUT cool.

[MacMaster]

WOW =) it was a pretty good speech i say

[AWD CX-9 GT]

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!!!!

[AZ-CX9]

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

[kosh2258]

What he said. (2thumbs)

Good post.

[2008GT]

A good number of people in this forum likes to modify/upgrade which makes their cars unique.....c'mon, it's just a fog light, I wonder who's being insecure at this point.

I just didn't like the fact that some rightous guy got on this thread and started bashing on people. Totally uncalled for. If you don't like what others are doing, just state that as on opinion, not go as far as insulting and name calling. Just common courtesy to everyone else in this community. Keep the nasty comments to yourself.

[bill42]

Well said, 2008GT. The angry guy who turned this post negative has insecurity issues. I tried to respond originally with humor and further logic but I guess by then it was Republicans against Democrats/ Mac guys vs PC guys.
Just to set the record straight on both sides- NONE of us are really that cool for buying a 7 seat disguised minivan. We just THINK we are cool.
If we could just get back to the real topic, and shift away from name calling, I think this thread is not finished yet and many people may still be interested in discussing further.

There seems to be 2 groups here that want the driving lights on a separate switch independent of the headlights- People who want to turn the driving lights into fog lights, (not their original intention as Mazda knows real Fogs are yellow and must go on WITHOUT HID headlights), and people who want DRLs. Now I have turned the factory driving lights on and off on a dark road, and since I have the powerful HID Xenons, the driving lights are pretty much useless and unnoticeable at night. They give me no extra night vision. So, as they are they are useless.

For the crowd that wants true fog lights like the guy from Costa Rico, this mod will improve his vision in the fog. Connecting them so they can be turned on and off when the parking lights are on is the way to go for this route.

For the crowd who wants DRLs (me included), This is not necessarily the best way to wire the driving lights. True DRLs should be independent of the parking lights, as the purpose is for approaching cars to see you from a long distance durning the day. Having all the parking lights and tail lights on all day is not needed and will burn out your bulbs faster. As I said way back on this thread, I still intend to hook mine up so that when the switch is thrown, they will always be on when the headlights are off, and when the headlights are on, the DRLs will go off automatically, just like my BMW is wired. (And then I can drive in Canada legally without all my lights on during the day)
This is going to be a tricky setup requiring 2 relays I believe, and I am going to have to think it through as I dig up my old tech-school training from 15 years ago. When I finally get this done I will post a DIY with photos, I promise.

In closing, I would like to say one more thing- I challenge Angry Kaiak Guy to explain again how I think I am cool when my set-up can't even turn on the very weak driving lights while my blinding headlights are on. And blinding they are- every sports car driver approaching a CX-9 with HIDs on a slight hill is instantly blinded. If the Driving Lights happen to be on, the driver would never even see them because the Xenons are 10x brighter. Even though I keep my lights tipped low people still flash me their brights.

So hopefully we can end the name calling from both sides and get back to the topic. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to cover everything.

[GUZ]

I cut the green/red cable and attached to the pink cable = fuse blow.
Pics, please....(huh) Which step I miss???

140498 140499

[kosh2258]

I cut the green/red cable and attached to the pink cable = fuse blow.
Pics, please....(huh) Which step I miss???

140498 140499

Sounds like you attached the wrong half of the green/red cable to the pink wire.

You should splice the end that comes from the relay (where the wire ends in the relay box) not the end coming from the fuse block which would create a short and blow the fuse.

So if you just disconnect the half of green/red wire you connected from the pink one and use the other half of the green/red you should be OK.

[GUZ]

Thanks!!!(killit)

[My09CX-9]

Does anyone know how to re-wire with just the low beam headlights on all the time (without the parking lights) instead of the fog lights? In other words, to have the low beams act as Daytime Running Lights (like the VW Touareg) ~ Thanks!

[xtrememps]

+1 sometimes in the mountainy areas of north jersey or especially when I go to vermont I've realllllly wanted to do a mod like this because I've been outright blinded by my headlights before and wanted to just take a hammer from my trunk and smash out my headlights so I can drive along with my fogs only in my old car..

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!!!!

[My09CX-9]

I just did it on my 09 and it works ~ I still prefer to have the low-beams on instead of the fog lights though!