Full PIAA 510 fog lights write up and review

I recently acquired a pair of PIAA 510 fog lights and wanted to do a very thorough install write up with a review as soon as inclement weather is available to play in.

And the accompanying wiring harness… With an inline fuse and connectors to simplify running the wire it was pretty good, however I of course had to do things MY way instead

I started by running the harness out with the longest light connector going to the passenger opening. The plastic cover pieces have one tab on the side that depresses and allows the whole thing to pop right out. I then ran the wire to this spot between the bracket and the aluminum posts at the very bottom lip of the bumper. Later I secured the wire to these brackets with zip ties.

This conveniently put the other light plug at the driver’s side fog light location.
I was then able to run the harness up to the top and then back toward the cabin side of the engine compartment.

At this point the wiring harness no longer suited my needs. I cut the power and inline fuse and attached a spade connector to incorporate my additional fuse block. The two smaller wires coming out of the relay (one black and one white) then go to the switch. I ran these wires along the back wall and along a preexisting harness back to the passenger side.

I then dropped the two wires down to the air conditioner condensation drain and passed through the firewall alongside of the rubber tube.

The wires were then passed back to the drivers side to the intended switch location. Wires from the switch were passed down through the opening and to the bottom of the dash trim below the wheel. The blanks can be worked out with two very small screwdrivers; one on top and one on bottom. Once one is out, a finger can reach in and pop the next in line out if the room is necessary.

A power source was needed for the switch and I wanted to have one that was only active with the ignition on. I removed the kick plate on the lower outside of the driver’s foot well and rooted around. I eventually found a plug that was taped up and unused. Supposedly some people have a plug behind the blanks in the switch panel, but unfortunately not me. I used a multimeter to check voltages and found, for my particular plug, that the pink wire was hot when the ignition was on. I cut enough tape off and spliced the power wire from the connector that passed through the firewall. Sufficient use of shrink tube and electrical tape put it back to almost new. The connector from the switch was plugged into the connector to the relay .

I quickly plugged a fog light into a connector and checked that everything worked. The wires inside the cab were then zip tied together and tucked behind the carpet, trim pieces, and dash to be 100% concealed. From an electrical perspective, installation was complete. Mounting the lights was all that remained.

The location for the fog lights has molding in the plastic that obviously is used for the stock fog lights, which supposedly mount by clicking into the bumper. I pulled the wires from the harness through the hole to check that I had sufficient working room. The PIAA lights have a mount with an adjustable base and a bolt which would be perfect to mount to something directly below or behind the light.

Luckily, a small hole existed in the molded bumper that would work well to hold the bolt of the fog light. While this seems sturdy and has held well over some rough terrain and ~200 miles, a firm metal bracket would be ideal, but this may suffice quite well for a long time. A longer M10x1.50 bolt 80mm long was inserted into the bracket. A bolt and locktite was used to tightly hold the bracket. A second nut was then placed on the bolt with a washer and inserted into the molded fog light opening. I was able to adjust the depth that the fog light sat, the angle to aim it, and test it all before finally installed. When everything was aligned I applied locktite to every nut, and used a nylon-inserted nut for the very back nut.

Without the PIAA cage, the molded bumper is visible around the edges and looks unfinished. However, if the cage was left on (and used to align and aim the light) the final look is very tidy. Even though the plastic mounting point is not extremely sturdy, the lights are snug with little wiggle and seem to hold well.


Let me know what you think and a review will come as soon as the opportune time to test them arises.

 

Finishing touches on the controller should happen in the next week or two and review will come as soon as an opportunity arises!!

 

Also just realized this may be better suited to the lighting section...if so would a moderator move it please?

 

Great write up OP

 

Thanks! I know that several people have done this before but figured it wouldn't hurt to have another...

 

great write up claw looks great!!!

 

Thanks David! I finally have at least one thing to help identify me around Bozeman now ;-)

 

Finally bought a $40 OEM fog switch and wired it myself. I had just been using the PIAA switch until now. The switch is wired with 1 and 3 connected and getting power, 2 is grounded, and 4 is to relay according to the diagram here: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/at...ay-fog-light-kits-08-09-10-tacomas-switch.jpg

The light is not like OEM, where the illumination is related to interior lighting and nothing else. Instead this is set where the illumination is on when the fogs are on. I prefer this to see when my lights are on or not.

This project is pretty much complete, now I just need to do the driving lights

 

great hints. One thing. do you know where you got the 80m m10 1.50 bolt? I can only find ones that long with thread 1/2 way up.

Edit: Went with carriage bolt.

 

Glad you found something to work! My hardware all came from the local Ace hardware store.

 

Thank you. Your writeup gave me the confidence to do the install.

 

subd

 

I got my hands on PIAA 510 super white lights and plan on putting them in the standard fog locations same as the OP. Has anyone ever put in the yellow fog bulb into one of the super white housings?? I know the only difference is the lens and bulb when you purchase the PIAA fog lights, but I'm curious what the yellow bulb would look like with the super white lens.

 

Good write up, I have been contemplating something similar!

 

Good write up Claw, this is definitely going into my Bookmarks. As far as wiring the lights to the OEM switch, I'm still a little confused (not too good with wiring). Can you elaborate a little or just break it down Barney-style.

 

I know it's a really old post but had to comment. great write up, they are easy to install however these are the worst fog lights I have ever used. I've had mine on for almost a year and only put about 10hrs on them before one of the lights burnt out. On top of that my stock for lights were twice as bright. I would rather pay a couple of extra bucks for some Rigid lights that will work for a very long time and are very bright. Don't waste your money on Piaa.

 

Sounds like a problem with the bulbs instead of the actual lights/lenses. I have the 6inch fogs on my truck w/ the ion crystal lens and i found the way they disperse the light much more effective than the factory fogs. Obviously its comparing apples and oranges, but from my experiences, i would try changing the bulbs out with some higher quality ones before ruling out the lenses. I was considering some of these but now i am questioning them. Thanks for your feedback, ill be taking that into consideration now.

Edited to add:i also found that taking the piaa covers off significantly increased the amount of light output from these.

You might try nokya yellow bulbs also, ive run them in my fogs in my ARB bumper for about 6-7months now with nothing but good results. Bear in mind that is running them as driving lights for about 1.5 hrs per day