[Branston]

Hi there!

I have read though all the past threads on the driving lamps and still have a couple of questions.

OK here goes, I am getting some lamps for my birthday (20th may if anyone want to send me a card! hehe!) and I am looking into geting 4 lamps. I really dont like the ones with the bar as I want to hide the workings as much as possible. Another reasion is that I have a mini one and the bars all come in crome and my one has a black grill which I really like and dont want to change.

I have contacted my dealer and like everyone else they want to charge me £300 for fitting of two lamps but wont do 4. The price of the parts is reasonable £123.41 plus VAT which is about the same wherever you go (unless someone can tell me different!)

I really dont feel capable of doing the job myself and I dont think that I could trust the boyfriend with a drill anywhere near my mini!

I was thinking that I get one set of mini lights and have them fitted (or pursude Aus-tim to extend his offer to fit light to me???? please??? I will come round and see you! I am only in Rochdale hint hint! ) and then if I do decide to go for a second set I can add them later (or Aus-tim might feel very over generous and fit them too! I can fit a crate of beer in the boot ??).

If I have one set done then the second added would I need to move the first set or can they stay in the same place? are they easy to move once they have been fitted?

My dealership seem to be very stingey in the service department and I can imagine that they will charge me to activate the lights. Does anyone know how much this would cost?

If I dont have them fitted by the dealer does it invalidate all the car warranty?

thanks in advance for the help

[moorlockx]

I can answer a couple of your questions:

If I have one set done then the second added would I need to move the first set or can they stay in the same place?

If you use the Mini lights or ones the same size you shouldn't have to move the first set to mount the second.

are they easy to move once they have been fitted?

No, they're a real pain. Not only that you'll end up with holes where the mounts were. Plan ahead!

My dealership seem to be very stingey in the service department and I can imagine that they will charge me to activate the lights.

Using the light mounting kit, there should be nothing to activate as the lights are hard wired into the existing system with their own switch

If I dont have them fitted by the dealer does it invalidate all the car warranty?

If you use the factory kit and wiring instructions,there should be no warranty problems.

Mounting the lights is actually the easiest part of the job. The subsequent wiring job is the painful part of it. The good news is that the second set of lights are easy to get working as you only have to tap into the power wires from the first set. The bad news about the second set would be having to figure out how to mount them. If you do a search on here, and minicooperonline.com, you can find a couple of different mounting options for 4 lights. Good luck and an early happy birthday!

[MINIALEX]

Wow Wow - someone told me that the lights did need activating by your dealer as I was considering fitting them myself - can anyone confirm?

[Branston]

I think he means that if you get the officall ones you have to get them activated and if you get the ones on the bar then you dont as they are wired up differently, well I think thats what I have managed to gather from a number of sources....

[MINIALEX]

okay-thanks

[moorlockx]

Here's a link to the "official" Mini instructions for light installation:

http://www.bridger.us/mini/howto/Driving_Lights_902.pdf

It is a PDF file (you can download a free PDF reader from various sites on the web, if you need to). It's 19 pages and, though it states it's for the '02 models, should apply to the '03s as well. Near as I can tell, there is no so-called "activation" required on the dealers part. It's all wired into existing power leads. They come on with the high beams but there is a switch to cut them off if you don't want to run them.

This site has all sorts of "how-to's", "where to's" ,and "what-to's" about the Mini. Lots of technical info.

[sugster]

Another option is to get the lights from your dealer, print out the installation instructions and go to you local backstreet garage and get them to do it. Probably a bit cheaper than the dealer. Even cheaper if you did some prep such as marking the holes, removing trim etc..
The hardest part (at least for me and my fat hands!) was removing and replacing trim and getting the connectors out of the BC1. It would be much easier if you have small hands
It is quite daunting drilling into the car though, not for the faint hearted!

If you buy the lights from your dealer, say ask them if they will activate them for free. If they won't, buy them from Simon @Minispares and don't give your dealer the profit. If they do charge you, it shouldn't be anymore than £10, its a two minute job if that.
(Yet) another thing to do, although I'm not sure if this would work, when you car goes in for a service, get them to activate the lights even though they are not installed, you can then install them at you leisure. They will have their computer plugged into your car anyway, so its minimal effort on their part.

[Branston]

Thanks for the advise thats really good info.

I think that I have decided to go for the 4 lamps with the bar after all this anyway cause I really dont like the idea of having to drill into the car bonnet. Also if I get a new mini later down the line I can trasfere them accross.

I have been looking at the bar for £200 from new mini sport and just putting up with the fact that is is a crome bar rather and I have a black grill. I am sure that you wont be able to tell when I have the lights on anyway, I will blind everyone!

anyone have any feedback on the ligh bar from new mini sport?

Has anywone with the lights informaed their insurance company about them, and if you have has your premium gone up?

cheers again

[sugster]

I told my insurance company because my lights are worth £300. I've just changed to Mini insurance and they dodn't charge me any extra, although I'm not sure if the woman on the phone understood what driving lights are so I'm going to ring back and make sure.

[Hat]

you dont have to drill into the bonnet andrea - just the rear of the grille. from the front all you can see are 2 small brackets sticking through the grille - no holes & no damage.

[aus-tim powers]

Hi ppl's just caught onto this thread.You do Hat! the top part of the brackets are drilled and riveted just above the grill into the metal work This is one reason why i would'nt want to be responsible for andrea's bonnet! I placed a piece of wood in the gap between the bonnet layers as a buffer incase i slipped.

Tim

[Hat]

then you truly are an international man of mystery! having the nerve to take a power drill to your car - imagine the dril bit slipping across the bonnet. I'm wincing even thinking about it

[Branston]

ok, I really dont know what to do now!

I am not up for drilling into bonnets and I cant afford to get mini to do it, it would double the cost!

If I get the bar from mini sport do I have to drill into the bonnet for that??? Is it easy enough to fix myself... I have a GCSE in CDT you know! But will that invalidate the mini warranty? Was going to go down and visit them today but they are not open on Sundays arg!


Aus-tim, dont worry about fitting mine for me, I didnt realise it was such a big job with drills near my paintwork etc!

Please someone make the decision for me, I am useless (I am sure you have gathered that my now!)

[GNDMini]

Quote:

Originally posted by moorlockx
Here's a link to the "official" Mini instructions for light installation:
http://www.bridger.us/mini/howto/Driving_Lights_902.pdf

One slightly worrying note that occurs several times in the above document is

IMPORTANT: For cars with a combination of
Xenon Lights (SA 522) and High Pressure
Washing System (SA 502), a different reinforced
hood damper (P/N 51 23 7 064 485) must be
installed for safety reasons.

Anyone know what the "reinforced hood damper" is? Do we really need it?

[whoops ... just seen that Supa Koopa has asked the same!]

BTW, found some helpful instructions + pictures elsewere on this list ... go to http://www.r53w11.com/drivinglights.htm

[sugster]

Its due to the added weight of the driving lights. I guess the xenons and washers are heavy and the standard dampers can't cope. The lights themselves are actually pretty heavy too, luckily I did't have xenons. Don't know how much the dampers cost.

[Carrera 4]

Anyone know of a manufacturer making bonnet pods or corner pods yet? You know the sort, like "WRC" cars?

Mini Sport do a nice lamp bar for the Mini

www.newminisport.com

[collibosher]

hmm... aus-tim powers, did you use the factory mounting kit for the 2nd pair of driving lamps? i've been wanting to add another pair.. but thought i would have to cut a piece of the grill out to get the brackets to work right?! is that why you had to mount the 2nd pair higher? looks great regardless

[aus-tim powers]

Hi Collibosher
Yep i did use the factory driving lamps and brackets.You do not need to cut any of your grill out mate i set my inner ones higher to be different just.
Check out my four spots thread in this exterior forum i have updated it with new pics of my brackets for everyone

Cheers Tim

[collibosher]

ok tim thanks! i finally see the light...

[moorlockx]

When I was mounting my lights, I asked about this of a couple people "in the know". They are indeed for the extra weight, but no one has had any problems using the stock dampers, that I was told about. My lights are a fair amount bigger than the stock Mini ones and the stock dampers work just fine.