Fog Light Installation - S Model (with Pics)

[Tiger-Heli]

1st off - Be nice, it's his car - he can do what he wants with it.
2nd off - Maybe, but sometimes you buy a less expensive car initially to save money and then upgrade it as you get more funds.
3rd - Actually - probably not - According to Edmunds with minimum options:
S in Ingot Silver - MSRP $17,295
SE in Ingot Silver with Sport Package (which you had to have to order those rims) and Rims - MSRP $19,685.
Difference: $2,390.

Fog Light Mod - Roughly $150-175 in parts - more if you figure his time into it (and the switch that didn't work).
Rims - $640 at hubcaphaven

Leaves $1575 for tires, but he could have done better if he bought a wheel/tire package from a member and if he got someone to buy back the stock S tires and hubcaps. (OTOH - I'm neglecting the other upgrades you get with the SE Sport over the S, but ...)

[flyboyike]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

1st off - Be nice, it's his car - he can do what he wants with it.

I agree. Where was it that I wasn't nice? Or am I not allowed to express my opinion in a supposedly public forum?

[Tiger-Heli]

I probably over-reacted, but your post came across as a bit negative to me.

Nothing wrong with expressing opinions, but I usually don't tell someone I think their car looks awful - even if it isn't anything I would ever do. (Not implying you said that or anything related to the current thread).

[flyboyike]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

I probably over-reacted, but your post came across as a bit negative to me.

Nothing wrong with expressing opinions, but I usually don't tell someone I think their car looks awful - even if it isn't anything I would ever do. (Not implying you said that or anything related to the current thread).

I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused (I'm not a man of much education, took five years to get an Associate's degree). What exactly about my post came across as negative?

[Tiger-Heli]

Private Message sent to flyboyike.

[Chaddz3]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

Down to just one question and a couple of comments:



Okay - I wasn't really sure what the purpose of the project box with all the epoxy and hot glue was. I'm not criticizing your design - you did the hard work and did a lot better than I could with this - but, the "Module" is basically just two relays, and the relay sockets come with clips to join them together - if/when I attempt this, I'll probably just use two of these (or similar):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-DC-Bosch...item3a620bd22a

I was going to say that it would be easier to use the factory wiring since it is already run from the C144 connector back to the BCM rather than running new wire all the way back to the fog lights - but I re-read the thread and saw that you did that already.

You gave part of the number already, but the original fog light harness is part number 7C2Z15K867BA (Bumper connector C144 to Fogs). It lists for $75 and can be ordered for around $55 and includes the park assist connectors, but I don't think that's a problem. Your solution was without a doubt less expensive and looks professional, but if I am going to void the parking light warranty, the WAF will be a lot higher if I do it with an official Ford harness than with a bunch of pin contacts from Mouser and a soldering iron on the kitchen table.

Final question (for now at least) - Like you, I would prefer to use the factory switch (cleaner, more professional look, less hassle from dealer or trade-in, etc.), but I have almost come to the conclusion that I should just ditch the idea and go with your solution of a toggle switch and two relays (almost guaranteed to work, potentially $85 to $235 cheaper), but could you verify my logic on the following:

• The fog light fuse should be F75 (need to verify in OM). If there is not resistance on the F75 socket (not terminals for the fuse to connect to), the BCM does not support fogs and I have to either use your solution or (maybe) replace the BCM.
• If the ARE wires on the F75 socket (and also especially if there are mating pins on the brown wires at C2280D Pins 18 and 19), the BCM "might" support fog lights, but there is not an easy way to test this as it is triggered by a data signal. The only test would be to buy the headlight switch with fog lights ($85) and see if the fogs work then. (And since it's an electrical item, I probably can't return it if it doesn't work.)
• If the new switch doesn't work, I still might not be completely out-of-luck. The fogs might still work if I get the dealer to flash the BCM with the as-built codes from a 2013 Focus SE with 201A - but that is typically around $150 (I think), and not sure if that would work or might cause other problems. (And if it doesn't work, I'm out $235) and would still end up having to fall back to your solution.
• I tried putting the VIN of a 2013 SE that does not have fogs into the ETIS system: http://www.etis.ford.com/vehicleRegSelector.do and it came back with "LESS front fog lights", but I think this is just info Ford manually put into a database - not necessarily what is reflected in the as-built codes on the BCM - but I could be wrong.

Thanks again for all the help!!!

If the BCM has the fuse terminals and the pins for the foglight output wires, it "should" support foglights, but they may or may not be enabled. Like you said, the only DIY test that could be done to verify would be to connect the fog equipped headlight switch and hope it works. However, if you have already installed the lights and bumper harness, you might be able to get the dealer to test the BCM for fog light functionality They can go in to the lighting diagnostic section and command the foglight circuit on using IDS to verify the integrity of BCM's foglight circuit. (even if using the non fog headlight switch).

When I was researching this project, I found that the F-150 started using this same setup our Focus uses, starting last year, but they did release a fog light kit. depending on the trim level it requires replacing the BCM and having it flashed. This being true, replacing the BCM in the Focus and reflashing it, should also be possible... Although I don't know how much it would cost to have that done, it is probably not the most economic solution, but would be required to be a completely factory style install.. Even a used BCM from a wrecked SE (or higher) trim theoretically should work, but it may need to be flashed (or the car won't start with it). Like I pointed out in my write up, I suspected that I could have BCM compatability problems, so i bought a used switch from ebay dirt cheap, so that if it didn't work (which it didn't).. I wouldn't be out the full retail cost of a new switch.

If you can buy the bumper harness cheaply enough, it will save you the steps of having to build that... I work in the wiring harness industry and had the ability to get all the components for almost nothing in cost, (i gave the mouser part numbers so if someone chose to build it, they could source the components). And I'm sure if they found out at work that I just "bought" the harness instead of building my own, I'd never hear the end of it...

At any rate, when/if you try to do this, I hope my experience doing this saves you some frusteration and headache in getting everything to work correctly.

[Chaddz3]

Originally Posted by flyboyike

I can't help but think that between the rims and this mod, just buying an SE in the first place would have been easier.

If I would have bought the car brand new, it would have been easier, however I bought mine used, and my goal is to equip the car with only the specific options I want. Since ford requires specific option packages to be ordered, (ex 201A, 203A, etc.) Its not possible to order the car exactly as desired. You will be forced to take some options you don't want to get specific options you do want. And several options are not available together.
At the time I bought mine, used SE sport package equipped cars were very very difficult to find and the only ones i did find had the DCT transmission (which i didn't want).. this was the only way to get mine, unless I ordered brand new.

As the car sits right now, with the wheel/tire package, fog lights, custom painted hood, modified power windows (available for 30 minutes after key off)
I still have less than 15K total in the car (including TTL)... find me an SE sport package that i can buy for that with less than 5000 miles. within a radius of 500 miles from where I live.

Just buying one with all the stuff in it, what's the fun in that? building the car the way you want it from a barebones model is part of the fun. Being able to work through the challenges that come up. It's the challenge of not just getting it to work, but making it look like it came that way, and doing it for the lowest possible cost... Now THAT's fun!!

If I would have simply just bought it with the stuff already there, I wouldn't know half of the stuff these little projects have taught me about this car and how it works.. This kind of stuff is invaluable. Doing these kind of projects improves my engineering, fabrication and design skills...

If you want to do it the easy way and just buy it... thats fine... to me its not just getting options in the car, its also a chance to learn new things.

[flyboyike]

Originally Posted by Chaddz3

If I would have bought the car brand new, it would have been easier, however I bought mine used, and my goal is to equip the car with only the specific options I want. Since ford requires specific option packages to be ordered, (ex 201A, 203A, etc.) Its not possible to order the car exactly as desired. You will be forced to take some options you don't want to get specific options you do want. And several options are not available together.
At the time I bought mine, used SE sport package equipped cars were very very difficult to find and the only ones i did find had the DCT transmission (which i didn't want).. this was the only way to get mine, unless I ordered brand new.

As the car sits right now, with the wheel/tire package, fog lights, custom painted hood, modified power windows (available for 30 minutes after key off)
I still have less than 15K total in the car (including TTL)... find me an SE sport package that i can buy for that with less than 5000 miles. within a radius of 500 miles from where I live.

Just buying one with all the stuff in it, what's the fun in that? building the car the way you want it from a barebones model is part of the fun. Being able to work through the challenges that come up. It's the challenge of not just getting it to work, but making it look like it came that way, and doing it for the lowest possible cost... Now THAT's fun!!

If I would have simply just bought it with the stuff already there, I wouldn't know half of the stuff these little projects have taught me about this car and how it works.. This kind of stuff is invaluable. Doing these kind of projects improves my engineering, fabrication and design skills...

If you want to do it the easy way and just buy it... thats fine... to me its not just getting options in the car, its also a chance to learn new things.

I see.

[Hodge Podge]

Fantastic write-up.

The details on building your own professional harness rather than buying the Ford one are great.

Also very cool how you wired up your own relay box to get around the BCM issue.

While it may not be "factory", there's nothing redneck about this in my opinion. A redneck would have spliced wires into the parking lights, probably burned out the BCM, blamed Ford, paid for a new BCM, then ran wire from an extension cord directly from the battery to a toggle mounted over an airbag and then back around to the actual lights (without a fuse), and probably eventually had a small electrical fire one night.

Side note:
Learning how a car works at this level is something more people should do.
A neighbor just the other day couldn't get his car to start (dead battery). While he had put the trans. in neutral, he couldn't understand why he was unable to push the car out of the parking spot for access to jump start it. He couldn't grasp the concept that a fully electronic transmission won't shift without power.

[Tiger-Heli]

Thanks again for all the help, Chaddz3!

I did some more digging and I seem to be making some progress also.

I still have an E-mail to another Ford dealer, but I called Tousley Ford while I was waiting.

He found a fog light wire harness P/N of CV6Z15K867B - which lists for $14.32. He isn't sure it's the right one, but he showed one harness for "With Park Aid, With Fog lights" - which is probably the one I mentioned earlier, one for "With Park Aid, Without Fog Lights" - not sure what this would be on a Focus, unless the harness is used on other models, and the above for "Without Park Aid". It didn't say anything either way about fogs, but I think those are the only things those harnesses go to, so I assume it would be the fog portion of the harness, and the 15K867 center part of the number checks out.

The P/N of the BCM is BV6Z14A068LC and it lists for $222.23. He said it is the same part number for all 2013 SE's, so it probably supports fog lights, but he didn't know if it would need to be re-flashed. Not as expensive as I would have guessed from the comments in this thread and others.

Finally, the headlight switch is CM5Z11654 for a 2013 SE With Fogs and lists for $49.31 - which is odd b/c the 2012 switch was over $100 ...