| fgrogan |
Just found out from dealer that my Silver EX-L w/Navi is on the way (FINALLY!). For those existing owners, are the fog lights worth it? The dealer quoted me $750 installed which seems ridiculous considering you can buy them yourself for approx $350 ish. when i almost dropped the phone, the rep said maybe he could drop that by $100.
Either I don't get them or do it myself at that price point. Feedback? |
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| hubby45251 |
Fog lights at my dealership installed are going to run around $550. (sorry, I don't have my accessory price sheet in front of me) I would say even that is high. So don't ask my opinion of $6/750.
Are they worth it? Well answer me this. Do you have them now? Do you see a marked improvement if you do have them? If you don't currently have them, do you drive down the road thinking, geez I should drop $500 + for better lighting? |
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| N_Jay |
| It is not as scarry a job as some make it sound. |
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| theman |
| ...lower trim w/ foglights and deflector......looks agressive helps at night driving esp on zero ligths area, and plus they're adjustable they can be set straight or pointing at an angle. |
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| aerostar45 |
I bought mine for $276 plus S/H and did it by my self. Definitely improved the lighting.
However, it makes the headlight look even weaker if the fog is not on. :) |
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| aerostar45 |
However, the labor is not easy though. Depending on your skill and whether or not you can get help from somebody else, the duration of the installation could be lenghty.
I create a thread before and here below is the link.
My DIY Experience |
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| N_Jay |
You removed the bumper without the grill.
This is not the way it is recommended to be done in either the Fog Light instructions or the general bumper removal instructions from the service manual.
This may have made the job a bit biger than needed. |
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| aerostar45 |
Well, the difference is only 3 minutes, top. I don't think this is the case. I would say it is because that I do not have a garage. I am still living in an apartment. The tools are not coming handy. Besides that, I have to carry the bumper up and down the stair do drill the hole. That slows down alot.
By the way, when I take the dilivery of the car, I asked the sales that whether the DIY affect the warrantee. She said that as long as I do not splice wire, it will be OK. I know you did some modification of the Fog wire. I am wondering if that will affect the warrantee. |
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| sillec |
Fortunately my Pilot was my Dealer's 1st fog light installation so they had not yet "clocked" actual tech time. If I recall correctly, they were going to subsequently figure their "cost" installed somewhere around $500.
The fogs fill in nicely below and to the sides of the low beams but IMHO don't add much forward projected light. [I let my silver stars take care of forward.] They did work nicely in the limited fog I have encountered and suspect they will do so in falling snow also.
I'd do it again, but $650 to $750 seems awfully high, even for dealer installed. If you are considering DIY, might be worthwhile to view installation instructions first at collegehillshonda.com to help you decide. |
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| N_Jay |
Leaving the grill attached to the bumper eliminates the need to get to the clips between the bumper and the grill.
The top of the grill is held on by very easy to remove pin type clips.
Since I did not remove the grill from the bumper, I am not sure how hard it was to remove those clips.
As for warentee. They would have to show that the modification caused the failure. SO, I guess the fog light switch harness now has no warentee. I guess if I tried to get then to replace the fog light bulbs under warenty they may say they are on more than designed because of my modification, and I guess if the car were to burn up due to a short in my modified harness I could have a problem.
But the rest of the warrenty is unaffected.
I have never had an electrical problem due to any of the modifications I have done to my cars in the last 25 years |
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| aerostar45 |
| Very reasonable. I am thinking to do the same as you did. I will ask the dealer before I do it. I am pretty sure they are not going to like it but your reasoning will defintely help. |
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| N_Jay |
Most dealer will not do modifications.
Most dealers will do all they can to get you to not do modifications.
It is of little to no value, and some risk for them to help you change your car away from factory specifications. |
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| kruzo |
quote:
Originally posted by aerostar45
I bought mine for $276 plus S/H and did it by my self. Definitely improved the lighting.
The Fog lights can be had for $245 delivered --
see my signature link for details. I believe
I paid about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs of labor to have them installed. Not cheap, but more reasonable then
what the MSRP prices are. |
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| aerostar45 |
Where did this superman come from?
Thanks for the info though. |
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| fgrogan |
Thanks folks for all the info and help. I am going to buy them for the $245 (Kruzo, expect and email soon) and then review the install myself first and fall back to a local dealer if I don't do it. I called all of the local dealers and get a variety of install prices as well as parts prices. I'll post them below for reference.
But first, we are still waiting on the Pilot. "any day now"!!
These are the prices quoted over the phone from all Cincinnati, OH dealers (names not revealed to protect the guilty, parts price/install price):
380/200, 389/250, 334/250, 389/195, 414/170
isn't the pricing diferences bizzare esp copmpared to the various online dealer prices (HAW, Kruzo, etc) |
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| supergeek74 |
I just had the dealer install Factory Honda Foglights, and when I received the car, I noticed that the moulding surrounding the foglight was not flush with the bumper. There were about 1/2 cm gaps on both sides of the moulding on each foglight. It looked terrible, especially since I just paid almost $600 for them to install it. The dealer said that all of the foglights that they installed had this gap. To me this is unacceptable. I made them fix it or buy me a new bumper. It took them a day to try and figure out a fix, and now it looks alright. Not perfect, but I can live with it. I am just suprised that Honda would be willing to put out a product that does not fit perfectly. There are still small almost imperceptible gaps, but it really annoyed me that the dealer tried to say that it was "normal". The nerve of them. Just a warning, they do not fit flush no matter how you do it. Had I known how much of a headache this was going to be, i would have had some aftermarket ones put in under the bumper. I am now wary of any "Honda Factory" accessory.
Shame on Honda for this one. |
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| sillec |
Agree that many/most Honda fog lights seem almost an afterthought rather than an integrated design. Pilot ones are not nearly as bad, though, as those first offered for the CRV.
Then again, when I looked at Highlanders, even though the front bumper had integrated spaces for fog lights, I was informed by local Toyota dealer that neither they nor Toyota would install "factory" ones for me unless I ordered the Limited Package, which of course could only be ordered with the leather seat option [which I did not want]. |
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| haknuman59 |
:rolleyes: You are absolutly need it, not just for looking good, but having more than two headlight are always a very improving part. You definitly need it. I had mine installed by the dealer for $516.00
SS-EX-L RES #35211 |
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| Sage |
I'm finding that I'm using my foglights more and more. Even during the day, now that the tourist season has started.
I guess I feel, at night, that I have the extra lights for the on-coming traffic to 'notice' (for lack of a better word) and don't have to use the high beams as much. I like 'em :29: |
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| N_Jay |
Exactly where were these gaps?
Are you sure it was not an inslallation issue.
I have one side not fit right till I found I did not have the cover on right.
Once I had everything rightt they were fine. |
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| gopilot |
quote:
Originally posted by Sage
I'm finding that I'm using my foglights more and more. Even during the day, now that the tourist season has started.
I guess I feel, at night, that I have the extra lights for the on-coming traffic to 'notice' (for lack of a better word) and don't have to use the high beams as much. I like 'em :29:
I will have them also, how does it look to oncoming traffic? Is it too bright for other drivers that are in the opposite lane? Do you every get the FLASH from them..
just curious
:confused: |
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| Sage |
quote:
Originally posted by gopilot
I will have them also, how does it look to oncoming traffic? Is it too bright for other drivers that are in the opposite lane? Do you every get the FLASH from them..
just curious
:confused:
Know what you mean. I was afraid I'd get the 'flash' with them on but haven't even once, even on residential streets. As a matter of fact, I just keep them on all the time. I notice others doing the same. They're low enough and not in the direct line of sight for oncoming traffic. :29:
What's the ETA now? :2: |
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| supergeek74 |
| The gap the first time the dealer installed them was about 1/2 cm on each side. The bumper is rounded, and the cover is flat. Looking from above, it attached to the bumper at a tangent and you could see the bolts behind the cover. Not only that, but the covers do not have a solid feel. THey can be wiggled back and forth. After I complained, and refused to pay for such a shoddy job, they retried it and now the gaps are much less noticeable. There are still gaps, and the piece does not fit flush like it should. I cannot recommend the factory foglights to anyone who is considerring it. If I had known the hassle this would have caused, I would never have gone that route. I can only recommend some aftermarket ones that go under the bumper. And also the light that the foglights add is really not all that much. It casts about 25% more light in the area close to the car. My aftermarket fogs by PIAA on my Accord were about half the price of the HOnda installed ones and performed significantly better. I haven't tried focussing the beam yet, so that might change things. It is up to you all, and it seems that some of you have had better results, but I am disappointed |
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| Sage |
Supergeek...
That's such a shame your install was so shoddy. Like I posted earlier, mine do give off a substantial amount of extra light. It amazes me, the difference of opinions on many of the accessories but IMO I think the care at install makes all the difference on some. Hope changing the aim helps! :) |
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| sillec |
Same small gap in my dealer installed fogs also, but not enough to worry about.
Used the fogs in fairly heavy falling snow 1st time on way home tonight. Nice touch to have the lower mounted lights to help visibility. |
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| aerostar45 |
Since I installed the fog by myself, I am sure I know where the problem is.
Before I even tried to cut a hole on my bumper, I tried the cover on the bumper. It is a very good, if not perfect, fit. However, after I finished everything I did notice that there is a small gape on the right side of my left cover and another one on the right side of my right cover.
Here is why this is happening. Remember the fog is mounted on the bumper by a steel bracket. During the installation, I found the bracket does not lined up with the screw hole on the bumper very well. Since you have to tight the screw, the bracket eventually twist the bumper a little bit. Then it comes the gap between the cover and the bumper.
The bad things is that after I found this, it is too late to correct it cause the bumper is on its place and I was really exhausted to do anything about it. If I purchase the towing package in the future, I will correct this problem cause I will have to remove the bumper anyway.
As you may know, I damage my right fog light last month. My right fog lens is gone but somehow the force was transfered to the bracket also. Now I have my right side a perfect fit cover and a broken lens. |
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| jonjon |
Ever think about just buying a brush guard and mounting lights on to it? It would cost about the same as the dealer fog light option plus would look much better imo.
Jon |
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