Fog Lights Without Low Beams

This procedure was done on a bmw e30 1989 325i. I am not sure if all the E30's are wired the same, but in my car, I can only use the fog lights when my low-beams are on. I think that is ridiculous. I prefer to drive with fog lights alone and no low-beams at dawn, dusk, on an overcast day, or when there is day time fog or rain. This modification will allow you to use your fog lights with your parking lights, independent from your low-beams.

Vehicles may be wired a certain way for legal purposes. Check the laws in your local community before you perform this modification.

Items Needed:
- 1 inch of wire (I leave it to you to choose the specific gauge.)
- Wire Strippers
- Solder
- Soldering Iron

Procedure:

1. Standing at the drivers side of the car looking at the fuse box, pull out the relay on the upper right hand side. That is, the fourth relay, on the top row, counting from left to right. Make sure you have the correct relay.

2. On the bottom of the relay are numbered pins. You are looking for pin #87 and #30. Pin #87 should be facing the driver and pin #30 should be facing you as you are standing on the driver side facing the fuse box.

3. If everything is oriented as described above, then this modification should operate correctly on your E30. If not, you will need to look at your Benley?s Service Manual and figure out how your specific E30 is wired.

4. Strip off 1/3 of the insulation at each end of the 1 inch wire, leaving 1/3 insulated in the middle. Holding your relay with the pins facing you, locate pins 87 and 30. Lay the wire close to the base of the pins and wrap the exposed ends snug against the pins. The wire should be at the base of the relay, at the lower right corner of the relay, when looking at it installed in the fuse box.

5. Carefully plug the relay back in the fuse box making sure the wire is jumping the pins with a snug contact. Turn your parking lights on and press your fog light switch on. At this point, your fog lights and parking lights should be on.

6. Turn everything off again. If everything went as planned, remove the relay again, and solder the wire in place.

7. That is all there is to it. Now you can drive with your fog lights independent from your low-beams.

Paul R Contreras