Installing the OEM Fog Lamps

[Lingered_I]

When buying my Ridgeline, I figured I'd save $300 or so by doing a self install on the fog lamps, so here's the story.

I got the kit from our friends at HandA Accessories. It comes complete with the relay and wiring harness, but the switch is extra and should be chosen according to your trucks interior color. Unlike some accessory sites, the HandA site specifically asks which color you want.

Removing the bumper is a breeze but make sure you have a blanket to put it on. Don't worry about supporting it while you undo the fasteners, bolts and screws as it remains clipped to the vehicle and needs a little persuasion to come off. It's not heavy either, weighing about 8lbs. I used a screwdriver wrapped in a rag to pry out the seven clips that run along in front of the radiator.

Once the bumper is removed, the location for the each light is clearly marked. The instructions say you need a 40mm hole saw, but this being the US and therefore metrically-challenged, I went with a 1 1/2" (38mm) saw. Before drilling I used a drawing-pin to mark the centre of each hole and to give the drill bit a guide. I could actually push the pin all the way through the bumper by hand - we're not talking thick plastic here. The finished elliptical holes don't have to be as precise as you may think reading the instructions as they will be covered by the trim. I used a hacksaw to cut between the 38mm holes and a rounded file to finish off the edges, a little inside the elliptical outline. Fitting the lights is easy, but mixing your left and rights is easy too when you're working on the back of the bumper. Just remember that left = driver side.

The most difficult piece turned out to be the fuse / relay box assembly. Between fiddly little clips and grease covered connectors, I found my patiences wearing thin as connectors refused to disconnect due to slippery fingers. It was not helped by my pushing one of the wires into the wrong hole on one of the connectors. They're not really designed to come out again so that cost me 15 minutes of cursing and annoyance. Be very careful when you get to this point. Removing the bottom cover of the relay box requires a little brute force but you have to be careful about putting too much strain on the wiring. My fingers were crossed when I fired up the truck after I was all done.

Once the relay box mods were done, the rest was fairly straight forward. Routing the harness is easy although the instructions refer to an existing connector being taped down with blue tape. It was actually black. When refitting the bumper make sure that the rubber wheel well lining is tucked inside the wheel arch. I was able to hold the bumper, connect the fog lights and refit without assistance although a helping hand would have made it easier. Fitting the fog light switch harness is a little awkward as you have get right down next to the pedals to see a connector on the left side of the foot well above the foot rest. The connector needs to be removed to have a couple of wires inserted into it. There's also a little rewiring of the cruise control switch into the new fog light harness, so don't think you can get away without disconnecting and removing the lower dashboard panel.

A minor point - the fog light switch latches, so the lamps will come on again if that's how you left them when you last used your truck with the headlamps on. The switch has a light but, like the cruise control switch, it's tucked down nearly out of sight by your left knee, and as there is no dashboard indicator it will be easy to forget that the lights are on.

I believe that rear-fog lamps are as important, if not more important as front-ones, so if anyone has an after market solution for those, I'd be interested to hear it.

Pictures follow:

[Lingered_I]

Pictures continued

[Kellcut]

Nice job! I want fog lights.. maybe soon

[zero]

Nice pictures and install summary. I am going to move this to the "Mods, Installs, and How tos" topic.

[honda_guy]

Yes, very nice pictures and write up. It is one of the last options I want to put on my RL. I just can't bare the thought of cutting up that beautiful bumper cover

Decisions, decisions.

[DWdrums]

NIIIICE play by play. Thanks for sharing

[jch]

Very nice job!! Well documented. I plan to install the accessory grill and this will aid me on removal of the bumper. Extremely helpful pix too!

[Ridge Man]

Message for Lingered 1, Yes I have info on Red Rear Fogs Lamps as I have been using them for years now. A great SAFETY feature when you are caught out in adverse weather conditions, very popular in Europe and standard equipment on some vehicles. Just type Red Rear Fog Lamps into Google. I did purchase the PIAA Deno Red Rear Fog lamp (LED) I was not impressed. My first pick is the one offered by KC Lites. I mounted mine so it's removable (in the Hitch Receiver) here is the link to KC lites (when site loads type Red Rear Fog Lamp into their search engine.
http://www.kchilites.com

Originally Posted by DWdrums

NIIIICE play by play. Thanks for sharing

[jch]

How long did this entire process take to complete? I was looking through the fog lamp install pdf and there are 16 pages and 56 steps!! It looks like some involved wiring and disassembly of not only the bumper but fuse terminal mods and runs.

[Lingered_I]

Originally Posted by Ridge Man

...very popular in Europe and standard equipment on some vehicles....

Thanks for the info. Actually, having at least one rear fog lamp is compulsory in Europe. Vehicles at the cheaper end of the scale usually have a single fog and a single back-up light, whereas many will have dual filament 5w/21w rear lights and a separate brake light, afterall, you don't need back lights and rear log lights. Maybe if the European market gets the Ridgeline, Honda will offer a different rear light cluster. I've never understood why such a simple safety addition is not mandatory in the US.