How To: Change Fog Lights

[wtom]

*** DISCLAIMER - Neither TorontoMazda3.com nor myself are responsible for any damages or injuries caused directly or indirectly by following the below How-to steps. ***

1. Obtain product (ensure wattage on actual bulbs state 55W);
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs1.jpg

1b. OPTIONAL - disconnect battery negative

2. Remove three bolts (8mm socket OR a SHORT philips-head screw driver) closest in pic (passenger side);
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs2.jpg

3. Fold down the mud guard (it cannot be fully removed by unscrewing above three bolts). If your head is small enough, you can fit it under the car and look up into the opening. I grabbed my camera instead and got the following (looking UP);
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs3.jpg

4. Notice washer fluid hoses in upper right of above pic (passenger side). Try to work around those. Pinch down on the clip that is on the outter portion of the wire plug (the gray plug on the washer hoses is pointing right at the clip in the above pic). Pull towards the ground, working the clip off;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs4.jpg

5. Grab remaining plug/base in hand and rotate counter-clockwise (if you are looking at the fog light from the front of the car while doing this, you will actually be rotating the bulb base clockwise). You may need to use a bit of strength here. Keep watching the bulb from the front and watch the clips rotate into the opening slot and remove the bulb. *** CAUTION - Ensure the bulbs do NOT come in contact with ANYTHING, including water, mud, dirt, your fingers, etc. ***

6. Retrieve aftermarket bulb from product casing and replace with the OEM bulb. *** CAUTION - Ensure the bulbs do NOT come in contact with ANYTHING, including water, mud, dirt, your fingers, etc. ***

7. Carefully reverse the bulb removal steps to insert the aftermarket bulb in place in the fog light housing.

8. If the bulb seems to be loose in the socket, you will need to use a pair of needle nose pliers and CAREFULLY bend the clips on the bulb base.

9. Reconnect the wire plug and start the car to test out the bulb/connection. If it\\\'s good, rebolt the mud guard. If there are problems, check your wire connection. If that seems OK, the only other thing would be the bulb being dead. Try the other bulb.

10. Repeat above steps to remove the mud guard on the driver\\\'s side. I couldn\\\'t find anything like the washer hoses on the passenger side, that might interfere with my removing the driver\\\'s side fog light bulb. Repeat the clip-pinching, wire-clip-removing, and basically steps 5 to 9, above.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs5.jpg


My completed rice mod; :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs6.jpg


Reflection off snow;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs7.jpg


Killing the lense on my camera by pointing it directly at the bulb while on;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs8.jpg


Who wants to buy this set of maddddddd OEM 100,000K super duper ultra crazy HID-look fog light bulbs!??!! :p

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs9.jpg



EDIT: Another perspective on how to replace the fog light bulbs here (http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56709).

[Bluemazda3-S]

Anyone ever have to replace the fog lamp unit as a whole? The wife must have got a stone into the lens, and it's busted. Easy job?

[Noisy Crow]

Excellent write up! The pics make everything nice and easy to understand.:bana



Anyone ever have to replace the fog lamp unit as a whole? The wife must have got a stone into the lens, and it's busted. Easy job?

What year is the car? On the '08 it's dead easy... you can see what needs to be done in one of wtom's pics. The bulb connection, one screw on the bottom, two screw at top (hidden by the lamp assembly in the pic), and several clips around the outside.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/20051225nokyafogs4.jpg

[Bluemazda3-S]

Hmm... I don't see it being much different in the 04's can anyone verify that? Probably not going to fix until the warmer weather... might as well put some nice bulbs in there too.. Any suggestions on a super white bulb?

[McGuyver_3]

there is no difference in the production range of how to remove and instal them (fog housings) just spend the extra money and get a set of 5000k hid headlight bulbs imo. I had the xenon bulbs and i ended up replacing them every 2 weeks because 1 side blew

[Bluemazda3-S]

5000k headlight bulbs for the fog lights?

[McGuyver_3]

they do make h11 (04-06) 9006(07-up) bulbs as hids

[Dragazn]

Just a question, how come he said make sure the wattage on the bulb is 55w but then on the casing it says 80w? I remember another thread where they mentioned nokya bulbs being sujectable to deforming of the bulb head. So would using 55w be an exception to that so only the 55w + would deform?

[McGuyver_3]

55W is what the car takes stock 80 watts is what the bulb is drawing and will melt your wiring harness eventually