kadabra

Hello, I'm really not familiar with DIY but have already done two thanks to this forum. I searched but was unable to find one on replacing the fog lights and that's probably because it's child's play to most of you.

But, if you can share your knowledge on how to do it, that would be great, because I'm trying to avoid the dealer if I can. The housing on the driver's side was cracked and the one on the passenger side is crusted with film. So, I figured I'd replace them both and the new housings arrived today.

I'm praying I don't have to remove the front bumper for if I do, then it's not the task for me!

derrick

It's fairly straightforward. In a nutshell:

1) need a 10mm wrench with extension so get at the bolt that holds the foglight housing onto the car
2) once the bolt is off, the housing can be carefully taken off with a flathead screwdriver, using a rag to prevent you from scratching up the paint
3) it won't come off all the way, you can unplug the wires that link the bulb to power
4) foglight housing is now free from car ...

Now:
5) take the bulb out (do not touch the glass ... just the plastic at the bottom)
6) take a hammer and break all the glass (carefully)
7) remove the metal frame that holds the glass that was there before
8) buy some Lexan (high temp kind) and GE silicone (high temp kind)
9) use a Dremel to cut Lexan to fit where the old glass used to be
10) apply cut Lexan to foglight housing and use silicone to hold it in place (don't need a lot but enough to make sure an airtight seal)
11) replace metal frame
12) use clamps to hold frame + headlight housing in place
13) let dry x24 hours

14) reinstall foglight housing (reverse instructions #1 - #3)

Sorry, I would have taken pics when I did replace my foglight housing 4 years ago ... but I didn't think of it at the time.

Good luck!

Edward'TLS

Kadabra, where do you buy the new housings ? Is the lens glass or plastic ? How much are they ?

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Also the owner manual also briefly talks about how to replace fog light bulbs.

kadabra

Thank you derrick, I'll be giving it a shot tomorrow but I'm not sure I need steps 5+ because I bought the entire housing unit and it came with the lights (link below). Am I correct? I think I can just use steps 1-4 and then replace it but let me know if I'm wrong.

Edward, they aren't OEM but they are glass and I paid $139.95 + $16.95 S/H for the pair. I got them today and they look fantastic...well worth it. I've included the link below for reference.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=025

Edward'TLS

Kadabra, that's a very good deal for the pair. Even for aftermarket direct-fit replacement TL fog lights (with entire housing), that price can only buy you one side.

wildcat71

thats a really good deal, cost me (well insurance company) $409.67 for factory fog lights installed back in October '07. insurance company paid for it since the lense is glass and i have "full glass coverage" on my TL-S. i offered to have Lexan installed, but they wanted to put the OEM parts back in, so i let em.

Edward'TLS

Glass won't scratch and burnt/melt that easy as for Lexan. The only drawback is that glass will break if impacted.

sb65

That's a great deal. I bought my replacements on e-bay and I think I paid $100 for 1 and $80 for the other. Still a lot cheaper than buying from Acura.

I noticed about a month ago that I now have a crack in the right foglight. It lasted about 1 year. Luckily, I took it to a service station for my June inspection and he didn't notice. Still p*sses me off to no end that they use glass lenses in an area very prone to having rocks etc impact it.

ChrisQ1980

Jack the front up, or drive it up on ramps. If you are skinny like me, you can just crawl under the front of the car. Get a 10mm socket, a ratchet, and an extension. There is a circular opening under the front bumper under the fog light lens. Loosen and take the bolt out, then grab a skinny flat head screw driver wrapped in a paper towel and pry out gently at the corners. Twist the socket out, pull the bulb and re-install. Very easy, should take 10 minutes start to finish for both sides. The owners manual also gives directions.

kadabra

Thank you, two similar techniques so I think it's safe to give it a try. I don't have ramps and I'd be petrified of getting crushed anyhow. I'll see if I can make it work without resorting to that. I'll let you know how it goes!

ChrisQ1980

You should have enough room to stick your head/arms under to get to it. If not drive up on some ply-wood to get some height.

kadabra

Outstanding idea. So obvious yet right over my head. This will be my third DIY thanks to this forum...love it!

kadabra

All done and it took me about 30 minutes. Didn't need to raise the car but it certainly would have been easier. Unscrewing and pulling the housings was easy, but trying to get the bolts back in was a bit tougher because I couldn't see anything...just a little trial and error, and eventually it was fine.

Thank you guys for the tips, it worked perfectly and the new lights are a perfect match...couldn't see the difference between these and OEM whatsoever...fit was dead-on accurate as well.

derrick

^ Glad we could help!

CAB NY

i got the pair from ebay and no problems put rockblocker on them its worth it

vypercat

wow how ironic. i just took off my foglights today because i bought pre-cut lexan glass for ( $50 a pair + free shipping ) and i wanted to replace it. i was planning on baking the fogs because i saw that the glass had a glue around the edges. but i guess breaking it would be ALOT easier lol. i just hope it doesn't shatter and i end up scratching the chrome everywhere.