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Thursday January 24, 2002

BMW OEM M3 Fog Lights

Abstract - When I swapped off my factory bumper for a M3 replica sedan front bumper, I lost my old rectangular halogen fog lamps. I didn’t use them very much, but a BMW without fogs just doesn’t look right.

Purchase - Bought new from Pacific BMW mail order division.

Parts - BMW P/N: 63-17-2-228-613 - M3 Fog Light Right(CHECK)

            BMW P/N: 63-17-2-228-614 - M3 Fog Light Left

            BMW P/N: 51-12-2-695-255 - M3 Fog Light Plastic Clip Right

            BMW P/N: 51-12-2-695-256 - M3 Fog Light Plastic Clip Left

Installations - The package did not include directions. Installation is pretty strait forward; its hard to install it wrong. The M3 fog lights are exactly the same as the M-Technik fog lights, just with different part numbers. I decided to get M3 fogs lights to keep everything parallel. The fog lamps are made by Bosch(check). I mounted these fog lights on a M3 replica sedan bumper which basically just had screw hole on each side. The M3 fog lights do not come with mounting gear, so I had to go to Home Depot to get screws and bolts to secure them in place. I am not sure about the install on the OEM M3 front bumper; I suspect it would be much easier. With all the drilling and fitting, it took me about an hour.

Impressions - The stock Philips bulbs that come with the M3 fog lights are good, but too yellowish IMHO. I wanted my fogs to match my factory Xenon low beams so I decided to do a Philips Xenon Fog Retrofit. The housing itself is a reflector based design with a wide angle lens. The light pattern is exactly what you would expect a fog light to produce. It also has a rubber vent to prevent overheating. The beam angle is adjusted by either a torx or philips screw on the side. Overall, the M3 fog lights were engineered very well. Some report that they have had their M3 fog lights cracked because of rocks and other road debris. People have used 3M StoneGuard film on the exterior of the lens to protect the housing from cracking.

Conclusions -  If you don't install fogs, there will just be two big holes in your bumper. I hesitated before I bought the M3 fog lights because it was quite expensive; $70 each. When I received them in the mail, I realized the construction quality and understood why they were so expensive.