Civicnoobie

My fog lights (got for $60 from ebay) last Sept have already cracked (the plastic faces), Im guessing from either heat or rock chips, leaning more towards heat. I didnt even use them much. Both cracks are horizontal across the lens and I was told horizontal cracks means stress cracks from heat. The left light has a crack and a hole about the size of a coin. I managed to use Permatex Epoxy to seal the cracks and crazy glued a plastic screen protector that I cut the size of the hole to cover it so dirt doesnt get inside.

I would love to just leave them and save me the money (lights still work and even with the cracks, surprisingly they dont affect the light output at all). I would consider new fog housings if I know they wont crack again and would be a good quality plastic or glass that can handle heat. I was looking at HID fogs.

I was told ebay fogs are garbage cause they use cheap plastic/glass that cant handle heat or extreme temps. Was told even having the fogs running in winter, then having ice cold snow hit the lens can cause them to crack.

Can anyone recommend me a set? Or do you think i should just leave my lights as is and see how they stand up over time?

jscheel1

http://www.summitracing.com/search/p...iving%20lights

Stay away from halogen, they run too hot and cause the cracks you have now.

johndeerebones

Ouch! I will keep my ebays for a whole lot less, and they look stock too. Civicnoobie, what film did you put on them? Get some new ones and film them before you even put them on. As for the heat put some different bulbs in them, less wattage = less heat. Most H11s (the bulb most foglights use) are 55 watts, you can find less though. Mine have been on for almost a year, run them all the time (the lights alone suck), and they are fine. Pretty sure they are glass though, not plastic. Remember the seller or the brand?

Civicnoobie

Thanks, not looking to break the bank on them but these look alright.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pia-5211/overview/

How much should i look at spending for a good set? And can ebay be trusted still? I know a lot on here have ebay sets.

I never put any film on them, which I regret. But was told a film will only prevent it from chips and not heat cracks. THe new ones ill put a film on, most likely the 3M film if i have find some.

Are you running H11s in yours? How have yours not cracked?

I contacted the ebay seller and said they are out of warranty. I just want a set that isnt going to break the bank and is not going to crack.

Gunner

Could always just go with OEM ones.

Civicnoobie

Are they HID? Where do i order them? Im guessing oem will have the best quality housings?

Gunner

Oem are not HID, you can get them from almost anywhere on the net. Try collegehillshonda.com or majestichonda, or you can see how much your dealer wants, They would have the best housing yes, and if you want you can always change the bulbs in them, i have seen LED fogs, dunno about HID thats not my department.

Civicnoobie

Im going to go with HID bulbs but most likely aftermarke housings. The shop here said it will fit and im goingto put 3M on them. HID runs a lot cooler so i was told the housing shouldnt crack again

pjb3

I'm wondering what you use the fog lights for. Do you live in an area where fog is a problem or do you just like the look of extra lights? True fog lights have a very sharp light cutoff with very little light past 100 to 200 feet. In dense fog some people will turn off their low beams and just use the fog lights which prevents the reflected glare from the fog. If you are using them as driving lights you are putting a lot of light in an area that doesn't do much good.

Just sticking a bulb in a reflector that is not designed for it doesn't usually work very well. The filament needs to be in a specific location relative to the reflector to project the light correctly and some bulbs incorporate a shield to prevent direct light. Sticking a HID in your housing may work or you may end up blinding oncoming traffic.

Any housing that can't handle the halogen bulb it was designed for probably isn't worth wasting any money on to try and make it work. I would recommend finding a decent pair of lights and then seeing if you can find them at a price you can affford.

Civicnoobie

Im using fogs just for the extra light and i love the look. I turn them on anytime when its night time. Ive maybe put 5 hours on total on my current fogs since i put them in last sept, which is not much at all. 90% of my driving is daytime.

What pair of fog housings wold you recommend? The shop here has the HID ballasts for it, i just need quality fog housings.

I did fill the cracks with permatex epoxy last weekend. Do you think the cracks will eventually crack again over time? Not sure how well filling cracks works but this specific permatex epoxy got really good reviews. If i could do without a new set i totally would do that amd save the money.

Civicnoobie

Hi
Could someone be kind and post me some fog light housings where HID bulbs would fit in them? I go on ebay but they wont say if they will or not and dont know any online distrubutor sites that sell them

Thanks

pjb3

No manufacture is going to tell you to use any bulb except the one the fog light was designed to work with.

Civicnoobie

Do you think i should just order set from ebay? I did a search for fogs and it seems the AM ones are pretty much the same generic basic quality stuff.

I figure if i run HID in them, they shouldnt crack again from heat

These are the ones im looking at.

http://civic-united.com/01-03-honda-...-hc01-yel.html

Civicnoobie

Anyone? Can someone comment on this set?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/380514378215...S:1123&vxp=mtr

The seller says theyre made of glass. As much as i would love to get the same set as I have now for the sake of not having to redo all the wiring, I just dont want to risk it cause I have a feeling the new ones will end up cracking too.

Whats the alternative to not going HID if say i wanted to save $? Go with a 35W halogen? Is there even such thing? Will it make any difference?

pjb3

If you are replacing OEM style fog lights with the same thing I doubt you will have to replace the wiring. Most fog lights us H11 bulbs so there is a good possibility you will be able replace the housing and keep the wiring.

Civicnoobie

^

What are my options aside from going HID in the fogs? Cause technically I dont need HID in my fogs, the only reason why I am considering it is for the less heat it puts out. Im going to order the new housings - should I go for the glass lens or plastic lens? Which will be less vulnerable to cracks and handle heat better?

Are their any h11 halogen bulbs that put out a lot less heat than the standard 55W? I just dont want them cracking again. If there are halogens that put out less heat than the 55W than i would consider that for the sake of saving the extra money and cutting costs.

I found a set of OEM fogs for $150 on ebay, brand new. You think i should go for them?

What about OEM honda fog bulbs? Do they put out less heat?

Steven

pjb3

All H11 55 watt bulbs are going to put out about the same amount of heat so buying fog lights and changing to another 55 watt bulb such as Honda does not make sense.

All fog lights that use a H11 bulb have to deal with about the same amount of heat, if they crack it was a design flaw not a heat problem.

The two links you gave above are in the $30 to $45 range. You can ask the manufactures what their warranties are but at that price does it really matter? You say you have used the fog light about 5 hours in half a year, the odds are almost any fog light should work. If you want to spend $150 for other fog lights and replace the bulbs with HID, go for it.

Civicnoobie

Sounds like going HID and putting 3M on the lens is the best option. Was hoping for a cheaper solution but there is none. Im not worried about the bulbs cracking but the housing lens itself. I really dont want to have to replace them again after this.

Would you go for plastic or glass lens? Been reading reviews on the K2 and its gotten good reviews.

A place here quoted me $180 for these high end AM ones, but that seems steep.

Civicnoobie

Just wondering what everyone thinks, should I put a 35w 3000k HID kit in my new fogs or LEDs?

Let me know thanks. Want to order them and have them put in.

lowlife9

i would use leds.

Civicnoobie

Putting 27 watt LEDs in them. Was going to get HID 35w but worried its going to be way too blinding amd i already have HID in my headlights.

Plus i would think that LEDs (even at 27 watts) will use a lot less power and put out less heat than HIDs?