The fourteenth modification, Mopar Front Fog Lights

One of the things I've always missed not having on this car is a set of front fog lights.

Always useful, especially with the crap weather we always seem to have here in the UK!

I've been keeping an eye out on eBay for a set of fog lamps, but they've always been so expensive with some sellers wanting £50 quid just for one bloody lamp, never mind anything else. However, I got lucky the other day and managed to pick up a brand new, boxed, OEM fog light kit made by Mopar (so this is the proper kit a main dealer would fit to your car upon request) for an absolute bargain price:



The kit includes instructions, a set of nuts, two fog lamps and a replacement indicator stalk (which has an additional position on it for the front fogs):







I was expecting a wiring loom or harness of some sorts as previous OEM kits I've fitted for other cars have usually been supplied with a few bits of wiring for here and there. Luckily however, Chrysler decided to actually pre-wire the PT Cruiser with everything it needs for front fog lamps!

Fitting was a very straight forward affair. A bit fiddly in places, but straight forward none the less.

Start off by removing the three small bolts which hold the splash guard onto the wheel arch. Turn the steering to full lock to give you a bit more room, then gently pull the splash guard back so you can see into the back of the front bumper.

In here, you'll see the backs of the fog lamp blanking plates. These blanking plates are held in place with two small clips. Simply prise the clips off and the blanking plates can then be removed from the front of the bumper:



With the blanking plates removed, you'll now see a small "shelf" onto which the fog light sits. On the back of this shelf is also the wiring plug you'll need to plug into the lamp. Fantastic!

Slide the fog light in through the front, make sure the two plastic locating lugs on the bottom of the fog light clip into place as you slide it in. Once seated on it's shelf, simply fit the two (supplied) nuts to the back and tighten them up. Attach your wire and refit the three bolts to the wheel arch splash guard. Do the same on the other side of the car and that's all the outdoors work done:



The only thing left to do now is replace the indicator stalk for the newly supplied one which contains the extra switch position allowing you to turn the front fog lights on independently of the rear fog light.

To do this, remove the two Phillips screws from the bottom of the steering column shroud and unclip the top half from the bottom half. Remove both sections and you'll see the indicator stalk is held in place with two Torx bolts. Remove these bolts and unclip both wiring harnesses from the back of the stalks. You'll notice once removed, that the left hand and right hand stalks are attached to each other. Remove the window wiper stalk from the indicator stalk by undoing the other two smaller Torx screws, then attach your old/existing window wiper stalk to your new indicator stalk. Refitting is simply the reversal of the removal procedure.

I did all of this with the battery connected, probably not too wise, but I trust myself when it comes to wiring so if you're in doubt, disconnect your battery first.

A PDF version of the OEM instruction manual can be downloaded from here. It's not great, but along with my instructions here, I'm sure it will help.

That's about it really, as mentioned at the beginning it's quite a straight forward job to do, just a bit fiddly getting your hands (and tools!) behind the splash guard (I couldn't be arsed taking the front wheels off for this mod!).

The finished product:






Much better!

Modifications to date: Parrot CK3100 Bluetooth Hands Free Phone Kit, Debadged Tailgate, 'Semi-Stealth TomTom' Satellite Navigation, Chrome Wheels, Chrome Belt Line, Chrome Indicator Bulbs (Front), Chrome Fuel Door, Clear Side Repeaters, Chrome Indicator Bulbs (Sides), Altezza Rear Lights, Chrome Indicator Bulbs (Rear), Chrome Door Handle Recess Trims, Stealth iPod FM Transmitter.