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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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3/19/2004
20:09:30
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 Subject: PIAA Fog Lamp
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This week end I replaced my fog lamps on my 2001 QC. In real situation where visibility is limited (fog, snow), the factory parts just didn't cut it. After a lot of research here and other places, I purchased PIAA 510's. I also purchased the installation bgracket kit, thinking that it would be an essentially bolt in operation.
When will I ever learn? Click your heels together and repeat after me: There's no such thing as bolt on. There's no such thing as bolt on.......
Anyway. So I removed the factory parts. Very light weight, all plastic, kind cheesy, but with a very nice adjustment screw. Overall good design, just not enough light where it matters. As it turns out, the bracket kit was absolutly worthless. The instructions don't look anything like my truck. The bracket just didn't match anything under that valance panel.
So I spent a few hours fabricating new brackets out of 3" steel, powdercoating them, installing the lights. The first one took a couple hours. The second one took 20 minutes. After powdercoating, installation of brackets and lights was a breeze. Wiring took all of 10 minutes. Aiming took another 5 minutes. The whole job - including coffee breaks - took about 5 hours.
Again. There's no such thing as bolt on. There's no such thing as bolt on............
Here's an aiming tip. Place a large piece of cardboard about 15-20 feet in front of the truck. Turn on both low beams and the fog lamps. Now make a mark where the headlight beam is centered, and where the fog lamp is centered. After installing the new lights, use the cardboard to aim the new lights exactly as the factory parts were. Very easy.
So, how does it look/work? The lights look very good. Kind of an odd splash of color there. Sort of eye catching. They fit almost perfectly in the factory hole, and fill it up as well as the factory parts. They give out far more light, and it's better focused. The upper line is more sharply demarcated, so it should have less glare. And the light has more of a yellow cast.
How does it work? Don't know. Guess I'll have to wait for lousy weather to find out.
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rivermaniac
Dodge Dakota
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3/19/2004
20:25:30
| RE: PIAA Fog Lamp
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damn , now that's a post ..................
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2THEXTRM
GenIII
3/20/2004
11:49:31
| RE: PIAA Fog Lamp
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I agree, Bolt-on = PITA usually. I have had to fabricate more brackets for add-ons, mostly because of a previous modification in my case(the snowball effect:) It appears you wired the PIAA's into the factory wiring harness so you can still use the factory switch. If you can explain, how did you do this? Thanks, Bob.
Flowmaster cat back, Volant Intake, Poweraid TB Spacer, Splitfire Plugs, full synthetic fluids
4 inch Rancho/3 inch body Lift, 315 70-17 on AE 219's, Rancho 9000x's
Grizzly double/single rollbar with (6)Hella's, Manik Nerfs/Tailight Guards, Line-X, Hard Work & $$$$$$$$$$
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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3/20/2004
12:43:32
| RE: PIAA Fog Lamp
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Wiring was the simple part. Black to black. Blue to white. At first I was concerned that the factory wiring would not be able to withstand the added load. So I let it sit in the garage with the lights on for about 45 minutes, and none of the wiring seemed to be hot. So far, so good.
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Greg B
Dodge Dakota
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4/12/2004
20:30:00
|  RE: PIAA Fog Lamp
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I picked up the PIAA 510's and mounting bracket today. After cutting out the 4" hole i tried to mount the bracket according to the directions that came with the bracket. The directions say that there should be a hole in the metal bumper to mount the piaa bracket to, but there is no hole. Anyone else have this problem?? If so how do you get around it?
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Dave Mitchell
Dodge Dakota
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4/17/2004
13:06:28
|  RE: PIAA Fog Lamp
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I just replaced the stock 898 bulbs with 894 bulbs. The specifications say the 898 bulbs give off 60CP and the 894 give off 75CP of light. Both consume 37.5W. The 894's make the fog lights so much brighter, they give more light (whiter) than the headlights now.
The 898 had a dark grey ceramic coating on the end of the bulb, too cut glare, I suppose. The 894 lacks that coating.
I also believe the coating concentrated the heat out at the end of the bulb, nearer to the plastic lens of the factory light, causing the heat cracking everyone has experienced. I had to replace on light housing/lens assembly. Since changing the bulbs, no cracking has occurred.
Just my $0.02...
Dave
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