Good afternoon folks -
Quick technical question...
Our Panda Dynamic doesn't have factory fit front fog lights. I have acquired the lights, the grille panels that they fit into, and the correct dashboard switch. However the wiring that joins all the bits together doesn't appear to be there - no relay in the fuse-box, no wiring to plug the lights into.

Has anyone done the "retro-fit" of these lights ?
I'm guessing that they are controlled by some sort of ECU ?
Anyone got any advice ?

Cheers folks !

Pretty much every electrical item on the Panda (and most other new cars) is controlled by the 'body computer' - the lump of electronics that the fuse box is part of - using something called CANBUS. To add foglights you'll probably need this computer to be 'programmed' to accept that they are there. (The wiring may be 'partly there' - there's likely a plug further back in teh loom that a fog light 'extension' connects to)

Failing that I can't see why you couldn't run a relay off the wiring for the rear light then power off the battery and a body earth with the appropriate fuse. Should be fairly cheap and easy if your a little confident with wiring.

Thanks for the info so far...
I'm pretty confident with car electrics as far as adding aftermarket bits.
I was hoping that it would be possible to switch the lights using an OEM switch in the dashboard (to keep it all looking original and tidy) rather than having to add a switch somewhere.
Unfortunately our local FIAT dealer is Vospers, who are renowned for being particularly rubbish, so I am trying to gather as much info as possible from people who may already have done the fit or who know how the system works.
Cheers...

Hi Jr45. Why do you need a switch, you already have one for the fog lights, its just it only turns the rear on for the moment. Connect a £2 relay to the rear lighting on the trigger side then use it to switch the fronts on. Or do you want to be able to turn the front fogs independently? Hope it goes, well. I'm looking for a replacement fog lights for mine as they are cracked from stone chips.

Hello again,
Yes, the plan is to be able to turn them on and off independently.
Lamps are available fairly cheaply - Amazon and e-bay have lots for sale, as do several FIAT specialists on-line. From about £17 upwards.

Further update - As I can't find any details of how the "body computer" is wired I'm working on a plan to make my own "logic circuit" to switch the fog lights, based on a cheap bi-stable relay (available from RS, Maplins for around £5) and the OEM dashboard switch. Further investigation is required, mostly to see if the warning lamp on the instrument panel can be made to work this way. It probably won't be rapid progress, but I'll post how I get on...

daveofkent said:

Hi Jr45. Why do you need a switch, you already have one for the fog lights, its just it only turns the rear on for the moment. Connect a £2 relay to the rear lighting on the trigger side then use it to switch the fronts on. Or do you want to be able to turn the front fogs independently? Hope it goes, well. I'm looking for a replacement fog lights for mine as they are cracked from stone chips.

Click to expand...

Front and rear fogs are never switched together.

Thre are certainly instances where you'd want the rear fog on to 'be seen', but wouldn't want front fogs to 'to see' as the lamps will just illuminate the fog cloud and make visibility even worse.

VIP said:

Front and rear fogs are never switched together.

Thre are certainly instances where you'd want the rear fog on to 'be seen', but wouldn't want front fogs to 'to see' as the lamps will just illuminate the fog cloud and make visibility even worse.

Click to expand...

Indeed but as the foglights are so low, that shouldn't be an issue. I had to do foglights and sidelights (quite successfully) to see in bad fog one night. I know it's not quite the way they should be used but the headlights on made it really difficult to see anything but the fog.