Foglight Modification for 2003 Passat GL
DISCLAIMER: This procedure has worked for me and possibly others on my 2003 VW Passat. Use this procedure at your own risk. If you break your car, damage your electrical system, or somehow effect the tides of the earth, you're on your own.
Note for pre-2003 Vehicles:
Depending on which spec your vehicle is, where it was built, delivered, and phase of moon. You may or may not have the complete wiring for the fog lights. Through much research and help of other B5ers I've put together a quick method to figure out where you need to start working based on how much you already have. PLEASE read the entire document before you start so you can find any gotchas or modifications you may need to do.
Parts Required:
Euroswitch, or headlight switch from GLS or up.
Some wire taps, and butt connectors (you should probably solder these connections but I leave it to your discretion)
Automotive wire (at least two colors)
3B7-941-699A (Left Fog Lamp)
3B7-941-700A (Right Fog Lamp)
3B0-853-665-L-B41 (Left Grill Piece)
3B0-853-666-L-B41 (Right Grill Piece)
N-013-957-1 (Oval Head Panel Screw) (6 required)
N-905-353-01 (Speed Nut) (6 required)
1J0-973-722 (Fog light connector Housing) (2 required)
000-979-133-A (Connectors for Housing) (2 required)
Note: You will need a total of 4 connectors for the Fog Light housings. It has come to my attention that some places are either cutting the 000-979-133-A wires in half or VW has smartened up and they're only giving you one connector with this wire. So you get a wire with a metal connector on one end and then just cut off on the other. If this is the case you will need 4 of part 000-979-133-A.
Pre-2003 or non US Spec models may require:
12V 20Amp Relay
20Amp Inline Fuse
Procedures:
The first steps determine how much wiring has VW done for you, if you don't have any of the following completed, see the bottom of the document for the entire wiring setup so you can do it yourself.
0. You'll need to replace your headlight switch, through all of these instructions, I'm assuming you have a headlight switch that accomidates fog lights installed.
1. Remove your headlight switch by pushing in and turning to the right, and see if you have a wire in the harness behind it that connects to a pin labeled NL (this is for the front fogs, not to be confused with NLS for the rear fogs) Now is a good time to replace this switch if you need to (since you already have it out)
2. Chances are if the wire is there, you have the fuse, but to be sure, pop your fusebox open and see if you have a fuse in place for the foglights, check your reference card to see if it is in there (I believe mine is a 15 amp fuse)
3. Next, check to see if you have the fog light relay (#381) You can usually see it from the side where the fusebox is. It's bright purple, and if you can see it you're REALLY in luck.
![Image]()
4. Okay, now pull the drivers side kickpanel out, there's a screw there and it should come off, and you'll see a whole mess of wires. You're looking for a green/white wire coming out of the harness at the bottom. This is the 12v line for the foglights! If you have this wire you're already half done.
5. Remove the left and right lower grills, there are tabs that hold them in, and if you look at your new ones you'll see exactly where they are. They're tough to get out the first time.
5. Open your hood, and run a wire from where the drivers side front fog light will be mounted up along the hood release cable all the way to the back and through the firewall at your favorite spot (I used the triangular grommet inbetween the battery and the brake booster) And drop it down behind the dash and over to the kickpanel area.
6. Now run two wires from the drivers side foglight over to the passengers side foglight, be sure to run TWO wires.
7. Using a wiretap, tap the green/white wire to the wire you ran to the kickpanel, and on the other end using a butt connector or solder, connect pin 1 of the drivers foglight and ONE of the wires running to the other foglight. Connect pin 2 of the connector to the other wire running across the car.
Here's a (stolen) pic of the fog light connector attached to the lamp, the brown wire is in the ground position (pin 2), and the green/white is on the +12V side (pin 1)
![Image]()
Just to avoid confusion, at this point, on the driver's side you have pin 1 connected to the green/white wire in the driver's kickpanel along with one of the wires running to the passengers side. Pin 2 is connected to the other wire running to the passengers side.
8. Now to the passenger side of the car, take the wire connected to pin 1 on the drivers side and connect it to pin 1 on the foglight connector, again, that's our 12v line.
9. You should see the horn right behind where the foglight is going to mount, and one of the lines will be a brown wire (ground) using a wiretap, connect the brown line here to a short piece of wire (say 6") and then connect the other end of that wire to Pin 2 on the passenger fog light and the wire coming from pin 2 on the drivers side.
10. At this point you have both foglight connectors set up in parallel, with the ground on the horn, and the power coming off the green/white wire in the kickpanel.
11. Turn your headlight switch to the foglight position and with a meter, place the ground on pin 2 and positive on pin 1, you should read somewheres around 12->14 volts. Check both sides. Also, with the car on, make sure your horn still works. Turn everything off.
12. Now the easy part, mounting the lights. Take your little plastic speed nuts and press them into the mounting holes. The square end is facing you and you should see how it fits into the square that's moulded onto the mounting hole.
13. Connect the foglight connector to the light and position it in the car, using the 3 oval head screws, screw it into place. Do this on both sides.
14. Test the lights again, make sure they both work, if they don't check all your connections with the meter again.
15. After mounting the lights pop the left and right grill pieces into place, and you should be in business!! Congratulations.
FOR THE NOT SO LUCKY OR THOSE WHO LIKE TO BE SADISTIC
If you're not blessed with any of this wiring, you'll have to add the relay and fuse yourself inline, but it's really not that hard (it's been noted that if you have at least the wire running from the headlight switch, you can replace the switch, and plug a fuse into the empty fuse slot. This has not be confirmed, so you may need to use the instructions below anyways)
1. Decide where you're going to put your relay, if you're using the factory relay, follow the pinouts but it's a lot of work to get behind there, any good 12v relay will do the trick here.
2. Run pin 30 of the relay through an inline fuse and then to any 12v source, there's a bunch under the dash, it need not be switched.
3. Run pin 86 of the relay to the NL position on yoru switch
4. Run pin 85, and using a wiretap, connect it to the white/black wire in the headlight wiring harness (it should be pin 9, but verify this) NOT CONNECTING THIS WIRE WILL MAKE IT SO YOUR FOGS WILL NOT TURN OFF WHEN YOUR HIGH BEAMS ARE ON.
5. In the above directions, the wire that enters the passenger cabin and connects to pin 1 on the drivers foglight will connect to pin 87 on the relay. This takes place of the green/white wire in the passenger cabin. Follow the above directions from there on.
DISCLAIMER: This procedure has worked for me and possibly others on my 2003 VW Passat. Use this procedure at your own risk. If you break your car, damage your electrical system, or somehow effect the tides of the earth, you're on your own.
Note for pre-2003 Vehicles:
Depending on which spec your vehicle is, where it was built, delivered, and phase of moon. You may or may not have the complete wiring for the fog lights. Through much research and help of other B5ers I've put together a quick method to figure out where you need to start working based on how much you already have. PLEASE read the entire document before you start so you can find any gotchas or modifications you may need to do.
Parts Required:
Euroswitch, or headlight switch from GLS or up.
Some wire taps, and butt connectors (you should probably solder these connections but I leave it to your discretion)
Automotive wire (at least two colors)
3B7-941-699A (Left Fog Lamp)
3B7-941-700A (Right Fog Lamp)
3B0-853-665-L-B41 (Left Grill Piece)
3B0-853-666-L-B41 (Right Grill Piece)
N-013-957-1 (Oval Head Panel Screw) (6 required)
N-905-353-01 (Speed Nut) (6 required)
1J0-973-722 (Fog light connector Housing) (2 required)
000-979-133-A (Connectors for Housing) (2 required)
Note: You will need a total of 4 connectors for the Fog Light housings. It has come to my attention that some places are either cutting the 000-979-133-A wires in half or VW has smartened up and they're only giving you one connector with this wire. So you get a wire with a metal connector on one end and then just cut off on the other. If this is the case you will need 4 of part 000-979-133-A.
Pre-2003 or non US Spec models may require:
12V 20Amp Relay
20Amp Inline Fuse
Procedures:
The first steps determine how much wiring has VW done for you, if you don't have any of the following completed, see the bottom of the document for the entire wiring setup so you can do it yourself.
0. You'll need to replace your headlight switch, through all of these instructions, I'm assuming you have a headlight switch that accomidates fog lights installed.
1. Remove your headlight switch by pushing in and turning to the right, and see if you have a wire in the harness behind it that connects to a pin labeled NL (this is for the front fogs, not to be confused with NLS for the rear fogs) Now is a good time to replace this switch if you need to (since you already have it out)
2. Chances are if the wire is there, you have the fuse, but to be sure, pop your fusebox open and see if you have a fuse in place for the foglights, check your reference card to see if it is in there (I believe mine is a 15 amp fuse)
3. Next, check to see if you have the fog light relay (#381) You can usually see it from the side where the fusebox is. It's bright purple, and if you can see it you're REALLY in luck.
4. Okay, now pull the drivers side kickpanel out, there's a screw there and it should come off, and you'll see a whole mess of wires. You're looking for a green/white wire coming out of the harness at the bottom. This is the 12v line for the foglights! If you have this wire you're already half done.
5. Remove the left and right lower grills, there are tabs that hold them in, and if you look at your new ones you'll see exactly where they are. They're tough to get out the first time.
5. Open your hood, and run a wire from where the drivers side front fog light will be mounted up along the hood release cable all the way to the back and through the firewall at your favorite spot (I used the triangular grommet inbetween the battery and the brake booster) And drop it down behind the dash and over to the kickpanel area.
6. Now run two wires from the drivers side foglight over to the passengers side foglight, be sure to run TWO wires.
7. Using a wiretap, tap the green/white wire to the wire you ran to the kickpanel, and on the other end using a butt connector or solder, connect pin 1 of the drivers foglight and ONE of the wires running to the other foglight. Connect pin 2 of the connector to the other wire running across the car.
Here's a (stolen) pic of the fog light connector attached to the lamp, the brown wire is in the ground position (pin 2), and the green/white is on the +12V side (pin 1)
Just to avoid confusion, at this point, on the driver's side you have pin 1 connected to the green/white wire in the driver's kickpanel along with one of the wires running to the passengers side. Pin 2 is connected to the other wire running to the passengers side.
8. Now to the passenger side of the car, take the wire connected to pin 1 on the drivers side and connect it to pin 1 on the foglight connector, again, that's our 12v line.
9. You should see the horn right behind where the foglight is going to mount, and one of the lines will be a brown wire (ground) using a wiretap, connect the brown line here to a short piece of wire (say 6") and then connect the other end of that wire to Pin 2 on the passenger fog light and the wire coming from pin 2 on the drivers side.
10. At this point you have both foglight connectors set up in parallel, with the ground on the horn, and the power coming off the green/white wire in the kickpanel.
11. Turn your headlight switch to the foglight position and with a meter, place the ground on pin 2 and positive on pin 1, you should read somewheres around 12->14 volts. Check both sides. Also, with the car on, make sure your horn still works. Turn everything off.
12. Now the easy part, mounting the lights. Take your little plastic speed nuts and press them into the mounting holes. The square end is facing you and you should see how it fits into the square that's moulded onto the mounting hole.
13. Connect the foglight connector to the light and position it in the car, using the 3 oval head screws, screw it into place. Do this on both sides.
14. Test the lights again, make sure they both work, if they don't check all your connections with the meter again.
15. After mounting the lights pop the left and right grill pieces into place, and you should be in business!! Congratulations.
FOR THE NOT SO LUCKY OR THOSE WHO LIKE TO BE SADISTIC
If you're not blessed with any of this wiring, you'll have to add the relay and fuse yourself inline, but it's really not that hard (it's been noted that if you have at least the wire running from the headlight switch, you can replace the switch, and plug a fuse into the empty fuse slot. This has not be confirmed, so you may need to use the instructions below anyways)
1. Decide where you're going to put your relay, if you're using the factory relay, follow the pinouts but it's a lot of work to get behind there, any good 12v relay will do the trick here.
2. Run pin 30 of the relay through an inline fuse and then to any 12v source, there's a bunch under the dash, it need not be switched.
3. Run pin 86 of the relay to the NL position on yoru switch
4. Run pin 85, and using a wiretap, connect it to the white/black wire in the headlight wiring harness (it should be pin 9, but verify this) NOT CONNECTING THIS WIRE WILL MAKE IT SO YOUR FOGS WILL NOT TURN OFF WHEN YOUR HIGH BEAMS ARE ON.
5. In the above directions, the wire that enters the passenger cabin and connects to pin 1 on the drivers foglight will connect to pin 87 on the relay. This takes place of the green/white wire in the passenger cabin. Follow the above directions from there on.
