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I’ve been a happy and satisfied Hybrid owner of my ’09 Camry since Sept. 2008. Great car; getting 42 mpg! I’ve been reading the posts by fellow TCH owners and read what others have done to ‘customize’ their TCH.
I wanted a nice, sporty SE-look for the hybrid, without going the full SE route. After a few months of reading a lot of posts on this site and others, I decided I could do the following installation myself.
Total spent was around $150.00:
·Fog lights (k2motor.com): $90.00
·License frames: $44.00
·License lights: $ 6.00
·Chrome moldings: $10.00
$150.00
Others had success with FL from ebay. Mine was from k2motor.com and made in China.
Same or similar to the ones on ebay, I think. The light housing and lens were solidly attached and appeared well made.
After ramping up the front end and removing the splash guards, I screwed and wire tied the lights. I ran the harness under the engine area. There is a triangular shaped space in the frame that was perfect for running the harness from one light to the other, and not as visually intrusive as running it on top by the radiator.
I tapped the relay positive wire to the yellow side light on the right front fender. I had to remove the tire and fender well splash guard to get access to that bulb. Others may want to use the switch that comes with the kit and attach it to the dash. I didn’t want or need the extra work to remove dash/glove compartment pieces and run wires through the firewall. The FL are ON in the DRL/Low/Hi settings, OFF in the Auto setting during daylight hours. They will go off automatically if I forget to turn off the lights after I turn off the engine.
At a minimum, you should have some basic knowledge of electrical wiring, and be comfortable lying under a car and removing/replacing auto body parts. I used wire ties, silicon, electrical tape, and a razor to secure/fit the lights and covers as needed. You can read posts from others who have done FL installation, but until you actually remove panels and see for yourself what is there and what you have to install, you have to use your best judgment and skill on how you are going to do the secure the components.
Total removal/installation/clean-up time was around 5 hours.
Good luck to others who may want to proceed! Go for it!
Steve
Green. Found it at a motor sport specialty store.
Made in Japan. I actually restricted the light
output by taping over half the lens.
Didn't want to give the police a reason to pull me over.
Will see how it goes the next few months.
Steve
I thought they were green but wasn't 100% sure so I asked. My follow up question was going to be "have you had any trouble with the police?" ... Good idea to cover half the lens.
Ok question for ya.....where do you find the black plastic tear-drop shaped moldings that the fog lights fit in?? I know mine do not have the hole and TCH's do not come with fogs. The site you gave above (K2motor.com) does not show the whole black tear-drop molding in the picture. Can you order it somewhere??
Thanks in advance..
Quote:
Originally Posted by sttkailua
I’ve been a happy and satisfied Hybrid owner of my ’09 Camry since Sept. 2008. Great car; getting 42 mpg! I’ve been reading the posts by fellow TCH owners and read what others have done to ‘customize’ their TCH.
I wanted a nice, sporty SE-look for the hybrid, without going the full SE route. After a few months of reading a lot of posts on this site and others, I decided I could do the following installation myself.
Total spent was around $150.00:
·Fog lights (k2motor.com): $90.00
·License frames: $44.00
·License lights: $ 6.00
·Chrome moldings: $10.00
$150.00
Others had success with FL from ebay. Mine was from k2motor.com and made in China.
Same or similar to the ones on ebay, I think. The light housing and lens were solidly attached and appeared well made.
After ramping up the front end and removing the splash guards, I screwed and wire tied the lights. I ran the harness under the engine area. There is a triangular shaped space in the frame that was perfect for running the harness from one light to the other, and not as visually intrusive as running it on top by the radiator.
I tapped the relay positive wire to the yellow side light on the right front fender. I had to remove the tire and fender well splash guard to get access to that bulb. Others may want to use the switch that comes with the kit and attach it to the dash. I didn’t want or need the extra work to remove dash/glove compartment pieces and run wires through the firewall. The FL are ON in the DRL/Low/Hi settings, OFF in the Auto setting during daylight hours. They will go off automatically if I forget to turn off the lights after I turn off the engine.
At a minimum, you should have some basic knowledge of electrical wiring, and be comfortable lying under a car and removing/replacing auto body parts. I used wire ties, silicon, electrical tape, and a razor to secure/fit the lights and covers as needed. You can read posts from others who have done FL installation, but until you actually remove panels and see for yourself what is there and what you have to install, you have to use your best judgment and skill on how you are going to do the secure the components.
Total removal/installation/clean-up time was around 5 hours.
Good luck to others who may want to proceed! Go for it!
Steve
The black pop-in inserts with the holes for the fog lights came with the fog light kit. Some others you may buy at other sites may not come with it. If you go to k2motor.com and look at the fog light kit for 2007-2009 Camry, what they show is what they'll send you.
If you have a kit that does not come with the pop-in inserts with the hole for the fog lights, you can always buy the authentic Toyota fog light inserts for the dealer. Don't try to cut your own opening for the lights. To much work for a part that is relatively inexpensive if you purchase with the kit.
My 'DIY' $150 2009 TCH-SE Kit
