Independent Fog lights fried my harness?
 

Driving home Monday night my low beams pulsed once and then completely shut off. After that my whole lighting system went haywire. The fogs (wired up independently) would only turn on if set to parking lights and the high beams were switched to on. The highbeams would only work if you pulled the switch back using the "flash" mode. Low beams did not function at all. Checked the fuses and the bulbs and everything looked good. So I had no choice but to drop it off at the dealership.
After a day of going through wires and researching they said the headlight harness was fried because it is extremely sensitive to current changes and snipping the wire to the Fogs caused it to overload and fry. Worst part is they can't just order the harness, or so they say. HofA said they'd have to like take a picture and make diagrams so they could make a new one or they'd have to replace the entire wiring system in the dash.
Right now they're claiming no warranty since they say the independent fog light mod is what caused it, though I call BS since I've had the modification done over 2 years ago with absolutely no problems. The shop guy said they found a harness from the 01-05 Civics that looks exactly the same and they're gonna try that tomorrow morning. ~$400 if it's not warranted.
I'll update this post when all is said and done, if it's truly a problem with the independent fogs I'd assume others would have noticed it by now, but if it is it may be something some of you with the mod might want to reverse before you have the same problem.

I've the independent fogs and haven't had any problems (knocking on wood). Then again I rarely use my fogs.
Keep us updated through.

What was your setup? Did you just cut the red wire and wire it to the fuse panel (with a fuse)?

The red/yellow wire was cut and plugged directly into the fuse. I did not use an inline fuse.

i smell BS from the dealer, but hey -shhrugs- they could be right. hondas are known to have a shitload of sensors

The only other thing I can think of was I had the subwoofer going pretty hard and it can usually put a drain on the current to the lights and get that dimming but I've never ever heard of an amp blowing harnesses that aren't even wired up anywhere near each other. I'd also assume the many people here would've encountered the same problem as well too but I haven't heard of it yet.

the only problems i encountered was my fog light bulbs blowing up, the glass expanded and bulged. scary stuff. i assumed that was from using the high beams with the fogs. i still use em together, but on a very minimum. im hoping wit wont have the same affect with real HIDs :S

oops, forget that mod. i wanted to do it too.

When I ran Nokya yellow bulbs they would eventually bulge, I never had problems with the stock bulbs which were what were in when it happened.

Well it was my fault, independent fogs overloaded the wiring harness in the steering column. Grand total was about $450. I don't think everyday usage of independent fogs will mess it up but I think the combo of the sensitive wiring and the subwoofer may have had something to do with it. But those with it done and those who are considering it may want to reconsider it.

well maybe a faulty connection made more resistance in the circuit.. wire got loose, etc.. mine is okay but i used honda pins and terminals

So if i grounded my Fog light relay to have them stay on with the brights, but didn't do the *full* independent fog light mod, am I safe from this issue?

You should have used an in-line fuse as was suggested in the original DIY for independent fogs. The fuse would have protected your wiring harness by letting go when the sub caused a voltage sag. Slim comfort to you now, but no reason to not perform the mod. If its done right you shouldn't have any problems. I just inspected miine after a year of daily use with HID fogs and it is fine.

Yeah I probably should've used the fuse. I hate how the car looks without them I'm tempted to do it again but this time with a fuse however common sense is telling me not to.

ouch!
man that sux more than a hoover!

I would have a hard time driving mine without the fogs, the headlights just don't cut it on their own. Go for it man, you know its worth it. And you can get the add-a fuse from Autozone for like three bucks. Indie fogs was/is one of my favorite cheapie mods for our cars....

Sorry, but you have no warranty. You wired it, not Honda or the dealer.

Yeah we already covered it that it wasn't under warranty. The only time it was in question was before they knew exactly what caused it. I had no problem paying and owning up to my mistake. Just letting other people know about it before it happens to them.

Well they work with the headlights still, I never had them wired up to stay on with the brights... I have big hands and there isn't a lot of room down there for that so I never bothered. How sensitive of a fuse do you think? Something like a 10 amp?

bummer man. id say leave it alone