[Reinhard]

The Suzuki AltoK10 is my city run about. Office runs, occasional social visits & shopping cart. The car's H4 halogen headlamps are really poor (like any other stock setup on sale on this side of 15 lakh rupees!) The car is a VXi (Opt) AGS trim. So while VXi, the car lacks body coloured handles & front fog lights. The inadequate headlamps mean front visibility even in city confines is very poor in rains and in general. The car really needs extra lighting & increasing bulb wattage has never been my preference with any car. Installing fog lights was the only option always. Recently I installed HID projector fog lights in my primary car. And that was insanely easy as a DIY. Considering the negligible (relative to the extra safety & light on offer) price difference in OEM halogen fog lights & HID projectors, it was a no brainer decision & I decided to install the HID fog lights as a DIY again with this car.

Since I had already done this on the primary car - I had already learnt a few things the hard way. The wiring connections, planning for switching mechanism is cleaner & better planned in this car. The project also took half the time than the Nexon since I didn't commit any silly mistakes like installing the projectors upside down! Technically - the installation in Nexon is actually far easier. The Nexon has much cleaner setup & very good accessibility all over the engine bay. Design is better & easier to work with. In the Alto - there is no alternative but to fully remove the bumper for this project. So do not attempt to do this unless you are ready to go through that at your home.

Ordered this kit from MotorBasket, Delhi just like the previous one for Nexon. Due to some error in dispatch, I received a 5500K bulb kit instead of 4300K that I wanted. The MB team immediately offered to replace, however I thought of sticking with the 5500K to check it. Since the Alto is purely for city drives & not regular for monsoon night drives, the whiter shade would actually be better perhaps. Worth a try surely.

HID Kit contents -

1. 2x IPHCar 3" bixenon projectors including mounting brackets (Model number 612, water proof)
2. 2x 55W CrystalEye HID ballasts (Non-canbus adapter type)
3. 2x 55W 5500K HID bulbs with H11 spec
4. H4 relay harness
5. 3M double sided tapes

Tip - I suspect 2.5" projectors might be an easier fit in the housing. I had to cut the bumper in a couple of small places to make these fit.

Extras that I used from my own inventory -

1. Long & short zip ties
2. Solder iron, wire, flux
3. Shrink tubes for wires
4. 1 sq mm Polycab red & black(0.5 sq mm is more than enough in reality)
5. 12V DC compact relay & same size general purpose PCB(Both can be avoided, more on that later in the thread)
6. Silicone sealant
7. Screw drivers (Philips, flat head) - Best if you have a battery operated one! I have a B&D 12V one
8. 3mm 1/2 inch self threading screws
9. M10 Spanner - Must have a deep reach extension for 1 bolt deep inside the bumper
10. Wire stripper, nipper
11. Pliers

Also ordered an OEM fog light switch from boodmo for a clean install. Sourced from here - Link - Boodmo - MSIL OEM FR FOG Switch

We'll complete this DIY in the following parts -

1. Preparing the wiring harness & switch
2. Installing the fog lights in place
3. Completing the wiring connections & test

TIP - This DIY process will work with little modifications with a lot of cars. Especially Marutis. Concept will remain the same for any car. Wiring routing & mounting will defer, that's all.

A usual weekend at Reinhard's Lair -

[Reinhard]

Step 1 - Preparing the wiring harness & switch
Like mentioned above, I ordered a heavy duty H4 connector triggered harness along with the kit.

About the harness. This harness has -

1. H4 trigger connector to power the coil - This is not usable as is. I cut the pins & used 2 out of the 3 wires. You can go for an H11 harness if you can find one.
2. 2x H11 socket outputs for 2 ballasts
3. 2x High beam solenoid power outputs

The wiring for the solenoid actuators isn't done too smart & is actually hooked up to the ballast powering wires. When using the harness as it is by tapping into stock high beam wire - if you flash high beam, it powers the solenoids as well as the HID bulbs for just a second. And frequently depending on use. Something we totally want to avoid for the health of the ballasts as well as the bulbs. So - I used the connectors from it for solenoids & the ground wire as it is. But I cut away the power wire from it, and hooked it up separately altogether with the stock high beam pin in the headlamp. This way - when I just flash high-beam, only the solenoid trips but fog light bulbs do NOT turn on unless their switch is ON already.

[[This tripped me off much later in the installation thanks to a negative switch control for headlamps in the car. If you are doing this in a similar Maruti - Please simply connect BOTH - the read & black wires from the solenoid directly into the 2 respective high beam & ground pins of the stock H4 connector. I learnt this after I had put everything back together & reinstalled the bumper. So instead of removing everything again - I used another small relay to work around this problem. More on that later!]]

This is how the harness looks after my modifications. H4 socket removed. positive wire of both side solenoid wires connected using an external red wire.



For a longer lasting & stronger connection, always use shrink tubes over solders & if possible reinforce the connection by adding a zip tag near it.



Preparing the fog light switch
The switch is for Celerio/Swift/Ertiga etc till recent generations. So it has power inputs for 12V, illumination, illumination brightness etc. I originally planned to take a 12V & ground wire from the engine bay ACC fuse to the switch. However, courtesy @audioholic's Celeriofog light installation thread on this DIY forum, got the tip that I could simply route the wires from the headlamp leveling switch right besides. In the AltoK10, there is no backlight for the leveling switch. Just a 12V input, GND and output for the actuators up front. Simply prop out the leveling button using a screw driver & unhook the plug. Remove the pin using a needle from front. Push in the red and black wires into respective 2 pins in the socket & put the switch back in.






I couldn't find the coupler (G151) to connect to the back side of the OEM fog light switch. (I was lazy to search too much.) So I went a simple crude way & soldered wires to the back of the switch. It has total 5 pins on back. When looking at the pins from back of the switch with the notch on top, do the connections as below -

1. Connect pins 1 & 4 together. Black wire.
   Pin 1 is GND with the green indicator in series. This light will glow when switch is "ON". Pin 4 connects to the backlight illumination GND. Extend another wire from it, to connect to actual GND.
2. Connect pins 2 & 5 together. Red wire.
   Pin 2 is for 12V input for the switch itself. Pin 5 is for the backlight 12V. Extend another wire from it, to connect to 12V supply.
3. Connect a red wire to pin 3
   This is the 12V output from the switch, when turned ON. This is the wire that will actually trigger our relay harness. The wire we will push from engine bay, will get hooked up to it.

Connect a 3 slot connector at the end for these. The 12V from leveling switch will connect with the edge red wire. GND from leveling switch will connect with the black wire. And the wire that we'll insert from the engine bay (sourced from the relay harness H4 low beam wire) will connect in the middle red wire of this connector.

This is how the finished product should look like. I have also included a shrink tube for better wire management.



Use the existing firewall grommet's protrusions to make a tiny hole & insert the relay power wire into the cabin. Push it in till you see it lying down into the driver's foot-well.



After completing the connections, this is how the final assembly should look like. Push the switch into the slot carefully without getting any wires stuck in the sockets.



Here's a quick test. The backlight is ON & since the button is pushed in, the green light is also ON.



Our work inside the cabin is complete here! Now what remains is the installation of the projectors & completing the wiring.

NOTE - We wired this switch for power from the headlamp leveling switch. This switch gets power when the position lamps are turned on. i.e. headlamp stock is turned 1 click forward (or 2 clicks as well). This means the switch we added will function only when at least position lights are turned ON, which is perfect. This means we'll never have a situation where we are using the fog lights but have forgotten to turn on the tail lights while driving in the night.

[Reinhard]

Step 2 - Installing the fog lights in place

Preparing the fog light shroud.
The my Alto didn't have stock fog lights. It has a black shroud/bezel around the fog lights housing. However - its center doesn't have a removable cap. Its a complete single piece molded part on both sides. This means we have to carefully cut the central circular part to make a hole from which the projectors will peep out. Do it well for a flush fit. Otherwise it might leave ugly gaps / uneven cuts. The shroud is held in place simply by press fit clips. Use a soft spatula to push into edges & undo the clips. Take out the shrouds.

Use a drill to make sufficient amount of holes around the circle & then use a hot nail / hacksaw blade to cut through the soft thermoplastic. I used a spare broken small hacksaw blade I have at home for such melting purposes.

1. How the fairing is -
   
   
   
   
2. Drilling holes for quick cut -
   
   
   
   
3. Completely removed center circle -
   File away the edges for a smooth & aesthetically good finish.
   
   
   
   
4. Viola! A flush fit of the projector -
   
   
   

Removing the front bumper -

The fog light housings have 3 screw holes each and 1 dummy flat.
The screw holes are on the inside of the bumper and not accessible from front. Hence - bumper removal is an absolute must.

1. Undo 1 screw each on LHS and RHS in the front wheel wells that hold the bumper.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Undo all M10 bolts visible from top of the bumper with bonnet open. 2 of them also hold the air intake in place through the bumper.
3. There are 2 plastic retainer clips also on top. Remove them by first inserting a screw driver between the 2 pieces and then pulling them out after they click unlocked.
4. Remove 2 bolts on 2 edges besides the headlamps into crevasses, visible from front and not top.
5. Remove the number plate. There is a hidden bolt behind it slightly offset to the car RHS. You'll need a deep reach extension for the ratchet spanner to reach it.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Look from under the car on LHS and RHS just ahead of the wheel wells. There are 2 plastic clips on each side under the bumper. Remove them similar to the ones on top.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Then pull out the 2 sides around the wheel wells with a gentle tug.
8. Pull out the top of the bumper.
9. Pull the whole assembly forward gently. And let to rest on the chassis front cross member.
10. 3 plastic clips around the center under the bumper will hold it in place. Let it be. No need to completely separate it from the body.

Installing the lights -

1. Refer to the images below and make cuts on the back edge of the housings in bumper to make space for the projector. Thid may not be reauired for a 2.5 inch projector mostly.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Mount the projector into the side clamps provided. 2 clamps per projector. Refer to the picture below to know the position in which I affixed it.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Insert the projector into place and screw it into place. Ensure that the solenoid wires come from under the projector. This is the correct orientation.
4. I used silicone sealant to make the bulb housing in the projector more sturdy. It will reduce vibrations and avoid the bulb getting loose in the projector.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Connect the wires from projectors to their matching partners from the ballasts (thank god for standardization!). Also connect the solenoid powering wires with your high-beam hook up.
6. Now do a temporary wiring for the relay harness directly from the battery without separate switch etc. Test the bulbs & solenoids for proper functioning.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. With the test successful, we can now fully install the bumper back into place. Work behind the bumper is done. What remains is just wire routing, securing & installing the ballasts. All if it is totally in the engine bay & bumper removal is not required.
   
   
   
   
   Viola! A perfect fit. Better than factory installed fog lights perhaps?

Note - There is roughly 1 inch clearance between the rear end of the HID bulb and the wheel well splash guard behind it. Ensure that much clearance remains for proper heat dissipation & hardware health. The projector needs to be adjusted that much forward to create the gap behind.

[Reinhard]

Step 3 - Completing the wiring connections & test

This bit is quite simple. Hard work is all done in the step earlier to be honest.

1. Run the relay coil powering wire along the firewall. Secure it with zip tags along an existing harness. Seal the hole in the grommet with silicone sealant after wiring is complete.
   
   
   
   
2. Mounted the LHS ballast by 3M tape upon an existing PVC cover around the battery. Reinforced it with a zip tag on top.
   
   
   
   
3. Mounted the RHS ballast on the AC plumbing & an existing harness with zip tags and 3M tape on back. The 3M tapes ensure heat is not transferred much & also absorbs any vibrations.
   
   
   
   
4. Mounted the relay besides the battery on existing harness with multiple zip tags for a secure fit.
   
   
   
   
5. Cut all extended ends of the zip ties after installation is finish.
6. Use ample zip ties to secure all the ballast / power / ground wires under chassis members. Ensure they are cleanly under the members to ensure they don't get stuck in bonnet or other gaps.
7. Ensure the wire running to RHS ballast is fully secured and far away from the radiator fan. Route it such that even if the zip tags fail, the wire doesn't fall into the fan but in front of the radiator at worst.

A couple of random tests -
The light throw is very good. 5500K seems to be working very well in city. I tried it a couple of times in darkness. Illumination is very good. Excellent cut-off & light coverage. Its an absolute must for any car really. Considering it costs lower than 7000 INR and a few hours. Lighting is one of the vital safety components of a car & can actually avoid an accident effectively. I'll recommend this upgrade any time. Will shoot & add video tests when I get time.






Step with extra relay! Avoidable.
Like mentioned earlier, due to the negative switch in the car, the headlamp high-low pins get power when the light is off / ignition is off. The switch shorts the ground with them, thus disconnecting the circuit. My relay harness has a separate ground wire that I had already connected with solenoids. This meant, the solenoids were activated when car was off, if hooked into high beam of H4 headlamp.

I worked around it using a 12V relay extra in the circuit. This relay sends power to the solenoids on high beam only when the actual high beams are on. Otherwise keeps the circuit open.

1. The relay wiring. Red wire to headlamp High Beam. Black wire to headlamp ground. Connector will receive the wire from the solenoids of projectors.
   
   
   
   
2. With connections done.
   
   
   
   
3. The H4 socket with my extra wires routed into high beam & ground pins.
   
   
   
   
4. Final mounting of the relay using a 3M tape. Under the chassis member on LHS of the car. Safe from sight & water splashes. I have also covered the back side of the PCB and wire solders with silicone sealant to make them water resistant.
   
   

Note - this extra step can be avoided by running dedicated ground wire from the solenoids of both projectors. Simply hook that ground wire with GND pin of H4 socket & red wire with high beam of the H4 socket. That will avoid the hassle of this extra relay.

[SmartCat]

Moving thread from Assembly Line to DIY forum. Thanks for sharing, Vikas!

[TheHelix0202]

Hi, nice DIY. Can you add pics of the fogs' light with and without the low beam please? Thanks!

[self_driven]

Nicely explained. Just take one precaution, screw down the ballasts instead of using zip ties. These zip ties deteriorate and become brittle over time. I've experienced this in my older car where the zip ties broke in a couple of years and left the ballast hanging loose inside the engine bay.

[shivamk11]

Great DIY there and a nicely written guide. I've this setup installed in both of my cars and I can vouch for how amazing and worth it is, makes headlights look like candles and gives that much required confidence while driving at night.

[Gurudatta Nayak]

Reinhard,
I have been following your threads for Tata Nexon and Alto for HID Kits. Since you have experience both the kits which one would you recommend the OSRAM or the Crystal Eye HID?

Could you provide feedback in terms of quality and time taken to reach the peak for full brightness

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Hi, nice DIY. Can you add pics of the fogs' light with and without the low beam please? Thanks!

Thanks! Yes - I will be making a short video (like the ones in my other DIYs) when I take the car for a test at a totally dark place near the highway. Will post when ready. I have other pictures and videos taken. But due to the adjustments that digital cameras make, they are of little use since whats seen in images is totally different than what our eye sees in person in that lighting condition.

Originally Posted by self_driven

Nicely explained. Just take one precaution, screw down the ballasts instead of using zip ties. These zip ties deteriorate and become brittle over time. I've experienced this in my older car where the zip ties broke in a couple of years and left the ballast hanging loose inside the engine bay.

Thanks! Yes I agree, in fact I'm pretty old school when it comes to mountings of any sort. I intend to install good mounting brackets like I did with my Nexon (DIY - Tata Nexon XZ+ - Osram 35W HID conversion kit)Here. I would have done so already but the Alto's design is not so good. There are no properly flat surfaces or pre-threaded / nut welded holes anywhere. So I need to make a custom bracket.
For now - the ballasts are mounted with strong 3M tapes. The zip tags are back ups to ensure minimal vertical weight on the 3M tapes.

Originally Posted by shivamk11

Great DIY there and a nicely written guide. I've this setup installed in both of my cars and I can vouch for how amazing and worth it is, makes headlights look like candles and gives that much required confidence while driving at night.

Thanks! Glad you liked it. Indeed - the primary headlamps are rendered redundant with HID projectors installed! Its one of the best & VFM upgrades one can do to a car. Direct improvement in safety quotient.

Originally Posted by Gurudatta Nayak

Reinhard,
I have been following your threads for Tata Nexon and Alto for HID Kits. Since you have experience both the kits which one would you recommend the OSRAM or the Crystal Eye HID?
Could you provide feedback in terms of quality and time taken to reach the peak for full brightness

So the OSRAM kit I installed is a 35W conversion kit to be used with the stock projectors in low beam of any car.
An apple for apple comparison won't be possible between the Osrams and the CrystalEye HIDs I have. Simply because one is 35W and the other is 55W. There is an easily noticeable difference between the two in illumination and throw.

When to go with 35W Osram
If one is looking for just conversion kit in an existing projector low beam head lamp - I will still recommend the 35W Osram kit. Why? -

1. It has far lower power rating than stock halogens (55W) and actually helps the alternator and battery. Helps tiny bit in mileage also.
2. The light is adequate for normal use & a significant increase over stock halogens still.
3. Lower operating temperature means better life for bulb, ballast & stock headlamp housing in the long run.
4. Its Osram. A trusted name.

Using a 55W conversion kit on stock harness will work on cars with canbus adapter. However, the startup surge on a 55W HID is quite high & the stock wiring may not be designed for it. I suggest changing the low beam fuses to higher current in that case. But this is not something I recommend. I don't like using higher power devices on stock wiring that is rated and designed for lower ratings.

When to go for 55W Projector fog light setup
If one doesn't have stock projectors in headlamp low beam, then conversion kit isn't of any use anyway. Then the only option left is installing projector fog lights if the car has round housings. In this option - I'll always go with a 55W HID kit (Blaze / IPHCar / CrystalEye).
It has excellent output, real VFM & since it runs on separate relay harness with clean current from the battery, it runs minimal risk to stock wiring.
The IPHCar projectors are also good and provide a very crisp throw with cutoff.

In this setup - I recommend using the fog lights only as fog lights when needed or instead of headlights. Using the stock halogens + 55W HIDs literally doubles the load on the alternator and battery. Its not something we should do all the time unless necessary. Lower load ensures better alternator health and battery life in general.

Hope this helps.

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

..installing projector fog lights if the car has round housings.

What do I do if I have fogs of a different shape? Can i fit projectors inside their housing?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

What do I do if I have fogs of a different shape? Can i fit projectors inside their housing?

That's a tricky one and depends on each specific car. If the owner is willing, the bumper housing can be easily cut to round shape (blessing of thermoplastic) and if required, custom bracket can be fabricated. But these are tightly coupled with the owner's willingness to go through all this hassle.

[Drbhavesh]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Step 3 - Completing the wiring connections & test


Step with extra relay! Avoidable.
Like mentioned earlier, due to the negative switch in the car, the headlamp high-low pins get power when the light is off / ignition is off. The switch shorts the ground with them, thus disconnecting the circuit. My relay harness has a separate ground wire that I had already connected with solenoids. This meant, the solenoids were activated when car was off, if hooked into high beam of H4 headlamp.

I worked around it using a 12V relay extra in the circuit. This relay sends power to the solenoids on high beam only when the actual high beams are on. Otherwise keeps the circuit open.

I am planning to install fog lamp projectors for my swift Dzire. I already have stock fog lamps in my car. I am using same H4 harness with blue, white and brown wires that you used but I want to install separate high beam switch to activate solenoid(high beam). I will add 2nd fog lamp switch for that (same as a4anurag's swift projector setup if you are aware of it).

Now, the way you have drawn power from leveling switch, I am planning to draw power by tapping from fuse box in the passenger compartment.

So,
1) White and brown wires will be connected to stock fog lamp socket.

2) Wire from fuse box will be the the power input for 2nd fog lamp switch.

3) Output wire from the switch will be connected to blue wire.

Do you think this will work?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Drbhavesh

Do you think this will work?

Hi Drbhavesh, yes - theoretically this will work. But don't go with the H4 pin-outs or wire colours without checking. Its pretty common for these relay harnesses to have different pin orientations in different manufacturing batches / sources. So please test using a 12V DC 2 Amp adapter & a simple digital multi-meter at home to ensure that he relay works as desired when you supply power to the wires you mentioned. Of course you can test it directly in the car by installing, but testing it separately at home, saves a lot of time and rework.