Maybe being a bit new to all of this Im just not understanding anything. The dealership we picked up our Rogue at, is quite a distance from us. However, there are about 7-8 Nissan dealers local to us.

From what I was told by Nissan/the original dealer, the Rogue S model we have is wired for fog lights but they just dont come with it. He quoted me a price if I wanted to get them installed.

Not in a rush since Im going on vacation for a few weeks but decided to call around closer dealers for the same thing. Only one out of the 7/8 dealers here locally was willing to put the fog lights in and it would cost half the cost of the original dealer.

Each dealership has given me a different story: They arent familar with any accessories from Nissan such as the spoiler or chrome grill, they tell me the Rogue S really isnt wired for fog lights and would be a job beyond their capability, and so forth.

I just heard back from another dealer now who said they cant do any upgrades to the S model at all. No explanation why. Is there any reason why most of the Nissan dealers are being so difficult about this?

My long term goals here are to:

-Get a window tint-Get the fog lights on it-Get a rear cargo light installed-Get the spoiler installed-Get the fog/regular lights switched over to Xenon ones-Get the rearview mirror replaced with one similar to the SL model-Get a new set of tires/rims

Now I can understand some of those things such as the tires/rims and rearview mirror are not Nissan parts/upgrades but the other stuff which the SL has, shouldnt be an issue. What on earth am I missing here/not understanding?

Nissan used to pre-wire all trim levels of some models for fog lights and sell a seperate fog light kit with the lights, a new turn signal stalk with the fog light switch, and mounting hardware. My '03 Altima 2.5S was a good example and I added the fog lights using said kit.

This practice appears to have changed since Nissan has now deleted the fog light wiring from the harness on lower trim levels of the Rogue. I am sure it similar for other features as well. This is possibly a cost saving measure... copper wire is getting very expensive nowadays. I was disappointed when I found this out as it makes upgrades more difficult. Now you must add wiring, relays, external switches on the dash, etc. I can see some dealers not wanting to touch this to avoid warranty issues, liability, etc.

Some of the features you want can be done quite with a bit of work:

- Rear spoiler: this is an OEM accessory that any dealer can install- Fog lights: use OEM lights, add a relay, wiring, and a switch on the dash (the OE switch likely cannot be retrofitted)- Rear cargo light: wire an aftermarket dome light and install it on the roof in the hatch area. The OEM version will require more work as it's installed on the rear hatch. This means replacing the plastic trim panel on the hatch with one that has the cargo light and adding the wiring.- Xenon HID headlamps: OEM Xenon lamps are going to be very difficult and expensive to retrofit. Your only option here is aftermarket HID's. The dealer will not install these due to liability issues again... aftermarket HID's are not legal for road use in the US or Canada.- Rearview mirror with compass and anti-glare: The mirror can be purchased as a replacement part. All you need to do is add the wiring to power it.- Wheels and tires: The OEM wheels have TPMS sensors that need to be removed and installed on your new wheels. Not all aftermarket wheels will accept TPMS sensors so be sure they will work before purchasing. OEM wheels from another recent model Nissan should work as well. Note: if you change the TPMS sensors (new or used), they have to be programmed into the Rogue's TPMS computer for them to work. This has to be done by a Nissan dealer.

Good luck!

Philip,

Thanks for the info and input. Unfortunately, not only am I clueless with cars but I have no tools Id need to do any of this. Therefore, it would need to be done at a dealership. The non-Nissan stuff can be done by a friend at a local car shop.

I wonder why some of the dealerships have no clue about the spoiler accessory? They told me flat out they never heard of the spoiler or chrome grill. No idea what I was referring to and they had never seen it.

philipa_240sx wrote:Nissan used to pre-wire all trim levels of some models for fog lights and sell a seperate fog light kit with the lights, a new turn signal stalk with the fog light switch, and mounting hardware. My '03 Altima 2.5S was a good example and I added the fog lights using said kit.

This practice appears to have changed since Nissan has now deleted the fog light wiring from the harness on lower trim levels of the Rogue. I am sure it similar for other features as well. This is possibly a cost saving measure... copper wire is getting very expensive nowadays. I was disappointed when I found this out as it makes upgrades more difficult. Now you must add wiring, relays, external switches on the dash, etc. I can see some dealers not wanting to touch this to avoid warranty issues, liability, etc.

Some of the features you want can be done quite with a bit of work:

- Rear spoiler: this is an OEM accessory that any dealer can install- Fog lights: use OEM lights, add a relay, wiring, and a switch on the dash (the OE switch likely cannot be retrofitted)- Rear cargo light: wire an aftermarket dome light and install it on the roof in the hatch area. The OEM version will require more work as it's installed on the rear hatch. This means replacing the plastic trim panel on the hatch with one that has the cargo light and adding the wiring.- Xenon HID headlamps: OEM Xenon lamps are going to be very difficult and expensive to retrofit. Your only option here is aftermarket HID's. The dealer will not install these due to liability issues again... aftermarket HID's are not legal for road use in the US or Canada.- Rearview mirror with compass and anti-glare: The mirror can be purchased as a replacement part. All you need to do is add the wiring to power it.- Wheels and tires: The OEM wheels have TPMS sensors that need to be removed and installed on your new wheels. Not all aftermarket wheels will accept TPMS sensors so be sure they will work before purchasing. OEM wheels from another recent model Nissan should work as well. Note: if you change the TPMS sensors (new or used), they have to be programmed into the Rogue's TPMS computer for them to work. This has to be done by a Nissan dealer.

Good luck!

I want OEM HID. i guess it is out of the question. The dealer offer to help me install aftermarket HID. But it is illegal to drive around?

AznJohn22 wrote:
I want OEM HID. i guess it is out of the question. The dealer offer to help me install aftermarket HID. But it is illegal to drive around?

Aftermarket HID's are not DOT (US) or Transport Canada (Canada) approved. The problem is putting an HID bulb in an halogen lamp reflector may result in glare and does not meet the requirements for beam pattern and beam cut-off mandated by the gov't. You will fail any sort of gov't inspection and you can likely be pulled over and ticketed for them as well. Aftermarket HID's are your easiest and cheapest option however.

OEM HID is not impossible, just very expensive. I have done some research on it and posted a bunch info awhile back. Here it is again

- Headlamp assemblies with bulbs, ballasts and hardware but not including wiring are $1300/pair. - Wiring is fairly straightforward. The HID headlamp connects to the same wires as the Halogen one. Replace the Halogen lamp connector (type H11) with a 2pin connector for the HID ballast. It's Nissan's connector #J-48817-122. This is the hard part as Nissan dealers supposedly have replacement connectors for service... but you have to convince them to sell you one! If not, you have to search the auto salvage yards.- The OEM HID manual headlamp leveller cannot be made operational without alot of wiring and the necessary parts. The leveller is used to adjust the beam to compensate for glare when the vehicle is heavily loaded at the rear. Suffice to say you can run the HID's without the leveller and leave them in a fixed position.

philipa_240sx wrote:
Aftermarket HID's are not DOT (US) or Transport Canada (Canada) approved. The problem is putting an HID bulb in an halogen lamp reflector may result in glare and does not meet the requirements for beam pattern and beam cut-off mandated by the gov't. You will fail any sort of gov't inspection and you can likely be pulled over and ticketed for them as well. Aftermarket HID's are your easiest and cheapest option however.

OEM HID is not impossible, just very expensive. I have done some research on it and posted a bunch info awhile back. Here it is again

- Headlamp assemblies with bulbs, ballasts and hardware but not including wiring are $1300/pair. - Wiring is fairly straightforward. The HID headlamp connects to the same wires as the Halogen one. Replace the Halogen lamp connector (type H11) with a 2pin connector for the HID ballast. It's Nissan's connector #J-48817-122. This is the hard part as Nissan dealers supposedly have replacement connectors for service... but you have to convince them to sell you one! If not, you have to search the auto salvage yards.- The OEM HID manual headlamp leveller cannot be made operational without alot of wiring and the necessary parts. The leveller is used to adjust the beam to compensate for glare when the vehicle is heavily loaded at the rear. Suffice to say you can run the HID's without the leveller and leave them in a fixed position.

How come I see some sedan with HID lights and different color?

Actually, I live in New Jersey now. I called the Department of Motor Vehicles and was advised the Xenon HID lights are legal if they are white only. Any color variation such as blue tints, etc are illegal. So if you are using the white Xenon HIDs in NJ, you are fine. I cant say how the other states all work.

It may be a state by state case for the lights. Im not really certain.

Headlight regulations determined by the NHTSA (US) or Transport Canada (Canada), both are federal agencies. From what I understand, it is illegal to modify the headlamp system or aiming so they do not comply with these regulations. As for enforcing the regulations, that up to the government in the state or province. Some are likely more lenient than others.

Only OEM factory installed headlamp systems that are DOT approved meet with the regulations. This includes factory HID systems and even though they appear to have a bluish tint, they are legal and DOT approved.

There are NO aftermarket HID kits that comply with the regulations thus they are illegal for road use. This is why many are specifically labelled 'For off-road or competition use only'.

My suggested setup above is a bit of a grey area since it uses the OEM HID headlamp assembly which is DOT approved. If anyone (ie police) were to inspect it, it would likely pass as it appears completely OEM. But, I am unsure whether swapping the assembly is completely legal as it never left the factory that way.