The joys of eBay. Need bulb help.

[DJ_B_Easy]

So I bought this set of aftermarket fogs off eBay, I was assured that the bulbs were H3 size. Knowing that the bulbs I would receive with them would most likely be PsOS, I ordered some PIAA H3s to swap out as soon as I got them. Here is my dilemma. When I popped off the back cap and removed the bulb that came with them, it has two leads connected directly into the bulb. I believe that is an H3C size? Anyway, the PIAAs only have 1 lead which I assume is positive and then it looks as if though the negative side of the filament is connected to the metal base of the lamp but I cant be sure. Here are some pics:

Housing open, note the mounting screw on the left side of the pic inside the opening:



"H3" bulb removed, white and blue leads connected directly to the bottom of the bulb:



And here is the PIAA bulb with only white lead. If you look closely, the white lead actually terminates on the right side of the bulb in this pic. The left slot opening is where the other lead from the filament terminates:



I have never messed around with anything other than H11s so its always been plug and play for me, Im completely unfamiliar with H3 bulbs or how they behave.
I think all I need to do is get a negative/ground lead connected to the metal base of the PIAA bulb and I should be good to go? If I were to connect this underneath the mounting screw shown in the first pic would the connection be strong enough? Should I solder a lead to the metal base?

Any help is appreciated. I contacted PIAA, sent them the same pics, and they were not helpful whatsoever. They pretty much told me just "no, it wont work" but I think they are wrong.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I think all I need to do is get a negative/ground lead connected to the metal base of the PIAA bulb and I should be good to go?

I would say so. Or ground the mounting location of the bulb.

[Towncivilian]

Yuck, that PIAA bulb is ridiculously blue. The blue filter on the bulb glass actually reduces useful light output. Read here.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yeah typically for a fog light you want white to yellow light... But whatever, that's not what this thread is really about. If you want blue fog lights its your call.

[DJ_B_Easy]

I wish you had posted that link in the thread I created last week asking which bulbs I should buy! In all honesty I did buy them off of Kelvin rating alone, at which they rank 4,000-4,100 range. They arent really going to be used functionally and are more for show, so they should work for what they are being intended. I got them off of eBay at a great price, low enough that if they are absolutely terrible I wont have a problem tossing them and replacing.

Begin "Shiny Bedazzler rant", cue Greg.

[DJ_B_Easy]

If you want blue fog lights its your call.

I actually hate the yellow on purple look I see everyday. I was going for purest white I could find, and supposedly these are close to that range, more so on the yellow side of the spectrum.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Ah, good deal then. Post pics when you get them working!

[DJ_B_Easy]

So I was able to get these to work by running a wire under that mounting screw, just like you would run a ground to the back of a household electrical box. It not only contacts the bulb case but also the metal foglight housing. I hope it holds up.

Oh, and I also bought a set of H7 bulbs for my headlights from the same PIAA line as the H3 above. Also rated at 4,100K and they are crystal clear bulbs with a white tip. Tells me I should get the color I want out of them and still have some decent performance from the headlight. They must have had to adjust the spectrum filter or whatever for the fog bulb because of its size.

Thanks for the input guys.