Front Fog Lights

NickXX · 13 Nov 2008 at 13:55

[TW]Fox;12889033 said:
The minimum requirement is for a single foglight but many cars have two. BMW's have two.

Interesting that Mrk has both rear fogs working. The e46, saloon at least, only has 1 rear fog light (although has 2 fitted in European models). My e36 has 2 rears, e39 has 2 rears.

Maybe they changed it for the facelift coupe.

mrk · 13 Nov 2008 at 13:55

[TW]Fox;12889033 said:
The minimum requirement is for a single foglight but many cars have two. BMW's have two.

But my old car only had one! there was no wiring trailing to the 2nd unit either, only the reverse light!

And as you can see fro the thread I linked too others also with BMWs have just 1 rear fog.

Weird!

but then again US cars don't even have the cubbyhole under the light cluster control on driver's side!!

[TW]Fox · 13 Nov 2008 at 13:56

Obviously something that changed in the facelift

Conscript · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:01

mjt said:
say what you like, but there is a reason why everyone here drives with both main beam and fogs when it's dark. if you have them, use them. there's no harm in having more light

See, I work on the opposite principle, that I should have as few lights showing as possible. So I use sidelights when its dim or poor weather (When seeing isn't a problem, but it helps with actually being seen by others) and only using headlights when visibility drops to the point where I need assistance seeing. I only have a rear foglight but It hardly ever gets used...only when it's foggy (obviously) or when heavy rain on the motorways around here is causing lots of spray.

mrk · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:01

103 posts just talking about fog lights, I think that's a new record?

Gaverick · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:03

The worst are the people who drive around with side lights and fog lights in the night. I mean it's pitch black, can they actually see anything like that?!

TheVoice · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:06

Tourmai said:
why are there seperate switches for front and rear fogs? obviously if you need them they should both come on? Or is this just my car?

All cars have a rear foglight, but front fog lights are seen as an 'extra', so presumably it's easier equip all cars with the rear switch, and add the front switch when the trim level requires it.

Besides, with so many people driving around with front fogs on, would you really want them to be blinding people behind them too?

mrk said:
IIRC only one foglight on the back should be made available on UK cars is that right ? I checked mine when I got the car to make sure all the lights work and the rear foglights come on on both sides so maybe the old owner did some DIY to light both of them ?

Lots of cars will have a fog light on one side of the rear, and a reversing light on the other side in the same place on the bumper or light cluster.

NathanE · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:06

B@Th*nG said:
wow, what a great attitude to have.

You won't understand what it is like until you try entering a sweeping corner with hedge rows and ditches on either side at night and with it raining with the wiper on constant... and then some idiot coming the other way has 4 lights instead of 2. The blinding is more often than not so bad that there is nothing you can do but brave it and continue on and hope you don't hit a chunk of mud or dead bird/fox/deer in the middle of the road in the few seconds that you're out of control... Given that there is a number of persistant offenders on my commute that do this to me every other day when we cross paths I have no choice but to blind back. Otherwise the sillyness will go on for ever... unfortunately only one offender has so far stopped offending... but that is better than nothing!

I couldn't give a toss about little boy racers with their fogs on in and around towns. That is harmless. It's when the conditions and speeds are such that it makes it incredibly dangerous for other road users that it becomes a major problem.

I only blind back when I am genuinely being blinded myself.

mjt · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:13

Conscript said:
See, I work on the opposite principle, that I should have as few lights showing as possible. So I use sidelights when its dim or poor weather (When seeing isn't a problem, but it helps with actually being seen by others) and only using headlights when visibility drops to the point where I need assistance seeing. I only have a rear foglight but It hardly ever gets used...only when it's foggy (obviously) or when heavy rain on the motorways around here is causing lots of spray.

i am just talking about driving on unlit, narrow, empty country roads at night
i never use fogs during the day unless it's really foggy

i was going to comment about only using the rears, but on my car it's either both or fronts. if i had a car where i could only select the rears, then i would..

Fr0dders · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:18

mrk said:
Few weeks back when in London my uncle was driving me to the Getty exhibition and on the way we got stopped by a patrol officer who said there was nothing majorly wrong other than his fogs were simply on and requested they be turned off.

*snip*

I bet there are other drivers out there that think the exact same….

I knew a girl at my last workplace who drove like that. She drove with her foglights on all the time and blatently just switched the fogs on once, and never switched them off

as a result they came on every time she switched her lights on.

Didnt want to be seen to the work **** end who was bothered by it so said nothing. but it amused me no end how clueless she was.

mrk · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:24

MrLOL said:
I knew a girl at my last workplace who drove like that. She drove with her foglights on all the time and blatently just switched the fogs on once, and never switched them off

as a result they came on every time she switched her lights on.

Didnt want to be seen to the work **** end who was bothered by it so said nothing. but it amused me no end how clueless she was.

Obviously the same cannot be said for more modern cars where the foglight switches are soft switches instead of mechanical ones so as soon as the car is turned off the foglights go off and stay off until the button is next pressed

Sime · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:33

People with foglights on in normal weather conditions look like abit of a pillok but they dont effect me when im driving. I have more of a problem with people who have those insanely bright headlights (Not sure what there called) there usually on modern BMW's and Audi's?

Was driving home from the shop the other day and an awesome looking Audi came around the cornor (btw, well lit street) im not sure if they had there full beams on or what but i couldnt see a thing and had to seriously slow down...pretty dam dangerous

NathanE · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:45

Sime said:
People with foglights on in normal weather conditions look like abit of a pillok but they dont effect me when im driving. I have more of a problem with people who have those insanely bright headlights (Not sure what there called) there usually on modern BMW's and Audi's?

Was driving home from the shop the other day and an awesome looking Audi came around the cornor (btw, well lit street) im not sure if they had there full beams on or what but i couldnt see a thing and had to seriously slow down...pretty dam dangerous

Those are HIDs. Generally the higher off the ground that the HID is.. the worse the blinding gets for oncoming cars. Not a nice experience to confront a Land Rover Sport or one of those Audi Q7 (?) things at night...!

mrk · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:47

HID = Xenons just to make it clear in my mind, correct?

Firestar_3x · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:49

No, well kind of....

HID means High intensity gas discharge but uses Xenon gas.

Xenon's in generic terms means the usual halogen bulb but with xenon gas.

mrk · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:51

But what about Xenons which are HID ? on mine they are called Xenon headlights on the specsheet but they are HID too. Which was why I was a bit confused when people say HID alone

NathanE · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:53

Xenon == HID.

Although more recently there are also halogen bulbs being marketed as "Xenon" with Japanese market "HID EFFECT!!!" bubbles all over the fancy packaging. These are crap and fake crap. Do not buy.

Sime · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:53

NathanE said:
Those are HIDs. Generally the higher off the ground that the HID is.. the worse the blinding gets for oncoming cars. Not a nice experience to confront a Land Rover Sport or one of those Audi Q7 (?) things at night...!

I think it was an Audi S5? But ye...I dont like them lights anymore

Firestar_3x · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:54

Few easy ways to tell if you have HIDS, when you first turn the lights on at night you should get a flash and a change in colour / brightness untill the voltage of the light has stabilised.

If you turn you dipped beam on so the lights are on but with your engine off, open the bonnet you should hear a high pitch noise, this is from the ballast packs.

Also the fact your bulbs look like one of these is a giveaway :

Things like the below arn't HIDS :

mrk · 13 Nov 2008 at 14:57

Well mine are defo HID Xenon lights because it has a "OMG RISK OF DEATH HIGH VOLTS!!!" sticker on each balast

Also the high pitched whine is audible at various levels (it seems to be motorised but that's probably the auto levelling servo)

Also there's the raindbow cutoff and the blue tint for the first few secs you turn them on and they warm up.