Fog Lights - What ARE the correct rules?

[WhoseGeneration]

jefword said:

Er, technically correct as the Oxford dictionary states that they are Lamps not lights, although the Highway Code refers to headlights and fog lights.

Edited by jefword on Thursday 6th January 17:36

So, what illumination means do you fit to your "Lamps"?
A bulb, presumably.
I might be wrong but I've always understood that lamps were used in light fittings, whatever their application.

[Pints]

WhoseGeneration said:

insanojackson said:

good, it takes a second to turn them off and a little light on the dash tells you they are on.

Nope, in one of my cars, the telltale lights, for front and rear foglights, are in the switches which are on the o/s lower level of the dash moulding, way below eyesight when looking forwards.

The Golf has a similar problem. Front fog indicator is out of view behind the steering wheel.

[F i F]

Pints said:

WhoseGeneration said:

insanojackson said:

good, it takes a second to turn them off and a little light on the dash tells you they are on.

Nope, in one of my cars, the telltale lights, for front and rear foglights, are in the switches which are on the o/s lower level of the dash moulding, way below eyesight when looking forwards.

The Golf has a similar problem. Front fog indicator is out of view behind the steering wheel.

As with Volvo, rears have a dashboard instument indicator, fronts a small led on the switch behind the wheel rim.

[masermartin]

Pints said:

WhoseGeneration said:

insanojackson said:

good, it takes a second to turn them off and a little light on the dash tells you they are on.

Nope, in one of my cars, the telltale lights, for front and rear foglights, are in the switches which are on the o/s lower level of the dash moulding, way below eyesight when looking forwards.

The Golf has a similar problem. Front fog indicator is out of view behind the steering wheel.

More importantly than this, it also has front fog lights mounted inside the bloody headlamp cluster, which is totally pointless. No reason ever to use them (same on my Bora).

[Pints]

masermartin said:

Pints said:

WhoseGeneration said:

insanojackson said:

good, it takes a second to turn them off and a little light on the dash tells you they are on.

Nope, in one of my cars, the telltale lights, for front and rear foglights, are in the switches which are on the o/s lower level of the dash moulding, way below eyesight when looking forwards.

The Golf has a similar problem. Front fog indicator is out of view behind the steering wheel.

More importantly than this, it also has front fog lights mounted inside the bloody headlamp cluster, which is totally pointless. No reason ever to use them (same on my Bora).

Does it? My Golf (mk5) has its fogs in the bumper.

[F i F]

Pints said:

masermartin said:

Pints said:

WhoseGeneration said:

insanojackson said:

good, it takes a second to turn them off and a little light on the dash tells you they are on.

Nope, in one of my cars, the telltale lights, for front and rear foglights, are in the switches which are on the o/s lower level of the dash moulding, way below eyesight when looking forwards.

The Golf has a similar problem. Front fog indicator is out of view behind the steering wheel.

More importantly than this, it also has front fog lights mounted inside the bloody headlamp cluster, which is totally pointless. No reason ever to use them (same on my Bora).

Does it? My Golf (mk5) has its fogs in the bumper.

Yep agreed, mine are in front bumper and DRLs in the cluster.

[masermartin]

F i F said:

Pints said:

masermartin said:

Pints said:

WhoseGeneration said:

insanojackson said:

good, it takes a second to turn them off and a little light on the dash tells you they are on.

Nope, in one of my cars, the telltale lights, for front and rear foglights, are in the switches which are on the o/s lower level of the dash moulding, way below eyesight when looking forwards.

The Golf has a similar problem. Front fog indicator is out of view behind the steering wheel.

More importantly than this, it also has front fog lights mounted inside the bloody headlamp cluster, which is totally pointless. No reason ever to use them (same on my Bora).

Does it? My Golf (mk5) has its fogs in the bumper.

Yep agreed, mine are in front bumper and DRLs in the cluster.

Ah - must be the Mk IV only then - I've not paid that much attention to the Mk V's. At least it shows VW have learned that particular lesson anyway!

[Stevesh]

Cornering fog lights.

Discuss...

Steve

[OctyVrs]

Stevesh said:

Cornering fog lights.

Discuss...

Steve

Ace. Job done :-)

Being serious though... For 90% of the time they may as well be off, but for the other 10% maneuvering in a multi storey car park at night or when about to turn into a dark road in the middle of nowhere, even reversing (both lights come on in reverse) in a dark tesco car park at night, they're a useful improvement.

You can turn them on or off on the octavia but I've found them useful enough to leave them on. They're not quite revolutionary good like say the outstanding factory xenons on the octy.

[F i F]

OctyVrs said:

They're not quite revolutionary good like say the outstanding factory xenons on the octy.

Sorry to keep it off topic.

Are they the swivel ones or just normal bi-xenons? And I presume mains are filament?

Goes to find Octavia brochure pdf....

[OctyVrs]

Yeah swivel about on steering, raise and lower on speed, and also different beam patterns for different situations. Motorway, town and rain patterns are the best of the lot, & yeah main beam is xenon & filament together.

[F i F]

OctyVrs said:

Yeah swivel about on steering, raise and lower on speed, and also different beam patterns for different situations. Motorway, town and rain patterns are the best of the lot, & yeah main beam is xenon & filament together.

Thanks, now motorway town and rain patterns, sounds interesting, care to tell a bit more about that and how it works.

Also really interested on how you swap dip pattern Rhd > Lhd and vice versa. Have to do this a lot, piece of cake on my Volvo and the new ones do it via the computer, but as you can guess seriously hanging my nose over a bigger Skoda as been so happy with the Fabia.

[OctyVrs]

F i F said:

Thanks, now motorway town and rain patterns, sounds interesting, care to tell a bit more about that and how it works.

Also really interested on how you swap dip pattern Rhd > Lhd and vice versa

Motorway is a narrower and longer beam, active between ~50 & ~80mph, it's visible about the 1 min mark in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KML_CGdASG4 - it's the same system. You get full beam illumination ahead but without lighting up the interior of everything oncoming in the other lane, and staying low enough not to get in the rear view mirror of the car in front. Really effective for showing the road much further ahead, i have to travel on an unlit section of dual carriageway every night so i love this.

Town is a much wider pattern, it wraps round to the sides also eliminates that dark spot near infront of the car, everything is lit up. I've not hit a pothole yet and i drive in Glasgow (pot hole capital of the world) at night frequently.

Rain pattern is cool, it stops the light reflecting off the shiny road surface. It wasn't something that really bothered me before, not really anyway, but even so i don't think i want to go back to headlights that don't do this now.

For switching dipped beams you just call up the menu on maxidot, scroll down to the light assistant i think it's called, then check the "Travel lights" option and it takes effect straight away.

[F i F]

Marvellous, superb reply, thanks very much.

[sjmmarsh]

I've only driven once when front fog lights were of very limited use - a thick sea fog had rolled in from the coast and visibility meant that you could barely see the road in front of the car. The only way to get around was to drive using the passenger to direct the car using the edge of the road seen by looking out of the side window. We were only 100m from our destination, otherwise we would have had to stop and wait for the road to clear.

I generally use rear fogs when it aids visibility of my car by following cars. I base this on whether cars in front (at a safe distance) can be seen clearly without their fogs or whether they fade in or out of the mist. This only helps in light traffic. If it is busier (and so denser traffic) you normally don't need them until the fog is pea-soup thick.

Steve

[mike50001]

make it another test to get a fog light switch, dont pass test dont get your switch.

or charge extra by the minute that there on, see how many forget its still on then

Edited by mike50001 on Thursday 13th January 23:33

[XG332]

One of the questions on my test was to put the fogs on. I haddent got a clue, as i had and still havent used them.

I did blag my way through it.

[cornishgirl]

My dad alsays said that front foglights are only useful at night (because during the day they don't actually help) and rear foglights only useful during daylight (because in the dark they are just too dazzling and look like brakelights).

[Terrors713]

is it acceptable to use foglights in heavy snow? I did find mine helpful to see where the kerb was when it snowed recently, it's annoying when idiots leave them on at the traffic lights though!

[masermartin]

cornishgirl said:

My dad alsays said that front foglights are only useful at night (because during the day they don't actually help) and rear foglights only useful during daylight (because in the dark they are just too dazzling and look like brakelights).

Every situation's different, but actually that's not a bad rule of thumb.