I am NOT a foglight wa**er!

[Papa Hotel]

It was always going to happen at one time or another, last night I had a daft conversation with the police over my gratuitous use of my foglights.

Cop: Is this your car?
Me: Yep, sure is.
Cop: How long have you had it?
Me: About 6 months.
Cop: And you're familiar with all the controls?
Me: I am completely familiar with all the controls and proficient in their use.
Cop: Do you want to tell me why you've got your foglights on then?
Me: I don't, it wa...
Cop: Well maybe not now but you had them on when you turned into this road.
Me: I didn't, it wa...
Cop: I'm pretty sure that's what I saw. PC Cantrememberhernamebutshesafox, did you happen to notice?
PC Cantrememberhernamebutshesafox: I saw the foglights.
Me: *sighs* It's the stupid cornering lights, they come on when cornering or indicating. No, I don't know why they thought it a good idea to make them the foglights either.

I then demonstrated the stupid lights, received an apology and we all went our separate ways.

Now the guy was perfectly right to pull me over, he hadn't seen such a contrived system before and to him I was driving along with my foglights on (actually it was just the right one). He wasn't even snotty about it and I've no complaints about that. What I do object to is fking Fiat thinking this was a good idea. From the first time I caught a reflection of my car and consulted the handbook to find out what the hell was going on, I knew it was only a matter of time before I was pulled over for being a foglight wker. I'm surprised it took 7 months but this must be happening every day.

Fiat - you're idiots. My time and that of two police officers, wasted.

Edited by Papa Hotel on Friday 3rd September 10:29

[_Batty_]

glad to see Frome police pulling in a Saxo with sides and fogs on last week (glorious sunshine).
although running lights will only increase the FLW i fear.

(FLW=fog light w@nker)

[V88Dicky]

So, lets get this straight. You have your normal lights on (dipped beam), you indicate to make a turn, and that side foglight comes on?

If thats the case, it's the most stupid idea I have surely heard.

An idea for ideas sake.

[_Batty_]

V88Dicky said:

So, lets get this straight. You have your normal lights on (dipped beam), you indicate to make a turn, and that side foglight comes on?

If thats the case, it's the most stupid idea I have surely heard.

An idea for ideas sake.

Newer mercs have them as well.

Edited by _Batty_ on Friday 3rd September 10:25

[V88Dicky]

_Batty_ said:

V88Dicky said:

So, lets get this straight. You have your normal lights on (dipped beam), you indicate to make a turn, and that side foglight comes on?

If thats the case, it's the most stupid idea I have surely heard.

An idea for ideas sake.

Newer mercs have them as well.

WTF for though?

[daveenty]

_Batty_ said:

Newer mercs have them as well.

As does my Audi.

Not found out how to turn them off yet.

[CrisW]

V88Dicky said:

_Batty_ said:

V88Dicky said:

So, lets get this straight. You have your normal lights on (dipped beam), you indicate to make a turn, and that side foglight comes on?

If thats the case, it's the most stupid idea I have surely heard.

An idea for ideas sake.

Newer mercs have them as well.

WTF for though?

Perhaps to justify having fog lights in the first place?

[Papa Hotel]

V88Dicky said:

So, lets get this straight. You have your normal lights on (dipped beam), you indicate to make a turn, and that side foglight comes on?

If thats the case, it's the most stupid idea I have surely heard.

An idea for ideas sake.

Yes. You have it, that's what happens. I guess it was just something for some engineer to do.

"Fabio, whata the fka are you doingo?"
"Sleeping."
"Do something uomo, playa witha the lightso."

[DennisTheMenace]

And Seat ,VW etc etc , no idea why they do it (more visibility for turning into a different road?) the given light output of a fog lamp is pathetic at the best of times . AFL on Vauxhalls is bloody awesome though.

[TuxRacer]

That does sound like a stupid idea. Why would anyone buy a car that did that, supporting this crazy practice?

[TonyHetherington]

I think it's when you turn over a certain degree, not when you indicate.

It's designed to light up the bit of road you're going to be turning towards. Fundamentally a good idea - your car is pointing forwards (so therefore your lights are) but you're turning to the left where the is no light.

Some cars have headlights that move left and right with turns to achieve a similar thing.

[Papa Hotel]

TuxRacer said:

That does sound like a stupid idea. Why would anyone buy a car that did that, supporting this crazy practice?

I knew it had it when I bought it but assumed the system would be the same as on my old Clio, built in to the main cluster. That was a good system, almost completely unnecessary but good.

[louismchuge]

take the bulbs out!

[y2blade]

V88Dicky said:

_Batty_ said:

V88Dicky said:

So, lets get this straight. You have your normal lights on (dipped beam), you indicate to make a turn, and that side foglight comes on?

If thats the case, it's the most stupid idea I have surely heard.

An idea for ideas sake.

Newer mercs have them as well.

WTF for though?

to illuminate the road/gutter/pavement directly infront of you as you turn into a tight junction

Edited by y2blade on Friday 3rd September 10:48

[just me]

I don't live in England, and was wondering why this is considered such a big deal? Who cares? Lights = visibility and surely that's a positive in terms of safety?

If it was a turn signal or the high beam or emergency hazards or brake lights being turned on at an inappropriate time, I would understand. But apart from the minor stupidity in using the fog lights when there is no need for them, what is the harm? Do people get all excited that there might be some fog about, and then bitterly disappointed that it was a false alarm? Is it really anything more than a "fashion crime?"

[RobM77]

Isn't there a chance that someone might think you were flashing them out? That's the last thing you'd want to happen at a junction.

I must admit, with headlights getting brighter now it can be very hard to see people's indicators sometimes. This sounds like a daft solution to the problem though.

[Great Pretender]

In addtion to this, I am surprised at the intensity of some "DRLs" - particularly those of Audi, Merc and Porsche, with the latter coming in for particular scrutiny due to the proximity of the DRLs in relation to the headlights. To the most, they are almost as dazzling as fog lights.

[8400rpm]

I'd be tempted just to unplug the bloody things.

[TonyHetherington]

Isn't it all switchable anyway? Through the main instrument binnacle thingy majig bob.

[Papa Hotel]

TonyHetherington said:

I think it's when you turn over a certain degree, not when you indicate.

It's both. Or either.

It'll come on when indicating to change lane (absolutely pointless) or when cornering (has its uses but mostly pointless).