Foglight idiots - please explain why you have them on when it's crystal clear?

mattyprice4004

aileth wrote: »

There are lot of 'boi racerz' around here who have them on. All the cars I've had you've had to have headlights on before you can turn fogs on, yet these laddos don't have headlights on, just fogs. They are most certainly not DRLs. Have they seriously rewired things to do that? daft.

On every car I've had you must have sidelights on, but not headlights on.

Idiophreak

aileth wrote: »

They are most certainly not DRLs. Have they seriously rewired things to do that? daft.

Always wanted to wire something like this up to respond to them

Strider590

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

On every car I've had you must have sidelights on, but not headlights on.

Which links neatly to another post I made about drivers thinking that sidelights are the headlights.

Retrogamer

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Nope.

Fog lights have a beam cut-off 3 degrees below horizontal (Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 Schedule 6 Regulation 4) so they're effectively pointing into the ground about 10 metres in front of the car. There are no electrical connection requirements, so they can be switched entirely independently of other lights. You can only have 2 of them unless your car was made before 1991.

When adjusted properly, the only people they might dazzle are anyone who's lying in the road in front of your car. The fact that they're often not adjusted properly is another matter - it's a C&U offence to have them misadjusted but they're not part of the MOT, which is the only time most people worry about their lights.

Driving lights have no cut-off and are classed as an "optional main beam". They must be wired to switch off when you dip your lights (Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 Schedule 1 Part II) . You can have as many as you like, as log as they all extinguish when you dip your lights. When they're on they'll dazzle exactly the same as any other main beam.

What about the people that have the driving lights modded with very low wattage bulb so the light output is similar if not less than the vehicle position lights?

I see some trucks have this done also.

alleycat`

My DRL's share the same place in the car as the front fogs do.
It wouldn't be a huge surprise if that was quite common across the VAG group of cars.

It isn't possible to have the drl's on when the front fogs are on due to the nature of the light switches.

The above also means that the DRL's switch off if any other lights are on (side, dipped headlights, rear fog, front fog).

The only time the front fogs come on, on their own, is if the car has the headlights on and reverse is selected.

I assume this is to do with helping to see low objects near the front of the car.

Joe_Horner

Retrogamer wrote: »

What about the people that have the driving lights modded with very low wattage bulb so the light output is similar if not less than the vehicle position lights?

I see some trucks have this done also.

Interesting question, and I'm not sure of the answer but I suspect you'd be ok having them permanently on if your car was pre whole vehicle type approval but possibily not for later cars because you'd be deviating from the type approval for the vehicle.

Interestingly, as long as you have your obligatory position lights fitted, you can have extra (optional) ones if you like which have no requirements regarding placement, wattage, intensity or approval marks. They just have to be white light.

So I guess you could argue that those 4 x 8 inch Ciebie spots on your bumper with 150 watt bulbs in aren't spots at all, but extra sidelights :beer:

kizkiz

I once spent a rather quiet hour of foot patrol in the dark stopping every car that came past me with fog lights on as I was curious to find out why. I stopped 40+ cars
the vast majority, i'm afraid to say, were women who had pressed every button with a light symbol on it because it was dark and they wanted to turn the lights on.
As others have already said, they had no idea what the various controls were for

londonTiger

nothing wrong with sidelights at all, in face they're weaker than DLR but fog lights are a pet peeve. It may be they were coming from a slightly misty/foggy location and left it on.

Joe_Horner

londonTiger wrote: »

nothing wrong with sidelights at all, in face they're weaker than DLR but fog lights are a pet peeve.

Try to modify that pet peeve. Foglights per se aren't a problem, badly adjusted fog lights - in fact, badly adjusted any lights are! Sadly, most foglights out there seem to be badly adjusted cos they're never checked once the car leaves the factory!

eschaton

---lee--- wrote: »

Yeah, don't stare at the sun either, that would also be a bit stupid.

You're not the brightest spark when you suggest that the brightness of the sun and a fog light are comparable.