How many rear foglights should I have?

[clived]

1 or 2?

I was kind of expecting 2, but seem to only have 1.

If it is only 1, has anyone done a conversion to make the other side operative? Should be fairly simple I'd have thought....

[JonnyX]

I take it you mean the rear light? The circuit is designed to only run one of the lights. There is some
law or something. Sorry to be vague but it is deliberate.

[clived]

I take it you mean the rear light?

How many rear foglights should I have?

There is some law or something. Sorry to be vague but it is deliberate.

Well, at least I know it isn't broken, thanks

Have I just imagined then (and that's entirely possible!) that I've seen UK cars in general with two rear fog lamps?

[derdle]

There is only one - the offside one. I've been thinking about installing a bulb in the other side and just running a power lead across the back - although I guess the loom on the left already has the correct lead there but not hooked up. Typical Audi - saving 50p on a 45 grand car! So on the official production run of UK cars cars they saved a whopping £ 200.

Any folk out there aware of any reasons why a left fog cannot be installed (eg current overload on that circuit?). It must be Ok from a law point of view... isn't the law " a minimum" of one rear fog light?

Paul

[JonnyX]

You only have one rear fog light so that people behind you can still see your brake lights. This is
particularly important on a composite light cluster (i.e. no separate rear light) like we have.

[Dippy]

I had the same discussion with someone else on Monday, when he noticed I only had one. He pointed out that UK law only requires one, so it was OK. He then thought we only got one as Audi trying to reduce costs. I tend to think it's more a case of the Germans being rather literal with specifications...

[boris]

I must agree that one is enough to allow following cars to see your brake lights more easily. Although if anyone is close behind you should actually turn them off - if you can see them they can see you ?

To my mind rear foglights are very badly used in this country. Slightest bit of haze and they all whack on - er and often get left on and on an on ...

Rear lights on modern cars are bright anyway.

In any case who's going to catch up to an RS4 ?

Useful if parked up in bad weather though ....

[clived]

There is only one - the offside one. I've been thinking about installing a bulb in the other side and just running a power lead across the back - although I guess the loom on the left already has the correct lead there but not hooked up. Typical Audi - saving 50p on a 45 grand car! So on the official production run of UK cars cars they saved a whopping £ 200.

Any folk out there aware of any reasons why a left fog cannot be installed (eg current overload on that circuit?). It must be Ok from a law point of view... isn't the law " a minimum" of one rear fog light?

Paul

Paul, you're just up the road from me, so if you make any progress, or want someone to play with when you're fiddling with the clusters, let me know.

[clived]

Paul, did you have any luck?

[derdle]

Hi Clive,

Sadly I didn't get any time over the weekend to look into the fog light bit. Hopefully this weekend.....but the first priority is to clean the beastie as I'm sure this black car I have should be Misano Red! Bl**dy roads around here are filthy!

Paul

[tartan_rob]

On my '98 S4, I simply broke away some circuit board on the N/S to allow the bulb to fit and hey presto - all working. All these cars have high level brake lights so being able to see the brakes is not a problem. As Dippy says, UK law only requires one (and that is relatively recent, within last 15 years). My father-in-law is an DoT MOT Inspectors Inspector and he is confident that there is no law requiring one only. It is a 1 minimum law, that must come on with your front fogs (if fitted) - that is a new law also....

[derdle]

I so wish they'd bring in a new law that required the rear fogs were somehow light sensitive so that if visibility is OK they don't come on. We've all been behind some brainless drongo who left the fog lights on from days before when there was some fog 300 miles away. No second thoughts, scrap that idea, just ban the drongos from the road in the first place. Tee hee.

[derdle]

Success - I now have two rear fogs!

Following on from Tartan Robs posting, I had a gander at the RS4 light cluster and all I had to do was as Tartan Rob did - break through the plastic on the rear of the cluster and insert bulb - the wiring/contacts are already in the bulb holder plate. Sounds easy? OK so first you have to remove the cd changer (if you have one). Then remove the bulb holder. Then undo the four retaining nuts and the cluster pops out. Refit is a simple reversal. Cor - I could get a job at Haynes!

[Dippy]

Wow. Did it really bother you that much? It's a bit like people who drive with their front fogs on when it's not foggy, because they think it looks cool. How can you see the lights when you're driving?

[derdle]

Nah didn't bother me "that much" ... just wanted to do it and it only took 45 minutes!

As for the front fogs I totally agree. What winds me up more, is people only using sidelights in fog - especially when they have silver cars cos they disappear into the mist! The other ones are the silly beemer side lights that form a circle...the naffest things since K-Tel launched their products in the 70's