It was foggy this morning and due to taking the VTS to get serviced i let the girlfriend drive my Z4 to her work, i then noticed as she drove away that only the drivers side rear fog light works. Ive just checked and it seems this is by design? No voltage gets to it and ive read its the same on other Z4's. Is this true? I hate it when you have 1 rear fog or reverse light :thumbsdown:
Why does only one rear fog light work?
- Thread starter un1eash
- Start date
Standard drivers side fog, pasenger reverse and in fact many cars use one side for fog and one for reverse.
I just hate foglights as a useless device that just blind following drivers. :thumbsdown:
I just hate foglights as a useless device that just blind following drivers. :thumbsdown:
un1eash said:
My bad - I did not see that in your signature
Both fog lights worked on my last car (M3 Conv) but when I took my Z4MC back to Germany and had to get the car tested (referring to a test that has to be carried out on new cars and is only the lights) it failed because the fog light was on the wrong side. Had to go off and get a long piece of electrical wire and connect the two together as there is a bulb in the other side and just required a quick connection. As soon as that was done the test was redone and once passed the wire was removed. BMW used to have both lights working on their models but then suddenly stopped doing it, not sure on how many models did have both sides working but it would be easier to have both when going abroad.
Glad I found this post - was just doing a pre-mot walk around the Z today and thought my passenger side rear fog was out. Could see the bulb in there but just wasn't lighting up. Was just about to rip the cluster out when I found this! Job saved. Weird how they put a bulb in there for no purpose.
Liverpool
That has just reminded me that I wanted to wire the 2nd one up...purely to get my own back on the knobs who drive around in the rain with their rear fogs on (I don't really care about front fogs)ph001 said:
Maybe a mirror-mounted 1w laser pointer would suffice :evil:
ph001 said:
They didn't it's used for the Brake Force Display. If both fogs were on it wouldn't act as BFD if needed. That said, I think flashing the brake lights is more effective but am tempted to turn the fogs as BFD back on.
Hard wire isn't needed to swap, the car can just be coded to LHD. It should also be possible to activate both but I've not done any digging.
ph001 said:
The passenger side would light up, yes. Is that any use... not sure! I can see why they did it, but I'm not convinced anyone following me will realise fogs illuminating = hard braking, even less so going from one fog on to both!
At the moment my BFD settings are: fogs not used, centre brake light flashing.
Not sure if I should go to all brake lights flashing only, or all brake lights flashing with fogs on. The startle factor might prompt immediate braking... or they might still be oblivious...
MOT ruling on brake lights:- see point e which may trip you up
Method of Inspection Reason for Rejection
This inspection applies to all stop lamps fitted.
Vehicles first used before 1 January 1936 are not
required to be fitted with a stop lamp.
Stop lamps are not required to be fitted to
vehicles used only during the hours of daylight,
which are fitted with neither front nor rear position
lamps, etc. (See 1.1.A).
Vehicles first used before 1 January 1971 must
be fitted with one stop lamp either on or to the
offside of the vehicle centre line. If such a vehicle
has two lamps fitted, it should be treated as a
vehicle first used on or after 1 January 1971.
Vehicles first used on or after 1 January 1971
must be fitted with two obligatory stop lamps.
Additional stop lamps fitted and connected must
be tested. Where extra lamps are fitted and there is
doubt as to whether they are connected, the benefit
of this doubt should be given to the presenter.
On vehicles first used before 1 September 1965
it is acceptable for a stop lamp to be incorporated
with a direction indicator lamp.
Tricycle and quadricycle requirements are
detailed at Section 9.1.
1. Apply the service brake and check that the
correct number of stop lamps:
a. are correctly positioned and secure
Note: The precise position of obligatory lamps
is not part of the inspection, but check visually
that the lamps are at about the same height and
the same distance from each side of the vehicle.
b. are working
c. are not obscured
d. are in good condition
Note: An effective proprietary repair (e.g. lens
repair tape etc.) must be assessed on its merits,
considering security, colour, light output and
durability.
e.emit a steady red light
f. are not adversely affected by the operation
of any other lamp.
1. A stop lamp:
a. missing, insecure, obviously incorrectly
positioned or does not face to the rear
b. inoperative or less than 50% of the light
sources illuminating
c. obscured so that less than 50% of the lamp
illuminating surface is visible from the rear
d. not visible from a reasonable distance due
to excessive damage, deterioration, or
having products on the lens or light source
e. shows other than a steady red light to the
rear when any service brake is applied, or
remains on when the service brake is
released
f. adversely affected by the operation of any
other lamp, e.g. dual-function lamps on
foreign vehicles.
Method of Inspection Reason for Rejection
This inspection applies to all stop lamps fitted.
Vehicles first used before 1 January 1936 are not
required to be fitted with a stop lamp.
Stop lamps are not required to be fitted to
vehicles used only during the hours of daylight,
which are fitted with neither front nor rear position
lamps, etc. (See 1.1.A).
Vehicles first used before 1 January 1971 must
be fitted with one stop lamp either on or to the
offside of the vehicle centre line. If such a vehicle
has two lamps fitted, it should be treated as a
vehicle first used on or after 1 January 1971.
Vehicles first used on or after 1 January 1971
must be fitted with two obligatory stop lamps.
Additional stop lamps fitted and connected must
be tested. Where extra lamps are fitted and there is
doubt as to whether they are connected, the benefit
of this doubt should be given to the presenter.
On vehicles first used before 1 September 1965
it is acceptable for a stop lamp to be incorporated
with a direction indicator lamp.
Tricycle and quadricycle requirements are
detailed at Section 9.1.
1. Apply the service brake and check that the
correct number of stop lamps:
a. are correctly positioned and secure
Note: The precise position of obligatory lamps
is not part of the inspection, but check visually
that the lamps are at about the same height and
the same distance from each side of the vehicle.
b. are working
c. are not obscured
d. are in good condition
Note: An effective proprietary repair (e.g. lens
repair tape etc.) must be assessed on its merits,
considering security, colour, light output and
durability.
e.emit a steady red light
f. are not adversely affected by the operation
of any other lamp.
1. A stop lamp:
a. missing, insecure, obviously incorrectly
positioned or does not face to the rear
b. inoperative or less than 50% of the light
sources illuminating
c. obscured so that less than 50% of the lamp
illuminating surface is visible from the rear
d. not visible from a reasonable distance due
to excessive damage, deterioration, or
having products on the lens or light source
e. shows other than a steady red light to the
rear when any service brake is applied, or
remains on when the service brake is
released
f. adversely affected by the operation of any
other lamp, e.g. dual-function lamps on
foreign vehicles.
They don't flash on application, only under deceleration (forget the threshold, BMW mentioned briefcase sliding off the seat!) or ABS activation. So I assume I've had no issues as the lights are checked in a static way.
If it gives half a second extra warning to the driver behind and that saves a shunt, I'm doing it!
If it gives half a second extra warning to the driver behind and that saves a shunt, I'm doing it!
I'm not sure they could, even doing the road brake test as they wouldn't have anyone behind!
Here's what I have at the moment, flashing set to threshold 1 and ABS:
[youtube]7YK-bnDBhnc[/youtube]
Here's what I have at the moment, flashing set to threshold 1 and ABS:
[youtube]7YK-bnDBhnc[/youtube]
I'm liking this idea much. :evil:mmm-five said:That has just reminded me that I wanted to wire the 2nd one up...purely to get my own back on the knobs who drive around in the rain with their rear fogs on (I don't really care about front fogs)ph001 said:
Maybe a mirror-mounted 1w laser pointer would suffice :evil:
Just had a play and neither of the options I thought that might enable both fogs were able to select anything other than wert_01. So for the moment I'm going to say both fogs isn't possible!
Pretty sure that one or two fog lights is up to the manufacturer?