fog lights

[alan_m]

What F and R? Only coloured icons on the dash and the same icons on the switches and with the switches partially hidden by the steering wheel.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

alan_m formulated the question :

That was what they used to use or actual words, now its all cryptic pictograms.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

NY explained on 27/03/2021 :

Yes and certainly the most effective indicator lights I have ever seen.

I would guess a decade at least later than that, but just a guess. An easy conversion with an amber coloured lamp glass.

[Steve Walker]

Not necessarily idiots. Many years ago I took my car for an MOT and the inspector left the foglights on. Driving home, my dipped headlights were off, so the foglights didn't come on. The next morning, driving to work, I needed my dipped lights on and did not notice that the foglights were on for some time - the switch and indicator were positioned badly, so they were not easily seen anyway and were completely hidden by my right arm whilst driving.

[Steve Walker]

Those are the standard symbols - however, I have to look at them and think carefully. I'd much prefer plain English labels, but they are not allowed, it has to be cryptic symbols.

[Steve Walker]

I remember, back in the days of Ford Sierras, some had combined tail/brake lights and separate foglights and some had combined tail/foglights and separate brake lights. They were exactly the same, except for how they were wired. I always thought that the latter arrangement was better - two lights on and another, unlit pair, illuminating brightly when you braked, rather than one pair lit and brightening when braking, while a second bright pair was already lit.

Indeed, when I built my trailer, I wired it that way, even though the wiring diagram and wire colours for the lights suggested the first option.

[Steve Walker]

I prefer:

Indicator Reverse Tail/fog Reflector Brake

There is no need for a separate tail and fog light, allowing a smaller cluster - what is the point of a tail light when the fog lights are on?

Reverse to separate Indicator and Tail/Fog. Reflector to separate Tail/Fog and Brake.

[Steve Walker]

These things could be added to construction and uses regulations, but they could not be enforced - any EU type approved vehicle is automatically acceptable throughout the EU and the UK and cannot be restricted by UK only legislation.

Even though we have left the UK, we have signed up to continue to follow EU regulations on new vehicles.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

what about other languages they need a universal sign not letters

[Marland]

Getting a lot rarer than it used to be as most vehicles seem them to turn them off to a greater or lesser extent, some by a mechanical action that turning off the stalk headlight switch also turns off the the fog lamp ring switch others with a more sophisticated method within the vehicles electronics after headlights are turned off or the vehicle parked up.

Was that as a result of legislation or just good practice by manufacturers?

It has certainly cut down on those who could justify their use in morning November fog but still displayed them on the way home in a dark drizzle annoying those behind .

GH

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Jim GM4DHJ ... presented the following explanation :

They need to learn English then :-)

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

totly ron

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

totly

[Dave Plowman (News]

The lighting regs are the usual civil service nonsense. Probably egged on by the various trade bodies etc, or others with an axe to grind.

There is a blanket ban on aftermarket HID and LED, to a car originally fitted with tungsten. Regardless. Yet many new vehicles cause dazzle.

The regulations should state beam pattern and intensity. Both are easy enough to check at MOT time.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Think exports. To produce them in every single language - and make it clear to read - isn't going to be easy.

[Chris J Dixon]

Agreed.

On the subject of trailers, why are they allowed to disguise the mandatory reflective triangle in a trendy light cluster, so that it is often impossible to distinguish it in daylight?

I can accept that it may be more important at night, but not to the extent that it can be invisible otherwise.

Chris

[Robin]

not just any civil service, the European civil service: the bulk of the Regulations came from Directives from the mid-70s onwards

[Steve Walker]

A trivial extra cost though and so much better for drivers.

Indeed, I would go further. The EU mandated OBD2. What it should also have mandated is for cars to include an LCD screen (a small text only one would be fine), so that owners could have read errors in their own language, without having to pay a garage to read them out. Although that is no longer a problem, as OBD2 readers are cheap and widely available now.

[Steve Walker]

That is not quite correct. They can only be fitted with E-marked replacements, so if an E-marked headlamp assembly is available, it can be retrofitted.

Beam pattern is the big one. With the correct beam pattern, intensity is far less important.

[Dave Plowman (News]

HID lamp units have motorised self levelling, so would generally need more than just plugging in. Unlike after market HID conversions or the simpler LED.

My car has projector (bullseye) dips. These give a perfect beam pattern with tungsten, HID or LED. To do with the flag which cuts off the top being exactly in the focal plane, which gives a very sharp cut-off. Plain reflector types give a lot more scatter regardless of bulb type.