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rear fog light ?
striker-4age - 20/10/12 at 12:43 PM

hi there


do i need a rear fog light on my kit car ? to pass an mot ?


many thanks
striker-4age

Ben_Copeland - 20/10/12 at 12:53 PM

Yes you need a rear fog light

Its also pretty silly not to have one...

[Edited on 20/10/12 by Ben_Copeland]

renetom - 20/10/12 at 03:18 PM

Definitely yes, as Ben said
As most kit cars are very low, it'd doubly important to be seen in the fog.
Also a high level brake light on the roll bar is a good idea.
good luck
René

snowy2 - 20/10/12 at 05:52 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
Yes you need a rear fog light

Its also pretty silly not to have one...

[Edited on 20/10/12 by Ben_Copeland]


Fog lights are the one thing i would ban tomorrow, they serve almost no useful purpose and represent a bigger hazard than the safety they provide.
The highway code says they should ONLY be used when the visibility in FOG (not mist or rain) is less than 100 meters i.e. about 1 or 2 times a year. most drivers seem to think they must go on at the first sign of a misty day and stay on for a week at least. by and large the are as useful as a chocolate fire guard.
However the powers that be seem to think they are a good idea so we are stuck with them, i never use mine.... even in thicker mist.

coozer - 20/10/12 at 06:09 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snowy2
quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
Yes you need a rear fog light

Its also pretty silly not to have one...

[Edited on 20/10/12 by Ben_Copeland]


Fog lights are the one thing i would ban tomorrow, they serve almost no useful purpose and represent a bigger hazard than the safety they provide.
The highway code says they should ONLY be used when the visibility in FOG (not mist or rain) is less than 100 meters i.e. about 1 or 2 times a year. most drivers seem to think they must go on at the first sign of a misty day and stay on for a week at least. by and large the are as useful as a chocolate fire guard.
However the powers that be seem to think they are a good idea so we are stuck with them, i never use mine.... even in thicker mist.


Plus 1, I must agree, it really pisses me off when it starts raining and rear fog lights come on.. and front ones when its dark??? Its against the law but does any twit get done?

stevegough - 20/10/12 at 06:47 PM

YES - you do need a fog light. It also needs to be the correct made-for-purpose lens as that lens sends out a parrallel beam as opposed to a wide spread all the other lights do. It is important to position it correctly - the lens has to be at 90 degrees to the road so the pencil beam goes towards following (ground) traffic - not air traffic! It also needs to be separated by so many cms from eg. the brake light.

Check the details in the manual carefully (It was one fail point in my IVA - I had used a light with the wrong lens).

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Quoting snowy:

Fog lights are the one thing i would ban tomorrow, they serve almost no useful purpose and represent a bigger hazard than the safety they provide.
The highway code says they should ONLY be used when the visibility in FOG (not mist or rain) is less than 100 meters i.e. about 1 or 2 times a year. most drivers seem to think they must go on at the first sign of a misty day and stay on for a week at least. by and large the are as useful as a chocolate fire guard.
However the powers that be seem to think they are a good idea so we are stuck with them, i never use mine.... even in thicker mist.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with your points about the various muppet uses of foglights, they are 100% essential when in THICK fog - if you say they serve no useful purpose, you must never have driven in serious fog - I mean when you can't see the kerbs, the road markings, etc.

David Jenkins - 20/10/12 at 06:53 PM

Living in East Anglia (fog capitol of the world) I wouldn't be without rear fog lights.

There are various sensible solutions to the fog light problem - in an old Toyota of mine, the fogs were switched on with a push button. As soon as the ignition was turned off, the fogs reset to off. Later on I had a Ford Focus - that had a switch tied into the headlights - you couldn't put the fogs on until the headlights were turned on, and once you turned the ordinary lights off the fogs went off as well (same for my daughter's VW Golf). My current Yaris has the fogs on a column switch that is also mechanically linked to the headlight switch - turn off the headlights and the fogs get pushed to off.

So any manufacturer that allows the driver to leave the fogs on needs a clip round its commercial ear...


[Edited on 20/10/12 by David Jenkins]

Ben_Copeland - 20/10/12 at 07:30 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snowy2

Fog lights are the one thing i would ban tomorrow, they serve almost no useful purpose and represent a bigger hazard than the safety they provide.
The highway code says they should ONLY be used when the visibility in FOG (not mist or rain) is less than 100 meters i.e. about 1 or 2 times a year. most drivers seem to think they must go on at the first sign of a misty day and stay on for a week at least. by and large the are as useful as a chocolate fire guard.
However the powers that be seem to think they are a good idea so we are stuck with them, i never use mine.... even in thicker mist.


They serve their purpose as indicators when necessary. That's it, that's what they are for. So should not be banned. Just because people don't use them correctly doesn't mean they shouldn't ever be used or fitted. Whatever the point your trying to make its not what striker was asking.

striker-4age - 20/10/12 at 07:31 PM

going to try my luck at the mot as it has never had one.................and i am never going to be out in the fog


only time will tell

stevegough - 20/10/12 at 07:42 PM

quote:
Originally posted by striker-4age
going to try my luck at the mot as it has never had one.................and i am never going to be out in the fog


only time will tell


Just realised you were asking about MOT, not the IVA test! Never mind, if you ever build one, now you know!


Quick googling, came across this....



15 POINT PRE MOT CHECKLIST

Learn more about looking after your car

1. LIGHTS

Just under twenty percent of MOT failures are caused by a dead bulb. Run through the list below to ensure you’ve checked all your bulbs. If you don’t have anyone to help you check your bulbs, park up close to a wall or garage door. It's worth mentioning that some indicator and brake light bulbs have a colour coating which starts to peel as they get old. As the colour peels off, the bulb shines white and is a test failure, even though the bulb itself is working. Check the colours are correct at the same time as making sure they all work. Check all light fittings are secure and there and no cracks or damage.

Headlights: Main beam and dipped
Sidelights: Front & rear
Indicators: Front, rear & side
Brake lights
Number plate lights (only on the rear plate!)
Reverse lights (not actually part of an MOT but worth checking)
Rear fog light (front fogs not checked)
Hazard lights (check seperately from indicators to make sure circuit works)

emlyno - 20/10/12 at 07:54 PM

If the car is later than 1st April 1980 then rear fog light (s) are a legal requirement.
If 2 are fitted they must be a matched pair.
The location of them in relation to the other rear lights is important.
Hope this helps.

striker-4age - 20/10/12 at 08:02 PM

so if the reg is from the donor car ??? pre 1980 ?

Ben_Copeland - 21/10/12 at 07:03 AM

quote:
Originally posted by striker-4age
so if the reg is from the donor car ??? pre 1980 ?



No kitcar manufactured date. Nothing to do with donor.

stevegough - 21/10/12 at 07:13 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
quote:
Originally posted by striker-4age
so if the reg is from the donor car ??? pre 1980 ?



No kitcar manufactured date. Nothing to do with donor.



Just to clarify Ben's line - my kit was finished in 2011, it was registered with an age - related plate - related to the donor Sierra.
So, its reg is K904AHG but it is classed as new in 2011 - its first MOT will fall due in 2014.

Bet you're really confused now!

On the other hand, the MOT is say, £54. You take it in and it fails because it has no foglight, you fit a fog, you take it back within 10 days I think it is? - there's no retest fee. Problem solved.

loggyboy - 21/10/12 at 07:38 AM

Retests aren't always free usually they are only free if the necessary repairs are done by the garage and thecar doesn't leave the premises.

snowy2 - 21/10/12 at 08:00 AM

quote:

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with your points about the various muppet uses of foglights, they are 100% essential when in THICK fog - if you say they serve no useful purpose, you must never have driven in serious fog - I mean when you can't see the kerbs, the road markings, etc.


I wish i could say that...i drive chemical tankers and do 120,000km's a year at least and often get down into Norwich often and driving in fog is one of the hassles i have to put up with.
My problem is with rear fog lights not fronts... Rear fog lights, even in very thick fog they are a problem....if you are driving in such thick for you cannot see the road, stop and wait for it to clear. if you can see enough to proceed with care how does rear fog lights help? if some one comes up behind you in the fog how does having fog lights help them? if they are driving to the conditions they will see you in plenty of time regardless, if they are not and are driving too fast fog lights dont help them either....they are still idiots. once behind you your fogs will likely be dazzling them and they will be bright enough that missing brakes lights coming on is a possibility.
I understand the law regarding them and the fitting and marking of them, i was just expressing an opinion about them
If we have to accept that they are necessary then it should be a requirement to turn them off when someone is behind you. (they have clearly seen you)

Ben_Copeland - 21/10/12 at 09:08 AM

So if the fog is so bad you can't see and have to stop. What stops people hitting you if you have no foglights? Even parked at the side of the road etc. you'll still be a serious hazard.

I do agree people that use them when they shouldn't should be shot, but they are useful for identifying slower moving vehicles from a distance. You shouldn't be getting close enough to the back of people in thick fog to be dazzled. I drive all over the country in all weather and in different vehicles and I wouldn't be without fog lights even if I only use them couple times a year.

stevegough - 21/10/12 at 09:44 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
So if the fog is so bad you can't see and have to stop. What stops people hitting you if you have no foglights? Even parked at the side of the road etc. you'll still be a serious hazard.

I do agree people that use them when they shouldn't should be shot, but they are useful for identifying slower moving vehicles from a distance. You shouldn't be getting close enough to the back of people in thick fog to be dazzled. I drive all over the country in all weather and in different vehicles and I wouldn't be without fog lights even if I only use them couple times a year.


Well put that man!