12 replies to this topic

[Carlo998]

Hi all,

 

I was just wondering if i removed my rear fog light, would my car fail its MOT? I really dislike the look of it, although it is a safety issue not to have one.

 

Also, if I fitted a higher amp alternator, would it affect standard electronics? i am fitting to support my sound system and other electronic accessories.

 

Thanks, Carlo

[Archa]

Pretty sure if it is fitted with a rear fog as standard it has to have one, I wired one of my reverse lamps up to the fog switch and just put a red bulb in it! keeps it tidy and legal!

[rally1380]

Fog lights are required by law on certain age of cars so depends how old yours is?

 

Uprated alternator is fine as long as you uprate the wiring that goes from the alternator to the starter solenoid to cater for the higher output.

[alex-95]

Fog light : This inspection applies to the one rear fog lamp which is required to be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980.

 

Pretty sure if it is fitted with a rear fog as standard it has to have one, I wired one of my reverse lamps up to the fog switch and just put a red bulb in it! keeps it tidy and legal!

I thought the fog had to be so far away from the brake light?

[Archa]

Fog light : This inspection applies to the one rear fog lamp which is required to be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980.

 

Pretty sure if it is fitted with a rear fog as standard it has to have one, I wired one of my reverse lamps up to the fog switch and just put a red bulb in it! keeps it tidy and legal!

I thought the fog had to be so far away from the brake light?

 

I have heard this yeah and was a little skeptical, but mine and several other of my friends mini's have passed Mot's without any problems with this set up, and we all go to different mot stations over Essex, it might be one of them things certain people will fail and others will pass? Never heard of anyone fail because of this though!

[lewBlew]

Fog light : This inspection applies to the one rear fog lamp which is required to be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980.

 

Pretty sure if it is fitted with a rear fog as standard it has to have one, I wired one of my reverse lamps up to the fog switch and just put a red bulb in it! keeps it tidy and legal!

I thought the fog had to be so far away from the brake light?

 

No I seem to remember the fog lamps on my old Capri were built in with the other lights, not separate at all. So this should be ok in any car.

[Ethel]

A pass doesn't make it legal, not all testers apply the regulations with equal vigor. The regulations require you to have a rear fog if original eqpt & that was from April 1980. It also needs to be a specified distance from your brake light, Mini rear clusters aren't big enough for that. You could put a light in the bottom of your rear screen and use it as a fog & high level brake light. Note there also needs to be a telltale to remind the driver it's turned on.

[Dan]

  The MOT has much looser requirements for the fog lamp than the lighting regulations.  The lighting regulations are still law even though the MOT doesn't check for them.  A VOSA inspection or a roadside Police vehicle inspection may find the vehicle is illegal even though the MOT was passed.  Defect notices and possible fines would then be issued.  There must be a separation of 100mm between the fog and stop lenses, even if they are in the same light cluster.  It's not part of the MOT to check for this currently.

[AVV IT]

According to vehicle lighting regs, a brake lamp legally needs to be 100mm away from a stop lamp, which it cannot be if it is mounted in the classic mini tail light cluster. As mentioned above, even if it manages to go through an MOT without one? that doesn't make it legal. You could still be prosecuted for driving a car that us not in accordance with vehicle lighting regs, if an eagle eyed plod was to notice.

Also if you were to remove it and happened to be struck from behind in the fog or during seriously reduced visibility you may invalidate your insurance unless you had advised your insurer of the modification before hand. (and its quite unlikely that any insurer would actually accept the removal of a rear fog lamp as a modification, because generally they don't tend to be too keen on illegal mods!)

If you really don't like the style of the standard rear fog lamp, then it would be better to cut a hole in the rear valance and fit a surface mounted version instead (as many classic mini owners do)

[MrBounce]

Mk 1 Fiesta fogs look almost factory on the rear valance.

 

[Carlo998]

Thanks for the help guys, i will be replacing one of the reverse lights with a fog light instead, will look a lot tidier! 

[Bungle]

you know that's not legal don't you ?

[AVV IT]

Thanks for the help guys, i will be replacing one of the reverse lights with a fog light instead, will look a lot tidier! 

 

Erm.... have we not already gone to great lengths to point out exactly how and why that is illegal? 

 

Legalities aside, the other issue is that just because you put a red bulb in a reverse lamp and put a switch on it, it does not suddenly become a fog lamp. A fog lamp has a mirrored lens behind it in order to make it brighter than the surrounding tail and brake lamps. Putting a red bulb in a reverse lamp, just creates an additional tail lamp that can be turned on and off independently. 

Edited by AVV IT, 22 May 2013 - 07:15 PM.