43 replies to this topic

[oc1sup]

I've been looking to replace the offside reverse lamp with a fog light as the rear of the car has been de-seamed and will look better without the dangly fog light...

It's not an MOT failure to use this positioning, but the police could enforce the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations if they stop you for some more major offence, you aren't nice to them, and they wanted to make a point.

Just to be pedantic the wording of the 'The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989' is I think ambiguous... it states that 'In the case of a rear fog lamp which does not share a common lamp body with a stop lamp' 'A distance of 100 mm between the light-emitting surfaces of the lamps when viewed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle' is required. This also applies to one in a common housing.

Now the 'light emitting' element in this is the bulb.... not the reflector, that as it says reflects the light it does not emit the light.... the distance between bulbs is over 100mm. However, I'm sure if you argue the point, should you get stopped, you'd loose.

[basher]

i have a mini thirty and am wondering do i have to have a rear fog lamp? what year is it compulsary? reason being the car will be deseamed

[tommy13]

Rear fog lamp is required on vehicles first used after 1st of April 1980

[Dan]

Now the 'light emitting' element in this is the bulb.... not the reflector, that as it says reflects the light it does not emit the light.... the distance between bulbs is over 100mm. However, I'm sure if you argue the point, should you get stopped, you'd loose.

You can't just choose which parts of the law to read and which ones to ignore! Check the definitions page. The light emitting surface of a lamp is the section of the lens that light shines through (as opposed to the sections of the lens that hold it together and so don't light up). The law treats the whole lamp as one unit, it doesn't talk about the reflector, bulb and lens as seperate things. This is also why LED bulbs aren't legal in lamps that have only been tested with filament bulbs. The light emitting surfaces text is only in the section dealing with seperate fog lamps, the section for lamps sharing a common body doesn't say that. You aren't supposed to assume the same applies, the law is always precise and what it says is what it means. It means 100mm between the fog and stop sections of the lamp. In any event the lens for the reverse lamp is still only marked for approval as a reverse lamp, not a fog lamp.

Edited by Dan, 13 March 2009 - 06:50 PM.

[Lukie-J]

How, I want to put mk1 lights on the rear of my Sprite, debumper it, and remove the bent roof.

This will give me no bumper line to hang it beneath, no rear lights to stick it in, and no rear window.

I'd rather not french it into the rear valence either, exhaust will be in the middle, and I want it as symmetrical as possible.

Any ideas, or have I effectively written off every possibility?

Dave

If you want to keep it symmetrical you could have 2 pug ones? or 2 other type.
I have 2 'hanging' ones to make mine look symmetrical

[oc1sup]

Awww, shame.... no arguement, I obviously irritated you.

Still, using a totally clear lens, how about rewiring the body of the light, making the top section the brake light, the centre the indicator and the bottom the fog light? That would make the distance between fog/stop lamps greater than 100mm.... still have the light dispersal problem though, so minor adjustments to the reflector would be required (think it says the angle should be 25degrees for the fog lamp).

I don't think the police are that worried about these small infringements (as indicated by the number of people that seem to have made this change and no-one has chirped up that they have been 'done' for incorrect lighting) unless they have a real reason for stopping you and want to make an example ( or you're not nice to them....).

The police have an awful lot of paperwork to fill in for such a minor infringment and would probably tend to warn rather than issue a summons. But as I said before, I accept it as not the correct lighting setup.

On a slightly different tack - is it only me (or my age/eysight) or does anybody else have a problem seeing the indicator light in the middle of the sidelight/brakelight of the new (I think) VW's? The surrounding light seems to nearly totally mask the flashing indicator light in the middle most of the time at night.

[Uncaged]

Hey, I have debumpered my mini front and back and have been thinking bout what I could possibly do for my rear fog light. The car is a '94 so does need one as a legal requirement. I didn't really want to use one like the original (hanging under the rear valance), so I am trying to find something different. I thought of maybe trying to find a small LED strip to use and setting into the rear valance, or something like that. I would be greatful for any ideas or pics you may have to try and help me come up with something defferent.

Cheers,

Chris

Just wondering if you came up with a solution (and pictures)?
I've got the same problem, de-bumpered & can't find a fog light/bracket that'll fit well.
Cheers,

Martin

[tedmcedd]

my old minus:



Ed

[panelbeaterpeter]

My attempt, 206 fog light.

[Carlos W]

That's really smart!

[panelbeaterpeter]

[tedmcedd]

I know... Im an idiot....

[domdee]

my old minus:



Ed

this is chuffin lovely

Edited by domdee, 20 October 2014 - 11:20 AM.

[tedmcedd]

Wish I still had that car....

 

DVLA check shows I was the last person to MOT it....

 

so its either dead, or a track car or something.... I'd love it back if anyone knows of its whereabouts... It went to Oxford when I sold it...