1. Home
  2. BMW Cars and SUVs
  3. Re: E36 Rear Fog Light or Lights ?

Re: E36 Rear Fog Light or Lights ?

On Mon, 19 Feb 2007 10:39:35 GMT, "RustY©" waffled on about something:

OK, my new (to me) UK spec E36 Saloon has two twin filament bulbs in the >rear clusters, one each side. The 5w filament is a tail lamp on each. The >bright filament (21w) on the left does not appear to do anything but the one >on the right is a rear fog lamp. Also the locating lugs on the bulbs are >non standard. They are at 12/8 o'clock not 12/6 o'clock. So, do I have one >fog lamp not working or if like other kraut crates there is only one wired >in, what is the other twin filament for ? Can I easily get the other side >working ? And are these special BMW bulbs ? > >Also on this car both the handbook and the workshop manual say H7 bulbs for >all four headlights but they are fitted with H1s and it looks doubtful if >H7s will go anywhere near them, so which is correct. I'd appreciate the >answer to any of these questions.

You've got one side not working. The E36 was wired both sides (proper car!).

The bulbs aren't special to BMW, there are several variations on the pin locations, just take the old bulb into the local motor parts shop and they'll pull another one off the shelf for you. IIRC ford sometimes had one where the pins were 12/6 o'clock, but one was further up the base than the other.

As for the headlamp bulbs, too dark to pop out and look... But again the local motor accessory shop should be able to sort you out. The type is stamped onto the base, pup the plastic cover off and get the torch out. :-)

Dodgy.

Reply to
Dodgy
Loading thread data ...

Thanks for that. My mate has the same car with the same problem then as his doesn't work on the left side either. Time to get into the boot and investigate I think.......

Reply to
RustY©

It appears that they are not. Like other krauts the UK spec E36 has only the right hand unit wired up. The plug and socket have the wire / pin missing on the left. Tight Germans !

Reply to
RustY©

This is not NEW! My old E3 3.3LiA 1976 only had the right rear fog lamp wired up so I got a couple of strips of brass shim from the local engineering supplies or model shop and made contacts for the left side - might be easier to buy a LHD rear lamp on eBay?

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

Pardon my ignorance, over here in the Colonies we don't have rear fog lights. Isn't there a scheme to fog lights that tells other drivers that if there is one light, then they should steer clear, and if two lights, then the vehicle ahead is stopping -- or driving with a foot on the brake pedal. In any case, isn't a violation to have to rear facing fog lights? If not, then why wouldn't the car makers wire two of them in the car instead of only one? They apparently install the bulb on the dead side, a wire over there to make it live would not cost anything.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

It's not ignorance on your part. Rear fog lamp is a singular entity. Wiring two rear lamps to the fog circuit may or may not be legal, but for sure it will only serve to confuse followers, and may inspire them to hammer on their high-beams to get the f****it in front of them to get off the brake pedal ;-)

/daytripper '00 s4 6spd - NA model with a proper, single rear fog lamp...

Reply to
daytripper

That's what I was thinking ...

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

"Same as brake lamps," is my point. If one has TWO rear facing fog lamps, then wouldn't that, by definition, look just like a driver that has his foot on the brake pedal?

Can only be used in

We get plenty of fog, we just don't have visionaries that think we need rear facing fog lamps.

Having said that, I saw (about 1.5 years ago) an brand new Audi on a Southern California freeway that had the rear facing fog light(s) illuminated -- my guess is that he had it(them) on in error since it was bright and sunny out. But, other than that single instance, I can't think of ever observing rear facing fog lamps. I understand the benefits, but we don't use them for whatever reason.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

OR, people don't screw around adding a light that isn't supposed to be there. Then you can tell when you come up behind a car with a rear facing fog lamp, not some putz that drives around with his foot on the brake and the lights on.

If two rear facing fog lamps was legal, I'm pretty sure the auto makers would wire them. Since they only wire one, my guess is that only one is legal.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Actually in the UK and Europe the law is "A rear facing RED safety lamp must be fitted to the "offside" (side of the vehicle furthest from the kerb or sidewalk depending on which side of the road you drive on). As many "Euroland" vehicles drive in both LHD and RHD countries (UK - rest of the world excluding India, Australia, Japan etc) it is usual for the manufacturers to wire in both sides as it is now LAW - it wasn't once!

All US cars that come into the UK and Euroland have to be retro fitted with some crap 25W rear facing RED fog lamp. These must be wired into the headlamp circuit and fitted with an indicator to show the drive they are ON.

Just as All US and Euroland vehicles have to have "neutral" or left dipping headlamps - by neutral I mean Vertical dip so as not to blind/distract oncoming drivers. BMW have manual Left /Right dip settings on the headlamp shells annoying but necessary when I go to Euroland. In Euroland one Has to carry a complete set of replacement bulbs and a warning triangle and in France (possibly elsewhere) a full First Aid kit and in France if one sees an accident one MUST stop and help. In Spain one MUST carry a Day-Glo yellow safety vest and wear it when working outside the car on a public road - changing a tyre (tire) etc.

In Europe all vehicles must have Speedos calibrated in both KPH and MPH - some are electronic and are switchable as on the BMW MPG / L per 100KM as can also be calibrated US MPG/Imp MPG.

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

I see them all the time here in the Northeast, mostly on european models, almost always seem to be on without the driver being aware of it.

"Gee, whiz. What does that button do?"

Reply to
Fred W

If anything other than a BMW ---------- Self Destruct!

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

My E36 had two, as does my E46 and E38. Maybe you've got the special economy model.

Reply to
adder1969

The reason for being just one rear fog lamp - on the left side - as far as I know is so it would not be mistaken for braking lights.

Reply to
BBO

I think you may find that all / most cars in Germany only have one. Some VW models have a single reversing light in the same place on the other side. Fog is on the drivers side.

Reply to
RustY©

But a chap called Napoleon had a good idea to tell his troops from the Brits and made the French 'change sides' and march down the right hand side of the road. Other countries such as the yanks who were close allies of the French at the time soon changed too. As well as the UK others who remain on the 'correct side' include Australia, India, etc.

Here is a better site

formatting link

Reply to
RustY©

Thanks - fascinating read. It's quite fun to read about the origins of certain practices that we now take for granted. Another trivia that I found not so long ago is that the size of the solid booster rockets of the space shuttle is determined by the size the wheelbase of a roman chariot...

Reply to
BBO

and here it is:

formatting link

Reply to
BBO

They keep changing sides - don't they?

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

Just goes to show that the Romans decided it wasn't worth travelling to the USA in them days and left the job to educate, rape and pillage foreign lands to us Vikings and the British.

BTW I gave up pillaging as it was too boring!

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.