Astra fog lights

Fred gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Hands up who else knew what was coming at this point...?

...Yup, that was what I was expecting...

Yup.

Did Vauxhall fit the bulb? Or did somebody else do exactly what you just did...?

Some people will claim that it's for "safety", to avoid confusion with brake lights. Since a central third brake light has been compulsory on new cars for over a decade, that's clearly bollocks - especially since many manufacturers have also used only a single when the fog light is nowhere near the brake lights. Other manufacturers pair them without a qualm.

I'm also on the cost angle. Some clusters are assymetric for space reasons - usually on smaller cars. Where there's space, symmetry makes for easier manufacturing - no need for separate clusters for LHD & RHD cars. The loom needs to be different for LHD & RHD anyway, so it's easy to omit a wire from that.

I very much doubt most people either notice or care.

The light units themselves will be straightforward. If there's a connection for the switch, and the wiring already there, then you're laughing. If not, though, it'll be a horrible job. There's probably a dealer kit that contains all you need.

It's very common for the left rear fog to be unconnected in the UK on many cars; it was always the case with Escorts.

Here's a clue why; in Europe, it would usually be the right rear that had no wire to it...

As to the presence of the virginal bulb, perhaps a previous owner had fallen in to the same trap?

Chris

Only 1 rear fog light works. If it is a MK5 "H" model then it's quite easy to wire the other one up. The bulb is there but you need to take a wire from the empty pin on the connector on the passenger side and join it up to the other light on the drivers side. It's a blue wire with two black stripes. So get your ISO connector pin and put it in the plug on the passenger side, then take out some of the plastic trim and locate the wires that go across the boot floor. One of them is blue with two black stripes down it (unless it is a VXR model, in which case it has one black stripe). Join the wire from pin 3 to that wire and both lights will work. You can check the colour and stripe configuration by looking at the pin on the lights on the drivers side. Look at pin 3. On this side it is the 3rd one up - not down as it is a reverse of the passenger side. You can join your wire with a connector block just behind the lights on the drivers side if you don't want to remove any trim. The cable size and current fuse will take both lights no problem. It is silly just to have one working!

I only have limited experience of a few cars but those that have had bulbs on both sides have always had both bulbs illuminate. What's the point designing a symmetrical light cluster if you are not going to sue the bulbs? As I said, I have had cars which had the reverse on one side and the fog on the other; so why don't Vauxhall only connect one reverse light? They've connected both of those, so why not connect both fogs? I appreciate you only need one, but one on either side looks prettier IMHO and doesn't it make you doubly visible or give you cover if one blows?

Its probably a standardisation measure - certain markets may allow only on right, others one on left, others both. Fit enough generic bits to cope with either, with only a small amount of tinkering required on import to comply.

I'd say the reverse, two are dangerous - confusing with brake lights and impede the view of brake lights.

One fog light provides a high visibity marker for the rear of a car hidden by fog - having two is not going to add any distance to the position to which you can see it

Paul gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

ITYF that the "tinkering" required to differentiate between markets that would require the only one to be on the right, and markets that would require the only one to be on the left is a little more indepth than that.

The location of the steering wheel and pedals is normally fixed on the production line, f'rinstance...

The only market that I've ever heard of that required one-and-only-one was (IIRC) Belgium, back in the '70s. Since then, most if not all, EU countries - including the UK - certainly allow a pair.

My '82 and '89 CXs both had 'em paired. My '96 XM had 'em paired. The current '90 Saab has both reflectors and lenses, but only wiring to the RH.

Paul gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Balls.

If it's likely to be an issue, then you shouldn't have them on in the first place. You're meant to turn them off as other traffic closes on you from behind, to prevent dazzling them.

Audi are one side only, I'm fairly certain most VAG cars are.

In message , Paul writes

That may be true, but if you can only see the lights....

Two fog (or rear) lights do enable the computer which is the human brain to more easily estimate the distance to the car in front.

"Duncan Wood" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

There y'go. Penny-pinching.

ssshhh, that info. is a secret that very few people know.

Exactly. So why do you need two? You drive up a road and see a red light ahead , you know there is a vehicle ahead, you slow appropriately.

Having two adds NOTHING to this - you are going to see one or nothing.

Not in fog, which confuses the brain with distances. Only important thing is to not collide with the thing in front with the red light - having two does not make this better - indeed, having two is likely to make the brain thing - 'two normal tail lights a long way off, than two bright lights very close'

Paul gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Why do you need two mirrors, brake lights, tail lights...?

Well you can have only external mirror, Opel Manta springs to mind.

"Duncan Wood" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

One brake light and one tail light used to be permissible, too. So did rear-wheel-only brakes.

Yep. To the point that on some, all you need is a short wire between th clusters. I think very recent ones only need a recode in software to enable the N/S one.

There's a certain argument that a foglight one side makes it easier to differentiate from brakelights. Certainly this was the case before high-level brake lamps. It's probably penny-pinching these days.