no wiring or socket on the car... need to replace the headlight switch for the euro switch. run a wire from the good terminal of the switch to the coresponding one on the module and from the module to the light (same for front fog but only need a switch with front fog on it(gli gti passat)). For the rear fog you also need a bulb holder and tail light (left) with the fog on it (euro). After that go to dealership and reprogram the car to tell him that he have the rear or front fog on it. Any dealer can do it...
Some European imports are set up for rear fogs, with everything except a lightbulb in the socket and a switch on the dash. My old US-model '94 Saab actually had a working rear fog light. I'm told that some current Audis have working rear fogs.
How are current US model VWs set up? Did older models have the wiring and lamp sockets?
My '88 Rabbit Cabriolet Convertible has back-up lights, but no provision for rear fog lights. What purpose could rear fog lights serve? Just wondering.
People coming up behind you in bad weather can see you farther away and avoid running in to you.
VWs sold in Europe (and maybe elsewhere) have them; I'm just wondering if the lamp socket and wiring is present in US VWs. Even if it's there, the headlight switch would still have to be replaced to make them work.
That makes sense, especially on the high speed German autobahn. I've seen some pretty dense fog in the German mountains, as well as in the Smokies and elsewhere in the USA. In those situations the regular tail lights are often barely visible (or not visible at all) until you are almost upon the car in front of you.
some do...they are permitted (just not required). the 2nd generation oldsmobile aurora (not even sure that was exported to europe) had them standard even on domestic market models.
that part is very true. and they wouldn't even know what a rear fog is or when to use/not use one.
Just a question since you brought up fog lights. Which way are fog lamps to be pointed? Up, down, straight ahead? Left on left, right on right or vice versa? Am referring to forward pointed fog lamps. Nevermind that rear faced type. Heck. What's the skinny on pointing rear face fog lamps?
"Bert Hyman" wrote in message news:Xns986596FAE2F0BVeebleFetzer@127.0.0.1...
It varies depending on the model. No VW came here with working rear fogs but the retrofit process varies depending on what model it is.
On my late Mk2 GTI, the wiring is already in place at the fog switch on the dash for the front fogs and the switch did have the 2nd position for the rear fog but since the car didn't have one (and the North American Mk2 Golfs/GTIs have completely different taillamp clusters from the Euro models), it did nothing. I used Euro spec clusters in back, spliced into the existing wiring (which disappears behind the dash somewhere so I just spliced rather than try to find where it terminated), ran it to the back driver's side, connected it to the Euro cluster, popped in the right bulb, done.
On my Eurovan, I popped in the european headlamp switch first. Then it was pre-wired to the back of the car on the right side w/all the rear of the rear lamp wiring. I just joined in there, ran it out and under the bumper to the left side. Late Eurovans have the foglamp assemblies in the bumper already but they're dummies with no socket or holes. I could have bought the socket and pigtail and a new lamp assembly (supposedly available via US VW dealers) but I just went and drilled out the assembly, bought a generic socket, fitted it, connected it up, popped a bulb in, done.
For the rest of the VWs out there here's what I can tell you...a rear fog has been required in Europe since 1981, so most VWs since then would have had them on their European counterparts.
Mk1 Cabriolet and Rabbit convertible...external lamp under bumper...stock tails were too small to support the addition of a rear fog. Mk1 Scirocco...external lamp under bumper. Mk2 Scirocco, Vanagon, Quantum (Passat/Santana elsewhere)...integrated into taillamp. US clusters have the spot for it but have the layout rearranged...you would have to set it back to the European layout and wire it up. Not sure if the bulb holder board has the wiring tracks for it though. Mk2 Jetta - same as above (juggle the layout around but the spot is there) but 99.9% sure the bulb holder does *not* have the current tracks for it. Mk2 Golf/GTI - have to swap the entire cluster w/a Euro one and locate the wiring (if any). On late production CEII cars (late 1989-1992) with front fogs, it's in the same harness for the front foglamp switch. On non-foglamp cars, probably not pre-wired at all and on pre-early-89 models, these didn't come with front fogs at all from the factory so no hope at all there of finding any pre-wiring. Mk3 Jetta - I believe it's actually pre-wired to behind the left side taillamp in the trunk lid, goes below the backup light, spot in cluster. B3 and B4 Passat - similar location as Mk3 Jetta, suspect it might be pre-wired too as in Mk3 Jetta. Mk3 Golf/GTI - Nope. VW played around again w/Golf/GTI clusters on these and the NA ones are NA specific. No prewiring. However you can get 'close enough' with your existing clusters and bulb board by swapping a few things around and by buying the right bulbs. A3 Cabriolet - same as Mk3 Golf/GTI. B5 Passat, Mk4 jetta, Mk4 golf - Clusters I believe handle them OK as can the bulb holders. Just need to get the wiring back there and a switch. B5.5 Passat - need new bulb trays and wiring (but clusters should work) and switch. VW messed with this one big time on dual-vs.single filament bulbs, etc. so that's why new bulb trays are needed. Mk5 GTI, Rabbit, Jetta, Passat PQ34 (aka B6) - Euro clusters are waaay different, need to swap them, and also re-code the CAN-BUS control of the lamps and get a Euro switch. T4 Eurovan - late models are pre-wired to the back, need socket and bulb and switch. early models I suspect are pre-wired as well in a similar manner, so need socket, bulb, switch, but also need the lamp assembly and need to cut hole in bumper cover corner for the lamp.
About the only consistency so far that i know of is that VW uses a gray wire w/white stripe for the rear fog 12V power. Haven't found an exception to that yet so if you see that wire, it might be part of what little bit is pre-wired.
The beams are usually very wide and very flat/horizontal that left-right aim is of little significance (unless they're horribly off). Up-down is more important. that said they should point straight ahead but slightly downward (kinda like low beam headlamps). never should point higher than the horizon.
Go find an empty parking lot with a lot of level ground and a wall. Point car at wall, turn on front fogs. Now back up. As you back up the fog beams should slowly get lower and lower. If they don't (or get higher) you are pointing them level or upwards. That's an easy, although imprecise, way...but it at least tells you if they're pointed too high. Doesn't quite tell you if they're too low.
But there are instructions here (bottom of this page):
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Isn't any. Front fogs are for you to see the road (so aim is important) but rear fogs are for others to see you (aim not important (well, for the most part)).
If you have a VW with backup lights, it would be a simple mod to incorporate a switch and a little wire to achieve the added capability of using those lights also as rear-facing foglights.
Except that rear fog lights aren't white. A "rear fog light" is simply a very bright red light that's normally built into the tailight. It simply provides added visibility to the vehicles approaching from the rear in dense fog situations. The light is located on only the driver's side in the US and on both sides in Europe.
Now, wait a second. You mean that rear fog lights are to allow the driver of the car with rear fog lights to be able to see cars approaching from behind? Huh?
No, that's obviously not true. Where do you get this stuff, anyway?
If only they had rear fog lights, they'd all be looking behind them? Huh?
You don't get out into the real world much, do you?
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