Astra fog lights

Fred · 2010-01-05T23:09:45+00:00

Hi,I watched SWMBO drive off into the fog the other day and I noticedthat only one fog light was working.The handbook is pretty useless; it doesn't appear to list what bulbsthe car uses, or have I missed that page? Fortunately Haynes told methat it was a standard 21w bulb.I removed the light cluster and thought it strange that the bulblooked immaculate. I tested the bulb (out of the car) and it worked. Iswapped the bulb with the reverse light and it worked in the reverseposition but the working "reverse" bulb in the fog position did notwork.I thought it might be the contacts but I tested them with a multimeterand they were all conducting.So the only other possibility was the wire to the connector. I lookedat the plug and I found that only five out of the six terminals had awire going to them; the fog light is not connected!I realise that some cars only have one reverse light and one fog lightbut on this Astra the lights are symmetrical: with one reverse and onefog light on either side. It's as though Vauxhall have wired thelights for the asymmetrical one fog light only style of car.I am very puzzled about this (and very angry having wasted an houroutside in the freezing cold!). Presumably the only reason for onlywiring the fog light on one side is cost. But if this is the case, whywaste money fitting a bulb into a socket that is never connected? Whynot save more money by omitting the bulb? Why stop there? If they wantthat asymmetric look, why don't they only connect one reverse lighttoo; both of those are connected!?Why doesn't the manual mention that only one of the lights is wired?How many other people must waste theirs or Vauxhall's time on this?BTW whilst looking through the handbook and Haynes BOL, I wonderedwhether a fuse might be blown but I could not see any fuse labeled asrear fog lights. Which fuse is it?On a slightly different note, this is the model without front foglights. How easy is it to retrofit these?TIA

Astra fog lights

Jan 05, 2010 45 Replies

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Gordon H 16 years ago

In message , Adrian writes

I don't take the MOT tester with me when it's really foggy, and he couldn't reach the switch from the passenger seat, anyway.

8-)

I rarely encounter visibility of less than 100 metres.

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Mrcheerful 16 years ago

even then it is rare to need the fog light on, the only time it is actually needed is in terrible visibility AND there is nothing in sight behind you. As soon as something moves up and follows you the light should be turned off.

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A.Clews 16 years ago

Thus spake Mrcheerful ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.co.uk) unto the assembled multitudes:

And yet so many people insist in using them at the first sign of mist on the horizon or a bit of drizzle in the air. :-(

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Gordon H 16 years ago

I find the worst conditions are heavy spray on water-laden motorways. That can be worse than mist.

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Gordon H 16 years ago

In message , snipped-for-privacy@DENTURESsussex.ac.uk writes

Or forget to switch them off.

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Fred 16 years ago

But not a lot of people know that ;)

It doesn't bother me that often though, I don't find many rear fog lamps particularly dazzling, I much more grumpy about headlights on full beam or misaligned dipped headlights shining towards me.

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