Mazda Rotary Club

General => General Technical => I. C. E. & Electrical => Topic started by: quartermain on July 20, 2005, 01:10:06 PM

Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: quartermain on July 20, 2005, 01:10:06 PM
My rear foglight is a conversion of the right-hand reverse light, which I don\'t really like and on which the paint is flaking off so it\'s showing white and won\'t pass the next MOT unless I repaint it.

I\'d rather revert this back to a reverse light and fit a central foglight on the plastic panel below the rear bumper, in the centre. There already appears to be a small hole there in more or less the right place.

Would that be legal? It\'s quite low. And how small can you go and still pass the MOT - I\'m thinking maybe of a LED light about 3" by 1 1/2" or so.
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: ds2000 on July 20, 2005, 01:17:24 PM
IIRC Foglights have to be on the right hand (drivers) side of the car to be MOT legal, if it were in the middle then it could fail.

(this is from memory so might be incorrect)
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: allstaruk on July 20, 2005, 02:40:38 PM
My foglights are built into the rear light cluster.
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Rotorboy65 on July 20, 2005, 02:52:42 PM
The rear foglight can be placed in the middle which is exceptible for your mot. The wifes Honda has the foglight in the middle at the bottom of the bumper. This is factory fitted from Honda, her car passed an mot just last Friday. There are alot of other marques out there with a similar setup as standard. HTH cheers Leigh.
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: munkay on July 21, 2005, 01:57:37 PM
as long as it works and displays at least one bright red light  it should be fine for MOT

if you have one on the left you must have one to match on the right side....
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: scooby_si on July 21, 2005, 10:47:39 PM
i have one of these (http://www.motormania.co.uk/product_details.asp?intDescID=86) fitted in Middle althou i believe it should/has to be off centre for MOT.....
Si
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: munkay on July 22, 2005, 08:59:37 AM
pug 206 have central foglights and have no problems with MOT
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: the lemster on July 22, 2005, 11:42:07 AM
I believe the RX-8 has a centre mounted fog light....

there is a similar thread going on at the moment in general technical where I am p[osting some pics of my install in the bumper on the drivers side... looks almost factory fitted...
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Mark C on July 22, 2005, 05:03:26 PM
My high level (if it can be called that) brakelight has been converted to be the fog lamp.
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Tintin on August 26, 2005, 07:22:45 PM
my fog light is the same as si\'s , will let you know if I have any probs as my MOTs due soon
Title: Fog lamp
Post by: lee1boy on August 27, 2005, 03:08:21 PM
What do you think to this modification for your fog lamps , it took me an Hour.
Lee
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: MattR on September 10, 2005, 09:08:27 PM
I use a small fog lamp..think its one by RING... fits neatly into the bottom of the rear bumper in that plastic valance... and wire it into the switch compartment by gear lever...
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Mave on September 11, 2005, 01:41:05 PM
Quote from: lee1boyWhat do you think to this modification for your fog lamps , it took me an Hour.
Lee
It looks like you are using the centre switch to turn the light on? IIRC, for MoT there need to be a warning light to tell you that the rear fog is switched on :( I\'v got a non-Mazda switch on mine, I\'m still considering doing what you\'ve done, but modifying the switch to include an LED.
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: lee1boy on September 11, 2005, 04:51:00 PM
The light switch is lighted when switched on.
Lee
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Lesmon on September 11, 2005, 08:48:23 PM
Quote from: lee1boyWhat do you think to this modification for your fog lamps , it took me an Hour.
Lee

Looks good to me. Care to share how you did it - especially a) the dimensions of that fog light (I remember looking last year for one small enough to fit behind the reflector and could not find one) and b) how you got the light to shine through the back plastic of the reflector?

Looking at the pics, looks as though you cut a 1 inch sq hole in the plastic behind the reflector for the light to get through - is this correct?
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: lee1boy on September 12, 2005, 09:44:20 AM
I used the back part and the guts of the caravan light as per pic £5.49. drilled one 12mm hole in the back, I then removed the reverse light. I then wired a single  swithed live feed from the new switch in the center concol. which is feed from the front fog lamp switch, relay for the fogs can take another light so no problem there. I then removed the large nut behind the reverse light. leaving a long stud to bolt the cararvan back part and at the same time pick up the Neg/earth for the light.
Pass the light  through the the reverase light aperture which is tight!!!
Bolt light in ensuring good neg/earth connection, test light via new switch.
I then scored out a two/three inch by one inch square in the back plate with a stanley knife, be care full with the knife guys, just keep on scoring and it will finally come, this was the hardest part of the job.
Lee.
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Jono FD3 on September 28, 2005, 04:25:38 PM
Lee1boy, Must say that your job looks alot neater than the usual hanging floodlights the importers fit!!

Nice job

Jono
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: fduknow on October 17, 2005, 09:40:42 PM
You could rip a reflector to bits (looks good though, neat job if you can do it that well) or what I did.
Drop wiring in from the dash for a fog light or use whats there.  snip your offside reversing light wires and splice the fog wiring in instead.  Stick a hyperbright red l.e.d. array bulb replacement in from ebay.
Daytime it looks stock, but nighttime/fog PRESTO it your stealth fog light.
Title: Bump
Post by: fduknow on October 21, 2005, 06:58:10 PM
I demand some positive feedback!
What can I say - I\'m an attention junkie - didn\'t the RX give it away?! :evillaugh
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Mave on October 21, 2005, 07:45:48 PM
Yep, I did something similar, red lens in the offside reversing light position :)
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: RobbieRX-7 on October 21, 2005, 09:14:45 PM
both ideas are ace inventions i must say lads..Trouble is that i need both reverse lamps cus it is dark where i live and the reverse lamps help out. i just made a z shaped bracket and attached one end to the fueltank bolt, then attached the other end to the foglamp. When mot times comes, i fit the foglamp to get it passed, then remove it till next year for mot time again :evillaugh

I think il get fed up keep refitting and removing every year so looks like either converting the center brake light or buying an add on led brake light to use as a fog lamp.
Title: fog lamp
Post by: lee1boy on October 21, 2005, 10:34:12 PM
My application does not effect the reverse light.
Lee
Title: Rear foglight recommendations?
Post by: Initial-D on October 22, 2005, 07:24:14 PM
Lee1boy, on the underside of the foglight switch what are the connections for +/- in and +/- out, don\'t want to break anything! I have removed the front fogs so the switch is now unused. I want to take the feed and run it to the back as in your application for the rear fog.
Title: +/-
Post by: lee1boy on October 23, 2005, 07:46:13 PM
Give me a couple of days and i\'ll check for you.
Lee