Fog Light in Rear of Prius V??

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by NovaStu, Nov 26, 2009.

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  1. NovaStu

    NovaStu New Member

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    As you can see from my sig block, I have a Prius V which includes the fog light option. According to my owner's manual (under section 4.3 - Do-it-yourself maintenance) there is a fuse at position 10 for "FR FOG" and one at 13 for "RR FOG" however I don't see any specific fog light on the rear of my car. Neither do the lights that are there change brightness when I toggle my front fog lights on/off. When my SO toggles the fog lights on his Volvo C70, his left rear outer running light gets noticeably brighter when the front fog lights are on.

    Should I be seeing something similar on my car?

    Also, if there are rear fog lights on a car, is anyone aware of a federal DOT regulation or rule (or any state's DMV rules) that specifies the minimum required brightness or visibility range for such lights??

    Stu
     
    #1 NovaStu, Nov 26, 2009
  2. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    It (rear fog light) comes from the British and perhaps European models. It is illegal in North America. Over there they have a center mounted bright "fog light" in the rear. Some manufacturers may have tried to get the same effect with a brighter tail lamp (which would be legal in North America), but I've never seen a Toyota with one.

    I suspect it's a "Manual ghost", like the automatic headlamps and DRLs, which are in Canadian models and listed in the owners manual in the US, as we both get the same manual.
     
    #2 David Beale, Nov 26, 2009
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It's not a requirement in North America so our models don't have it. I'm not sure what you mean by illegal since there are plenty of European cars that have dedicated rear foglights (not just a tailight with the brake light activated). Jaguar XJ, Audi A4, Volvo S40 just to name a few have separate foglights. Most have one located on the driver's side, but there are some with two. They're very bright and you can definitely tell if one of those cars have the rear foglight on.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Nov 26, 2009
  4. Maineiac

    Maineiac Monkey Wrencher

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    True. U.S. distributed Saabs also have rear fogs. They can come in handy for scaring off tailgaters, among other uses.

     
    #4 Maineiac, Nov 26, 2009
  5. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Didn't know that. Any pics of them?
     
    #5 32kcolors, Nov 26, 2009
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    TSX with Euro Accord rear fog. Note that this is the case of one rear foglight so the other side is the reverse light.

    [​IMG]

    This one has two:
    [​IMG]

    Another example. This one isn't integrated and is typical of the older Japanese models imported into Europe

    [​IMG]

    And here's one of a centre-type. The MINI is another with a centre rear foglight

    [​IMG]
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Nov 27, 2009
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  7. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    The Mazda RX-8 also has a bright centre mounted fog lamp. When we checked to see if we could import the lamp and mount it, we were informed it would be illegal in Alberta. I suspect it's because it has to be disabled when the vehicle is moving. It is just like a brake light, and confusion would reign if it was left on while moving.
     
    #7 David Beale, Nov 27, 2009
  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    :rolleyes: <sigh> Provincial legislations... I swear we need to find people that have actually travelled and been abroad instead of close-minded individuals that sees their province from years of staying there and going nowhere.

    Just like how foglights MUST come on with the low beams. Then what's the freaking point? People will just drive around with them cause they look cool.


    I guess traffic will just come to a crawl cause people don't know how to use roundabouts (I've seen plenty of people who cut the corner to the left instead of going 3/4 around).
     
    #8 Tideland Prius, Nov 27, 2009
  9. chrisj428

    chrisj428 Active Member

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    From your lips to God's ears.
     
    #9 chrisj428, Nov 27, 2009
  10. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    So the rear fog light is red, not white? That's hardly enough illumination for anything, not really any different from having the brake lights on?
     
    #10 32kcolors, Nov 27, 2009
  11. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    It is a single bright red light, about as bright as the brake lights. It concentrates the light into a rearward facing beam to penetrate fog and is easy to see through fog and dust.
     
    #11 patsparks, Nov 27, 2009
  12. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    For it to be "manual ghost," some Prius would have to have the rear fog light, as is the case for auto on headlamps and DRLs. Yet, you've never seen a Toyota with one. Are there any countries whose Prius has it?
     
    #12 32kcolors, Nov 28, 2009
  13. Maineiac

    Maineiac Monkey Wrencher

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    The point of a rear fog light is not to see, but to be seen. In Europe, when you're in fog & see one bright red light ahead, the idea is you're gonna either think somebody's stopped - maybe they've got one brake light out - or they're going way slow because, duh, it's foggy. In either case, the object is to slow down traffic behind you. And guess what, it's pretty effective!


     
    #13 Maineiac, Nov 28, 2009
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  14. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I know it is required in the UK.
     
    #14 patsparks, Nov 28, 2009
  15. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Any UK Prius owners who can provide a photo? I'd love to see it in action on the Gen 3. If confirmed, we should mention it in the little known facts thread.
     
    #15 32kcolors, Nov 28, 2009
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    On the Gen 3, it takes up the space of one of the reverse lights on the driver's side (so in the UK, it would be the right side). It has one rear fog

    It shares the area with the reverse light on the Gen 2. Just imagine the tail light and split it in half left to right (vertically). The outside is now the tail light and the inside is the rear foglight. There are two rear fogs.

    The rear foglight is activated by turning the front foglights on (just like on our cars) and then twisting the foglight ring one more step to activate the rear foglight (it's a spring-type position). It will return to the front foglight on position. IOW, you must have the front fogs to have the rear fogs on.

    Here's a Gen 2 to give you an idea

    [​IMG]

    Here's a Gen 3

    [​IMG]
     
    #16 Tideland Prius, Nov 28, 2009
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  17. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Thanks, Tideland. It looks kind of odd on the Gen 3. Gen 2's looks much more natural.
     
    #17 32kcolors, Nov 28, 2009
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    np!

    Yeah most cars just use the reverse light. A rare few have separate foglight housings
     
    #18 Tideland Prius, Dec 1, 2009
  19. mgb4tim

    mgb4tim Noob

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    towards the end, I notices some Oldsmobile models had a pair of bright red rear lamps
     
    #19 mgb4tim, Dec 1, 2009
  20. hvanwersch

    hvanwersch Junior Member

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    _____________________________________________
    What does it take to install a rear foglight on my Prius V?

    Since I'm planning to take the car to Europe, I will need to have one there anyway in order to pass the inspection.
     
    #20 hvanwersch, Dec 1, 2009
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