Cleybrooke Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Are these the worst feature of the car? First time in the fog with my GTi so I duly went for the fog lights. To my shock and horror to turn the fogs on it appears you actually have to turn your lights off first OK it there is a two second pause before the side lights a are switched on as you travel to the manual to pull the button out – but it is so easy to leave yourself driving with no lights just when you need them most! You don’t get a front fogs light on the dash either. Very scary the first time – so my top tip is that if looks gloomy (like this morning) switch your headlights to manual before you set of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 I think you have something wrong....You should be able to switch your front fogs on by simply pulling the dial-switch out towards you one click/notch to the first stop. You do not have to switch the headlights off first but I think you have to not be on full-beam (I have Xenons). Two stops puts on the rear fog which is dazzlingly bright and should only be used while in fog itself. There is a lot of debate about the use of front fogs....I started this topic: When to use fogs in the General Cars forum. Unexpectedly, due to some very vehemently pronouncing that the use of front fogs other than in dense fog is chavvy, Common Sense has led the poll throughout. On the Mk5 GTI the foglights were revised for spec 06 to being what VW call "non-reflective" and I ask if anyone here knows more about those. Are they as their name suggests, less dazzling? The fronts certainly don't look at all dazzling to me yet they are very effective (we have lots of sea mist and fog on the coastal Dorset hills). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliJay Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 "non-reflective" because they don't give out that much light. I tried mine last night in quite thick fog and they were as much use a Chocolate Teapot, I had to put the headlights back on just to see what I was going to run into................ As you say good for chavs & maybe the odd Rep........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 [ QUOTE ] You don’t get a front fogs light on the dash either. [/ QUOTE ] ....I think that this is because you don't need an in-your-face warning as you do with the rear dazzling red fog light on the GTI. The latest "non-reflective" front fogs are excellent for being seen but without dazzling others. I have found them very good for seeing the road surface ahead under the main body of fog. We get a lot of fog and sea mist here on the hills on the south coast. If you can't see well enough ahead it's time to slow down imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixit Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I had to put the headlights back on just to see what I was going to run into................ [/ QUOTE ] Wooah ! did I get that straight? Put my headlights ON! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainy Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I think you have something wrong....You should be able to switch your front fogs on by simply pulling the dial-switch out towards you one click/notch to the first stop. You do not have to switch the headlights off first but I think you have to not be on full-beam (I have Xenons). Two stops puts on the rear fog which is dazzlingly bright and should only be used while in fog itself. [/ QUOTE ] Sorry Red but you are wrong I've just tried this myself and you cannot turn your fogs on when the light switch is in the auto position I do not have the xenons on my car but surely the lightswitch is the same. I'm sure VW would call this a "characteristic" rather than a design fault It is a little worrying nontheless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoSheds Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 [ QUOTE ] .......On the Mk5 GTI the foglights were revised for spec 06 to being what VW call "non-reflective" and I ask if anyone here knows more about those. Are they as their name suggests, less dazzling? The fronts certainly don't look at all dazzling to me yet they are very effective (we have lots of sea mist and fog on the coastal Dorset hills). [/ QUOTE ] Red are you sure they are called 'non-reflective' as I noticed they changed the spec from 'Projector' fog lights to 'Reflector' fog lights on the 06 model change, which I assumed was a cost saving exercise! A google search shows 'projector foglights' use Ion crystal technology which provides white light approaching the brightness & intensity of HIDS at a fraction of the cost... I wonder how those with Model year 05 find them ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucjtckc Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 I've got 05 model and used them once just check that they were working. I've got xenons though so to be honest the fogs didn't really add that much to the light output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentandy Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 If you've got xenons the fogs are pretty pointless, even in gof IMO. I've switched mine on once but they didn't seem to add any perceptable difference other than lighting up the verges to the side of the car. And if you are looking there you are looking in the wrong direction! As for the switch itself, yes you have to move across from auto lights to manual on switch before you can switch them on, but simply flicking the switch across doesn't make the headlights momentarily switch off like James encountered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 I missed reading that James was reporting his problem when in the automatic lighting mode. Sorry about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleybrooke Posted December 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 When you pull the the switch out to switch the fogs on it moves the switch around to manual mode - passing through the side lights option. As Andy pionts out if you pass through this option quickly then they do not switch onto side lights - side lights come on after a pause of about a second. What happened last night is that I went to pull the switch - this rotated around but not far enough. With out realising it (on a very dark a foggy night) It all went very very dark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMB Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Front foglights are really designed to light the corner of the road only, they are not designed to project down the road enough to allow normal driving on them alone. Anyone who says they need them for day to day use is almost certainly a driving hazzard as you shoul dbe looking much further ahead. Turning on headlights is bound to give u much better visibility. Fog lights are designed for very thick fog not light mist, where the fog would reflect normal or even xenon lights. Fog lights help when visibility can be measured in 10-20 yards. As for having them on with the auto setting, it no surprise that they can't be put on , otherwise you would be able to leave them on all the time, which is illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 TwoSheds, you're right - I was unsure what they were called but knew they had been revised. Steve - I've had so much discussion, and argument, with people in the General forum about fogs that I feel I have exhausted my contribution to the subject for now. Whether illegal or not, I have had the recent experience (this exact time last Friday) in extreme torrential rain, of finding the side illumination you mention to be extremely useful while overtaking artics through a wall of spray at night. If you think me wrong, please let's just agree to disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMB Posted December 10, 2005 Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 Red, i think we do agree, they are for periods of heavily reduced visibility, either fog , smoke or VERY heavy rain. They were doing exactly what they are meant to do, so your use is hardly illegal. However cruising in good visibility or light rain with fog lights on is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrowdedHouse Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Sorry to drag this one up from the depths but the same thing happened to me last night on a dark country road when I hit fog.The stealer had pointed out to me that I couldn't use fogs in the auto position but i wasn't prepared for the as good as total darkness either as I switched through side to main. Is it just me or does there seem to be a bit of a lag before the lights come on(ordinary lights) ? Something strikes me as not quite right about this auto light operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 I think it's the 'dance' that the lights do when you first switch them on, or in auto-mode, they become switched on. Any lag is hardly noticeable imo. Mine are Xenons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kabskabs Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 From the best of my knowledge the auto light function was specifically designed for tunnels rather than night driving?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 So you have an automatic lights function that you're not supposed to use when it's dark. Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Whatever the auto lights function was designed for it naturally works for dimming light conditions regardless of the circumstances - of course!! Having lit itself for evening darkness it's sensible to then switch to manual lights-on. Through learning from TSN when not to use my fogs I've also learnt to use the auto lighting feature and it's excellent imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleybrooke Posted January 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Thanks Crowded house - I though it was just me. The significant point is this. If two intelligent blokes can make a similar discovery at very iffy time them something is wrong with the desighn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 I'm afraid I disagree with you and don't have any problem whatsoever with how the whole lights operation works. Mind you, as a wild teenager in the 1960s we would drive at night on just side lights and suddenly blast someone with full illumination before overtaking them. Stopped doing that after scaring someone so much that they drove off into a field - To this day I don't know what happened to them except that they didn't roll or hit anything. That was in an Austin 16 with big Healey engine shoved in which had crap lights anyway....crazy and we'd quite rightly be locked up for such behaviour nowadays. But it was good training for any moments of darkness. I digress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleybrooke Posted January 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 How can you disagree? If two people have had the same issue and been plunged into darkness then it must be a desighn fault. Or to put it anouther way - lights should be idiot proof. There not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_d Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 I won't have that problem as I don't tend to use fog lights, imho they're a waste of space and cause far more problems than they solve. I've yet to go out in fog that's thick enough to warrant brighter lights and the morons who tend to drive around with them on 24/7 just serve to blind other road users p.s. I'm not having a go at anyone on here Edit: I've used my rear fogs once and that was on the 'ring during very heavy fog But then the 'ring is different as you don't expect a 911 to come up behind doing 100mph in heavy fog on the A1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalex Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Needlessly using front fog lights is a pet hate of mine. I tend to think people that do so are either: a) Too stupid to realise they've left them on or b) Too inconsiderate to switch them off, and leave them on for no other reason than to look "cool". No, you don't look cool, you look like a tosser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] How can you disagree? If two people have had the same issue and been plunged into darkness then it must be a desighn fault. Or to put it anouther way - lights should be idiot proof. There not. [/ QUOTE ] ....I would like to be sure I understand more precisely what you are saying: I assume that you are complaining that when you are driving in the dark in auto lighting mode, you are momentarily (split seconds only) "plunged into darkness" while you switch to fogs?? If so, the "design fault" is surely down to you not manually switching to normal lights-on as soon as it's got dark. Have I misunderstood you? Btw, why can't some of you people learn how to spell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now