52 replies to this topic

[Dec1]

Don't really want to put an ugly black or chromed body red lensed fog lght on, anyone got any better suggestions?

[Dec1]

Does it have to be on the off side can it be central in the back window ?

[AVV IT]

Have a look through here:

http://www.theminifo..._hl__+rear +fog

[Black.Ghost]

What lights do you have already? If you have a reverse light cluster one, and have a reverse light each side - you can simply rewire it, change the bulb and that works.

[Allrounder]

Depends on your style but what I use is a mk2 fiesta fog light. Look better imop as its not hanging in the air but bolted to the rear valance.

[Dec1]

Can't remember without looking if it has one or two reverse lights in the cluster, like your thinking though

[AVV IT]

What lights do you have already? If you have a reverse light cluster one, and have a reverse light each side - you can simply rewire it, change the bulb and that works.

This has been covered here many times, it's a very common mod but it isn't actually legal or particularly safe. Under construction & use regs, a rear fog lamp has to be at least 100mm away from any brake light, and therefore converting the reverse lamp in the Mk IV tail light cluster isn't legal as it is within 100mm of the brake lamp. Also a rear fog lamp requires a mirrored less behind it to make it brighter than a standard lamp, therefore simply placing a red bulb in or a red lens in front of the reverse lamp is not sufficient.

Also bare in mind that you actually need to declare any such modification to your insurer, otherwise your policy could be invalidated in the event of a claim, and insurers don't tend to be too keen on insuring illegal modifications to safety lamps.

[Dec1]

What lights do you have already? If you have a reverse light cluster one, and have a reverse light each side - you can simply rewire it, change the bulb and that works.

This has been covered here many times, it's a very common mod but it isn't actually legal or particularly safe. Under construction & use regs, a rear fog lamp has to be at least 100mm away from any brake light, and therefore converting the reverse lamp in the Mk IV tail light cluster isn't legal as it is within 100mm of the brake lamp. Also a rear fog lamp requires a mirrored less behind it to make it brighter than a standard lamp, therefore simply placing a red bulb in or a red lens in front of the reverse lamp is not sufficient.

Also bare in mind that you actually need to declare any such modification to your insurer, otherwise your policy could be invalidated in the event of a claim, and insurers don't tend to be too keen on insuring illegal modifications to safety lamps.

Thanks for the advice, rules and regualtions have never been my strong point though, don't know what its is with me but I do tend to bend them a little LOL

[Black.Ghost]

What lights do you have already? If you have a reverse light cluster one, and have a reverse light each side - you can simply rewire it, change the bulb and that works.

This has been covered here many times, it's a very common mod but it isn't actually legal or particularly safe. Under construction & use regs, a rear fog lamp has to be at least 100mm away from any brake light, and therefore converting the reverse lamp in the Mk IV tail light cluster isn't legal as it is within 100mm of the brake lamp. Also a rear fog lamp requires a mirrored less behind it to make it brighter than a standard lamp, therefore simply placing a red bulb in or a red lens in front of the reverse lamp is not sufficient.

Also bare in mind that you actually need to declare any such modification to your insurer, otherwise your policy could be invalidated in the event of a claim, and insurers don't tend to be too keen on insuring illegal modifications to safety lamps.

Does it definitely have to be mirrored, as I am pretty sure I just bought a brighter bulb. As for the insurance bit, I didn't even think about that. It's so minor it didn't even register as a mod in my head, but I see your point. The question of 100mm from brake light, I thought that would only be a drama if you had a fog light on both sides? I swear my mini went through an MOT like that just before I took it to Germany. I might be wrong though.

I know when it gets rebuilt, it will be going back to standard look anyway.

[duffman]

i swapped mine for a clear reverse lamp and used all the internals from the old lamp + i changed the bulb for an ultra bright red LED bulb, which aren't cheap. ended up costing 10 for the lamp and 15 for the ultra bright led bulb. looks alot better though than a red one.

[eden7842]

Mot then off with it

[mike.]

I do the same as above, put it on for the MOT then take it off afterwards, put a grommet in the hole and tape the wires up.

Obviously not legal, but depends how bothered you are about that to be honest.

[Big Sam]

Peugeot 206 fog light in rear valance.

[AVV IT]

I believe that it has to be significantly brighter than the stop/brake lamps, but I suppose you'd have to check the construction and use regs as to how bright and how that brightness needs to be achieved. It's not specifically mentioned in the vehicle lighting regs though, from what I can make out. http://www.legislati...chedule/11/made

A reverse lamp conversion is actualy fairly unlikely to be picked up at an MOT, because the MOT doesn't realy test if lamps conform to regs, more that the they are present and working correctly. Which is probably why so many people get away with doing the reverse lamp conversion.

The insurance issue is debatable, there is no actual legal obligation for you to use rear fog lamps in fog, just that you switch them off when visibility improves. That said if you are involved in a collision in fog and you were either not using your lamps, or they were not legal/ not working, an insurer could well deem that you contributed to the accident and either reduce the payout or not pay out at all.

Declaring modifications to your insurer is so regularly over looked here though. It seems mad to me that people are forever going on about how insurers will do anything to get out of paying out on a claim, but then play straight into their hands by failing to insure their mods. At the end of the day you need to disclose all material facts, so any modification from standard spec needs to be declared no matter how minor it seems. I've just changed insurers again and in order to declare every modification on both my minis it took six pages of A4 paper! Other common classic mini mods that people over look inlude fitting mk2/3 lamps to mk IV cars (thereby loosing their reversing lamps) and fitting non reflective black & silver plates to post 72 cars. Both of which are a modifications to the standard spec visibility of the vehicle and therefore must be declared.

[eden7842]

Reverse lights arnt a mot requirement at all