Fog Lights On 2006 T3 Prius

[pensonpapers]

Hi

I'm a new member.

I will be buying a 2006 T3 Prius shortly for my wife.

I was surprised to find out that the car does not come with front fog lights.

Why is this?

Aren't all cars supposed to have fog lights.

Can it be fitted as an option later?

Thanks

[cootuk]

Cars only need a rear fog light as standard.

Front fogs were standard on the T4 and T-Spirit...I guess they needed a few things like fog lights and uprated stereo to justify the T3/T4 difference.

afaik the front wiring isn't there on the T3 - it's not just lights, there's also (i believe) an extra relay that cuts the front foglights when you select high beam.

To me, low front fogs are just itching to get smashed by stones...

[Sagitar]

I'm never sure why anyone would want them. The least used item on any car I have ever owned is the fog lights. I have owned several vehicles where the fog lights were never used in the whole life of the vehicle. I have only ever had them when they are fitted as standard and I would never fit them as an aftermarket item.

[pensonpapers]

Thank you very much cootuk and Sagitar for your replies.

I have used front fog lights a couple of times in the last 4 years.

As we have children, I thought it would be good to have fog lights (even though they're probably not legally required) to make you as visible as possible on the road.

The fact that the T3 can't be fitted with front fog lights might make my wife reconsider buying the T3 Prius.

Thank you very much for your help.

Regards

[cootuk]

Don't get me wrong, they can be retrofitted, but it's not just a case of buying two lights and simply plugging them in.

You'll need to splice into the electricals somewhere - and a kit to do it properly with a highbeam relay adds a bit more.

A quick google shows aftermarket kits for £60+ upwards, then it's a case of whether you install it yourself or get an autoelectrician to do it.

I wouldn't walk away from a T3 you like just because of the fog lights.

[kithmo]

I'm never sure why anyone would want them. The least used item on any car I have ever owned is the fog lights. I have owned several vehicles where the fog lights were never used in the whole life of the vehicle. I have only ever had them when they are fitted as standard and I would never fit them as an aftermarket item.

+ 1, modern headlights are just as visible as fogs in fog, when we get any. I think modern tail lights are bright enough too, no rear fogs needed. No offence to your wife OP, but I think the only ones who insist on front fogs are the ones who don't know when to not use them, chavs etc. :D

[cootuk]

looking at the repair manual circuit diagram:

engine relay block for headlights has a 15A front fog fuse (green).

this goes to engine relay block no2 (fog relay).

Relay also connects to left front marker light (brn).

Also yellow to body ecu.

fog lights then connect to relay no2 and earth

[ColinBarber]

I'm never sure why anyone would want them. The least used item on any car I have ever owned is the fog lights. I have owned several vehicles where the fog lights were never used in the whole life of the vehicle. I have only ever had them when they are fitted as standard and I would never fit them as an aftermarket item.

+ 1, modern headlights are just as visible as fogs in fog, when we get any. I think modern tail lights are bright enough too, no rear fogs needed. No offence to your wife OP, but I think the only ones who insist on front fogs are the ones who don't know when to not use them, chavs etc. :D

+2

Legally they should only be used when visibility is reduced to less than 100m and immediately turned off once visibility improves.

Front fog lights are mainly for the drivers benefit, not to make yourself visible to others. in extremely poor visibility (less then 20m) where the light from headlights gets reflected back so you cannot see anything, turning off the headlights and using the low level fog lights greatly improves visibility.

[Sagitar]

Front fog lights are mainly for the drivers benefit, not to make yourself visible to others. in extremely poor visibility (less then 20m) where the light from headlights gets reflected back so you cannot see anything, turning off the headlights and using the low level fog lights greatly improves visibility.

I'm afraid that would be illegal.

The two relevant sections of the Highway Code say the following.

226

You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 236).

[Law RVLR regs 25 & 27]

236

You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.

[Law RVLR regs 25 & 27]

These are both "MUST" requirements and not to obey them breaks the law. So, you can use fog lights with headlights, but not alone and you must switch them off except when visibility is seriously reduced. My personal experience is that circumstances that require fog lights and allow their legal use arise so rarely in my part of the world, that they are not worth having.

[driverandrews]

I'm afraid I must disagree with you on this point Sagitar. Rule 226 does not state that you have to use fog lamps in conjunction with headlamps,

but merely that they can be used when conditions dictate. In fact in conditions of extreme fog headlamps reflect off the fog, effectively blinding

the driver. It is under these conditions that front fog lamps should be used without headlamps.

[Sagitar]

I'm afraid I must disagree with you on this point Sagitar. Rule 226 does not state that you have to use fog lamps in conjunction with headlamps,

but merely that they can be used when conditions dictate. In fact in conditions of extreme fog headlamps reflect off the fog, effectively blinding

the driver. It is under these conditions that front fog lamps should be used without headlamps.

What part of this do you not understand - You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet).

[Sagitar]

Sorry if I was abrupt - I was just about to dash out and had little time. If you had quoted the lighting regulations, I would certainly have agreed with you, since they clearly offer ways in which fog lights can be substituted for headlights in poor visibility. But as the Highway Code is written, the requirement to keep headlights on appears quite unequivocal. It would be interesting to know what sort of answer would be acceptable in a driving test if there was a question about it . . . . .

I wouldn't want this nicety to distract from the key issue however, which is that fog lights may only be used legally in poor visibility. From the number of times that one sees them lit other than in poor visibility it is clear that many motorists do not understand this or choose to ignore it. The OP raised the matter as a question of the visibility of his own vehicle and as others have said, that is not what they are for and using them in that way is to risk a prosecution (a very small risk I would have to say, given the number of people that seem to do it with impunity).

I keep returning to the point that visibility sufficiently poor as to allow the legal use of fog lamps is very rare in my recent experience. My T-Spirit is three years old next month and I have yet to use the fog lamps. The idea that one would reject a car simply because it didn't have fog lamps or the prospect of spending money to fit them retrospectively seems very strange to me.

I can remember creeping along in pea-soupers behind a pair of Hellas with yellow/orange filters, but the advent of smoke abatement and emissions legislation etc has altered that situation dramatically.

[Sagitar]

Duplicate posting - sorry

[ColinBarber]

Front fog lights are mainly for the drivers benefit, not to make yourself visible to others. in extremely poor visibility (less then 20m) where the light from headlights gets reflected back so you cannot see anything, turning off the headlights and using the low level fog lights greatly improves visibility.

I'm afraid that would be illegal.

The two relevant sections of the Highway Code say the following.

226

You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 236).

[Law RVLR regs 25 & 27]

236

You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.

[Law RVLR regs 25 & 27]

These are both "MUST" requirements and not to obey them breaks the law. So, you can use fog lights with headlights, but not alone and you must switch them off except when visibility is seriously reduced. My personal experience is that circumstances that require fog lights and allow their legal use arise so rarely in my part of the world, that they are not worth having.

ok I should have said use the front fog lights instead of main beam :)

I don't recall using my front fog lights in the past 10 years, it just doesn't get that foggy these days so unless somebody prefers the look of the vehicle with fog lights (turned off of course), then not having them isn't an issue at all.

As for retrospectively fitting them it would be difficult. Wiring, relay, switch gear, dashboard indicator would all be missing. Aftermarket ones could be fitted but you end up with a switch that looks out of place inside the vehicle.

[cootuk]

From the owners manual the T4/TSpirit have a different stalk to the T3 as the T3 only has one position for rear fogs, not two positions like the T4/TSpirit for front fogs, then both front and rear.

[pmf]

Hi,

Toyota sell a kit PZ457 GOS13 00. It includes the fog lights and all you need. Toyota installation time is only one hour. I have the manual as I considered buying them for mine and dealer was kind enough to give me copy of the manual and the installation time is specified on it. They seem quite easy to fit. You don't use the stalk as there is a new separate switch for front foglights supplied in the kit alongwith required relay, fuse and additional wiring and connectors etc to connect to your current wiring and even the required parts for the bumper. It doesn't look that difficult but it would certainly take me a fair bit longer than an hour. Depending where you live an hours labour might be worth it if they stick to manual installation times.

The price was around £200 for kit only. I just never got round to it, always had something else to spend money on!!!!! kids!!!

[cootuk]

Sad board when a topic on fog lights becomes one of the most commented threads...lol

[driverandrews]

I certainly agree with Sagitar on his point that fog lamps are largely redundant these days as we don't experience fog like we used too.

I can, however, remember one pea souper many years ago when, not being able to see where the road went, I drove straight through

some cemetery gates (that really was a dead place) so thank goodness for the clean air act as I never want to experience fog like that again.

I never had fog lamps on the car at that time and the headlamps only served to make things a lot lot worse.

[mcdrivingschool]

I've not yet picked my new Toyota up yet should have it end of September. Where I live in North Wales I have needed to at least use the rear fog light a good tip if you can manually adjust the headlamps height from inside the car, is to lower them, this well reduce the glare back from the fog.

Martin