Rear fog light non-functioning

[Sussexlad]

Hi

I noticed that the nearside rear fog-light isn't working. Having bought a bulb and removed the plastic lining,

I discover it isn't wired up ! What's the point or was my particular Yaris a Friday afternoon model ?    ;-)

TIA

[FROSTYBALLS]

The legal requirement for rear fog light fitment is to have one on the offside of the car.

Where only one rear fog light is fitted, some manufacturers fit the reversing light in the nearside light cluster opposite where the rear fog light is, and some manufacturers fit blanks or don't wire the socket.

Some manufacturers fit two rear fog lights.

[Sussexlad]

Ok thanks. It just seems a bit penny-pinching to fit the casing and then not spend the extra on a bit of cable across the rear of the car.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota aren't alone in doing this.

Whatever it costs to wire the nearside fog light multiplied by the number of European Yaris sales in a year, adds up to a bit. For example between 2012 and 2015, 125,147 Yaris were sold in the UK.

[bathtub tom]

IIRC an employee of a Japanese manufacturer suggested the sumps were filled halfway between the max and min marks on the dipstick, saving a little oil on millions of cars.

He was awarded an enormous sum for the savings made.

[alan333]

Personally I think one fog light is safer than two.  When approaching/following a car with twin fogs it's more difficult to tell when they press the brakes, where with one fog it's much more blatant.

[Heidfirst]

& half as annoying when they leave them on when there is no fog ... :P

[FROSTYBALLS]

Some drivers don't have the foggiest about when to use fog lights, whether front or rear ....

[MEP's Yaris GS]

On 1/28/2016 at 3:45 PM, Sussexlad said:

Ok thanks. It just seems a bit penny-pinching to fit the casing and then not spend the extra on a bit of cable across the rear of the car.

Make 3 million cars, save £2 on each one with this penny pinching and blow me, they've saved £6million!

Not really penny pinching now.....

[Sussexlad]

I'd rather they did away with all the technical garbage, like lights to tell me when to change gear, put my seat belt on, close the door, lights in the foot-well. I'd prefer the simple buzzer I fitted on my previous car for £14, rather than the reversing camera.  Having another nice bright light on the back when it's foggy though......

[Dwoos]

I'm glad I read this.  I noticed my rear near-sided fog light was not on. There was nothing in the handbook to tell me how to change it.

Thank you for pointing out that it doesn't exist, only the red lens!!!!

[lani100]

They only have one, the other one is used for LHD cars 🙂 

[Mick F]

I cannot remember EVER using front foglights, and there's only been a handful of occasions in my driving history that I've used the rear one(s).

I remember very well indeed being in Wigan in the 50s .......... yes, I'm originally a Lancastrian! ........... and Dad driving us in thick smelly smog and having to drive very slowly with the door open to see the white line to judge where we were.  It was the norm back then.

Headlights, or any lights made the viz worse, so many folk had just their side lights on.

Mick.

[mrpj]

Something I don't find very logical on my Yaris is that to use the rear high intensity fog light the front so- called fog lights have to be on too. They switch on first and may be used without the rear, then the rear light switches on in conjunction with the front. Silly.

Unless I'm missing something I'd prefer to use the rear light only without those front things, which are about as much use as a chocolate teaspoon! I suppose they could be unplugged but that means lying on the floor and removing stuff to access. 

The old idea was to have a fog and a spotlight. The spotlight to pick out the kerb and the foglight to hopefully penetrate the fog.

I remember driving in the old smog too. I'm originally from Irlam (nr. Manchester). Served my apprenticeship at the steelworks there where lots of Wiganers worked. Came in by train every morning. Called them the Wigan Cloggies! Lots of them did wear clogs.

[Mick F]

Wiganers eh?  Strange breed!  Dad was a Wiganer, and Mum from Coppull.  Moved out to Standish, and then later to Wrightington.  Joined the Royal Navy at 16 going on 17, served 27years, and just celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary married to a wonderful lady from Burscough.

Sorry, digressing here!

I too am flummoxed by the way the fog lights work on our Yaris.  Are all Toyotas so strange?

In all the other cars we've owned with fog lights front and rear, they were individually switched.

Highway Code Rule 236  and 114

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.

You must not

• use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders
• use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You must switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users (see Rule 226).

[mrpj]

20 hours ago, Mick F said:

Wiganers eh?  Strange breed!

I'm glad I didn't write that Mick!

Just glad it's not me with the front and rear foglights. It is odd not being able to switch individually. Must be a Toyota quirk?

[flash22]

It depends on what spec the car is mk3 has it in the rear bumper on some models or in the rear lights

Yep it's a cost saving a bulb, holder and wiring 10,000+ times is quite a saving

[Parts-King]

50 minutes ago, flash22 said:

Yep it's a cost saving a bulb, holder and wiring 10,000+ times is quite a saving

That is Kaizen for you. Continuous improvement, something the Toyota factories are very much focused on. The employess make hundreds of Kaizen decisions every day in Burnaston, some save money, some save time, others are just a better way of doing something, and if they make a massive improvement then they can earn money out of it. Great to see it in action, we do it at dealership level too 

[Mick F]

Toyota quirk?

You're in a stream of traffic on the open road and it's foggy enough to consider using fog lights.

Scenario One: you're at the front of the traffic stream and you put on your front fog lights but not the rear as you don't want to dazzle the car following.

Scenario Two: you're in the middle-ish of the stream so don't put on your fog lights front or rear as you'd dazzle the car in front of you and the car behind you.

Scenario Three: you're at the rear of the stream and you can't see anyone behind but you can obviously see the car in front.  You put your rear fog light on but not the front so you don't dazzle the car in front of you.

Toyota have a problem with Scenario Three in that you can't do it .............. and it's a stupid system and quite possibly illegal.  It would need to be taken through the legal system to set a precedent, but you cannot comply with the Highway Code in Scenario Three, so it must be illegal????

Mick.

[Parts-King]

No, you would put your front fog lamps and rear lamps on, nobody ever got blinded by a front fog lamp, its 19 Watt, nothing illegal in that 

[Mick F]

............. so what are front fog lights for?

As I said, I don't think I've every used them ............. but I would with a Toyota as they have to be on before you can get the rear fog light on. 😫

As for front fog lights, I see lots of drivers with them on, as they don't turn them off.  I see from our switchery, that if you put them on after turning your lights on, the switch stays where it is, so next time you put your lights on, the fog lights come on as well.

One car we had, Renault Clio, the fog light switches turned themselves off when you turned off the lights.  Our Toyota doesn't.

Mick.

[FROSTYBALLS]

On 11/25/2020 at 2:06 PM, Mick F said:

I too am flummoxed by the way the fog lights work on our Yaris.  Are all Toyotas so strange?

Our 2015 and 2020 i20 have the same system - ie. to turn the rear fog lights on, the front fog lights have to be on as well.  Both turn off when the headlight switch is turned off.

[flash22]

42 minutes ago, Mick F said:

............. so what are front fog lights for?

As I said, I don't think I've every used them ............. but I would with a Toyota as they have to be on before you can get the rear fog light on. 😫

As for front fog lights, I see lots of drivers with them on, as they don't turn them off.  I see from our switchery, that if you put them on after turning your lights on, the switch stays where it is, so next time you put your lights on, the fog lights come on as well.

One car we had, Renault Clio, the fog light switches turned themselves off when you turned off the lights.  Our Toyota doesn't.

Mick.

Fog lights like reverse lights are for you to been seen with, Not to see with

 

I have only used fog lights a handful of times in the last 10 years and once a year for the MOT

[Mick F]

13 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

 .......... Both turn off when the headlight switch is turned off.

Not quite correct.

If you turn the foglight switch to the first position even without the headlights being turned on, the switch is still turned on.  This means that when you turn on the headlights, the front fog lights come on as well.  Turn off the headlights, and the switch is still in the on position ready again.

Mick.

[Mick F]

13 hours ago, flash22 said:

Fog lights like reverse lights are for you to been seen with, Not to see with

I have only used fog lights a handful of times in the last 10 years and once a year for the MOT

Front fog lights are for so you can see the road in front better.  Rear fog lights - are like you say - to help you to be seen.

Reversing lights are for you to see where you're going in the dark in reverse.

Mick.