Fog Light - Confirmation

[FERRINO]

Can somebody who has recently passed IVA (last month or 2) please clarify the situation with regard to dip beam/main beam fog light activation situation please?

 

There is a lot of conjecture on the subject recently as to how the wording in the IVA manual actually reads - but as I'm about to crack on with my wiring it would be nice to follow along the lines of someone who has recently passed.

 

Do you just have the fog available when your dip beam is on? ie Fog light goes off if you flip your main beam on? Seems a bit odd to me - but if it results in a pass ultimately I don't care lol!

 

Cheers

Tony

[theduck]

According to the source that says it is acceptable to have fogs work with dip and not with main, either scenario is acceptable for the IVA. It isn't complicated to have it working on both dip and main so personally I have wired it this way.

Edited March 9, 2015 by theduck

[Guest Jonnyround2003]

Just taken the IVA test last month the fog with is only aloud to work with main beam and full beam not side lights

[Guest Ian & Carole]

Just taken the IVA test last month the fog with is only aloud to work with main beam and full beam not side lights

 

"Main Beam" and "Full Beam" are one and the same.

 

I think you will find it is "Main Beam and "Dip Beam"

 

you have three light settings

 

1 side lights, the tiddly tings inside the head light,

 

2 Dipped beam, the ones you drive on in the dark.

 

3 Main Beam, the ones you used on country lanes, the ones that give you the blue dash light when main beam is being used.

 

Hope this clarifies the correct terminology.

[Guest Jonnyround2003]

Yes sorry Ian is correct !! wrong terminology

[sj-bradley]

Ok, so I was wrong. There are now THREE identical threads on this topic !

 

Simon.

[FERRINO]

Ok, so I was wrong. There are now THREE identical threads on this topic !

 

Simon.

 

Very true Simon - most are full of conjecture and interpretation of what the rules might actually mean. Most threads are questioning wether your fogs can be on with sidelights which I already know is not allowed.

 

I was after the hard facts about the dip/main beam query from someone who has recently been through IVA just to make sure I get a pass on this particular point

 

Many thanks to all those who have replied - I'm just gonna wire mine up to work when the dips are on - as someone else said on one of the other TWO threads - you very probably wouldn't have your main beam on in the fog anyway. You gotta take the easy wins

 

Cheers everyone - Mods may now delete this topic

[nigelt]

Hi Ferrino,

 

I would suggest having them work for both the dip and main beams... Imagine the scenario where you are following a plonker who has left his fog lights on in good weather. When he puts on his main beams, his fog lights go off, when he returns to dip beam they come back on again! The person who is following may think that this is the brake lights coming on and so hits the anchors and is immediately rear ended by the guy behind him.

 

The only time that the fog lights should go off is when you have turned them off or you have turned all your lights off (well.. except for the side lights that is..) This is why I suspect they are now asking for fog lights to not come back on again once the headlights have been turned off, to stop people leaving them switched on and then going out again the next day/night in good weather. (The illuminated switch is not enough of an indication to these people!)

 

Nige

[megadodo]

So, the latest version of IVA says if the headlights are turned off when the rear fogs were on, then if the headlights are turned on again the fog lights must not come on unless the fog light switch is actually turned on once more?

[theduck]

So, the latest version of IVA says if the headlights are turned off when the rear fogs were on, then if the headlights are turned on again the fog lights must not come on unless the fog light switch is actually turned on once more?

 

Thats a whole different can of worms!

 

The interpretation that has been received from VOSA is this applies to CANBUS systems only.

[theduck]

Very true Simon - most are full of conjecture and interpretation of what the rules might actually mean. Most threads are questioning wether your fogs can be on with sidelights which I already know is not allowed.

 

I was after the hard facts about the dip/main beam query from someone who has recently been through IVA just to make sure I get a pass on this particular point

 

Many thanks to all those who have replied - I'm just gonna wire mine up to work when the dips are on - as someone else said on one of the other TWO threads - you very probably wouldn't have your main beam on in the fog anyway. You gotta take the easy wins

 

Cheers everyone - Mods may now delete this topic

 

The hard facts are that I know of many many cars wired to have them on with both dip and full beam that have passed, and I know of none that have passed being wired to work on only one or the other. The person who started the debate offered it as an interpretation but I dont think actually offered any insight as to a car passing in that state.

 

EDIT TO ADD - He makes reference to some IVA testers agreeing with him.

Edited March 10, 2015 by theduck

[Longboarder]

The only recent relevant thread I can find was that by mdav about a month ago where he alludes to a fail due to his fogs only being on with dip beam. The fail sheet said they should be on with dip and main. I wasn't aware that anyone still thought the fogs could be on with sides.

My advice would be the current interpretation being used by testing centres is fogs must not come on with sidelights alone but must be able to be switched on only when dip or main beam are on. (Of course sidelights will be still be on when mainor dip are on). Except if you have front fogs (which are allowed to be on with only side lights) and in that case rear fogs can be on when front fogs and sidelights only are on and when neither main nor dip are on.

The automatic off and not coming on again when main/dip are switched of and on again does not seem to be being enforced. Neither does the buzzer to alert you when you open the door or switch off the ignition.

 

Nigel

[nigelt]

I would go with what Longboarder(Nigel) is saying. Only able to come on with dip and main beam. Forget the auto off as he says it does not seem to be being enforced.

 

Nige

 

 

[sj-bradley]

At present, no, the auto off seems to be optional. I do now have a kit that will do this for you though and will be bring some down to Stoneleigh with a demo board.

 

I think it has been brought in to run alongside the current standards and may at some future point be made mandatory.

 

You will need to keep checking on the current IVA manual as this is always being revised.

 

Simon.

[FERRINO]

Bingo! Cheers guys - that's exactly what I was after.

 

Hearing that somebody failed recently only having the fog available with dip beam is exactly what I was looking for.

 

Wiring diagram now changed accordingly so fog is available with dip and main beam.

 

Thinking about it, it might very well be worth having one of your failsafe kits Simon - I can't see me getting the car to IVA standard until early next year, by which point I'm sure the bureaucrats will have doubled the cost again and also introduced the requirement for the fog to go off lol. Are they ready now and how much are they?

 

Cheers again for all the help and advice everyone!