sammy

When it is a nice clear night, why do folks insist on running with the fog lights on? Have they become the new running lights? Turn the them OFF. I have never used them, and never will. Quit blinding people......rant done

RandyS

I have a simple reaction to anyone whose lights seem overly bright - I blind em with my High Beams for as long as I can...........

MDchanic

The fog-lights-all-the-time thing does annoy me.

I think it's because they think it makes their car "look cool," but, having seen the foglight controls in some modern cars (pull out end of signal light switch stalk, press in on headlight ****, press small, semi-hidden button next to headlight switch, etc.), I think that in many cases, the drivers don't even know they're on.

The thing that REALLY tees me off is the people whose cars are equipped with REAR foglights, who leave them on all the time, thus blinding the drivers behind them.
I've considered carrying a pellet gun and trying to shoot them out while I drive.

- Eric

rcorrigan5

Me, too! I hardly ever use mine, even in the fog (I forget they are even there!). It is baffling why someone would have them on when it is crystal clear outside, but they do...just like was mentioned before...just want to look cool, I guess!

Randy C.

Koda

It annoys me that foglights are not required by law on new vehicles to be aimed like headlights, so they are much more in your face. We have these pretty cool headlamp aimers on our lines that park right in front of the light and you put these automatic screwdrivers on the adjusters, and it does it for you in about five seconds. But, we don't do jack for foglamps.

sammy

The cool factor, and thinking they are a normal part of the headlamp system 4 sure. Heck with the pellet gun, the 22 would take em out! I flash my high beams to, but I just get flashed back. It is interesting that there is no aiming system for them. Even worse when they turn off the high beams and you are thinking...great, then the fog lights are on with the low beams

Do not text and drive, but by all means blind em. I am to the point of telling people when I see them in a parking lot or a drive thru to turn them off. Most of the time the single digit comes up. They are an accessory, and should be used only in specific conditions!aaarrrrgh!

Okay, rant over

BangScreech4-4-2

Until they plow head-on into you?

sammy

Do we REALLY need them??

Olds_71_442

Uh oh! Looks like I might be unpopular here. I have the lights on my Tiburon on all the time. Mainly because I forget about them. My Mazda Tribute has them on because it's easier to see on rainy nights. Other than that, they go off when the vehicle is turned off and you have to turn them on again when driving.

oldcutlass

As I get older I've come to dislike all the new headlights. Too damn bright and always aimed wrong. Compound that with the fog and running lights it's blinding.

Now get off my lawn...

MDchanic

It doesn't have the mandated foglight indicator on the dashboard, huh?



- Eric

Olds_71_442

It does, but it's in the middle of the dash, to the right of the shifter. It never gets noticed.

I had to edit here. I thought that logo stood for the button that turns on the fog lights. None of my vehicles have that lit up where my gauges are.

Magna86

When I had a car with fog lights I would run them with the low beam. My cars had ones that are low to the ground in the front fascia. My truck doesn't have them and if they did I would have ripped them off playing in the dirt. But I do have upgraded HID light and people think my high beams are on so I get flashed. If my high beams were on they would know the difference.

mrolds69

Yup...same here in MA, just about everybody has them on, always. The rears really suck, fortunately not many cars have the rears. I doubt the peeps who do have the rears even know they are there, because like Audi guys are not real car guys, anyways.

Allan R

Remember when a dash display was as simple as a speedo, signals, and highbeam indicator? BTW, I thought all fog light dash symbols were green, but apparently that's not right either. So they could be easily overlooked. Does it vary by manufacturer??

My Sonata dash foglight symbol is green and I find it's somewhat annoying because it's so bright even with the interior lights turned down. So they only get used as they were intended (as in fog or heavy snow). IMO HID and Xenon headlights should be outlawed.



Front/Rear foglights

z11375ss

I received my 71 Vette with aircraft landing lights in the bright light areas. Bam! You want to talk about lighting someone up?

wr1970

How did it become okay to change from a white light to blue? You want to know why there are more head on crashes i say it is because the new cars are blinding people with the old style head lights. Anything factory built below the 1980 can't even come close to a 2015. If you have a car made from the eighties to mid nineties your lights are very dim compared to the ones that come out on 2011 and newer!! When will this ever be resolved for safety reasons??

MDchanic

If people are flashing their lights at you, then your headlights are aimed wrong.

If you are using aftermarket HID bulbs in housings intended for halogen bulbs, then the focus geometry of the lens is wrong for the bulbs, and you are blinding people, and should be ticketed and your car impounded if you are a repeat offender.

- Eric

Allan R

??? Apparently safety has nothing to do with the car looking cool with those lights... I don't like them either. I suppose the owners of said vehicles will argue that they can see better from their perspective??

Boldsmobile

My Oldsmobile has factory equipped front and rear.

I rather enjoy the safety benefits of both.

Boldsmobile

I won't argue about it but yes the front visibility is better without having to use high beams.

Boldsmobile

MA resident.

Fogs in the rear.

Real car guy with all Oldsmobile cars.

I know they are there.

Funny when I had to replace the Aurora I almost bought an A8!

Olds_71_442

Actually, my car nor my suv has a dash light indicator to say that the fog lights are on.

starfire

The other pet peeve in this category are the idiots that run without any lights at all, especially in the dusk or dawn times. I don't understand why with all the safety mandates of the government, automatic headlights are not required equipment. I know they can be turned off, but I think if you get caught driving with your automatic headlights turned off the fine should double.

mrolds69

It's highly possible your dash light/ fog indicator light is toast from being on all the time. It happens! Pete...wow...did not even know any Olds had the rear lights.

MDchanic

Dusk or dawn? How about in the pouring rain? Or the snow? Or the fog?

Or the ones who think driving with their parking lights on in poor visibility makes you able to see them.

These SOBs just materialize out of the mist 20 feet away from you.

- Eric

starfire

YES! All of these too.

starfire

Aurora's definitely had them. Not sure if any of the others did.

Koda

Allan, is that actually A car, or is that a "everything everyone uses" picture?

Every Tacoma that rolled out of NUMMI from 2005-2010 had headlights too high, the machine couldn't get them in spec.

Allan R

Got it off the web. From what I understand it's just a visual of what could be used. If that was a real dash? I'd buy a horse.

car_designer

In my Mustang, I use the fog lights (being a V6 they are located in the bumper not in the grille) when visibility is lowered, such as snow, heavy rain or in actual fog. Sometimes in light rain, I will use then as well for certain stretches of highway around here. There is currently a lot of construction and the orange road markings (they paint over the white and yellow lines with orange in construction zones here) are often faded and worn and the slightest wetness on the road makes them almost invisible.

I have had a few people at night flash their headlights at me in the Mustang, when I had only low beams on with no fog lights. These are just the stock factory HID lights.

I have an issue with people not putting their lights on when visibility is lowered. What I've noticed is that most of the time, their dash is fully lit, so they probably assume their dash lights are on, so their exterior lights must be on as well.

Allan R

Not sure how this works on other brands, but on my Sonata the fog lights cannot be activated unless the headlights are on. I drive with my headlights on all the time anyway because I believe it enhances the ability of other drivers to see me. Low beams, not DRL, not High beams.

DRL's have their purpose even if some people don't like them. I get a bit irritated by those who drive with just DRLs even at night. You'd think they'd clue in because the dash isn't lit, but nooooo. They can see a bit of road ahead because DRL's give 25% of high beam. No tail lights, no side lights, no dash lights. Morons who passed their drivers test but don't have a clue...

Koda

Many cars illuminate the dash when the ignition is on, period. I often run later without lights in my daily driver because of this because I was wired to "when no see-um speedo, put-um lights on."

oldolds88

i dont like the oncming brights either but in mi,you cant legally flash your lights to get someone to dim theirs. ask me how i know


From State of Michigan "What Every Driver Must Know" page 118 ? It is illegal to use or even flash high-beam headlights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle. Also, dim lights for pedestrians and cyclists. ? If oncoming drivers do not dim their headlights, keep your eyes on the right edge of the road ahead. Do not look straight at oncoming headlights. The glare may blind you for several seconds. A dirty windshield will make headlight glare worse. I didn't find anything about turning your headlights ON and OFF as if in a flashing manner. (If that makes a difference) I occasionally do it, but just once per vehicle. I really don't think any officers mind that it happens unless they are having a bad day. BUT, It is the law

wr1970

Glad i don't live there or i might be a road rage thumping on someones rearend! What a dumb law!I told a co worker one time if he ever came up behind me again or in front of me again with his head lights and drive lights on again we were going to have a BARE knuckle fist fight till one of us could no longer move!! He was driving a Dodge truck with a 3 inch lift!! 2012 MODEL. He said why i said try and drive with both of your eye ***** shut that is how blinded you made me with your lights on. He got rid of the truck.

66-3X2 442

When you get older and you live in a rural area without street lights,the fog lights come in mighty handy. They don't bother me as much as the high beam drivers. I hardly notice the fog lights unless it's one of the high jacked up trucks,then it becomes a problem.

BangScreech4-4-2

I've never had a problem with oncoming foglights, so I don't turn mine off for oncoming traffic. Oops. Mind you, I only use them when it's foggy.


Does this make me a bad person?

MDchanic

Well, they're fine when it's foggy - the fog diffuses the light and prevents it from dazzling the eyes.
It's when it's clear that they're a problem for some people.

In my case, they don't bother my eyes (the way that high beams and improperly installed "upgrades" do), they just make the driver look dumb (unless there's actual, you know, "fog").

- Eric

mrolds69

"When you get older...", I think this is a part of the reason. Fogs do throw a little more light on the road, and I think with an aging population, more people are using them, even if there is no fog. 'Course, more cars have them now, also.

MDchanic

But they only throw it directly in front of the car, so close that it doesn't matter at any speed above parking speed.
I know. I do the experiment in every car I drive - I drive along a dark road with no other cars, and try each light and combination of lights that the car lets me try, so that I can see what the patterns are, and also check alignment.

I've never had fog lights that did anything other than spill light in a low band right in front of the car (which is exactly what they're supposed to do), or that have helped me see in clear weather in any way, aside from watching for obstructions in my driveway.

- Eric