Euro rear foglight upgrade

[Eurospec]

Has anyone performed this mod? What's involved in addition to acquiring the necessary parts like the proper switch and taillight backing plate?

[16v of Fury]

I wouldn't do it.

I lived in Germany for 2 years --- the E30's I owned there had rear foglights.  If you use them as intended by BMW, you'll NEVER use them unless you're driving in very thick fog, and you turn them on so that drivers behind you will be aware that you are a short distance ahead of them.

In anything less than very thick fog / snowfall, you'll just blind people behind you and force them to tailgate / honk / flick you off / honk / haul ass around you / honk some more.

Pointless "upgrade", in my opinion.

[Eurospec]

I won't be using it for it's main purpose... snow/fog. At a meet recently a fellow e30'er flashed his rear fog to bring to my attention that my lights weren't on. I thought, wow... that's brilliant. I can also see myself using it when people tail gate. I think it would be 'cool' to have and put to use every so often.

[ak96ss]

I did it - and, used as intended, I've never been tailgated/honked at/flashed, even by the amazingly polite drivers in the DC area.

I REALLY like anything that makes me more visible to the yahoos around here that continue to do 80+ MPH in heavy fog/rain/snow. The picture quality sucks, but:



I also did some fiddlin' and hooked it up so that I have extra brakelights:



Try this out Rear Foglight Installation and see how it works for you.

[ose30]

All three E30's i have own had them (i live in Finland and they are manadatory here). They are totally useless, i used them about once a year.

[Alpine003]

ak96ss, What kind of plate is that?

[ak96ss]

ak96ss, What kind of plate is that?

BMW CCA. About the only benefit to living in Maryland...  they let you pay them extra money so you can have a custom plate for almost any organization you are affiliated with.

They have just about every university, Fraternal Order of Police, Firefighters, Nurses, Military, etc.

[Alpine003]

BMW CCA. About the only benefit to living in Maryland...  they let you pay them extra money so you can have a custom plate for almost any organization you are affiliated with.

They have just about every university, Fraternal Order of Police, Firefighters, Nurses, Military, etc.

Nice. We have some organizational plates too but not that many. I wish we had BMW CCA here but I'll have to settle for my Route 66 specialty plate. Hope to get it soon followed by pics.

[M42Iberia]

Those lights should be used exclusively for what they are for, fog and low visibility situations, honestly. Even in foggy situations, those lights are extremely bright.

Many people, here in the States won't know that you actually are blinding the ish out of them on purpose, using the lights when not really needed,  but it's just common road courtesy(.-i.e. not hogging the left lane) to leave them off during times of good visibility. I drove cross country in Spain for a couple of years and have been the victim several times. Not cool.

[ak96ss]

Those lights should be used exclusively for what they are for, fog and low visibility situations, honestly. Even in foggy situations, those lights are extremely bright.

Many people, here in the States won't know that you actually are blinding the ish out of them on purpose, using the lights when not really needed,  but it's just common road courtesy(.-i.e. not hogging the left lane) to leave them off during times of good visibility. I drove cross country in Spain for a couple of years and have been the victim several times. Not cool.

Missed the boat on that one, eh? Aside from sending Morse code to your friends, which is admittedly annoying as hell, the rear foglight is very useful.

I use the foglight (singular) when it is foggy/snowy/rainy out, i.e., very low visibility. When I push the button, only the driver's side bulb illuminates, and I very rarely use it. It is bright, but not any more so than the brake lights. Read on for more on that. When I turn on my rear fog light, it is generally because I have noticed that I am having difficulty seeing the cars in front of me due to the conditions.

I also wired the bulbs on each side to come one when I hit the brakes. The foglight bulb is EXACTLY the same bulb as the brake light bulb - 21W, no difference in output compared to the brakes. So, it's just two extra bulbs illuminating when I step on the brakes, which I tend to believe makes people a little more aware of the fact that I am stopping (or at least slowing down).

What I like about the way I installed it is that, unlike on the new Volvo or Mercedes cars, turning on my front fog lights is independent of my rear fog light. It seems to be cool these days to not only convert your crappy headlights to poorly-aimed HIDs, but to run with all your fog/driving lights on all the time, regardless of conditions. Those cars then have that one irritating light shining out the ass end, in addition to the wash of light spraying out in front of them. I, for one, use them when I need them, and only when I need them.

I also have several years of driving in Europe under my belt - when the conditions warrant it, those rear fog lights are VERY effective.

[christophbmw]

i have the switch installed but it activates my backup lights which have custom 55W H3 bulbs installed in the factory backup light location.........just in case there is an idiot who doesnt realize his highbeams are on . seriously though, one of the best mods ive done.

[ak96ss]

Geez, here we go.

Next thing, it will be the airbag mounted where the license plate is supposed to go, with 00 buckshot in a baggie in front of it...

[M42Iberia]

no boats here.

I just know how unwarranted it is to ride with the rear fogs on when not foggy.

I've seen a couple of the newer volvo's that have them and they cruise with them on...dangerously bright.

[Alpine003]

Next thing, it will be the airbag mounted where the license plate is supposed to go, with 00 buckshot in a baggie in front of it...

Sounds like a good idea. I have my airbag just sitting on the shelf. Maybe I should do something useful like that.

IMO, the people that retrofit their cars with rear foglights are the responsible ones and know how/when to use them. It is the clueless yuppies that buy the high end European cars that have no idea what the hell it even is or when to use them.

The ones I can't stand the most are the Land Rovers and Jaguars that have rear fogs on both sides right underneath the regular taillights.

[ak96ss]

Like I said, the new cars have them come on whenever your front 'fog' lights/driving lights/whatever they are come on. Seems ridiculous to me, as it presupposes that Joe Cool is only using his 'fog' lights when it is actually 'foggy' out. Most of the time, the pinheads who drive with all their lights on all the time anyway are the same ones I see with their high beams on in the fog, wondering why they can't see a damned thing...  

I have TWO airbags on my shelf...  I should mount them over the taillights, I could get two shots off that way. Or, one baggie filled with buck shot and one filled with naphtha and detergent...