FOG LIGHT N/S REAR

[DensYeti]

THERE IS NOT ONE ON NEARSIDE!!!!!!! on my basic 1.2 S petrol.

After fitting replacement light switch I was checking lights all round........oh bother,  nearside (RH drive UK) fog bulb not lighting up, offside one ok. No bother simple bulb replace job.   Opened up rear lamp (2 Torx T20 screws and pull off ball locators then 1 T20 + 3 plastic tag clips to remove bulb holder):-  1. checked bulb (bottom one) resistance with meter and found ok with a low resistance; 2. Checked contacts in bulb holder and all looks clean with continuity from earth section and feed centre contact back to pins on plug.....now getting worried;  3.  check for 12 volts on feed pin at plug in socket????????? oh dear no contacts to be seen at the pin position!!!  have they dropped out with broken wire???  AH HA there is no wire going to that pin socket, only 5 wires from loom!!!

MUCH WASTED TIME and by now very cold with hands nearly not working.  

Why on earth is the N/S rear fog not wired in......I suppose a meter or so of wire cost saved but to actually fit a bulb in the fog position......ah well.  At least we know where there is a spare 21W single centre contact bulb.

 Will have to prove to MOT man I think?

 

Dennis

[Ootohere]

@DensYeti  What will you have to prove to the MOT man?

He or She will be testing cars regularly with only a single rear fog light.

[CJJE]

33 minutes ago, DensYeti said:

THERE IS NOT ONE ON NEARSIDE!!!!!!! on my basic 1.2 S petrol.

After fitting replacement light switch I was checking lights all round........oh bother,  nearside (RH drive UK) fog bulb not lighting up, offside one ok. No bother simple bulb replace job.   Opened up rear lamp (2 Torx T20 screws and pull off ball locators then 1 T20 + 3 plastic tag clips to remove bulb holder):-  1. checked bulb (bottom one) resistance with meter and found ok with a low resistance; 2. Checked contacts in bulb holder and all looks clean with continuity from earth section and feed centre contact back to pins on plug.....now getting worried;  3.  check for 12 volts on feed pin at plug in socket????????? oh dear no contacts to be seen at the pin position!!!  have they dropped out with broken wire???  AH HA there is no wire going to that pin socket, only 5 wires from loom!!!

MUCH WASTED TIME and by now very cold with hands nearly not working.  

Why on earth is the N/S rear fog not wired in......I suppose a meter or so of wire cost saved but to actually fit a bulb in the fog position......ah well.  At least we know where there is a spare 21W single centre contact bulb.

 Will have to prove to MOT man I think?

 

Dennis

The legal requirement is only for one rear fog light, on the offside. So the nearside one is often missing, with the reflector etc being there for righthand drive cars where the one fog light would be on that side instead.

 

Chris

[KenONeill]

1 hour ago, DensYeti said:

Why on earth is the N/S rear fog not wired in

ISTR that EU regulations require you to only have one (offside for market) rear fog when type approved and first registered, to stop them being mistaken for brake lights.

Oh and as for costs, try working out the cost of 100_000m of wire, 100_000 spade connectors and 100_000 x 21W bulbs.

[Breezy_Pete]

Unnecessary in the same way that having two lighthouses marking one headland would be.

[J.R.]

No saving on the bulbs, the light units are stocked with all the bulbs fitted, having different part numbers for with or without bulb would double the inventory costs

[Paul52]

It's nearly midnight so I'm not going out to check but I'm pretty sure my 2013 Elegance has two rear fog lights. The OP has a 2010 S so earlier and more basic and it's not really a surprise that Skoda kept it down to the minimum spec to be legal. I do agree on the face of it it seems penny pinching but if you are selling cars it would be logical to have as many points of differentiation between models as you can even if the cost saving is minimal.  One of those is higher spec cars have two lights, lower spec only one.

[muddyjim]

Many cars have a red lens on the offside operating as a fog light, and a clear lens on the nearside to operate as a reversing light.

[Urrell]

9 hours ago, Paul52 said:

It's nearly midnight so I'm not going out to check but I'm pretty sure my 2013 Elegance has two rear fog lights. The OP has a 2010 S so earlier and more basic and it's not really a surprise that Skoda kept it down to the minimum spec to be legal.

Pretty sure it's to be legal not having 2, with 2 x 21w lights (the same as brake lights) they could be confused with brake lights.
My 2015 Yeti only has the offside working but the other light has the bulb in probably for reason as above.

[Breezy_Pete]

4. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment - MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

4.5.1. Presence, condition and operation

You only need to inspect:

• front fog lamps fitted to vehicles first used on or after 1 March 2018
• the 1 rear fog lamp which must be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980

 

[Frenchtone]

Different circumstance I realise, as I used to live both sides of the channel.

I wired the UK nearside light in, but via a simple 2 way switch thus enabling use of the relevant off side light dependant on which side of the channel I was.

Never had a problem with either the MOT or now Controlle Technique!

Edited 26 January, 2022 by Frenchtone

[Paul52]

Well. you learn something new every day. In my case you can own the same car for coming up to nine years and only now find out it does indeed only have one rear fog light. Now I'm wondering what other mysteries I've yet to uncover.