Different colored tail lights

[El Rey]

I asked elsewhere, but asking again in own thread.

Why do Defenders have a clear and a red tail light like this:
http://images.cdn.autocar.co.uk/site...?itok=6R_YoRlJ

A google search for 15 minutes doesn't bring up any answers - sorry if it's something that is obvious to everyone else.

[SeanMurr123]

Reverse light and fog light.

[El Rey]

Reverse light and fog light.

Thanks for the reply. Again I googled this but didn't see any clear explanation. Does fog light mean a light for reversing in fog?
Beginning to feel like an idiot...

[Xtreme]

Red fog light on rear of Defender is brighter than your normal tail lights as a warning to following vehicles. It is not a fog light for reversing. Has seperate switch to reversing lights and only works when headlights are on.

[alien]

I believe it's something that is inherited from the regulations that applied in the country of manufacture.
I found a page referring to the MOT tests that are required in the UK.
UK MOT Information, Rear Foglights
They do get bad fogs over there so I can see why they are required.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-high...to-237#rule226

I personally think it's not required(I have not check the regulations) in Australia and is safer being a reverse light.
I've wired mine to the reverse wire at the trailer loom connector and put a clear lens on.
It's also lost the dash switch as I've used the position for other things, Joe average would not know it's ever had a fog lamp




Search...https://www.google.com.au/search?cli....3.KX9Er-rcERA

[Xtreme]

Agreed ^^^ & have done similar re the conversion to double reversing lights.

[YOLO110]

The large red rear fog light is used in the UK when visibility is reduced in fog. It's a legal requirement to turn this light on when the visibility falls below 100m and off again when the visibility improves.

They really do make it a lot easier to see a vehicle ahead on the roads in fog. Having the one light only makes it possible to differentiate the light from brake lights.

Much better IMHO than using the amber hazard lights (all 4 indicator lights) as they do in NSW. Having these flashing when driving makes it impossible to then determine if a vehicle is wanting to tun left or right or changing lanes.

[p38arover]

Why would anyone use 4-way flashers in fog when every modern car has a rear fog light? Even my old '86 Rangie had them. (I wired mine up through a relay so they could act as extra brake lights or rear fogs.)

It often seems that many people don't know what it is and drive with it on all the time (Rangies have two lights and I assume Discos also have two).

[JDNSW]

I think you are right - most of people don't know what it is, and this thread shows that.

It is a largely a function of where you live, and most Australians live where bad fog is rare. I have been driving in Australia (over large parts of the country) for almost sixty years, and over those years have mostly done close to twice the average annual mileage. In all that driving, I have probably been in bad fog less than twenty times. Certainly there will be those who can say that they see it regularly, but they live in relatively small patches of the country, not where most of us live. Same reason front fog lights have been rare on Australian cars until imported cars became common - and even then in many cases the fog lights were deleted for Australian spec.

John

[El Rey]

Thanks very much to all for the explanations and information. I'm out of the fog at last.

It was something I'd never heard of before.