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[Bionic]

 
My Elite fogs are dim even though I put in a pair of new OEM lamps at over a tenner each! Yep....ripped cos the bulb is integral with the holder...but I wanted them fast. Problem is they are still not as bright as those in my old 2.5 mini FC
Any ideas how I can make them work so I can see when I use them. Frikkin candles chuck out more light than these and in fog they are worse than useless! 

[TheBoy]

Do we get fog in this country? Can't remember the last time we had it enough to warranty turning them on (front or rear)

[Andy B]

Do we get fog in this country? Can't remember the last time we had it enough to warranty turning them on (front or rear)

we had a reasonable mist/fog the other morning. Cars varied from every light on the car switched on, to just front fogs, just rears or none at all!  It was pretty foggy & if I'd had any front fogs (in the Merc) I'd have turned them on. 

[Bionic]

 
Do we get fog? In Leicester and more the villages around it we ofetn get thick fog that is not on any weather forecast. Soar Valley Way can get really bad because the land around it is a soaker for the rain and run off water so its almost always in flood at this time of year.
Oh yeh...we definitely get fog down to a visibility of mere yards and its not just mist.....
If dip beams were used all it did was to reflect back and make the visibility worse hence the use of the low set fog lights. (if they would light up bright enough for me to see instead of asingle candle power) They are about as bright as my sidelights!!!!!!!!
Now any ideas of how I can improve the brightness of my newly installed OEM candles? 

[Marks DTM Calib]

HID kit?

[TheBoy]

Do we get fog? In Leicester and more the villages around it we ofetn get thick fog that is not on any weather forecast. Soar Valley Way can get really bad because the land around it is a soaker for the rain and run off water so its almost always in flood at this time of year.
Oh yeh...we definitely get fog down to a visibility of mere yards and its not just mist.....
If dip beams were used all it did was to reflect back and make the visibility worse hence the use of the low set fog lights. (if they would light up bright enough for me to see instead of asingle candle power) They are about as bright as my sidelights!!!!!!!!
Now any ideas of how I can improve the brightness of my newly installed OEM candles? 

I know what you mean - I live almost in the infamous Cherwell Valley.

Though I reckon I've used the front fogs less than half a dozen times since I've had an Omega. Round here, fog seems to be a thing of history, maybe due to the dry autumns for the past few years.

I find the PFL fogs good enough, as in that thick fog, you're only interested in lighting up the kerbs. Mind you, that doesn't seem to stop the retarded, self-centred chavs around here having them on all the time 

Can't speak for FL fogs, never used them.

Not sure I agree with Mr DTM. Actually, I am sure. I do disagree. Poorly fitted/setup HIDs are a pet hate of mine, as its rife around the dark lanes here. Fogs, being uncontrolled lighting, should never be HID IMHO. Made worse by the fact that they stay on until physically turned off.

[tunnie]

When I was commuting to London up M40, some mornings in the winter could be quite foggy, especially up the cutting

[Marks DTM Calib]

Your assuming I was serious! 

I always found the FL fogs ok (as I did the PFL) when I needed to use them for what they were intended e.g. low down light to illuminate the road under the fog.

Also as we had a CDx, it had HID's so I never used the fogs at all unless its was VERY foggy.

You can adjust the fogs to so you may find they are a bit low.

[Kevin Wood]

I've never found front fog lights to be any use whatsoever, regardless of how thick the fog is, TBH.

I guess if you're down to walking pace and can't see the kerbs they might be useful, but they don't illuminate far enough ahead to be effective when you can make quicker progress than that.

[kcl]

I've never found front fog lights to be any use whatsoever, regardless of how thick the fog is, TBH.

I guess if you're down to walking pace and can't see the kerbs they might be useful, but they don't illuminate far enough ahead to be effective when you can make quicker progress than that.

+1 

[Nick W]

I've never found front fog lights to be any use whatsoever, regardless of how thick the fog is, TBH.

I guess if you're down to walking pace and can't see the kerbs they might be useful, but they don't illuminate far enough ahead to be effective when you can make quicker progress than that.

+1 

+2
Front fog lights are even more pointlessly unnecessary than rears.

[the alarming man]

+3

[Marks DTM Calib]

I did used to find them useful on cold foggy evenings in the Welland valley when visability was very poor.

There is no doubt rears are important, it becomes very obvious the vehicles not turning them on in fog during my commute in a morning as they are almost invisable until you get very close!

[kcl]

I've never found front fog lights to be any use whatsoever, regardless of how thick the fog is, TBH.

I guess if you're down to walking pace and can't see the kerbs they might be useful, but they don't illuminate far enough ahead to be effective when you can make quicker progress than that.

+1 

+2
Front fog lights are even more pointlessly unnecessary than rears.

Here in Finland we DO need rear fog lights during winter when snow tacks to the rear of car blocking everything... Only thing that keeps glowing thru snow is the 21 watt rear fog bulb 

[Bionic]

Ok, very many different thoughts but why were they fitted in the first place. Obviously they were meant to be of use? The rears are brilliant, so why not the fronts?
Get out the roses and a violin  .....I can remember (just barely) the days of yore when I was but a lad (17) in  an open herald NO P*SS TAKE PLEASE......until I got the vitesse 2.0 straight six potter one and both had fog lights that actually did throw a beam far and low enough to be useful. As now they would only come on with the sidelights.  I can even remember sprayint it matt black and having all the chrome re-plated....the wire wheels I added set it right off....AAAAAAAH!
If they could do it then why not now? Has progress turned in regress?

HID's I reckon is a step way too far because they would spoil the original specs far too far.

I suppose I could whip one out and have a look at the new fangled integral bulb holders they have decided to use and see if I can somehow change the bulb to an H1 or similar and see how that goes, if not then scout around for a pair of fogs I can get into the mountings.  Even my older 2.5 had far better ones than this 3.0..progress....

[Marks DTM Calib]

Have you set the aim......

[Bionic]

Yep MarkDTM...aim is good, its the poor intesity of the light that is the problem, its literally like a pair of candles and it does not improve when the new and modern H11 type oem integral holder and bulb are given a seperate 12v power supply.  The light is still yellowish. The older type fitted to my 1998 2.5 used H1 bulbs and they were bright white light!

[TheBoy]

Your assuming I was serious! 

Yup, you got me hook, line and sinker.

You sod

[Bionic]

 
Bet not many do that though.........
Going to try and alter the type opf bulbs that can be fitted unless I can come across some of the older type lamps that used the H1's which will fit into the bumper.
Even though about putting a pair of the new high intensity LED bar types below the bumper and wired into the fogs to see if that would improve things. Its would be a worth a tenner (thats all they are) to see if they would.
These are the ones.....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330753152610?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 

[05omegav6]

Just a thought, but have you tried swapping the relay? Perhaps on its last legs and restricting current flow if all else checks out, there can't be alot left to look at

[carpediem82]

i know is a stupid thing, but... bulbs are 12 v or 24v? I did this mistake , i grab the type of bulb but didn't see that it was 24 v.

[Bionic]

Hm....bulbs say they 12v but maybe when I remove them and before putting the old ones back I will put 12v across them.
The relay must be ok TaxiAl cos they were bright before and this only happened, the candles, when I put the new bulbs in and they were stated as H4 12v 55w on the boxes.
Got no hair left now............ But its Sunday and it will give me a bit to do.........

[Bionic]

  Old bulbs 12v 55w (white plastic holders) back in and WHITE lihjt is back! Tested the 'new'  bulbs (black plastic holders) ...they are 12v 55w too and they gave a yellow light. Have no idea what happened there at all........
As for the aim what I now think is that when I bought the car the front bumper fixings were all missing (like many other bits) from underneath and the pratt had altered the fogs aim to where they are now. Obviously when I returned the car to original and put in the original clips it brought the bumper down and so altered the foglight aim. Just tried the adjust it the easy way BUT as usual....Sod sod it sod it....the frikkin adjusters are solid so its the bumper off on tuesday (the drivers door strap will have to wait) so I can really get to it.
Stops the retirement boredom I suppose 
Why do these plonkers buy a car that they cannot/ will not care for or even do the basic maintenance on? Are they really all of the billy bodge brigade? 

[TheBoy]

IME, halogens that don't try to look like HIDs output a better illumination...

[Bionic]

  Agree, but in both of these types of 12v 55w H4 lamps with the integral plastic holders...the white type and the black type, the glass part and element look exactly the same in both. Beats me why there is so radical a difference in luminosity output.
Maybe I was just the totally unlucky sod that got a set from a bogey batch......even though that seems extremely unlikely.
Anyway the old white holder type are staying in now and all I have to do is get the adjusters working again to rectify the 'iss poor bodge that the last owner made of it. Frikkin less than 50p for the 3 correct under bumper fixings too......in total. Bodgers... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Bionic]

Do we get fog in this country? Can't remember the last time we had it enough to warranty turning them on (front or rear)

HaHa....Have a looky at this then
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2644668
OH bl**dy hell...got to get the lights right now..........

[Bionic]

 
At last a fine day when I could lie down under it! Soon found that they had been adjusted right to the limit of the adjuster screw so I gave em both a good squirt of penetrating fluid and left them for a tea break. Came back and tried them from the front just under the lens and both were not so clever so I got back under and found that instead of the plaggy front ones the ones at the rear of the front lamps were both metal torx heads. Applied my short holder with the correct torx bit and hey presto both moved easily. Just waiting for it to get dark now so I can do both against the wall I have marked with the correct heights for both the HID dips, the Xenon mains and the Xenon fogs. Seeing as it has flew through the mot again I reckon that it will be only the fogs I have to get to shine forward instead of at the ground.........
What next??? Its the drivers door strap for which, as its a facelift model, will do a full photo shoot cos I am using the large reinforcing plate which incorporates the electrical multiplug too instead of the tiny one usually used .
Just got to remember to hum Keep on running.....one fine day etc.....