I just recently bought oem white tail lamps, but after I installed I noticed that the third (top) bulbs on both the Left and Right do not work. Although, eveything else was "legit" meaning my left and right directionals work, brake lights work, my One reverse worked (the white light in middle of bumper)
SO WHAT ARE THE TOP BULBS FOR???

CAN I SOMEHOW WIRE THEM, ACTIVATE AND CONVERT THEM INTO ADDITIONAL REVERSE LIGHTS????

 

In the '02-'04 taillights, the top bulb is the rear fog, which does not operate unless you have a toggle panel with the switch and the function activated by the dealer.

A popular and easy mod is been to jumper the taillight connector to make the top bulb operate as an additional brake light. Since you have the white tail lights, making the top bulb a reverse lamp would be another option. The wiring harness for your reverse light runs down the right side of the car and near the taillight, so once you identify the correct wires it would be easy to jumper it to your top bulb. For your left taillight, you'll need to run an extra wire to the other side of the car to pick up the reverse signal.

 

Thanks For Advice

 

Sorry I have a few more questions.

1) How are rear fogs activated? I assume a toggle switch needs to be on and activated, but once on is it always on or only when I go into reverve? or apply brakes pehaps?

2)Would GB MINI's Always On Fogs also activate Rear Fogs?

The bottom line is I want better reverse lighting. So I am tying to figure out if I go with more expensive route-new toggle panel & activate rear fogs-would it satisfy my need for more reverse lighting? I do plan on getting GB MINI Panel any ways, but would be cool if it did work on rear fogs.

3) Or am I complicating things and should just rewire dummy lights (rear fogs) to my reverse lights?

Thanks!!

I think I just answered my self K.I.S.S method, but like idea of stock rear fogs, if it will satisfy my need for better reverse lighting.

 

The top lamps on the '02-'04s, as mentioned , are for the rear fogs. The rear fogs are turned on with a toggle switch (requiring new toggle panel and dealer programming) for driving (in either direction) in fog. They are red and far brighter than the regular tail lights so that the are visible over several times the distance as are the regular rear running lights. Prevents pile ups in foggy conditions. As you suggest, you could probably just run positive wires from the center backup light to the top taillight lamps. I'm not certain how the red light is generated on a clear taillight lens , but if a red bulb is employed, you'll want to swap out for white to maximize visibility for backup.

 

1. For OEM rear fogs, you need the function activated by the dealer, and a toggle panel with the switch. The OEM rear fog is set up to turn on only if your low beams or front fogs are already on. The brake light mod I mentioned earlier is independent of this. You jumper two pins in the connector plug so that whenever the brake turns on, it also makes the rear fog bulb go on. If you jumper using a diode instead of just a wire, you can have a functioning rear fog AND it also lights up with the brakes.
2. GBMINI's circuit activates front fog only.
3. To make the top bulb operate as a reverse light, you need to rewire. Actually it is just installing a jumper between two wires in the wiring harnesses. You have to identify which wire turns on the fog bulb and which wire turns on the reverse light, and splice in a jumper wire between them.
4. You can make your current reverse light brighter by replacing the existing bulb with a 35 watt halogen 1156 bulb.

 

rkw - Are you saying that the wiring, bulb holders and bulbs are already in the rear fogs? All I have to do is get the dealer to acivate it once the switch is in the panel? If so, cool!

 

jappello, that is correct. The wiring and bulbs are already there. You only need to purchase and install the toggle panel with the switch, and have the dealer activate it.

 

How much should that run? Anyone have that done? Where would the switch go?

 

Not sure how much it would run but you have to purchase the 6 switch module that goes below your HVAC controls and replace the current one.

 

Strange, but on my '03 with the OEM white tail lights both the top AND bottom bulbs activate when the brakes are applied, and only the bottom stays on when head and/or marker lights are turned on. It was installed by the dealer, and they have since told me that you can not have the rear fog option with the white lights because of the way they are wired up.

 

Did you buy the car used? It sounds like it has the fog/brake light mod installed.

You can do the rear fog option and still also have the brake light mod, if a diode is used instead of a simple wire jumper. The jumper connects between the fog and brake lights, and causes the brakes to illuminate the fogs. If the jumper is just a wire, the fogs will also turn on the brake lights. However, if the jumper is a diode, it will keep the fogs from turning on the brake lights but the other direction will still work.