I picked up my 2005 MCS with the hopes that the dealership would activate the installed rear fog light. Unfortunately they are still under the impression that the law was not changed...

I thought California State Legislators relaxed the height restriction making the rear fog light illegal in California sometime in November 2004. New traffic laws in California take effect in January of each new year.

MiniUSA came out with the 2005 retrofit bulletin December of 2004 and it's last line says....

"The Rear Fog Light is illegal in the State of Oregon. Please observe all state and local laws regarding the use of Rear Fog Lights."

see this for full bulletin:
http://motoringfile.com/files/2005_r...g_retrofit.pdf

It seems to me that if the rear fog light was still illegal in California, it would have been mentioned seeing as how a lot of American cars are in California.

It was my belief that California, Hawaii and Oregon had a rear fog light restriction, and that both California and Hawaii have changed the law to make the Mini Cooper Rear Fog Light legal.... It seemed to me that the reason the MC and MCS being made after October 14, 2004 had the wiring harnesses installed in them was because of the pending legislation.

I asked Ask-Mini and they are researching it, but do not have an answer yet. I will post their answer here.

Anyone know ??

Thanks in Advance :smile:

 

Your dealer is full of caaaa caaaa....We took delivery of our 05' MCS in May - from Brecht MINI and the rear fog light definitely is activated. And everytime we go there for a visit, almost every car on the lot has the rear fog...It is legal in California....:smile: Time to pay your dealer a visit....

Donna

 

I thought so. Anyone else have dealerships activating it in California ? Anyone not have dealerships activating it in California ?

Hope all is well in San Diego. You going on this apple pie run trip Saturday August 27th ?

If so I will be going - and we could meet in person !!

 

This link:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc24602.htm

States:
Fog Taillamps

24602. (a) ( )1 A vehicle may be equipped with not more than two red fog taillamps mounted on the rear which may be lighted, in addition to the required taillamps, only when atmospheric conditions, such as fog, rain, snow, smoke, or dust, reduce the daytime or nighttime visibility of other vehicles to less than 500 feet.

(b) ( )2 The lamps authorized under subdivision (a) shall be installed as follows:

(1) When two lamps are installed, one shall be mounted at the left side and one at the right side at the same level and as close as practical to the sides. When one lamp is installed, it shall be mounted as close as practical to the left side or on the center of the vehicle.

(2) The lamps shall be mounted not lower than 15 inches nor higher than 60 inches.


(3) The edge of the lens of the lamp shall be no closer than four inches from the edge of the lens of any stoplamp.

(4) The lamps shall be wired so they can be turned on only when the headlamps are on and shall have a switch that allows them to be turned off when the headlamps are on.

(5) A nonflashing amber pilot light ( )3 that is lighted when the lamps are turned on shall be mounted in a location readily visible to the driver.

Amended Sec. 30, Ch. 615, Stats. 2004. Effective January 1, 2005.
The 2004 amendment added the italicized material, and at the point(s) indicated, deleted the following:
1. "Any"
2. "Such"
3. "which"

My observations - Conditions of #1 are met / Conditions of #2 are met (Bottom Edge of lamp assembly is exactly at 15") / Conditions of #3 are met / Think #4 is how they programmed it to work / as for #5 there is a led there... but they won't turn it on - I'll bet its amber!

Guess I am educating the dealer - Hope they don't flinch when they see my Bill

 

Would love to meet you - if I can get out of work - I'll be there - if not, Mike may be there solo. He is back on the East Coast at the moment, covering (photographing) the Little League World Series - not sure when he is returning quite yet....so we're a bit up in the air at the moment. LOVE those Julian Pies.........yummy....

Donna

 

Can someone explain to me why anyone would need a rear fog light? For backward motoring, maybe? Sounds as logical to me as an airconditioned glovebox.

 

You've never driven Hwy 99 in California when you had to stick your head out the window to see the ground because the fog was so thick. The more bright red light on your behind, the better.

Steve

 

SRTech that is a very good example the worst fog I have ever been in was just north of Sacramento and rear fogs would have been a great help. Never have I ever exprenced fog like that anywhere and I have lived on the east coast, mid west and west coast. Fog in California was definately the worst.

 

It really is a nightmare when it gets that thick. You can only hope to find the next off-ramp before somebody runs you down and causes one of those 50 car pile-ups you hear about.

Steve

 

I can't just pull over and get a dealer to activate it when I need it... I need it now so I have when I need it. I have seen some really, really thick soup around California, and yet people just fly thru it like they are on instruments - (well I am sure they are - there's no way they are driving VFR)

 

It is there to prevent someone from rear-ending you in low visability conditions. Basically it is a brighter tail light.

The same courtesies apply for a rear fog light as would apply to front high beams or driving lights in that you turn them off whenever someone gets close to you from the rear. This is something that is not well understood in the USA, unfortunately. That is why they are switched independently from the front fogs, as you might need to keep the front fogs on but need to turn off the rears.

Good drugs, and they aren't sharing? Or maybe they use "spice" from the "Dune" series of books to increase their awareness?

That is the reason I want my rear fogs. I at least stand a little better chance of survival.