Hi Folks,
My '05 didn't come with a rear fog and am considering installing either an additional BRAKE light or the BACK-UP light. Which would you prefer and why?

Mini thanks!

 

There is a place in Florida that sells a kit that includes either a Backup or Brake light (both OEM, either red or white lens) along with the necessary wiring for about $45.00 plus shipping. I just ordered the Backup light because it would fill that black blank in my bumber with something useful like extra light to see what is behind me at night when I am backing up. I chose this over the extra brake light because I already have 3 - Right/Left & under the spoiler, and did not think I needed a 4th.

Maybe someone can help me out with the name and web site of the company. I have that info at home and I am currently on the road and do not have access to it. A quick Google search did not find it.

I will post it when I return home on Friday if someone else has not done so.

 

Thanks Jim, that's exactly the kind of response I'm looking for. It makes sense to opt for the back up light. I believe it's www.minispeed.net. They have both types, rear backup and brake light kits.
Best,
Angel

 

I prefer the rear fog light. That is what I have in my 2005 S from factory, plus you get to have a full 6 toggle switch panel, that is, if you have the front fogs too.

 

I have front fogs. Not sure if a rear fog light would be as usefull as having an extra light when backing up. I agree on the filling up all the toggle spaces. I started a separate thread to see if anybody had good ideas on alternate uses of that missing switch slot. I was thinking of using an OEM switch and assigning another use for it, if I could. Something completely useless but fun.
Thanks for your reply.
A.

 

My bad. The site often mention on this forum is: www.minspeed.net not minispeed.

 

I installed the minspeed backup light kit, because:

- rear fog lights are illegal in some states (you are not supposed to have a white light on the back end of a vehicle),
- rear fog lights aren't going to keep anyone from hitting you from behind in heavy fog - it's a low-wattage bulb in a poor location on the car,
- making the backup lights 50% brighter could easily save you from hitting a pedestrian or denting the car.

The minspeed kit uses the OEM light assembly, and provides for quick and easy hookup. Nice.

 

While I appreciate your argument FOR the rear backup light, your arguments against the rear fog light have some issues:

1) Rear fog lights on MINIs are red, not white.

2) Have you followed a MINI with the rear fog light on? (maybe not, if you think they're white). They are BRIGHT. Significantly brighter than the regular rear taillights - or at least the light is much more focused so it appears as a bright red spot on the car ahead. They definitely make a car more visible to approaching followers in the fog... it doesn't need to be high for that application - just visible from a longer range than the taillights.

Personally, mine is wired to also function as an additional rear brakelight - and I can tell from the reaction of drivers behind me, it gets their attention. Given how much lower the MINI is than giant pickups and SUVs, and given that the cabrio third brake light is much lower on the car than the coupe's, I'll take anything I can get that makes the rear of my car more visible when I'm slowing down (which I have the ability to do faster than those same giant SUVs, when avoiding things that shouldn't be in front of me but sometimes are...)

 

Now I'm confused. I light the idea of the backlight, but if you were to average its usage, the brake light may seem more sensible to me at this point.

 

Personally, I back into parking spaces 95+% of the time... which means I very rarely back out "blind" in a parking lot or into traffic... with the cabrio, it's almost a necessity given the huge rear corner blind spot...

 

Nope, I've never seen a red rear fog light or fourth brake light used on a MINI. As I recall, it does use the same bulb as the other two brake lights, so it's no brighter.

Drew a mental blank on the color, but the poor positioning remains, and while it might beam at another MINI driver, I guarantee it's not pointing in the eyes of a trucker or SUV driver 7 feet in the air...

 

It's not a laser... so aiming isn't quite so critical... and, as I said, the reflector makes it appear much more intense than the taillights... within a smaller field of focus.... kinda like how a mag-lite can light a few square feet of a wall MUCH brighter than it lights up the whole wall when you "zoom out"...

And I'm not counting on it being at eye level when they're 20 feet behind me... that's a bit late. But when they're 200 feet behind me, I think it's well within their field of vision.

When you've seen one, and personally compared its perceived brightness to the taillights, then I'll grant you an audience to deliver an informed opinion to me. Not to say I'm not enjoying your uninformed conjecture.

A buddy in another car (not a MINI) followed me once in fog when I had it on... his response when we arrived at out destination:
"Dude, you have some kind of BRIGHT red light on the back of your car - is it SUPPOSED to be like that?!?"

Oh yeah, that's right, he must have been on crack... because it's the same brightness as the taillights. Never mind.

 

Fog in Florida? Never! But I have used the rear fog to alert pesky bumper riders in the expressway and it does get their attention.

The only time I have encountered really bad/thick fog was in early 2006 when we drove the dragon and nearby Cherohala Skyway. At an altitude of around 4,500 feet we found ourselves all of a sudden engulfed in the most thick fog we have ever seen. We could not see a THING beyond the bonnet.

We just kept going. No point in stopping. You don't know where the heck u are anymore.

We had a small pickup truck following us down the mountain road and I think the rear fog helped them to make him aware of our presence and I guess it made it easier for him to navigate out of the mess as well.

By the way, rear fogs are not illegal in Florida (I know that they are outlawed in Oregon).

Some people have wired them for brake lights and that is OK too.

If you have a pre-2005 MINI, the rear fogs sit at the top of the tailights and the backup reverse light at the lower center of the rear bumper cover.

MINI did not offer the rear fog lights on 2002-2004 model year MINIs. I am not sure if these can be retrofitted in the older cars.

I have the rear fogs in both of my MINIs from factory. I figured it was cheaper to pay $100 for the factory install than shelling out $500 later to have the dealer do the same.

 

I found the ultimate mod for the rear fog/brake/backup light. This mod incoporates all three!
www.ummoto.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=21&p=8

 

Yep - saw that before but had forgotten it - a very good mod

 

Great mod.

Nevertheless, with a choice between backup, fog, or brake functions, I still prefer the white 3rd backup light along with a center-top blinker add-on which makes the center brake light blink three times before coming on solid when you hit the brakes.

There is some controversy about this: some (including me) believe that the blinking lights simulate ABS happening or something similar, and cause the tail-gater to back off, while others cite studies that anything unexpected with brake lights causes longer reaction time, not shorter.

Either way you hook it up, that hole in the bumper just cries out for an inexpensive but useful mod.

 

Just to clarify, since there seems to be a bit of confusion as to what bulbs and where the rear fog light is...
First, on '02-'04 Cooper and Cooper "S", the back-up light is only one, located in the center of the rear bumper. On '05-'06 cars, the back-up lights are two, located within the taillight assemblies. Optional rear fog lights on '02-'04 cars use the top bulb space in the "early" taillight assembly(which is the one with the amber turn signals in the center on the taillights). Optional rear fog on '05-'06 cars use the very same location in the center of the back bumper where the back-up light use to be on '02-'04 cars. If you chose not to add the rear fog light option, cars then came with a black plastic "blank" cover panel. I do have the rear fog option in my '05, and indeed is bright!, similar as if you drove your car with the brake lights activated all the time. Very useful with the morning fog we get here in NC. Just my 2 cents

 

I just installed the 3rd backup light from www.MinSpeed.net. I have a 05/05 build MCS that had the plug tucked in behind the Blank plate. It is a tight squeeze to get your hand up inside to pop out the blank plate due to the heat shield from the exhaust. It was also tricky to cut the plug loose because it was wrapped in tape.
The instructions that are provided are not easy to understand because they combine two different hookups: brake & backup. The backup is the easier of the two. Using the provided jumper wire, you tap the backup light power on the right rear tail light and jump it to the power for the installed backup light.

The kit was $44 with an OEM light, wiring harness and a circuit tester that I did not have to use. A fair price for a good mod!

 

My RED rear fog MINI installed fog light glows brighter than Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer on a Yukon Cornelius THIS FOG'S THICKER THAN PEA SOUP! driving situation.

That thing can be seen LOOOONG before I see other drivers' standard rear brake lights. I love it.

For visibility I also added one of those aftermarket third brake light flashers. When I hit the brakes the third light flashes four times rapidly. Tends to wake up the dead. :-)