Car Fog lights

Fog lights are necessary in conditions of bad visibility. When it is fog, lower beam is not effective. It is reflected and clears away because of water drops. Fog lights are situated lower than usual ones. So the angle between light beam and direction the driver looks at is bigger. In such a way better visibility is assured and driver can clear see the transport in front of him even when it is fog, snow or rain.

Fog lights are allowed to be used only in conditions of bad visibility, because they may dazzle drivers moving in opposite direction. In addition, fog headlamps may be used together with lower beam and marker lamps. There are a lot of models. Fog lights also may be installed in old cars. It is possible to determine fog lights’ damage during a simple visual examination. If there are mechanical damages (for example, somebody broke the lamp or it was broken in the result of metal road hit), it is most probably that a part of electric system is also faulty. The most spread faulty is a burned-out lamp. But relay or switch also can fail. It is necessary always to reserve lamps in your car to replace them on the site.

Fog lights substitution is not difficult. First you need to switch off old fog light from electricity. Then unscrew attachments and install a new model on place of the old one and switch it to electricity. After this check its functionality. If you search for any other parts for repair or maintenance, we recommend you to visit our Internet shop. Here you can find brake gear booster, brake blocks, bonnet, cylinders, stub axles, headlamps, back lights and horns. All our goods have good value for money.

How to detect malfunction of the fog light?

Back or front fog lights can be diagnosed with a 12V light bulb, or exactly the same serviceable light. If it lights when connected, the used one should be replaced.

During further diagnostics, special attention should be paid to the fuse, since this element is one of the most vulnerable in the circuit. Most often, it is located in the fuse box, although in some cases it may be mounted directly on the wire. First, visually assess the integrity of the element, after which you can check it with a multimeter.

The relay may be checked by simply pressing the fog light button. If the component is okay, a click will be heard. If not, the relay needs more careful checking.

In addition, attention should be paid to the wiring. All terminals should be checked for reliable connection and absence of oxidation. In some cases, it is the absence of contact that is the reason of lights malfunction.

You may notice that the fog light needs diagnostics by the following symptoms:

• the light does not respond at all;
• some of the lighting elements do not respond;
• the fog light button gets jammed;
• the fog light constantly fails.

The reasons of fog light malfunction

The most common reason of malfunctions is blown fuse, which results in an open electric circuit. The same problem may occur when the relay fails.

As a result of operational wear or a short circuit, the fog light itself may burn out. Using your vehicle in adverse weather conditions often causes oxidation of fog lights terminals. This reduces the component's service life. As a result, it starts flickering or working with interruptions. For the same reason, the ground connection from the relay or the fog light itself to the chassis may also fail. Besides, the reason of the light failure may lie in a broken wire.

During the use, internal elements of the fog light button wear out, which makes it defective. As a result, both lights stop operating. Besides, the light fault may result from incorrect connection.

Incorrect operation of the component may also be connected with the use of wires and other elements of poor quality, and with the use of non-conforming components.

Repairing and replacing fog lights

Fog lights are repaired by replacing faulty elements. In most cases, these are relays and wiring. When damaged, these elements are to be replaced, which does not require big expenses. If the fog light button is faulty, install a new one, after dismantling the instrument panel. The process of replacing and connecting a fog lights kit requires special care due to component fragility. Therefore, it should be entrusted to a service station.