WHY DO PEOPLE DO THAT? I've never understood the empty car park thing. Definitely one of my pet hates...
Three days of A3 SB Pros and Cons
- Thread starter viperfire
- Start date
I 'know' where they are, but unlike other functions in the car that are regularly used they don't become ingrained into memory in such a way as to become automatic. As such, a function that needs to be accessed in the rare occasion that there is a hazard should be very easy to find. Look where your hazard button is placed in a car for example.
really when do you actually NEED front fog lights? Rule 133 of the current Highway Code states: - 'Use fog lights when visibility is seriously reducedâ
This generally means when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 ft). You MUST NOT use fog lights at other times'. Rear fog lights are good for heavy rain in daylight but when did you actually drive in fog so bad you couldn't see 100 metres? rant over, sorryI ordered my S-Line after driving the car for 1 day but kept it for another 5
You're advised to use both front and rear fogs if you have them rather than rear fogs only. You're making the assumption that because you rarely drive in adverse conditions that others do not. I often drive on motorways in heavy rain and have encountered heavy fog at least 20 times since buying the car in March - I regularly drive over a mountain range where visibility is sometimes limited to 20m. You're assuming that I use the lights in a way that contravenes the highway code when I do not and never have.
But surely modern xenon headlights give you more than enough visability at the front. Front fog lights are just not necessary. I have also driven over mountains in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, some times in horrible conditions but have never found the need to use front fog lights. The problem is a lot of drivers put their rear fog light on at the slightest sign on any mist and with the switch on the current A3 you have no choice bit to put the front ones on as well. Also some driver seem to drive with their front fog lights on even in an area with street lights. At least with the new swiches you can choose them individually and they both reset to off whenever you turn the ignition off.
Fog lights have a completely different beam pattern to headlights. Xenons bounce back the light. However, I'm in no way defending the mindless fog light driver. I've never used the front fog lights in any of my cars. I've used the rears once or twice when I couldn't see further than the end of the bonnet!
It amazes me that people switch them on when you can see the car in front's tail-lights for 400m. What do they expect to achieve?
Absolutely, yes! You get people turning them on in light mist, or rain (I have NEVER put my fog lights on in rain - that's not what they are for) when you can clearly see the tail lights of cars 10-20 times your stopping distance in front of you - it's maddening!
Sambo74
Audi A3 1.8 TFSI
Just ordered my first Audi:
1.8 TFSI A3
Brilliant Black
Technik Pack
S-Line Sports, 18" Black Rotor wheels
Assistance Pack
Comfort Pack
B&O sound
Interior Lighting Pack
Window Tint
Estimated Delivery September 25, 2013.
Anyone have black on black they can post photos of?
1.8 TFSI A3
Brilliant Black
Technik Pack
S-Line Sports, 18" Black Rotor wheels
Assistance Pack
Comfort Pack
B&O sound
Interior Lighting Pack
Window Tint
Estimated Delivery September 25, 2013.
Anyone have black on black they can post photos of?
Actually the old system forced you to run sidelights + foglights whereas the new system you can just run foglights.
Why would you ever want to do that? If the visibility is so bad that fog lights are required, you should definitely have your headlights on too!
Actually, that's not strictly correct. Dipped beam and fog lights have a completely different beam pattern. Fog lights have a sharp cut-off to avoid 'bounce back' of light which you get with dipped beam in dense fog.
I agree with you 100% though, if you can safely drive with dipped beam you don't need front fog lights on at all. IMO that's 99.9% of times which begs the question why manufacturers still fit them!
If you are in the situation when you absolutely do need them though (as I have been a couple of times), you are glad they are there! The beams get under the fog and become more visible to eg, oncoming traffic who may have wandered to the other side of the road in the fog.
Can't STAND it when people have them on for a tiny bit of mist, or no fog/mist at all though - they can get quite dazzling!
Aesthetics? Just makes them look like an idiot who can't tell the difference between 'fog' and 'no fog' as far as I'm concerned! Not to mention it being dazzling at night.
Talking about dazzling at night.
I had a hire car for 8 weeks leading up to me getting the sportback very recently. In the last few days of having the hire car, the electrics messed up on a drive to Stansted airport to pick my mother up (11.30pm arrival time). I live about 30 mins from Stansted and with the electrics messing up and not having the headlights available to me, it made for a very unpleasant drive. The usual headlight setting for night time driving just died. It was pretty hairy stuff being about 10 mins from Stansted and struggling to light the way ahead of me. Never been so nervous in my life. In the end I put the front spots on to give some additional illumination but clearly not doing the job to light the road ahead of me which I desperately needed. In the end I reluctantly put the full beams on and I can tell you now, I lost count of how many drivers on the opposite side flashed me in anger. For cars that came up from behind I had to wait till they were passing before I turned the full beams off to ensure I didnt blind them and made use of their lights until they pulled out of range. When they passed me they must have thought I had gone into cloak mode. I managed to make it home okay and made sure I chose roads that had good lighting in sections. I passed a parked up police car on the A130 and was very surprised not to be pulled over.
I most certainly get frustrated at those that drive with the rear fog light on when clearly visibility is perfectly fine.
So Viperfire - is the MPG improving? Have you removed the sticker attached to the passenger visor?
I had a hire car for 8 weeks leading up to me getting the sportback very recently. In the last few days of having the hire car, the electrics messed up on a drive to Stansted airport to pick my mother up (11.30pm arrival time). I live about 30 mins from Stansted and with the electrics messing up and not having the headlights available to me, it made for a very unpleasant drive. The usual headlight setting for night time driving just died. It was pretty hairy stuff being about 10 mins from Stansted and struggling to light the way ahead of me. Never been so nervous in my life. In the end I put the front spots on to give some additional illumination but clearly not doing the job to light the road ahead of me which I desperately needed. In the end I reluctantly put the full beams on and I can tell you now, I lost count of how many drivers on the opposite side flashed me in anger. For cars that came up from behind I had to wait till they were passing before I turned the full beams off to ensure I didnt blind them and made use of their lights until they pulled out of range. When they passed me they must have thought I had gone into cloak mode. I managed to make it home okay and made sure I chose roads that had good lighting in sections. I passed a parked up police car on the A130 and was very surprised not to be pulled over.
I most certainly get frustrated at those that drive with the rear fog light on when clearly visibility is perfectly fine.
So Viperfire - is the MPG improving? Have you removed the sticker attached to the passenger visor?
Cemerson, it was a Ford Focus. Faulty wiring or loose cable. I was not going to attempt to fix it at night in a lay-by. I did not have a torch with me. Certainly made me very alert driving in that situation.
