My father just bought a new CLK Cabriolet and I noticed it only has one rear fog light. In 1991, we bought a new Alfa Romeo 164 (now retired as the vacation home car, we will NEVER sell such a beatiful car) and it had two rear fog lights. Is it supposed to be just one on the CLKs?

Its also one rear (driver's side) for the 300SE.

Would it be possible to add the rear fog light on an 89 300e?

Its already starting here in LA . . . In addition to driving around with front fog lights blazing all the time (clear night, city streets lit like day - and sometimes ever DURING the day) . . . now the damn REAR fog lights are blazing 24/7. Full coverage annoyance now!

I think all German cars only have one rear fog light in the rear...and only shines on one side...I forgot which side though...but it is the same for BMW and Mercedes-Benz...obviously, the rear light doesn't help you see, but only makes you more visible to the people behind you under heavy fog...I guess the Germans didn't think it was necessary to implement two in the rear...I guess it looks kinda funny...

Jettpilot,

You don't have the single rear fog light in the rear? That is strange...it should be on the W124...your car is equipped with front foglights right? If you click the light switch twice to the right, and pull out once, it engages the front foglights, and if you pull out twice, it will engage the front and back foglights...I'm not familiar with your specific W124 model year...but if after pulling it out twice, and you still aren't gettin' anything in the rear, you might wanna pull open the tail light assembly on the fog light side and check if the bulb is in good condition. However, I am pretty sure your car has a rear foglight too, but if I'm wrong, I apologize in advance, only tryin' to help!

[Edited by DuckMuck on 03-15-2001 at 10:05 PM]

Hey Brian!
 

I thought the whole point of living in L.A. was to draw attention to oneself. I guess these "foglight bandits" don't have anything else to help them stand out.

Pity them...:(

the reason why there is only one rear foglamp is that so it won't be confused with brake lights.

if there are 2 rear foglamps, the trailing driver will have to observe your car for a few seconds more to come to the conclusion that you are not on the brakes.

the convention is to place the rear foglamp on the driver's side.

i think it is a necessity in heavy rain or thick fog, to reduce your chances of being rear-ended. My 1989 190e does not have the wiring for the rear foglamp, and i wish they left it there - it's just a single wire!

Brian,

The point of the lights evidently works, doesn't it? You obviously SEE them. (Don't get upset, now, I'm "kidding" you just a little bit.)

I use my fogs as DRL's 'cause I want my car to be seen by other drivers. 'May be a little much, but uninsured fool suddenly turned left across in front of wife several years ago; totaled our 80 240D; fool said he did not see the 240D; bright, clear day; cars only 50 feet or so apart going toward each other. If the other driver sees my orange lights, maybe he/she won't "do something stupid" and hit me, or if I do something stupid, maybe they can get out of the way.

My 1991 190e has the single rear fog light. I noticed the other tail light assembly has the physical socket for one but it's not wired or used. Also,the light switch has a yellow indicator that comes on only when the rear for light is on.

And, no, the whole point of living in LA is not to draw attention. Mine is to not live in the snow, but it looks good in the rearview mirror when I'm done visiting it.

For safety I prefer not to have the fog lights on. People are looking for two white lights on a car, any deviation from that drops the noticeability. I learned that from riding a motorcycle. When some people look, they are looking for cars. Bikes, trucks and even trains are'nt in that catagory, but its only bikes that have to worry. Per the famous quote:"Are their any cars coming?"

[Edited by Jim Anderson on 03-16-2001 at 11:52 AM]

Reason for one rear fog
 

The rear fog is always on the driver's side of the vehicle, and there should only be one. Two fogs could confuse it with brake lights. The fog light is on the driver's side, so faster traffic will know which side of the lane to pass on, and how much clearance they have on the left. Remember, in Germany people drive fast with or without the fog, so they need to know where traffic is at all times.

Mercedes also have the ability to keep a turn signal on, either the left or right, while the car is turned of. This is used for parking, when you park on a corner, or perhaps a blind intersection. So, during the evening, or fog, traffic can see where the end of your vehicle is, and avoid hitting you.

Wilton, if the point is to be seen for "safety reasons"
then why don't you drive around with your high beams on all the time (even during the day)? I'd certainly see you then. Or how about with your hazards flashing? No one will miss you then. If you don't drive around with high beams and flashers going, and someone hits you, you're gonna kick yourself, because you'll *know* that if you had that added "visibility" you would have avoided an accident. Your safety is worth it.
And, driving with only 2 fogs on doesn't really get you noticed, now that everyone does that. It time to up the ante with FOUR fogs. Or maybe 2 fogs with those JC Whitney fake xenon blue bulbs in them. Gotta stand out. Take a look at a JC Whitney catalog. Its a HUGE biz, filled with "safety products." Many of which involve putting lights on all conceiveable parts of a vehicle (including a ram's head hood ornament for Dodge Ram trucks, complete with red glowing eyes! That'll really let them see you coming!)
I guess my view of foglights comes from my own personal experience. Confession time: In the mid 80's, when I was 18, I had a BMW 320i, with foglights. Back then, not many other cars had foglights. I drove with them on all the time (well, not during the day). I justified it for "safety reasons" and because it "increased visibility." Even though I knew that as lighting, on clear nights, they did essentially nothing (except light up maybe 5 feet in front of the car, which is useless unless you are going 1 mph). I stopped the practice after a few years, and looking back, I will admit that I did it in an attempt to say "Look at me and my BMW." I now blame it on being a teenager.
Teens do the exact same thing these days, but have had to go far beyond fogs, now that every Pontiac, BMW, MB and SUV go around blazing fogs 24/7. So, the kids do "blue lights", clear lenses with clear lights, and other bizarre things. Say what you want, but it gets them noticed, and can be justified for "safety reasons." Just like foglights, that's nonsense in my book. Its all a capitulation to the base human nature to say "Look at me and my cool car."
People are gonna do what they please, and justify it how they please. That is totally fine. But others are going to have opinions, and that is fine too. My OPINION is that driving around with fogs on in clear whether is silly, childish, discourteous to other drivers, needlessly adding to visual pollution, and illegal in most states, no matter how it is attempted to be justified.
Just my OPINION, formed after at least 10 years of this perennial debate. Lots agree with it, lots don't. One thing, though, people don't usually change sides! Deep inside, we are all either "I need to drive with foglights on" type people or not, it seems! Kinda like being left or right handed, I guess were born with it!

Actually, the rear fog light is a point of contention in Europe. My 300TE has the left rear fog, my Volvo 765 Turbo has right and left rear fogs. Both sides are following their own logic. Germans feels that you want to light up the side nearest the middle of the road so if it's really bad, you know where the edge is you're supposed to be left of while passing. Swedes probably think it makes sense to put all the candlepower you can back there when it's foggy out there.

Perspectives affect alot of decisions. I read that MB never put cupholders in cars until they came to California and saw people sitting in $130k SLs, stuck in traffic, pissed because they had no where to put their coffee or big gulps. Germans like to sit at a roadside cafe, sip coffe at the table, then get in the same SL and haul butt down the autobahn at 150 kph+. Can you see why they thought cupholders were a dumb idea?

Brian, that's one reason we all have different names, isn't it? We're all different, & that's OK. Just 2 fogs facing forward - that's enough "gliz" , razzle-dazzle, etc. for me.
I don't really care if anybody sees that "it's" a Mercedes.
I just rather they not get me into an accident in either of them - neither the twenty-year-old one nor the ten year-old one - I'd feel the same if it were a 2 or 20 year-old Ford, etc. BTW, how about the strings of lights on some of the big trucks, these days.

I'm wary of flaming but... fog lights are a nuisance. It is almost never so foggy that normal headlights are inadequate. People in the UK have started using front fogs all the time, like I'm going to mistake their 316i coming up behind me for a Le Mans GTR emerging from the pits. It's just rude: you wouldn't drive around with your main beam permanently on. And they are totally useless, even in fog!

As for rear fogs, they are down right dangerous in all but the most extreme situations. Like any over bright light, they are a serious distraction for following drivers. And they make brake lights a lot more difficult to perceive in an instant. That is the reason why there is only one fog light on German cars. I guess the logic of those who use rear fogs at night or in the rain is that it makes them more visible. In fact it makes them less visible when it counts: when they are braking. When it is dark and wet, with water on the screen &c, they make it very difficult to see for following drivers.

People also forget to turn them off. At least the MB light switch makes this stupidity impossible. The UK police occasionally have a purge on this sort of thing; should be a hanging offence.

I drive with my front fog lights on at night time because I can see better. I can see farther in front of me and I can see better off to the side. I believe that makes me a better driver having better visibility of the road and what is in front of me. Rarely, do I use the rear fog light, only in the rain.
I sometimes drive with my fog lights on during the day just to make me more visible to other drivers. I really don't see what the big deal is. I don't do it to be seen in my Mercedes, just to help avoid an accident.