Rear Foglights are Back in the US
Some of you may remember last summer when MINI sent out a memo to dealers detailing changes for the 2016 model year. One of those changes caught our eye – the removal of the rear foglight option. The history of MINIUSA and rear foglights actually goes back to 2003 when MotoringFile and other MINI owners brought a petition to MINIUSA to bring the safety option to the US after some petitioning to California and Oregon to make them legal.
We’re happy to announce that the removal of the option lasted technically for about a month last year as MINIUSA was inundated with complaints and requests following our exposing of the change.
So lets celebrate but making sure we ll tick that $100 box as we order our next MINI.
<p>It’s too bad many Americans don’t know how to use them. Many people think they’re just as “cool” as having front fog lights running at all times. While the fronts aren’t easily confused for any other lights, rears, especially when purely implemented, can be mistaken for brake lights, or can simply be distracting since they’re bright.</p>
<p>Moral of the story, tell your friends that rear fogs when it’s not foggy are not cool.</p>
<p>Now lets get front fog lights on the JCW Hardtop, at least as an option. The S has them standard, but they were left off the JCW so they could use the space for an actual cooling intake, so put them somewhere else. It’s a safety issue too. (My JCW has rear fog lights, one of the reasons I bought a 2015 instead of a 2016.)</p>
<p>It is physically impossible</p>
<p>When I bought my R53 2005 MCS, I ordered it with front and rear foglights. At that time, the rear foglight was not available so my car came with the necessary toggles, and the rear foglight, but no wire between the foglight and the switch. So it is there, but not connected. However, I noted that the programming on the switch has been done as the toggle lights come on when the foglights are supposed to be on.</p>
<p>1) The rear foglight cannot turn on unless the front foglights are on.
2) The front foglights can only turn on if the marker and/or the headlights are turned on. They cannot be turned on if the headlight switch is on the off position.
3) If you turn on your front high beams, the foglights turn off until you turn off your highbeams.</p>
<p>I do not know if sequence is also valid for the 2nd and 3rd gen MINIs.</p>
<p>Having said that, I have followed cars who have their rear foglights turned on for no particular reason in the city on a clear evening. While stopped behind a car (not a MINI) where the foglight is higher up, it is bright enough to be blinding to the car behind you.</p>
<p>I remember reading the article about the deleted rear fog light here, so I was confused when it was still an option when I ordered my 2016 Cooper Hardtop. I happily checked the box though, it seemed a little ridiculous to have the light in the rear valence but not be able to even turn it on.</p>
<p>I felt fortunate that rear foglights were still on the option list in September when I ordered my 2016 MCSa 3-door hatchback. They keep me visible not just in fog, but also in heavy rain and snow.</p>
<p>And those are the right times to be using them – inclement weather. Too bad I see them turned on at other times on so many cars. Kudos to you oldsbear for using them responsibly!</p>