European rear fog lights

[scorpionking0102]

From what I have seen, heard or read about the European and Chinese version of the Edge has LED rear fog lights replacing the left and right outboard reflector strips on the Edge. Mine is  2016 Sport and I know you can buy aftermarket ones.

My question to all is, has anyone done this modification? I know there should be a factory wiring harness along with the associated switch. I’ve been trying to get a parts manual for the overseas version hoping it will show and give a parts listing.

Ideas or help will be greatly appreciated.

Edited March 14, 2021 by scorpionking0102
Misspelling

[ben senise]

just out of curiosity, why would you want this? is it foggy in your area very often? if you want to use them in the rain, please don't. it's absolutely blinding to the people behind. i lived in europe for 30 years and there were tons of idiots who turned them on in the rain. caused horrendous glare.

Edited March 14, 2021 by ben senise

[enigma-2]

It's illegal everywhere in the US.

 

Lighting is specifically and meticulously laid out in FMVSS 108 and has been adopted by every state DOT. Therefore, it's law.

 

Locations, luminosity, color and beam pattern are all specified, exactly. Every light fixture requires extensive testing and must be certified to DOT. (Hence the letters "DOT" on every fixture).

 

Friend of mine, who's business was slow, decided to make 3rd brake light fixtures for the aftermarket. This was back when they were just coming out. He ended up spending $18k to hire a professional designer and over $50 in testing to get his little fixture certified. (This in in 1980 dollars).

 

The machine that designs the little ridges in the lens is very special and only a few existed in the US at the time. (Probably still so as not exactly a hot item). Anyway it's a big deal.

 

Technically, any altercation of exterior lighting can get you a ticket.

 

I have another friend who's a county mounty. (Don’t tell him i called him that, hates the expression). He says he only pulls over drivers and issues citations if their lights are causing glare to oncoming drivers. At that time he requires the operator to get certification from a professional service department that the lights are legal and properly aimed. (Most aftermarket will not pass.)

 

As he knows full well the operator is making improper modifications to his car, he checks for window tint, exhaust noise and lift kit (he measures the bumper height and calls dispatch so they can look up. That sort of stuff (besides checking for impairment, drugs, etc.) He would definitely pull you over for white lighting on the rear).

 

Says most of the cops around here do this and the city cops ••• love to write tickets for this, especially lift kits •••. One of the local city cops wrote a ticket for a little old lady for illegal headlights (was her grandson's car). 

 

Think twice about going this way. It's expensive.

Edited March 14, 2021 by enigma-2

[1004ron]

While on assignment in a few other countries, I have had the unpleasant experience driving many miles behind inconsiderate asssholes that leave these rear fog lights on regardless of the weather  - so pleased that they're illegal in the US.

[ben senise]

2 hours ago, enigma-2 said:

He would definitely pull you over for white lighting on the rear).

 

the rear foglights in europe are red and they are normally the same wattage as the brake lights if i recall correctly. don't  know if the lenses and/or reflectors are made to concentrate the light. if you've ever seen a formula 1 race in the rain, they have them on and flashing.

 

one time i politely told some d-bag that he was driving with his rear foglight on to which he replied that he liked it that way. i was so pissed off i took the crowbar from my trunk and smashed the a-hole's rear foglight 'cause i liked it that way.

[scorpionking0102]

I totally understand your frustration with those idiots driving around with them on for no reason. I’ve had two A6s and I can attest that they are quite bright, albeit for a reason. Not sure about your experiences, but more than one time during limited visibility someone with his head up his fourth point of contact talking and texting nearly rear ended me. 
That being said, there’s a reason why they are on some imports. As far as being “illegal”, maybe it’s a state thing.

[DaMiFo]

Rear fog lamps are not "illegal everywhere in the US". That's far from the truth.

 

Besides, plenty of Audi, Mercedes, and Volvo vehicles are sold with them still equipped for decades. If they were illegal, they would be decontented from North American models. If legality is really what matters to OP in this post, you can easily look up your state's law. If you go with the aftermarket ones that are meant to connect to your tail lights, they often have a dim & bright level.  You can usually connect either brightness depending on your use case, preference, or local laws if you intend to use them as rear fog lamps.

 

Back to the initial post tho... You should be able to see which pin in the BCM is for the rear fog light through the North American version of the wiring manual directly through Ford. I did exactly what you want to do on my '17 Fusion Sport. Since the '16 Edge is so similar, I'd bet you'll have to do nearly the same thing as me. Connect one wire to the BCM connector, run it to the back of the car. Connect the lights to a ground in the rear of the car, pop in a European switch, and program the BCM and IPC with FORScan.

EDIT: This may be of some help. Overall process is similar, and instead of connecting European tail lights, the new wire goes to the separate lights. Again, not sure if the Edge is similar or not so check wiring diagrams first: http://www.2gfusions.net/showthread.php?tid=8347

 

End result for me:

Edited March 15, 2021 by DaMiFo

[enigma-2]

http://www.advanceddrivers.com/2017/06/21/rear-fog-lights-for-driving-in-the-usa-what-are-they/

[todd92]

Plenty of Audi drivers driving around with the damned things on constantly too.

[niceonept]

I had no idea these were not standard on all cars in the USA.

I agree it is very annoying and distracting when people use them when they shouldn't, but they really do help visibility and mitigate against multiple pile-ups on the motorway (freeway) in heavy fog - cars without them can often be rendered practically invisible in the mist until it is too late!

 

The fog lamps on the European spec Edge are very discrete - in the reflector strip of the rear bumper. It looks quite orangey in this pic but is bright red in real life!

[omar302]

I think it is a matter of different principles. 

In Europe, generally, they get more Fog and drive faster, hence the rear fog requirement & expectation that all other vehicles on the same highway also have their rear fogs on. Having one vehicle without the rear fogs on is a recipe for disaster.

 

In the US, having no requirement of rear fog lights means people should drive at lower speeds considering they rely on regular taillights (less bright). The probability of encountering a vehicle with less bright lights is much lower. Then again, if fogs were mandated by law, people would have been more aware.

 

But, living in a country where you have both types of vehicles (with and without rear fogs) is even worse! Especially when people drive 60+ mph in heavy fog and then use front and rear fog light on clear nights.

[niceonept]

17 minutes ago, omar302 said:

I think it is a matter of different principles. 

In Europe, generally, they get more Fog and drive faster, hence the rear fog requirement & expectation that all other vehicles on the same highway also have their rear fogs on. Having one vehicle without the rear fogs on is a recipe for disaster.

 

In the US, having no requirement of rear fog lights means people should drive at lower speeds considering they rely on regular taillights (less bright). The probability of encountering a vehicle with less bright lights is much lower. Then again, if fogs were mandated by law, people would have been more aware.

 

But, living in a country where you have both types of vehicles (with and without rear fogs) is even worse! Especially when people drive 60+ mph in heavy fog and then use front and rear fog light on clear nights.

 

Very true. People drive very fast on British motorways. 90mph is commonplace despite the 70mph speed limit. There are some who consider 70mph the minimum speed - even in heavy fog!

Edited March 15, 2021 by niceonept

[scorpionking0102]

Point well taken, thanks

[enigma-2]

Be nice if we had a system the Cadillac pioneered where they used an infrared vision system that allowed you to look through the fog. Not a problem around here but really useful on the west coast (and other areas prone to fog where's it common). By the time you see the rear fog light its already crunch time.

[Segrey]

Hi everyone. I live in Ukraine. I've got  Ford Edge Titanium 2017. Bought it from Copart, rebuilt it with my own hands. And yes, I tried to install European rear fog light, cause in my country it's obligatory.

The good news is that the body control module and the instrument cluster both know about the rear fog light and you can easily adjust them to use that light.

The bad news is that there is no wiring harness for that at all and the European light doesn't fit into the Us rear bumper. It may look similar, but it quite bigger and requires a special bracket inside the bumper.

[DaMiFo]

16 hours ago, enigma-2 said:

http://www.advanceddrivers.com/2017/06/21/rear-fog-lights-for-driving-in-the-usa-what-are-they/

 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/interpretations/9418

 

[ben senise]

all the cars i owned during the 30 years i lived in europe had one single rear fog light on the driver's side. a few brands of cars had two but the vast majority had one. it has been more than 10 years since i left, so things could be different now.

[niceonept]

5 hours ago, ben senise said:

all the cars i owned during the 30 years i lived in europe had one single rear fog light on the driver's side. a few brands of cars had two but the vast majority had one. it has been more than 10 years since i left, so things could be different now.

 

Yes, I was surprised that there was only one rear fog-light fitted to my Edge, as all my previous Fords in recent times had two. It's fitted on the offside of the car (which is on the RHS here in UK), which isn't a problem unless you need to use it overseas!

I guess the European models on the continent have their single lamp on the left?

[adworden]

My '09 Hyundai Santa Fe had them in the bumper. They were the actual light/reflector housing completely sealed, but no socket, bulb, or wiring. So if you were somewhat handy with a Dremel, you could cut out the plastic "cross" and fit a small, clearance light-style socket and bulb. A deer took out the Santa Fe before i could do it, so that's how we came to own our sparkly purple 07 Edge.