Rear fog lights on 2011 e???
10-06-2011, 01:29 PM
#1
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Rear fog lights on 2011 e???
I have a US 2011 e p1/p2 with the new dash and comand 4.5. Another thread got me thinking about the fog lights.
I have one fog light button. If I turn on my low beams manually and then turn on the fog lights, I get a green fog light symbol on my dash indicating that the front fog lights are on. I do not get a yellow signal showing that the rear fog lights are on....however, even though I don't have a button for them, I do have rear fog lights and they are actually on.???? Next, leaving the low beams on (manual), I push the fog light button to turn them off and nothing happens...the fog lights (front and rear) stay on????
Looking at the car from the front, turning on the fog lights seems to turn on the parking lights and turns off the LED lights (I have the straight ones on my luxury p2)??? are those LED lights only running lights??? Those LED's actually replace the fog lights which are standard on the luxury models....so why wouldn't they function as fog lights???? and they are lower so, although white, they would light up the road surface more.
There is also a note that says if you have the light switch on A (automatic lights), the fog lights will go off if your high beams are on. That makes zero sense because I might want my rear fogs on to warn folks behind me (that's why they are there in the first place) and have no one in front of me....for example in a heavy rain. That just doesn't make any sense and seems like a counter to safety decision.
Anyone care to clarify how the fog lights actually work, should work and why the mercedes manual is so off the mark....
I have one fog light button. If I turn on my low beams manually and then turn on the fog lights, I get a green fog light symbol on my dash indicating that the front fog lights are on. I do not get a yellow signal showing that the rear fog lights are on....however, even though I don't have a button for them, I do have rear fog lights and they are actually on.???? Next, leaving the low beams on (manual), I push the fog light button to turn them off and nothing happens...the fog lights (front and rear) stay on????
Looking at the car from the front, turning on the fog lights seems to turn on the parking lights and turns off the LED lights (I have the straight ones on my luxury p2)??? are those LED lights only running lights??? Those LED's actually replace the fog lights which are standard on the luxury models....so why wouldn't they function as fog lights???? and they are lower so, although white, they would light up the road surface more.
There is also a note that says if you have the light switch on A (automatic lights), the fog lights will go off if your high beams are on. That makes zero sense because I might want my rear fogs on to warn folks behind me (that's why they are there in the first place) and have no one in front of me....for example in a heavy rain. That just doesn't make any sense and seems like a counter to safety decision.
Anyone care to clarify how the fog lights actually work, should work and why the mercedes manual is so off the mark....
Last edited by ghstudio; 10-06-2011 at 02:02 PM.
10-06-2011, 02:01 PM
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2011 E550, 2013 GLK
I have a US 2011 e p1/p2 with the new dash and comand 4.5. Another thread got me thinking about the fog lights.
I have one fog light button. If I turn on my low beams manually and then turn on the fog lights, I get a green fog light symbol on my dash indicating that the front fog lights are on. I do not get a yellow signal showing that the rear fog lights are on....however, the rear fog lights are actually on.???? Next, leaving the low beams on, I push the fog light button to turn them off and nothing happens...the fog lights (front and rear) stay on????
In the front, turning on the fog lights seems to turn on the parking lights and turns off the LED lights (I have the straight ones on my luxury p2)??? are those LED lights only running lights??? Those LED's actually replace the fog lights which are standard on the luxury models....so why wouldn't they function as fog lights????
There is also a note that says if you are in A (automatic lights), the fog lights will go off if your high beams are on. That makes zero sense because I might want my rear fogs on to warn folks behind me (that's why they are there in the first place) and have no one in front of me. That just doesn't make any sense.
Anyone care to clarify how the fog lights actually work and why the mercedes manual is so off the mark....
I have one fog light button. If I turn on my low beams manually and then turn on the fog lights, I get a green fog light symbol on my dash indicating that the front fog lights are on. I do not get a yellow signal showing that the rear fog lights are on....however, the rear fog lights are actually on.???? Next, leaving the low beams on, I push the fog light button to turn them off and nothing happens...the fog lights (front and rear) stay on????
In the front, turning on the fog lights seems to turn on the parking lights and turns off the LED lights (I have the straight ones on my luxury p2)??? are those LED lights only running lights??? Those LED's actually replace the fog lights which are standard on the luxury models....so why wouldn't they function as fog lights????
There is also a note that says if you are in A (automatic lights), the fog lights will go off if your high beams are on. That makes zero sense because I might want my rear fogs on to warn folks behind me (that's why they are there in the first place) and have no one in front of me. That just doesn't make any sense.
Anyone care to clarify how the fog lights actually work and why the mercedes manual is so off the mark....
The LED's are daytime running lights, not front fog lights.
I have used the rear fog light on my Mercedes for the last 20 years to make it easier to see me in both fog and rain. I can't remember using high beams in either fog or rain so the approach used by Mercedes makes sense to me.
10-06-2011, 02:04 PM
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2012 S350 Bluetec 4Matic, Diamond White, P2
This functionality is explained pretty well in my owner's manual. As painful as it is to do, I have found myself having to look at it from time to time.
10-06-2011, 02:12 PM
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It is, in fact, explained incorrectly with steps that you can not do (or at least I can't do)...like turn off the fog lights in manual headlight mode or see any yellow indicator light that my rear fog lights are on, etc.
It just seems to me that the manual really should match the car....but maybe I am asking for too much.
Last edited by ghstudio; 10-06-2011 at 02:16 PM.
10-06-2011, 02:25 PM
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2012 S350 Bluetec 4Matic, Diamond White, P2
You might want to re-read the manual tonight and then tell us again that it's explained pretty well.
It is, in fact, explained incorrectly with steps that you can not do (or at least I can't do)...like turn off the fog lights in manual headlight mode or see any yellow indicator light that my rear fog lights are on, etc.
It just seems to me that the manual really should match the car....but maybe I am asking for too much.
It is, in fact, explained incorrectly with steps that you can not do (or at least I can't do)...like turn off the fog lights in manual headlight mode or see any yellow indicator light that my rear fog lights are on, etc.
It just seems to me that the manual really should match the car....but maybe I am asking for too much.
10-06-2011, 03:24 PM
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Thread Starter
Interesting. I wonder if they changed the functionality of the switch for cars like mine that actually have the fog lights. I can turn the fog lights on and of when in manual-on mode. Mine works just like the manual says for my setup. I am feeling better about my decision to go with the Luxury model. What does your dealer say?
I can actually turn the fog lights on and off in both automatic and manual mode. The only light I see on the instrument panel is the yellow fog light symbol; there is no green fog light symbol (I mistook the green headlight on symbol for the fog light symbol
However, activating the (rear) fog lights turns on the front parking lights and turns off the driving lights as well as illuminating the instrument panel. If I believe the dashboard, the fog lights stay on whether you are in low or high beam, in auto or manual.So it's not that far off...it just isn't clear that the fog light button is for your rear fog lights....and it isn't clear that you really don't have front fog lights at all, just your parking lights. I have bi-xenon's and it's a luxury P2, so I can only speak for my car...I'm not sure how sports or luxuries with just P1 work.
10-06-2011, 03:29 PM
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2012 S350 Bluetec 4Matic, Diamond White, P2
Whew. Thanks for re-checking. What you describe is what I see except I also see a light for the front fog lights just above the light for the read fogs. I will tell you that I have often had to re-read parts of the manual to make sure I am understanding.
