Fog lights and the Headlight rotary switch

TEESIXY

Senior Member
T6 Guru
I dont use my van much, and tonight was the first time in ages i was out at night and needed to put the fog lights on.
The only way you can do it on mine is to rotate the switch clockwise two notches from its usual auto lights position, and then pull the switch out to turn them on.

The trouble is, you have to turn the switch through the sidelights only position, and if you dither you lose the headlights altogether, which isn't much fun on a dark foggy road you dont know. Is this how they are, or is it faulty ?
 
That's normal! I think you can replace it with a better one from a Polo that you can pull out in the auto position though? Might be worth a search
 
Thanks. I think its dangerous to anyone unfamiliar with it, although the fogs make so little difference i wont bother with them. The mirror switch isn't much better. Three years down the road and i still seem to get them folding when i am going for the heated position !
 
OK so that light symbol at 8 oclock - does it do anything? i cant actually get the switch to that position.
all i have is side and heads plus pull for fog, which does seem normal but whats that symbol mean??

switch.jpg
 
Hi,

I've not had the van long, but I noticed the fogs were set to come on as DRLs. The other day I noticed they both weren’t coming on at all - and tried to manually turn them on (having never done it before - had to work out how) but nothing.

When I pull the light dial 1 click out the dial symbol lights up green but I get no corresponding light on the dashboard and no fogs come on). On a second click the dial lights don’t change (still 1 green) but the amber fog light symbol appears on the dash - and the rear fog lights come on.

I’ve searched the forum posts and thought it might be a fuse, all fuses seem present and intact, so nothing obvious there. I cant imagine both bulbs went at the same time. Trouble is I’m not sure how it normally works to know exactly how wrong this is!

Any help appreciated.

Jon
 
Added a photo of fuse box, as well as the dial lights and dash lights after 1 pull/click and 2 pulls/clicks.

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I had this with a Passat. Basically if you set a light to operate as a DRL, it won't have electricity to it in any situation when DRL wouldn't be on.
 
I had this with a Passat. Basically if you set a light to operate as a DRL, it won't have electricity to it in any situation when DRL wouldn't be on.

I’ve tried driving with the lights in all positions and can’t make the fogs work as DRL or fogs. With the lights off the DRL section in the lower part of the headlight does work, suggesting DRL function is active and if the setting remains the fogs would come on if they were going to.

If this is the case, then I’m fairly sure Carista can change this out FYI
I have Carista but subs have lapsed - assume I need to be subscribed for advanced functionality like this? The thing is these were working in their current configuration so I don’t know why I would now need to de-activate this to get any life out of them - if that makes sense?
 
I’ve tried driving with the lights in all positions and can’t make the fogs work as DRL or fogs. With the lights off the DRL section in the lower part of the headlight does work, suggesting DRL function is active and if the setting remains the fogs would come on if they were going to.


I have Carista but subs have lapsed - assume I need to be subscribed for advanced functionality like this? The thing is these were working in their current configuration so I don’t know why I would now need to de-activate this to get any life out of them - if that makes sense?
I've not had the van long, but I noticed the fogs were set to come on as DRLs.

What has changed then? Have you made any changes with Carista? Or have the fog-lights simply stopped working?
 
What has changed then? Have you made any changes with Carista? Or have the fog-lights simply stopped working?
The only thing that’s changed is that the fogs have stopped emitting light whatever I do! I haven’t made any changes, the van appears to have had fogs enabled as DRLs before I got it thus I’ve seen them lit (as shown in my avatar). I have never previously even turned the fogs on manually - I had to google it work out how you even do it.

I only mentioned the fogs as DRLs thing in case it’s relevant - might be totally unrelated to them stopping working.
 
The only thing that’s changed is that the fogs have stopped emitting light whatever I do! I haven’t made any changes, the van appears to have had fogs enabled as DRLs before I got it thus I’ve seen them lit (as shown in my avatar). I have never previously even turned the fogs on manually - I had to google it work out how you even do it.

I only mentioned the fogs as DRLs thing in case it’s relevant - might be totally unrelated to them stopping working.
I’m with you now.

Were they always on - and not just illuminated as a result of it being in / having been in reverse gear or with the wheels having been turned?
 
Not much help with your fog lights but your piggyback fuse is in upside down, what ever it’s for is fused incorrectly
 
I’m with you now.

Were they always on - and not just illuminated as a result of it being in / having been in reverse gear or with the wheels having been turned?

Almost certain they were always on, not just following turns or reverse.

Thanks for persisting with me and my issue!
 
Not much help with your fog lights but your piggyback fuse is in upside down, what ever it’s for is fused incorrectly

Ah thanks for flagging it. It’s for a dash cam mirror and reverse camera. I didn’t realise it was directional and assumed as it gets power it’s right. So just remove, rotate 180 (so the cable emerges from the left) and replace? Left as is are both the original fused circuit and the camera un-fused?
 
Correct, just unplug it and turn it 180 and plug it back in, as it is now, your dash cam is fused through the original circuit instead of in parallel to it
 
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