[Fog] Front fog lamp - smashed

[audijohn]

We have not turned ours on yet and both cracked !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PTR]

What kind of material are they made from? Galss or plastic??

[Pottsy]

Originally Posted by PTR

What kind of material are they made from? Galss or plastic??

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/showthread.php?p=21108

[PTR]

Originally Posted by Pottsy

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/showthread.php?p=21108

ooops yes you are right!

I didn't find my question that is why I asked again.... sorrry!

[Miggins]

Originally Posted by audijohn

I've already covered our new ones in clear plastic sticky back.
That wont stop cracking if there is a design fautlt though.

Will this really stop a 60mph stone cracking/smashing your fog lamps - I doubt it. My understanding is that the security type film only stops our keyless friends breaking the glass into bits and reaching in - the glass still breaks but doesn't fall apart ( similar to wired security glass)

I have a sheet of laminate I am cutting into 2 'triangular' shapes and will attempt to attach in front of each lamp. As space around the lamps is limited - sticky pads might be an option but this will make cleaning difficult.

As soon as its done I will report.

[Copycat]

Wouldn't a stone hitting the fog light leave a mark on the plastic? If it were to crack after applying a clear plastic on it, you could prove it wasn't hit by anything if there were no hole or anything on the surface? Might be a bit tricky to claim it wasn't a stone if all you had left was a handful of shattered glass.

[db9]

Hello,

I have two broken fog lights and took the car back into the dealer, as I'd been told that lots of people were having problems with smashed fog lights and that they could be fixed under warranty. However, the garage that looked at mine said it was due to stone chips and wouldn't replace the fittings. They told me they'd checked with Honda and were told not to fix it...

I'm not sure how much it costs to get them fixed, but it does beg the question as to whether or not it's worth getting them fixed if they break so easily. The car is 7 months old.

[audijohn]

Originally Posted by db9

Hello,

I have two broken fog lights and took the car back into the dealer, as I'd been told that lots of people were having problems with smashed fog lights and that they could be fixed under warranty. However, the garage that looked at mine said it was due to stone chips and wouldn't replace the fittings. They told me they'd checked with Honda and were told not to fix it...

I'm not sure how much it costs to get them fixed, but it does beg the question as to whether or not it's worth getting them fixed if they break so easily. The car is 7 months old.

I think they told a lie, as honda are looking at mine!

[db9]

Hello,

I'm not finding my way round too easily. Where do I find the photographs of my broken lights? Is there a page with just photos, I'd like to show them the the Honda dealer, as I'm sure the problems with mine are the same as the photos of the red one.

[PTR]

Hi ALL,

I have an idea!
When I will get my car (2007 April or so) I will cover my foglights with some kind of stonechip cover vinyl or so.

If it is going to brake without a stone this vinyl keeps the glass in one piece so it is not dangerous for the others.
Second point: without a stone the vinyl not going to damage so you can prove a bit better that the glass simply broken by itself... hm??

(sorry for my bad englis, I hope you understand what I mean)

[Jobo]

Hi db9. I can only recall seeing richierich's phots on the site - the red one that you mention. There are various reports from other people who have had the same problem and there is also a poll on faulty fog lights which is also in the "Lights" section.

Which dealer did you buy your car from?

[PTR]

what kind of bulb is in the foglight? H7 right?

[pjelsworth]

Originally Posted by db9

Hello,

I have two broken fog lights and took the car back into the dealer, as I'd been told that lots of people were having problems with smashed fog lights and that they could be fixed under warranty. However, the garage that looked at mine said it was due to stone chips and wouldn't replace the fittings. They told me they'd checked with Honda and were told not to fix it...

I'm not sure how much it costs to get them fixed, but it does beg the question as to whether or not it's worth getting them fixed if they break so easily. The car is 7 months old.

Mine was £166 for one. Don't they think that 2 breaking due to stone chips together is a bit of a coincidence?

[richierich]

Didn't use mine in June when the crack happened, but as I said it was parked facing the sun in a car park in all the heat we had, maybe it could be heat related.

[Miggins]

FIT FOR PURPOSE?????

These fog lamps - like all other vehicles fog lamps are mounted low down and liable to get hit by stones. Regardless of the fact of whether they were hit by a stone or not - THEY STILL SHOULDN'T CRACK. They don't in thousands of other vehicles.

I laughed when I saw questions being raised 'what are they made of, glass or plastic' and then thought maybe the glass isn't that robust (too thin, brittle etc). This will mean they are liable to break easily whether hit by a stone or not (stress/fatigued etc). They are not fit for purpose if they cant withstand highly probable strikes by stones - the number of complaints on this forum is indicative that there is a problem. (There is a survey is there not? Pottsy?)

(No conventional lamp is indestructable though!)

[audijohn]

Originally Posted by richierich

Didn't use mine in June when the crack happened, but as I said it was parked facing the sun in a car park in all the heat we had, maybe it could be heat related.

Rich.you'll be saying you drove over 70 MPH next and that could have done them.
We are making excuses for a " factory fit" error, IE: over tightening of the fixing bolts or miss- alinement causing body contact.
When ours came out of the workshop after new Lamps were fitted, both Lamps were "floating" movable, when we checked the Lamps BEFORE it was repaired they were "solid" up against the bodywork!!

[3rd Honda]

I have always avoided front foglamps on previous cars (where they were chargeable extras) for various reasons:

1. They have never seemed all that much of an improvement on the (compulsory in the UK) dipped headlights in fog.
2. They (rightly) are not allowed to be used except in fog, which is not all that common where I live.
3. They have always been prone to stone damage due to thier low position - indeed - there used to be clip on plastic covers used to protect then in the summer months when they were seldom used.
4. They wetre always prone on older cars (where they weren't built in) to be knocked on kerbs etc, and so be out of alignment.
5. They always seemed poor value for the use they would get.

My EX has them, and so far(!) they have remained OK, and have been used once in 3 months, at which time I was reminded of point 1 above!

[karlak]

Tend to agree to all the above, apart from the prone to stone damage comment.

Since 1989, I have always had a car that has front fog lights - in that time 9 company cars and now 1 private (Golf). Similarly the wife has have fog lighted cars x 3 for the last 6 years. I have NEVER had a foglight break. I have incidences where it is obvious an impact has happened which marked the lens cover, but never had to replace a broken one.

I am not a low mileage driver either. One of the above cars that I had covered 132,000 miles in 2 years from new. Lots of motorway, urban and town driving. There is definitely some design/material issue with the Civic's foglights.

[Miggins]

Anyone care to donate an intact lens for testing purposes? I'm sure I could rig up a reproduceable and accurate impact test rig.

Happy to go to a breakers and get some old intact models that have survived both the life of the vehicle and the yards fork lift


There must be a BS/ISO standard for this?

(My Rover 100K miles / SEAT 60K miles - no chips or cracks)

[audijohn]

Originally Posted by Miggins

Anyone care to donate an intact lens for testing purposes? I'm sure I could rig up a reproduceable and accurate impact test rig.

Happy to go to a breakers and get some old intact models that have survived both the life of the vehicle and the yards fork lift


There must be a BS/ISO standard for this?

(My Rover 100K miles / SEAT 60K miles - no chips or cracks)

Miggins,i'm afraid they are bonded glass to the lamp, you have to break them to get the glass.