Switching rear lights - hints and tips (1 Viewer)

Oct 12, 2009
10,434
23,275
SW London, Poland and all Europe
Funster No
8,876
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A Class N+B Arto 69GL
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Since 2009
N&B ARTO 69 GL (2003)


We have to switch(RH to LH) our rear fog and reversing lights on our Arto.

Our garage will do the work, but have probably not done it before on an 'A' Class (hen's teeth in S. Poland)

Does anyone have any Hints and Tips for this job please? To make life easier.

Geoff
 
Apr 22, 2018
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Adria Coral lowline
First thing I would check is to see what the wiring loom contains. Often the loom has connections for both N/S and O/S options as the manufacturer doesn’t want to have two different looms for a vehicle. May be different for an A class. But worth checking.

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JockandRita

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Aug 2, 2007
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Since May 05 (Ex Tuggers).
Could that cause a problem with re-sealing?
I wouldn't have thought so Geoff, as you have to remove the round lenses to change the rear bulbs. It's normally a rubber compressable type seal.
Not sure if the lenses are interchangeable though. I have never understood the reasoning for only one rear fog lamp and one reversing lamp, although I'm sure it'll be down to cost implications. 😕

Cheers,

Jock. 🙂
 

glenn2926

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Sep 11, 2012
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Can’t you just change the lamps over? This will probably involve extending the cables to one of them but that’s not difficult.

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TheBig1

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Nov 27, 2011
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many many years! since I was a kid
being N&B I would expect it's wiring loom is configured as standard as LHD, then altered for RHD by running a couple of wires side to side. Very simple to revert and switch positions back
 

Nasher

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May 6, 2016
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I have never understood the reasoning for only one rear fog lamp and one reversing lamp, although I'm sure it'll be down to cost implications. 😕

As far as I am aware, 2 rear fog lamps can be easily confused as brake lights, as a result in Europe there was a move to only have one

Nothing to do with costs...

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Jun 10, 2010
8,421
20,056
Shrewsbury (sometimes)
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12,013
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N&B Clou Liner MAN
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2006
N&B ARTO 69 GL (2003)


We have to switch(RH to LH) our rear fog and reversing lights on our Arto.

Our garage will do the work, but have probably not done it before on an 'A' Class (hen's teeth in S. Poland)

Does anyone have any Hints and Tips for this job please? To make life easier.

Geoff
We just swapped the fog light and the reversing light over on the Clou, very easy.
 

JockandRita

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Aug 2, 2007
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As far as I am aware, 2 rear fog lamps can be easily confused as brake lights, as a result in Europe there was a move to only have one

Nothing to do with costs...
Sorry Nasher, although that may be the case, I just don't get it, ie, brake lights are intermittent, in line with periodic braking, (unless matey is driving an automatic and riding the brake pedal), whereas rear fogs are constant...............................and even more so (unfortunately), when brain dead numpties leave them on despite the inclement weather no longer prevailing. :doh:

Two reversing lights and 2 x rear fogs for me please. ;)

Cheers,

Jock. :)

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Aug 18, 2014
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As far as I am aware, 2 rear fog lamps can be easily confused as brake lights, as a result in Europe there was a move to only have one

Nothing to do with costs...

Nearly right. If you have 2 fog lights then when switched on if the vehicle then brakes it is barely noticeable.That is the problem due to the blinding fog lights.
I found that the easiest way to overcome the brilliance of twin rear fogs & the inability to see instantly any brake lights was to turn on full beam. Amazingly ,& why i do not know, but it completely removes the glare from rear fogs & allows brake light to be seen instantly.
**This obviously doesn't endear you to the person in front but then the fog lights shouldn't be on if you can be seen within 100m.
Could do like my Suzuki and just have one in the middle low down.
If fitted from new & standard they are legally required to be on the drivers side & nearest the centre of the road.
 

JockandRita

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Aug 2, 2007
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Nearly right. If you have 2 fog lights then when switched on if the vehicle then brakes it is barely noticeable.That is the problem due to the blinding fog lights.
Ahh, now that I can understand Richard, and can now see the reasoning for 1 x rear fog only......................although still preferring 2 x myself. ;)

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
OP
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Oct 12, 2009
10,434
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SW London, Poland and all Europe
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A Class N+B Arto 69GL
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We just swapped the fog light and the reversing light over on the Clou, very easy.

So come on Jon how did you do it compared with suggestions above?

Whole lights or just the lensees? If whole lights how did the wiring work out?

Geoff

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Jun 10, 2010
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Shrewsbury (sometimes)
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So come on Jon how did you do it compared with suggestions above?

Whole lights or just the lensees? If whole lights how did the wiring work out?

Geoff

Sorry Geoff, I incorrectly thought that the Artos from that period had the same rear lights as the Clou, Ive now googled and yes can see your problem.

From photos here ( funnily enough TW must had our first Arto back in and had it up for sale at pretty much what it was worth in 2011) https://www.motorhomes.co.uk/stock/niesmann-bischoff-arto-69-gl-975/

It looks like the indicator and reversing lamp are combined on left side and fog and indicator on right, are yours just not the reverse of this? so you could swap sides and turn them the other way up? On the clou the wiring came to the rightside first and then across to the left so we shortened the one and lengthend the other and fed it between the rear cap and the bodywork.
 

Deneb

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Oct 20, 2015
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If fitted from new & standard they are legally required to be on the drivers side & nearest the centre of the road.

Your first observation was spot on, but UK RVLR and EU regs require a single obligatory rear fog lamp to be fitted either on the centre-line or to the offside of the vehicle. Any number of optional rear fog lamps can additionally be fitted, but they must be at least 100mm from any stop lamp, red in colour and not wired in such a way that they can be operated by the braking system.
 
OP
OP
N
Oct 12, 2009
10,434
23,275
SW London, Poland and all Europe
Funster No
8,876
MH
A Class N+B Arto 69GL
Exp
Since 2009
Sorry Geoff, I incorrectly thought that the Artos from that period had the same rear lights as the Clou, Ive now googled and yes can see your problem.

From photos here ( funnily enough TW must had our first Arto back in and had it up for sale at pretty much what it was worth in 2011) https://www.motorhomes.co.uk/stock/niesmann-bischoff-arto-69-gl-975/

It looks like the indicator and reversing lamp are combined on left side and fog and indicator on right, are yours just not the reverse of this? so you could swap sides and turn them the other way up? On the clou the wiring came to the rightside first and then across to the left so we shortened the one and lengthend the other and fed it between the rear cap and the bodywork.

Jon, Thanks but I took it to the garage before I saw your post. I did tell them the loom might be for LHD so could just need reversing.

They are pretty clued up on most things so I am sure they will sort it out.

Geoff

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Sep 2, 2020
581
9,443
Ladybarn, Manchester, UK
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75,336
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Burstner Travel Van
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As fog lights are usually in the light cluster they mask a brake light, so only having one fog light on the right means the left brake light will be more visible. the regulations came in before high level brake lights were popular.

Years ago I had a Clio and the left foglight was wired up but there was a bar moulded across to stop a bulb being inserted, presumably the right one had been similar and they just snapped the moulding off left or right depending on LHD or RHD
 

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