I have noticed that since the start of 1998 WRC season, Prodrive ran their cars with Jap spec rear light clusters, and therefore no rear foglamps, is it legal for a British registered car to do so? The cars Prodrive ran in the '98 Network Q Rally were again equipped with Jap spec clusters, is that legal?
I have noticed on the streets in London where numerous Toyota Soarers are running around without a rear foglamp, again is that legal? Does it mean that you can fit a fog lamp for the SVA and then remove it when passed, and then fit them again when it's MOT time?

Clarence,
I'm involved right now in the process of getting our Impreza turbo (NZ spec, MY99) and Forester in shape for SVA check for when we bring these vehicles with us to UK in a couple of months.
Advice from your DETR is that both have to be SVA'd (even though both are models sold new in UK!) because apparently neither is ECWVTA (European Commission Whole Vehicle Type Approval) certified.
As for rear foglamp, the Impreza as sold new here in NZ is already fitted, altho' not a requirement in NZ. Don't know about the STI coupe, also sold new here. In the case of the Forester, this doesn't have a rear foglight so I'm getting an aftermarket product fitted which, hopefully, will pass muster. Also stickon mph numerals in both cases (DETR have advised that stickons are ok).
Possibly, the imports you have noted were more than 3 yrs old on arrival and therefore don't come under SVA - though presumably the rear foglight is also a requirement for a WOF?
I can't see why anyone would bother to take it off once it had been fitted!

Clarence - Soarers, quite likely.
Frank - "why remove?" - because they're more often than not a *very* cheap Halfords/Automart bolt-on that gets you through the test but even your grandmother would stop, point and laugh at!
It's like CAT replacements and straight-thru' silencers on motorbikes...many people will meet the requirements for the test and then un-bolt/re-fit within 5 minutes of getting the cert.
I'm not saying I condone this but my MOT man does offer to re-replace the Kawasaki's standard silencer with the Micron "silencer" after handing me the cert.!

I think they did them to the Soarers is because there's no way you can integrate the lamp into the cluster, but I still don't understand why Prodrive did not stick to the European spec clusters, but used the Japanese spec clusters where there is no foglamp. The Prodrive rally cars are UK registered and yet there's no foglamp, do they need to SVA their rally cars before registration? They still need it for the MOT (it's part of the test) though.
As for the NZ spec car, I suspect it's the same as Irish spec as it's got 215ps, rear foglamp and km/h speedo. Subaru produces a single spec LHD turbo for all LHD export markets, it's badged Impreza GT. It seems that Subaru produces 2 different specs of RHD turbos for most RHD export markets - a UK spec car and a general export spec RHD turbo, for NZ/Ireland/Australia/Malaysia/Thailand etc., they are all (R&LHD) essentially the same cars. Those saloon WRX's in Malaysia and Australia are not the real McCoys, rather they are general export spec cars (with 215ps).

Another alternative is to rewire the high level brake light in the rear spoiler as a foglight. I think by law it's supposed to be a meter or less above the road.

I think you will find that you can't do that.

The fog light also has to be offset to the right hand side, when looking from the rear, which the spoiler brake light is not.

So why the Peugeot 206 has it's fog lamp fitted in the middle of the bumper?

It can't be.
It's the law.

I suspect that if you look VERY carefully it will be VEEEERRRRY slightly offset to the right, apparently there is no prescribed distance it has to be offset by.

You may recall that MK2?? Fiestas had one fitted almost centrally on the rear valance as well.

The STI V I just bought passed SVA with the spoiler brake light converted to foglight.

However, I am not happy without a high level brake light.

I am still mulling over what to do

Nic

One very neat idea i have seen was to convert one of the reversing lights into the fog light, piece of red plastic stuck to the cluster and bobs your uncle http://bbs.sidc.co.uk/smile.gif another one i have seen, was on the 22b at the last Surrey meet, was a high level brake light (i think) stuck to the underside of the rear spoiler on the right hand side. Looked very neat, if a bit odd http://bbs.sidc.co.uk/smile.gif

subaru manchester there is a very high temperature paint available in red from a good hobby shop we dip a 21watt bulb in the paint and allow to dry then fit this to the o/s/reverse lamp passes the sva test,and doesnt look out of place.

To be honest, I don't quite recall the rear arrangement of the Peugeot 206 in flesh, but in the brochures it's situated in the middle.
With the suggestion of converting the R/H reverse lamp into a foglamp, does it mean that SVA rules allow a rear foglamp with clear lens? Are there any rules on the design of the lens and the light's intensity?

The lens can be any colour as long as the light shown is red, or amber for an indicator light.

Re. centre/offside questions above, quoted from the MOT testers manual: "The inspection of rear fog lamps is confined to one rear lamp which is required to be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980." - That's the law...

http://bbs.sidc.co.uk/redface.gif I was close though.

I stand (slightly) corrected. I thought some of the mainstream cars I had seen were sailing a little close to the wind, obviously they weren't.

Another point to remember is that the law requires that the rear fog lamp must be at least 100mm away from the brake light.

Another neat way to get a rear foglight. If you look at the rear light cluster you can see that one of the red lenses is not used. On the offside it is to the right of the rear/brake light. Drill a hole in the inner cover and install a light socket. Then you have a rear foglight incorporated in the offside rear light cluster without any nasty add ons.

Is it possilbe to fit U.K. spec rear light clusters to a STI V5.

Yes, you can fit Euro spec clusters to STi V.5. The difference between a Jap spec and a Euro spec cluster is the lack of foglamp and clear indicator lens in the Jap spec cluster, as well as the different position of the brake lights.

I have recently picked up my STI V and was concerned when it arrived as there seemed to have been no rear light work.

Park Lane change the offside reversing light bulb to a red bulb (see Subaru Manc) and so the light cluster appears unchanged, but you get an SVA approved fog lamp - very neat too.

David