Is this legal - 4th brake light?

[Lancer1993]

So I was planning to put an F1 style brake light below the rear number plate, like the Toyota 86 has.

But now I'm not sure on how legal it is?

The light has 2 brightnesses, so you can wire it up with tail and brakes.

This is what I have so far, still need to wire it up but its mounted to fill the hole for the tow bar tongue.


How even I don't want to install it if I could be fined.

[aspir3]

I'm not sure if it's legal. I know you can only have 1 third brake light.
I'd guess that it could be wired into your tail lights and fig lights but not brake lights.
Personally i hate the rear fog light that gets used in normal road conditions at night. It's very blinding. I sometimes sit behind them with my HID high beams on.

[Lancer1993]

Well these wouldn't technically be 'fog' lights.

Each of the 2 light has 2 brightnesses and 3 wires, so you'd wire them up to the tail and brake lights. So they would only be one when the head lights are used or when you use the foot brake.

Now I've been reading up on the Subaru BRZ (better known as the Toyota 86) and they have a similar set up but its tail lights (2 of them) reversing lights and a proper fog light, which I guess is wired in to the switch so when you turn on the front fog lights it comes on also.

So my question now is how hard is it to wire up them to the fog lights on my VRX?

I read some place that the reflectors in the rear bumpers can be replaced with lights, are they wires into the tail lights or fog light?

Don't want to draw undue attention, just some added safety. I'm now thinking the 1/2 brightness for the tail light and full for the fog and only on if I use the front fog lights, which I hardly do. Maybe 2-3 times in 3 years.

[Mooman]

https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/regulation/2017/451/sch2/inDoc1/part7

Scroll to Division 10, you can have 1 or more extra brake lights and there are regulations for height etc.

See division 13 for fog light rules.

[aspir3]

Hi Craig.
As I said it can't be wired up as a brake light as it's too low for a third brake light and you aren't allowed 4 brake lights.
It would be easy to wire in. You just need to tap into the fog lights wiring somewhere and then run the wire to the light. I would think the easiest place is by the fuses under the glove box. Then run the wiring along the passenger side of the car with the main wiring loom. I don't know if there is an active fog light wire at the rear of the car. You maybe able to trace the fog light wires and find one.

Yes there are reflector replacements that have led lighting in them. Personally i would avoid them. They look cheap IMHO and you risk insurance being avoided if rear ended as they aren't adr approved.

[Lancer1993]

Thanks for the rules info, might be something I can work with to have it as a fog light wired to come on with the front ones. But right now there are basically reflectors, I got them on but not wires up.

In my old Lancer I had a 3rd brake light in the back window, plus one on the spoiler. And it was that way from new, the dealer fitted the boot lid spoiler before I picked it up brand new. Its just in this case its mounted much lower down but still may be legal as a fog light, not brake. I'll see if I have the time to get the wiring figured before the road trip latter in the year.

A fog light like this would look much better with a diffuser but this will have to do for now.

[benyamin]

Personally i hate the rear fog light that gets used in normal road conditions at night. It's very blinding. I sometimes sit behind them with my HID high beams on.

Keep up the good work...!

[Lancer1993]

Looking at this again after installing this...


Right now its not wired up and I'd like to wire it to the fog lights. The question is does the CJ have any rear fog light wires at the rear? Otherwise its an annoying job of running a wire from the front.

[Quismiff]

The sports wagon has a fog light back there, bumper mounted, the same shape as the Pajero. As for the sedan having the wiring I'm not sure. There is a thread around here about one of the lads hooking up the fog in his sports wagon and the circus involved.

[lancerdarryl]

The sports wagon has a fog light back there, bumper mounted, the same shape as the Pajero. As for the sedan having the wiring I'm not sure. There is a thread around here about one of the lads hooking up the fog in his sports wagon and the circus involved.

Yes there is wiring there in the Sportback but I think it has to be enabled in the ETACS to get it to work.As was suggested earlier running a wire up to from the front wiring loom is probably the easiest option.Or if you wanted to use it as a brake light just tap into the trailer plug.

[Lancer1993]

I prefer to wire it up to the fog lights, so they are only used when needed, aka fog but for photographs I can still turn them on.

So the question is do I need to run a wire from the very front of the car or is there a fuse/wire under the dash I can tap into which is only powered when the fog lights are on. Obviously there is a wire from the switch but where does it go from there? I know where I can run it inside the car from when we set up the reversing camera. A pain to get to but not sure how to run it through the fire wall, a much bigger pain.

FYI I have a plug so when I need to tow something I can unplug the light, unbolt it and all is good.

[Lancer1993]

https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/regulation/2017/451/sch2/inDoc1/part7

Scroll to Division 10, you can have 1 or more extra brake lights and there are regulations for height etc.

See division 13 for fog light rules.

I know its been a while but thanks again, yes the light will meet those rules. I assume QLD has similar rules?

102 Rear fog lights(cf ALVSR 2015 r 102; 2007 reg Sch 2 cl 115)
(1) In this rule:
rear fog light means a light used on a vehicle to make it more easily visible, from the rear, in dense fog.
(2) A vehicle may have fitted to its rear:
(a) a pair of rear fog lights, or
(b) 1 rear fog light fitted on, or to the right, of the centre of the vehicle.
(3) Subrule (2) (b) applies to a motor bike with an attached sidecar as if the sidecar were not attached.
(4) A rear fog light must:
(a) have its centre:
(i) not over 1.5 metres above ground level, and
(ii) at least 100 millimetres from the centre of a brake light, and
(b) when on, project red light behind the vehicle, and
(c) not use over 27 watts power, and
(d) be wired to a visible device in the vehicle that tells the driver that the rear fog light is operating.

One bit I'm not sure about is "(ii) at least 100 millimetres from the centre of a brake light" 100mm below I assume as most fog lights are low on the car.

[bumblebee]

Easist is to contact the TMR
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/About-us/Contact-us

[Sam101]

This is pretty cool. My lancer doesn’t have a 3rd brake light, but I would have to check NSW roads and maritime legislation before doing anything. I’d probably place mine under the rear bumper. Good food for thought imo

[Lancer1993]

As I found earlier a 3rd brake light by law needs to be placed up high, the whole point is for drivers further back to see them. So you'll need one on the boot lid or in the back window of your Lancer.

Which year is it, if it's really old it may not need one, not sure which year is the cut off.

I'm sure someone will post the answer.

My CC coupe had a stock on in the back window on the parcel shelf, I also had one in the boot lid spoiler, eventually I redid the parcel shelf carpet and removed the brake light, but I was covered because of the spoiler one.

I love the fact Mitsubishi decided to put the sedan on in the boot lid, remove the wing and you still have that light. However it would be nice to have a wider one in the back widows along the top edge!