[MBeige]

I was cleaning the car today and I happened to be cleaning the headlight switch. Twisted it CCW and right side markers turned on. But I pulled on it and the foglamps turned on! As if I could "flash" the fog lamps with this feature. I didn't get to try it with the engine on (see if that worked) so I was curious why the car has this feature?

Also, while we're on fog lamps: While we were searching for a TE back in Jan, we tested other cars for sale (TE also) and some of them had rear fog lamps, but ours doesn't. Or maybe it's just the bulb, but the bulb out lamp on the cluster doesn't light up if I activate it, so I would guess it didn't have this function.

I know in Europe it's standard to have rear fogs, how about in the US for the w124 chassis?

 

[neanderthal]

the fog lamps are turned on when you pull the switch. its not an additional feature. mercedes could have designed the switch so that you can only pull it when you are on the headlight side of the switch and not the parking light side of the switch but they didnt.

the parking light feature (turn switch opposite to normal direction) is for when your car is parked on a narrow street and you want to alert drivers to the presence of your car. some of the older parts of european cities have very narrow streets (remember the chase scene in ronin?) , so you turn on the corresponding light and park as far on the curb as possible. the side your turn on is the side hanging over the street.

 

[Inline6]

I know in Europe it's standard to have rear fogs, how about in the US for the w124 chassis?

Pat, it's not standard on U.S. models. Bulb out indicator doesn't recognize it because it's not in the original wiring harness that came with it, plus no socket & terminal on the bulb tray. You can install it, if you want

 

[MBeige]

the fog lamps are turned on when you pull the switch. its not an additional feature. mercedes could have designed the switch so that you can only pull it when you are on the headlight side of the switch and not the parking light side of the switch but they didnt.

the parking light feature (turn switch opposite to normal direction) is for when your car is parked on a narrow street and you want to alert drivers to the presence of your car. some of the older parts of european cities have very narrow streets (remember the chase scene in ronin?) , so you turn on the corresponding light and park as far on the curb as possible. the side your turn on is the side hanging over the street.

I know all about the standing lamps feature. I'm not asking about that. When I place it on one click to the left (right side standing lamps turn on) I can pull on the switch and the fog lamps will light up but once I let go of the switch it will spring back and the fog lamps turn off. I was pertaining to this (additional?) feature. I's like flashing the high beams, only it's the fog lamps. I ask this because on the 123 it doesn't have this feature so I wonder now why the 124 has this (and what for). I mean why did they design the fog lamps to be "flashable"? Also, how come I can only do this with the right side standing lamps turned on, but not in any other position (the left standing lamps on position doesn't allow this).

Kiks thanks for that info. Is it the same as the 123 wherein I need that extra wire for the headlight switch to activate the rear fogs? And if I don't, it would be tedious to install it? Or is it just a case of a missing bulb and socket (but the wiring is already there)?

 

[augapfel]

They didn't design the fog lamps to be "flashable." You simply discovered a quirk that the switch has ie pulling the knob out closes the fog lamp contacts.

IT would be tough to add the rear fog lamp to a 124. I looked into this and there are a few parts that would have tobe replaced. For one thing the headlamps switch is different, for another the body wiring harness does not include the wiring, and, finally, the tail lamp bulb holder plate does not have the contacts to hold or connect to a bulb. Doable? Sure. Worth it? Probably not.

 

[RBYCC]

They didn't design the fog lamps to be "flashable." You simply discovered a quirk that the switch has ie pulling the knob out closes the fog lamp contacts.

IT would be tough to add the rear fog lamp to a 124. I looked into this and there are a few parts that would have tobe replaced. For one thing the headlamps switch is different, for another the body wiring harness does not include the wiring, and, finally, the tail lamp bulb holder plate does not have the contacts to hold or connect to a bulb. Doable? Sure. Worth it? Probably not.

Years ago, I added the additional contact and wired it to the brake lights.
Gives a brighter light under braking !!!

 

[Inline6]

Yes Pat you'll have to wire it all the way to the headlight switch and augapfel is correct, you also need a euro type headlight switch since ours do not lock when you pull it the second time.

 

[MBeige]

Great, thanks guys. Looks like the same case with a w123 set up.

But I'm curious why pulling the knob only in that position allows it to be "flashed". Is it just my car or are other w124's like this too? Curious if my car has some issues. Thanks again...

 

[Benzkid89]

Ok, you guys are talking about the rear fog lights correct? Well if I am thinking the same thing dn't all W124's have them? I test drove a 93 coupe and when I was testing out the the lights I pulled the switch out 2 times and the rear fog lights were on. One of them were out but it was the first time I saw them.

 

[Inline6]

Not all, mostly Euro models only. Only one side of the rear fogs lights up, depending if it's a left or a right hand drive.

 

[augapfel]

Ok, you guys are talking about the rear fog lights correct? Well if I am thinking the same thing dn't all W124's have them? I test drove a 93 coupe and when I was testing out the the lights I pulled the switch out 2 times and the rear fog lights were on. One of them were out but it was the first time I saw them.

All 124s most certainly did NOT have them. They may have showed up late in the 124 series but they weren't available on US market cars through at least 1988. To clarify for others, you'd turn on the rear fog lamp (there's only ONE of them) by pulling the knob out to the first "click" (front fog lamps) and then pull it FURTHER to the second "Click."

 

[luxuryedition]

Great, thanks guys. Looks like the same case with a w123 set up.

But I'm curious why pulling the knob only in that position allows it to be "flashed". Is it just my car or are other w124's like this too? Curious if my car has some issues. Thanks again...

My w124 and w126 do this "on while pulling the switch" and off when I let go. I can only imagine why its there, if you are in a narrow road and still sitting in the car and are waiting for some one you can "alert" them that you are there. When the car is off you can not "flash" with you high beams and if I remember correctly, I can not turn on my lights when the car is off. That makes it a feature, if you are in the business of sitting in your car... at night... with the engine off... waiting on people to show up.

 

[neanderthal]

im surprised this needs explaining.

pulling the switch puts it in its "fog lights on" position. thats why they go on. its NOT a feature. releasing a cocked bow makes a sound. its not a feature. releasing a ball from your hand will make the ball drop. its not a feature. chewing a piece of food makes you salivate. its not a feature of the food.

its not a feature. its an anomaly of the switch.

and you absolutely CAN turn on your headlights with the car off. you know coz the annoying buzzer comes on.

lets stop inventing stuff thats not there.

 

[Benzkid89]

Well I believe my 89 300 had them. No need to clarify the Owner's Manual shows how to do it actually .

 

[MBeige]

im surprised this needs explaining.

pulling the switch puts it in its "fog lights on" position. thats why they go on. its NOT a feature. releasing a cocked bow makes a sound. its not a feature. releasing a ball from your hand will make the ball drop. its not a feature. chewing a piece of food makes you salivate. its not a feature of the food.

its not a feature. its an anomaly of the switch.

and you absolutely CAN turn on your headlights with the car off. you know coz the annoying buzzer comes on.

lets stop inventing stuff thats not there.

I know fully well how the fog lights turn on (rear included). I am just baffled as to why there is this additional function that when you turn it one click to the left, and pull on it, the fog lights turn on but when you turn it more to light up the left side standing lamps, the fog lights turn off. So why just one side will the fog lights turn on?

As for the rear it looks like it's the same as with the w123, except some US versions have it too but on the w123 the US versions did not come with any, and additional wiring is needed as in the w123 to install one.

No need to smart talk here, I am just inquiring about something. You seem like you know everything, so why not explain it instead? It, meaning that "anomaly".

 

[roycehof]

I checked my 1994 E320 and the switch operates exactly as you describe. My car is an american version and it does have the Driver's side rear fog-light. As far as I can tell by looking through the paperwork, this car came this way. No mods were done to allow this. Probably never would have known about the Fog-lights with Right park light thing, if you hadn't posted it.

 

[MBeige]

Well I was waiting for my sister at the parking lot to pick her up and I used the TE that time, was bored, so I shut it off but kept the radio on then tried the standing lamp functionality and asked, "What if I pull the fog lamps on the standing lamp positions?" and there we go...

I do hope mine has the rear fog, the plastic covers for the tail lamps on the wagon has a clip that breaks easily and the PO probably rigged it (zip ties no less) so I'm a bit weary of replacing them. New ones (with the light bar) cost $60 each I think! I hope it's just a case of a missing bulb

 

[neanderthal]

I know fully well how the fog lights turn on (rear included). I am just baffled as to why there is this additional function that when you turn it one click to the left, and pull on it, the fog lights turn on but when you turn it more to light up the left side standing lamps, the fog lights turn off. So why just one side will the fog lights turn on?

As for the rear it looks like it's the same as with the w123, except some US versions have it too but on the w123 the US versions did not come with any, and additional wiring is needed as in the w123 to install one.

No need to smart talk here, I am just inquiring about something. You seem like you know everything, so why not explain it instead? It, meaning that "anomaly".

geez you can be thick. see that bolded part?
see my previous post where i said anomaly of the switch.

do you want me to break down the engineering specifications for the switch or something? should i tell you how hard the plastic material is, or what grade the copper is? do i have to state how many engineering mules were designed before that switch design was finally settled on? perhaps youwant the results of the durability testing? or maybe the cost of the indivudual components? or comparisons to other designs? or the reason why this was chosen vs others?

you are not a 3 year old asking "why, why, why." some things you need to know, others you dont. if you want to know, do the research yourself. im not your butler.

as for the "additional function." its not designed in. its an anomaly of the switch. maybe it makes it stronger, maybe it makes it more durable. maybe it makes it cheaper. who knows, who cares. it only needs to work as intended. you wanna find out, find out.

nuff said.

 

[MBeige]

geez you can be thick. see that bolded part?
see my previous post where i said anomaly of the switch.

do you want me to break down the engineering specifications for the switch or something? should i tell you how hard the plastic material is, or what grade the copper is? do i have to state how many engineering mules were designed before that switch design was finally settled on? perhaps youwant the results of the durability testing? or maybe the cost of the indivudual components? or comparisons to other designs? or the reason why this was chosen vs others?

you are not a 3 year old asking "why, why, why." some things you need to know, others you dont. if you want to know, do the research yourself. im not your butler.

as for the "additional function." its not designed in. its an anomaly of the switch. maybe it makes it stronger, maybe it makes it more durable. maybe it makes it cheaper. who knows, who cares. it only needs to work as intended. you wanna find out, find out.

nuff said.

You're not helping, are you?

IF anybody knows the answer, then I'll welcome it here. But if you have nothing better to say other than it's an anomaly, then there is no need to say that I'm making it more complicated than it already is because the first thing I wanted to know was why it is like that.

That is why I asked the forum if they know about it, and I am doing my research that way until I have time to look deeper into it. But since it is not that important, I merely asked a question so that anybody who comes across it and knows the answer could post it.

One more thing, how did you categorically state that it's an "anomaly"? You certainly know more but you're not saying it. Don't tell me the fact that it only turns on that function only with the right side standing lamps lit, and that it doesn't have that function with the left side standing lamps lit, that it's an anomaly too!

Don't act as if I'm forcing you to answer me. I never said you were my butler.

Look, it's my first time to own a w124, and I've never seen that function in the w123. The w123 is the predecessor of the w124 and the w124 was built on or improved almost all w123 functions and on my w123, that "anomaly" does not exist. And since another member also confirmed that his/her car does the same thing, I would conclude that MB would have designed it specifically for a reason. And that is why I am asking about it if anybody happens to know. The 300TE is in pretty good shape so I doubt it was hacked by its previous owner, and my assumptions were right because somebody has the same feature/anomaly/whatever you want to call it.

"Who cares"? Well I do, and clearly, you don't. So quit whining. And yeah, I can be thick if provoked, thicker than the oil I pour into my car.

 

[Inline6]

My car has this also. I don't think it's an anomaly though. I'm more bent in believing that it's one of the features that MB integrated on the 124. At least it's there for us to use if & when we do need it.