TDI 2006 Rear lights mystery.

[zimbodel]

A really stupid question.
I noticed while checking my rear lights that I have all the lights necessary, tail-lights,indicators,backup lights,brake lights, buit there is an extra set of small lights that NEVER lights up. I never noticed them not to work till now as they never were needed for any of the normal car light functions.
You can see them in the image below which is the closest I could find to what mine looks like.
It is the two strip lights below the main oval rear lights.
Mine however are WHITE not red as in this image and therefore cannot be extra set of brake lights, which is very odd !

So what are these two strip lights at the back for?
I do not mean the backup lights that are mounted way down almost same height as the center of the wheels at the bottom.

 

[Seatman]

Fog lights? Sometimes you'll get a red or amber part inside where the bulb sits on cars with clear lenses.

 

[zimbodel]

This one, the bulb is white, (push in small type without bayonettes) and there is no colored reflectors or parts to change the color. It always passed inspection as-is so I have no clue what they do. Being that some years have red ones and maybe some year model beetles have white ones, it is really confusing what they actually do
Called side-marker lights as I could find out, but when are they supposed to switch on? Since there are two color variations I cannot think of one application that can be either white or red at the back. Maybe some funky european obsolete park light ?

 

[zimbodel]

Assuming you are right about fog lights:
I went through the manual again. The relevant Section is "3.1 Controls and Equipment" New Beetle Model Year 2006. Lights are covered on P29. P29 says I need to pull the Light Switch out when Dims or brights are on. On my 2006 TDI, the switch doesnt have such functionality and I am sure the switch is not broken. It clearly does not have a fog light emblem as in the manual .. (So much for manuals sheesh)
It absolutely hard refuses to pull out. Maybe 2006 was issued with lights at the rear but no switch was issued. Some transition ?
The front has no fog lights where they are usually at the bottom. Curiously the light switch has no fog light emblem on it, and therefore was issued without foglights. I thought that maybe the previous owner had the rear bumper replaced which was for a fog-light model. But ... there are factory wires for these lights so that option is moot. the car has the wires but no fog light pull switch on the light switch.
I'm gobsmacked. Best is to blank them off if they are actually fog lights.
But, I would really appreciate it if someone could explain this oddity to me. I never used fog lights as it clearly hasnt got such a switch (or maybe it is hidden somewhere else on some models I cannot find) , but it has factory wiring! which is a contradiction.

 

[zimbodel]

So to ad. It will be nice if someone can verify your claim that these are foglights, since if they are, I can legally just blank them off here in virginia and have no fog lights. If they are not fog lights, then I need to deal with them differently and if they are a double up of turn signal, they must by law be red or amber and NOT white. If fog lights, wonder if I can connect them rather as backup lights, since they are white already and the backup lights sits way low. That would be very handy and an improvement. I cannot find any DMV laws regarding this other than if they are fog lights I can remove them and blank them off. What is your opinion ?

Finally someone on this group must have a beetle as in my photo previously posted that can tell me what those side-markers actually do on the 2006-2010 beetle as mine never worked since I had the car and since they are white, they cannot be turn signal. That will help a lot.

 

[Seatman]

So to ad. It will be nice if someone can verify your claim that these are foglights, since if they are, I can legally just blank them off here in virginia and have no fog lights. If they are not fog lights, then I need to deal with them differently and if they are a double up of turn signal, they must by law be red or amber and NOT white. If fog lights, wonder if I can connect them rather as backup lights, since they are white already and the backup lights sits way low. That would be very handy and an improvement. I cannot find any DMV laws regarding this other than if they are fog lights I can remove them and blank them off. What is your opinion ?

Finally someone on this group must have a beetle as in my photo previously posted that can tell me what those side-markers actually do on the 2006-2010 beetle as mine never worked since I had the car and since they are white, they cannot be turn signal. That will help a lot.

I wasn't claiming anything, it was a suggestion as a possibility hence the question mark.

Being clear all the way through though makes me think they must've been for reversing lights, indicators, fogs etc all have to be the right colour, fogs are red but brighter like a brake light. Indicators are generally amber or red in the USA but clear is usually for reversing if it's on the rear.

 

[zimbodel]

Exactly, but that is the mystery. I went through about 50 youtube videos for 2006-10 and no-one ever show a car as it drives when they sell it. it is all lazily static these days. None of them had white side-marker lights like mine. Always red.
I saw three on the road today, and followed one. All three had red lights not white as mine. As mentioned, I could not find any white side marker lights on youtube or anywhere on the web. Still a mystery why mine has white. Anyway, The person did switch his lights on and clearly the side markers in this case was for tail lights and therefore must be red. So the problem is solved, they are taillights of which mine are white! and not legal in VA or probably anywhere in USA. No wonder previous owner had them disconnected. Just think how white tail lights will irritate someone behind you.
I ordered red lenses today and will install the red ones as that is what is legally required (you cannot even buy white !!, but somehow, I have them).
I will work through the wiring and see where it was disconnected as it cannot be just with a fuse as fuses are shared in this case.

So problem is solved. thanks a lot for your help.

Although I am still gobsmacked why mine is white and it seems the entire usa has red.

Some Web Wisdom.
"Are White Tail Lights Illegal?
Yes it is illegal. If you modify the taillights on your car, it has to be DOT approved. I have the outer clears on mines for over a year. Since I put it on, I have been ticketed twice."

What federal Law says.
Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Rules 1959

1. (Vehicle tail lights)

• Each vehicle shall be equipped with a back lamp that emits a red light which is visible from a reasonable distance.

From link

So someone has been stupid and very creative with this car in the past. Custom job by someone to make life difficult for him/herself. Ticket magnet! Since mine was disconnected it never attracted attention at night.
Case Closed

 

[hskrdu]

NewBeetle.org says they are rear cornering lights, which is the same as side markers. NA had red lenses, but some Euro locations had white/clear lenses with a red bulb, and the mod was apparently quite popular 15 years ago (yes, you could buy/find them easily back then).
Just use red bulbs- Same as using a yellow bulb behind clear/white turn signal plastic. There also seemed to be quite a few NewBeetle members looking for the clear rear side marker lenses, as the OE lenses became harder to find over time, so I'm sure someone would be delighted to have them.

As for Federal law, since you already have red tail lights, those sections don't apply (and IMHO is quite low on cop magnetism, as it were).

I would just throw in red wedge LEDs and call it good for the next decade.

 

[zimbodel]

Thanks a lot for the advice, much appreciated. I already ordered red lenses and red bulbs are too much of a hassle. red lenses has a lot of benefits for me as I only need to use standard white bulbs. I am not a detailing/mod kind of person. a car just needs to work right for me -type of minimalist person.
I will keep the clears for a while for in case VA has some funky OEM requirements, just in case these were OEM for the year, but that is a moot point.

Thanks a lot for the clarification.

 

[zimbodel]

Received the red ones and all installed. Thanks all who helped peel the onion. Problem solved.
I was not even aware that there are people that would remove the red lenses and install white and use it with a red bulb and try and get away with it. The question to me is why? Just a possible cop magnet. It certainly isnt legal like that in VA.

 

[Seatman]

As long as the light shines the correct colour it's legal over here in the UK at least, we had a lot of cars with all clear rear lights that either used coloured bulbs or had a coloured bulb housing inside.

 

[hskrdu]

The red light illuminates the white housing as red, which (if working correctly) is (usually) all the matters, even in VA. For example, take a look at the tail lights of the MkIV Jetta over time:

1999-2003:

2004:

Jetta GLI:

The stock VW plastic housing changes from all red, to red/white, to red/grey, but the bulb illuminates correctly. All OEM. All legal.

Many European VWs use clear lenses with colored bulbs, and many NA owners find that their amber lenses do not complement the car's paint, hence changing out lenses from amber to clear, and adding the correct bulb color (amber or red). The regulations, depending on area, generally call for amber or red light, not lens, so as long as the final product works, it's fine. Of course, some lighting is more strictly regulated, such as headlights.

 

[zimbodel]

That is the tricky part: The written law here in VA says that the lights may not be changed from OEM, but it also says explicitly that white lense tail lights are illegal. Therefore some contradiction in the law. Mine was OEM red which was changed to white by some detailer, so it is correct for me to change it to red, which I did. So if your tail lights were issued with white lense/red bulb it needs to stay so. If issued with red lense it needs to stay so. Mine was therefore not legal. So lights may only be white lense red bulb IF it was OEM. No other exceptions allowed.

 

[zimbodel]

With the correct red lenses it passed inspection no problem. Shop said it wouldnt have passed with white when I asked afterwards as it is illegal to use a car in VA with lense light color changed from the factory issued lights. it has to be OEM colors as issued for the model.
So I did the right thing.

 

[hskrdu]

With the correct red lenses it passed inspection no problem. Shop said it wouldnt have passed with white when I asked afterwards as it is illegal to use a car in VA with lense light color changed from the factory issued lights. it has to be OEM colors as issued for the model.
So I did the right thing.

Not to go around in circles on it, but just out of curiosity, back in Sept. I looked up the VA Title 46.2 Chapter 10 on the lighting for road vehicles and couldn't find a reference that would require a change in the plastic lenses if the correct light is being emitted. VA speaks to color of light, light not being alternating, blinking, or flashing, the lens not being broken, and bulbs meeting SAE specs. The requirement for your additional rear bulbs is that they are installed on the vehicle itself, are at least 15in above the road surface, and that they emit a red light.
We know VW installed a variety of colored plastic and bulb combinations of the years. As an example, "your" car make, model, and engine type came, from the factory, with a variety of tail light housings, some of which use a white bulb and colored plastic, others that use a colored bulb and clear/white plastic. All were legal for your make and model, they just differ by year.

 

[zimbodel]

Yes, but one of the issues is, you may not change them w.r.t to what is issued with the VIN number.
Mine was issued red lens so should be red lense.

I went through the legislation too and it gets confusing and contradictory and is why I posted here.
What matters, is that the inspection station I went to said that he would have failed me with white lenses as he knew it was not issued for my year model and that is a no-no. You may not alter the factory color of your lights - period and in some counties the police will pull you over to check that.
Many inspection stations couldnt care less though.