# Fog Lights Don’t Allow Auto Headlights



## aubstjohn (Nov 6, 2018)

Does everyone’s Atlas have the headlights on all the time if you have the fog lights on (when in the Auto setting)? Yet another little annoyance if so. 


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## *DesertFox* (Sep 26, 2017)

aubstjohn said:


> Does everyone’s Atlas have the headlights on all the time if you have the fog lights on (when in the Auto setting)? Yet another little annoyance if so.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


What are the other little annoyances you have with the Atlas.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

aubstjohn said:


> Does everyone’s Atlas have the headlights on all the time if you have the fog lights on (when in the Auto setting)? Yet another little annoyance if so.....


Can you detail when you would ever drive in fog without headlights and taillights on? Ever?


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## aubstjohn (Nov 6, 2018)

- Incandescent bulbs on interior and fog lights
- Tying seat memory and other settings to different FOBs is not intuitive (locking doors to save settings is odd)
- Park sensors don't auto quiet after a few seconds of beeping, you have to manually silence
- Bluetooth device is not remembered with FOB
- No cup holders in middle row if you have captain seats
- Exhaust tips are fake
- Fuel tank is too small, MPG is pretty bad, coupled with a small tank is no good

...just a few that come to mind at the moment.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

aubstjohn said:


> -* Incandescent bulbs on interior and fog lights*
> - Tying seat memory and other settings to different FOBs is not intuitive (locking doors to save settings is odd)
> - Park sensors don't auto quiet after a few seconds of beeping, you have to manually silence
> - Bluetooth device is not remembered with FOB
> ...


So, you like the ugly over white LED light rather than the nice warm color?

And then, those with "real" exhaust tips whine about having to clean the soot off them....

You live in an area with hardly any access to fuel? :screwy:

Speaks volumes about your intelligence that you chose and bought the Atlas with all these terrible "issues".....


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## Icantdrive65 (Nov 8, 2001)

Yes. Only use the fog lights when you need them.


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## rocknfreak (Jul 10, 2018)

Icantdrive65 said:


> Yes. Only use the fog lights when you need them.


Fog lights are specially designed for use in, you guessed it, fog.

Offtopic: I see this thread everywhere.. Why is it that common that people have this light on 24/7 ? You will get a ticket for having them on when there is no fog, where I am from. *I am from Germany and the same is VW. I am thinking this is as designed, that it is not convenient for enduser having both on. Like you can just leave the light switch on auto.


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## aubstjohn (Nov 6, 2018)

The extra light is nice (scatters a wider “ditch” light) and I like the look. 

Driving with a factory fog light on at night isn’t going to get you a ticket where I’m from. That’s ridiculous. 


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

aubstjohn said:


> ....Driving with a factory fog light on at night isn’t going to get you a ticket where I’m from. That’s ridiculous.....


Folks in the USA are the dumbest on the Earth. When someone here buys a German designed vehicle, they have a vehicle smarter than themselves.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

I always used to have the fogs on until, A year ago in NY, I was stoped and was told that my fogs need to be off. Left with a warning. After that used them only when I really needed them.


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## shijmus (Oct 8, 2018)

aubstjohn said:


> Does everyone’s Atlas have the headlights on all the time if you have the fog lights on (when in the Auto setting)? Yet another little annoyance if so.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have yet to see the headlights is off when the knob is on auto, with or without fog lights, it seems DRL never kicks in


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## aubstjohn (Nov 6, 2018)

If I put the switch in auto without the fog lights on it would automatically switch over to daytime running lights.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

You can code these I believe to do anything you want i.e. on with highs etc.


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## aubstjohn (Nov 6, 2018)

KarstGeo said:


> You can code these I believe to do anything you want i.e. on with highs etc.


I’ve seen a few posts about working the code on the VW models. Forgive me, I’m new to all that, but what exactly does that involve? Any warranty implications to consider when changing code?


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## Icantdrive65 (Nov 8, 2001)

KarstGeo said:


> You can code these I believe to do anything you want i.e. on with highs etc.


Do share!


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## TablaRasa (May 12, 2008)

Icantdrive65 said:


> Do share!


Yes please do share. I know in my B6 passat, it is a simple "unchecking" of the box in Module 9. But in the Atlas, the module is different. I believe you have to do through Module 9, then adaptations and do the search. I have not played around with it but looking to activate the 'REAR FOG' option and this is the module I have to go through.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

back in the day- you couldn't even turn on the fogs in auto mode on the old vag headlight switches. The point was that you should really only use them when you need them, and you would go out of your way to turn the lights to on and then turn on the fogs unlike every asian vehicle where you would flip the stalk switch and forget about it.

Interestingly enough, the Atlas is the first VW to allow you to pull the fog switch out in auto. Even my 2019 Jetta (which has a different headlight switch) does not allow this. However, as a juxtaposition, you cannot turn your parking lights and fog lights on together in the Atlas, whereas I can do this in the Jetta. Kind of why people used to buy euro switches since the US VW switches didn't have a parking mode for the longest time.


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## WeeeZer14 (May 25, 2012)

Another interesting difference I found is that with my current and past Passat, the lights “on” position would become parking lights with ignition off (I have a Euro switch so I am not 100% sure about what the original stock switch did). But in the Atlas you only get parking lights with ignition off if you specifically select the parking light position. So you can leave the headlight switch in the on position all the time with no negative effects if you want to run with head and tail lights on all the time.


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## cooleh73 (Jan 28, 2015)

*Fog light w/low beams*

I don't know about other states, but here, for as long as I can remember, there is a law that requires headlights on with the fog lights illuminated.
I got a ticket probably 35 years ago in a small town in the Central Valley for just that.


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## aubstjohn (Nov 6, 2018)

I guess I should clarify... I just want the headlights and fog lights to automatically come on together when lack of daylight requires. I don’t want fog lights on by themselves. Right now if you use the fog lights as extra light, all lights are on all day. 


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

aubstjohn said:


> I guess I should clarify... I just want the headlights and fog lights to automatically come on together when lack of daylight requires. I don’t want fog lights on by themselves. Right now if you use the fog lights as extra light, all lights are on all day. ....


So, with the headlight switch in "auto" and the fog lights activated, what happens when you first turn the vehicle on in low light conditions?


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## mrbeetle (Sep 1, 2005)

Can’t answer your question about how to do that, but several people have questioned the legality of it. Don’t forget to check your laws: in Illinois you are required to dim your fogs when approaching traffic (few people do, but it’s required). If you drive with only parking lights and fogs, that’s also illegal. I’ve had people argue with me about it and when they got snotty they got 2 tickets: no headlights when required and fail to dim auxiliary lighting (2 TT= mandatory court= $223 + fines). You do what you want, just be polite and don’t get rude if you’re stopped for doing it wrong. Hope someone can answer your original question for you


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## TablaRasa (May 12, 2008)

mrbeetle said:


> Can’t answer your question about how to do that, but several people have questioned the legality of it. Don’t forget to check your laws: in Illinois you are required to dim your fogs when approaching traffic (few people do, but it’s required). If you drive with only parking lights and fogs, that’s also illegal. I’ve had people argue with me about it and when they got snotty they got 2 tickets: no headlights when required and fail to dim auxiliary lighting (2 TT= mandatory court= $223 + fines). You do what you want, just be polite and don’t get rude if you’re stopped for doing it wrong. Hope someone can answer your original question for you


Dim the fogs? i guess in our cars it would be just turning it off because there is no way to adjust the brightness on the fly.


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## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

aubstjohn said:


> Does everyone’s Atlas have the headlights on all the time if you have the fog lights on (when in the Auto setting)? Yet another little annoyance if so.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


i have my lights set to auto and fogs on- i have no issues.. but i will be turning of the fogs unless i need them.. as it prevents auto stop start.. 
unfortunately i do a lot country drives so fog lights are appreciated.


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## aubstjohn (Nov 6, 2018)

AudiVW guy said:


> i have my lights set to auto and fogs on- i have no issues.. but i will be turning of the fogs unless i need them.. as it prevents auto stop start..
> unfortunately i do a lot country drives so fog lights are appreciated.


So you’re saying your lights are not on during the day with fogs on and in auto? Mine will stay on 24/7 in this configuration. Having your fogs on kills auto stop/start? That’s interesting... I’m nearly certain that’s not the case for me. Where did you buy your Atlas?


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

AudiVW guy said:


> i have my lights set to auto and fogs on- i have no issues.. but i will be turning of the fogs unless i need them.. as it prevents auto stop start..
> unfortunately i do a lot country drives so fog lights are appreciated.





aubstjohn said:


> So you’re saying your lights are not on during the day with fogs on and in auto? Mine will stay on 24/7 in this configuration. Having your fogs on kills auto stop/start? That’s interesting... I’m nearly certain that’s not the case for me. Where did you buy your Atlas?


I am curious AudiVW guy- are you in Canada as your car says execline? That might explain why the situation is working for you and not aubstjohn. In the USA this is the way it is designed unfortunately. I am surprised it even allows you to pull the fogs out in auto because other VWs do not. If you pull the switch out during the day for fogs in the auto position, it will turn on everything. BMW does the same thing- if you press the fog button in auto, it turns on everything. I believe it leaves the instrument panel in day mode though even with the headlights on- versus it going to night mode when you turn the lights switch to ON.

I know you are looking to leave them in auto/on all the time with the DRL during the day, and the headlights/fogs automatically at night, but unfortunately it does not work that way in the US. I wonder if you could buy a canadian headlight switch- they are very easy to swap out, just push in and twist and it pops out- and then plug in the new one. I would think the switch is what is telling it to operate that way. Just a thought.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

aubstjohn said:


> So you’re saying your lights are not on during the day with fogs on and in auto? Mine will stay on 24/7 in this configuration....


No driver would be driving with the fogs on without the headlights/taillights on. VW has done the common sense thing.


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## TablaRasa (May 12, 2008)

Icantdrive65 said:


> Do share!


23. Fog-lights are turned-on with high-beam lights (when the left-hand stalk behind the steering wheel is pushed towards the windscreen and the rotary light switch is in "Auto", or "On" position) (Security access 31347 is required):
1). On Select Control Module screen, click "Select"
2). Select “09-Cent. Elect.”
3). Select “Security Access - 16”, enter the access key: 31347, click "Do it!"
4). Select “Adaptation - 10”, click “Channel” list
5). Scroll down channel list to half and find the below 4 channel:
ENG116948-ENG116107-Leuchte12NL LB45-Lichtfunktion C 12 
( change “Stored value” {not active} to -> “New value” {Left high beam} )
ENG116948-ENG116109-Leuchte12NL LB45-Dimmwert CD 12 
( change “Stored value” {0} to -> “New value” {127} ) (note: LED fog light change to “127”)
ENG116949-ENG116564-Leuchte13NL RB5-Lichtfunktion C 13 
( change “Stored value” {not active} to -> “New value” {Right high beam} )
ENG116949-ENG116128-Leuchte13NL RB5-Dimmwert CD 13 
( change “Stored value” {0} to -> “New value” {127} ) (note: LED fog light change to “127”)


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