This C30 came with factory installed lower LED DRL lights. I was wondering if the factory fog light kit can be installed to replace the DRLs. I'm assuming it would be necessary to have a dealer reprogram it once installed.

jorrell

The C30 came in 2 versions, those with front Fog lights used the headlights as DRLs, and those without had DRLs placed where the fog lights normally are. The dash switch for the lights are also different. See page 66 of the owner's manual.

I am afraid that your 'mod' will be more than a simple software 'fix'.

On the other hand, don't fret over it. The fog lights are a poor excuse for good lighting in low visibility settings. They are not bright enough to shine down the road and do not have a very good flat cutoff. On earlier Volvos, I thought they were only used as eye candy and a waste of time and money. Of course, I come from a rallying background where fogs were yellow and had 100000 candle power!
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My name is Klaus and I am a V♂lv♂holic

Klaus,

Thanks for the input. I did check with the dealer and they are claiming that the fog light kit can NOT be made to work with lower LED DRLs or steerable headlights. I am still going to consider modifying the kit to work, ie. relay, fuse, harness etc. as I'm mainly after light being thrown to the sides.

Since I live in deer country, anything I can do to stop the deer at the side of the road instead of in the road "deer in the headlights syndrome", I will do. It may be coincidence, but I have hit two deer with two different cars w/o fogs. On the rest of my cars over the years they had fogs and I have seen plenty of deer standing next to the road and have hit none.

jorrell

Hi John,
So you have now moved into a C30? Do you still have any RWD Volvo's? If I remember correctly, you used to have a really nice 245.
So how do you like the C30 compared to your older Volvo's?
The C30 is a neat looking machine. Now that I'm getting close to 50, I'm not sure if I would enjoy the size or lowness of it. But, those C30's sure do look great. I need to drive one sometime.

I picked up a 1998 C70 Coupe in the fall and it has factory fog lights. I use them all the time. There's lots of deer near me, so I'm fearful of hitting one. So your observation about the fog lights is interesting. I'll have to see if the fogs seem to prevent deer from darting out. I am enjoying the High Pressure Turbo in the 5 cylinder engine of my C70. The thing sounds great when I stomp on it and it sure is faster than my old 245. I'm not sure about maintaining the thing though. It looks very difficult to access things. There's so much stuff in the way I'm even having difficulty tracking down a "red fluid" leak.

Best wishes,

Tom
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1992 Volvo 240 & 1998 Volvo C70

Hello once again Tom... after many 245 years! Yes, the modified 245 was, and still is a great car, ask Sean Corron (Scorron) how well it is still doing! I surrendered at 236K as I was driving 4 hours each day and didn't have time to keep up with Bleen's demands... which were numerous! Sean has even gone to the lengths of tranny swap, wet sanding the body, fresh paint, and replacing the tan interior with black, dang, I wish I had that much strength left!

In regards to the C30, I've wanted one since they first came out, dang, I even wanted the R design AWD from Europe, but back then life really sucked! Since the 245 I put $6K into an 01 Porsche 986S as a daily driver, 35K later, the transaxle grenaded... still working on the rebuild. Then there was the #2 piston and went to Valhalla.

The C30 is great, tons of room in the interior, the handling is a touch stiff which I love, the sways are awesome and the torque at low an mid RPMS is seriously impressive. The turbo kicks in at 1500 rpms at any throttle position of 30% or higher. The chassis is incredibly stiff, and I plan on trying Autocross with it soon, as it will take a long time to fix that 986S transaxle!

jorrell

So this is where old RWD fans spread their wings!

Good to see you enjoying the car hobby in your all-in fashion again. The convincing argument for a Volvo in the beginning of my association with them was the deer population along the windy and poorly lit roads down there past where Tom hangs out in Howard and Montgomery County doing that 90 minute commute. A 240 would not lift any deer over its square nose, I thought, and the yards were full of pieces to repair them if it tried.

Commuting has been 'tele' in the past 10 years, so feeling "the sways" is Sunday driving for me now, and I get my jollies helping the kids with their rides.

Hi Klaus, John, and of course, Tom.

Software in the fog lights! 2012 car wow!


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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Haunted French pancakes give me the crêpes.