fog lights cracked *pics*

[Chinaman_Chong]

ive had some OEM style fog lights off ebay since maybe august '10.
and just this morning i noticed the glass on both fog lights are cracked. this had to have happened within the past 2 days, as the last time i looked at them they were fine.
with the passenger side being significantly more cracked than the left. the cracks seem to feel smooth to the touch.

i dont recall driving over anything that could have bounced up and hit them.

anyone have any ideas for the causes? could it be quality? temperature?
i run 35watt HIDs in them, so they do get hot.


does anyone else have any experience with aftermarket fogs?

edit: photos
passenger side:
drivers side:

[Chinaman_Chong]

bump

can anyone offer any insight? ive still been driving with them on. they seem to be holding up pretty well, with no increase to any cracks.

[780alti]

most likely its the quality of the fogs. Ebay ones are usually glass while the oem ones are plexiglass (i thin), so they hold up a little better. One of mine got cracked too recently. probably just a rock that came up and hit it.

[VQPathy01]

With my experience working at Nissan and other dealers, it tends to be a common occurrence for fog lights to crack or shatter. The main cause is usually rocks flinging up at the right speed and hitting it in just the right spot for it to crack. The first generation Murano's tend to be horrible for this, simply because of the height the lights are off the ground. It also sucks because they're also used as DTRL's here in Canada.
All I can recommend is to shop around online for new housings or find a used set in good condition. DONT let anyone convince you to apply 3M protection to the fog lights though! It does nothing to protect it, and certain films will discolor and burn.

[Chinaman_Chong]

thanks guys!

is it common enough for it to happen to both side within a relatively short amount of time?
and how about lamin-x covers?

im also thinking that it may be weather related? during the week that i first noticed the cracks, it was raining and kind of "cold"

[VQPathy01]

Well if you're located in California like your profile says, I highly doubt it has anything to do with the "cold" haha. On the photos you can see the point of impacts where a rock or some object has hit the light. It is possible that there were small chips or cracks at one point, and a series of bumps or relatively quick changes in temperature could have resulted in it then spreading out. Sort of like a rock chip eventually turns into a crack if the windshield experiences quick fluctuations in temperature.
In regards to the lamin-x covers, I would avoid them as well. The 3M films tend to be the most expensive, but the highest in quality because they resist fading or yellowing on white vehicle. Products such as lamin-x are more or less cheaper knock offs. They get the job done, but aren't as durable. No matter what the film may be however, I would NEVER apply film over the fog lights. They get extremely hot, and a thin layer of film won't be strong enough to protect glass from cracking.

[Chinaman_Chong]

thanks for answering everything!

so to recap:
im gonna wait till mine finally bust all the way through.
then should i just get another 70$ pair off ebay? or should i just try to go OEM?

[VQPathy01]

It really depends on your preference. I can't see the one's on ebay being terrible in terms or quality, so I'm sure they'll do the job just fine. Even a good condition set of used fog light housings should do the trick as well. I guess it really just depends on how much you're really willing to spend to fix them.

[Captain Al]

This DOES seem to be an increasing issue. I have a smooth cracked drivers side and blown out passenger side fog lights. If rocks did this there would be some sign somewhere on the nose adjacent to them. NO tiny dings at all so VERY unlikely they BOTH met a similar fate. This Altima post with the same cracked left, shattered out right is VERY intriguiging. Both light up and work as well BTW. They are EXPENSIVE replacements. Any ideas for the failure and the replacement?? Clearly this is a POOR design Nissan should advise on and even perhaps offer a discount on. Good Luck there. LOL

[brando1]

Mine cracked as well. It can be caused by driving a lot oh highway /freeways. I do about 100miles a day and mine cracked within a yr since installed.