Did Subaru make an Oops?

[KensAudio]

So at one point, when was backing up, in the dark, I thought "I wish I had more light back there." After some digging, I found that of the 4 lenses on the back of the Baja that look like back up lights - two on the top outside corners, and two on the top corners of the tailgate, I find that the two lenses on the tailgate are in fact, not lights. I had hoped that they were just dead back-up lamps that needed replacing. Nope. They're not even reflectors, either. They're just white lenses.

I was under the impression that white lights belonged on the front of a vehicle, and hence used as backup lights, to denote the end of a car that's actually travelling closer to you. Same reason we don't have red lights on the front of our cars. Has anyone ever seen white non-lights on the rear of a car before? Are they illegal or just pointless?

Has anyone modded them to actually make them useful supplemental backup lights? I'd be interested in doing that so I could see behind me better when in reverse.

- K

[adinafloyd]

I havent really looked but it seems they may be able to be modded to actual reverse lights, ima hafta look at them now. Im liking the idea of more light while in reverse.

[theluckyone17]

I've thought the same, too. A previous owner of my Baja had a John "Mudrat" Bloom cargo rack installed, along with four lights. I'm not sure if they used the sport light wiring or ran their own.

I've since taken the rack off: I don't use it enough to say so; it sounds like a 747 is landing above me when I hit the highway; I don't want to know what it's doing to my mileage.

My plan is to take the lights and wiring harness off, then rig up some rotating mount to the existing crossmembers on the roof rack. By rotating, I mean allowing the lights to rotate so they face the roof. That should help with wind resistance, and it'll clear 'em out of the way when I'm carrying my kayaks.

Two would go in the front, two in the rear, ideally. All I gotta do is figure out that mounting system.

[mikenmel08]

I'm sure you could do some type of cam retention system instead of a bolt...That way you could just flip the lever and put them up or down which ever the case may be then flip it again to keep them in place...