Driving in Europe - Lights

Driving in Europe - Lights

Author
Discussion

Fixanything

Original Poster:

230 posts

163 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
quotequote all
What options are there ? don't see any adjustment on my car (M400), if taping them up, any pic's or patterns please.

Ta


SwankBaton

763 posts

172 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
quotequote all
Options as I see them :

1) The sticker on the lens (MOT station can probably help you apply - my local MOT station has a device to aim the beam / cur off)
2) Buy some Hella lights with a LHD cut off shield (might get expensive)
3) Make your own cut-off shield - I did it here : http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... (accidentally made a LHD version first!)

Option 3 requires tin snips and some alloy flashing from B&Q and for you to remove the lights. Once off the car its an easy job.


ETA - Option 4 - Just flip the existing cut-off shield over ! Got to be the cleanest option?

Edited by swankBaton on Saturday 23 August 17:37

andygtt

8,344 posts

264 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
quotequote all
The only genuinelly legal way it to simply switch the light to send the beam the other direction as the lights are switched to either rhd or lhd when fitted... Problem is you will need to remove the bonded on panel to get at the light to switch them :-(

Anything else is simply you simply sticking on stuff to look like you are complying to stop you being pulled or fined lol

SwankBaton

763 posts

172 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
quotequote all
andygtt said:
Problem is you will need to remove the bonded on panel to get at the light to switch them :-(
Just the rear bucket to remove the light units though (at least thats how it was on mine, lights held in with self tappers), easy to slice through the old sealant with a blade. I've gone with Neoprene gasket rather than sealant - easy to remove now.


Fixanything

Original Poster:

230 posts

163 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
quotequote all
That's about where I got to, now to find some tape, can't take it with me , no room !

SwankBaton

763 posts

172 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
quotequote all

Fixanything

Original Poster:

230 posts

163 months

Saturday 23rd August 2014
quotequote all
link does not seem to work

sundance002

1,304 posts

164 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
quotequote all
andygtt said:
The only genuinelly legal way it to simply switch the light to send the beam the other direction as the lights are switched to either rhd or lhd when fitted... Problem is you will need to remove the bonded on panel to get at the light to switch them :-(

Anything else is simply you simply sticking on stuff to look like you are complying to stop you being pulled or fined lol
+1. Im in Spain, switched mine over easy to do, just a real pain getting the bonded panel off and back on.

AMG Merc

11,954 posts

253 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
quotequote all
swankBaton said:
I've gone with Neoprene gasket rather than sealant - easy to remove now.
Interesting, is this for the top/outside? Tell us more + photo please.

SwankBaton

763 posts

172 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
quotequote all
AMG Merc said:
Interesting, is this for the top/outside? Tell us more + photo please.
This is for the rear bucket (I wouldnt mess with the fronts unless I fitted bathrooms smile ,No pics as of yet im afraid. I simply made a gasket of Neoprene on the bucket itself so I dont have to mess with sealant, im constantly removing them as im in the middle of a project to alternative lamp units and I have zero water ingress and no fogging on the front lenses.

Im still lost as to how swapping the LH and RH lamp units over will change the beam pattern, the standard RHD Hella units have a cut off that looks similar to the bottom of this pic (ECE RHD) :




ETA - Did a little digging , seems like you use the alignment screws on the rear to swap it over without removing the unit at all :


Edited by swankBaton on Wednesday 27th August 14:03