Changing 2014 Continental GT Speed headlights
Discussion
In the next few days I will be taking delivery of a LHD 2014 Speed that I need to get through the IVA test. Main things that they will be looking for are rear fog lights (UK compliant as standard), a speedo in miles or miles and kilometres (dual marked as standard) and headlights that dip to the left, a big problem. I've already got hold of a pair of RHD headlights to fit but need to know how to fit them. I found a video on Youtube that shows how to change them on the earlier model by dropping the front bumper off but on the later one it appears that the front bumper is integral with the front wings. I thought that maybe they will come out through the wheelarch but I suspect not. Or does the whole front spoiler, grille and front wings need to come off to get access to them?
Anyone got any ideas on how they are accessed or is there anything online that might help? I need to know how many days I'm going to have to book off work to get these lights swapped.
Anyone got any ideas on how they are accessed or is there anything online that might help? I need to know how many days I'm going to have to book off work to get these lights swapped.
I'm going to speak to the place that supplied me with the RHD headlights, as they've obviously taken at least one apart, as soon as the car gets here. Looking at the lights there are adjusters on the mounting points which I assume are so they can be lined up with the bodywork so they must be accessible with the wheelarch liner off. The car was due to arrive today but had to be postponed so won't be with me until later in the week now. I'll definitely be doing it myself, and will be taking photos so may as well post it up here and let everyone know how difficult or otherwise it is.
I've spoken to the nearest Bentley main agent, and I must admit they were very helpful (much more helpful than Bentley themselves), but they are at least 40 odd miles away so I've not been there.
I've spoken to the nearest Bentley main agent, and I must admit they were very helpful (much more helpful than Bentley themselves), but they are at least 40 odd miles away so I've not been there.
Well, I've done it. I spoke to the company that had supplied me with the lights and they pointed me in the direction of erWin Bentley (https://erwin.bentleymotors.com/erwin/showHome.do) Bentley's own online workshop manuals. It's a paid site but at 4 Euros for an hour or 21 Euros for a days access and the ability to print off the sections you need, I figured it was worth it.
I must admit, I'm not impressed with the build quality, far too much plastic, self tapping screws and bits marked with the VW Audi logos for my liking but the job is straightforward enough. It took me 7 hours start to finish, that's taking it apart, changing the lights and putting it back together again. That 7 hours included a break for a bite to eat too so I reckon it'll take me no longer that about 5 hours to do it again.
Basically, you start with the bumper grilles (tacky chromed ABS that just clip in), then it's radiator grille, front wheels, both front wheelarch liners They are in two sections), front bumper, front wings and that reveals the headlights and their mountings. The only difficult bit is getting to the 4 (and not 3 as the manual said) screws that hold the trailing edge of the front wings to the A post. I had to cut down a T25 Torx bit to get it in the very restricted space with the doors wide open. It's all T25 and T30 Torx and a couple of 10mm bolts. I set the adjusters on the replacement lights the same as the ones I took off so everything lined up as it should when it went back together.
However, quite why the headlights, at the very least on the RHD versions, don't have switchable dip, I have no idea. Do they think that nobody is ever going to take their car to the Continent? Beam benders don't work too well on HID lights and the dip cut off is set by a little metal shield inside the light unit which could easily have a lever attached to it to allow it to switch one way or the other. The performance is fantastic, the interior is a really nice place to be, but under the skin it's no more than average really.
I must admit, I'm not impressed with the build quality, far too much plastic, self tapping screws and bits marked with the VW Audi logos for my liking but the job is straightforward enough. It took me 7 hours start to finish, that's taking it apart, changing the lights and putting it back together again. That 7 hours included a break for a bite to eat too so I reckon it'll take me no longer that about 5 hours to do it again.
Basically, you start with the bumper grilles (tacky chromed ABS that just clip in), then it's radiator grille, front wheels, both front wheelarch liners They are in two sections), front bumper, front wings and that reveals the headlights and their mountings. The only difficult bit is getting to the 4 (and not 3 as the manual said) screws that hold the trailing edge of the front wings to the A post. I had to cut down a T25 Torx bit to get it in the very restricted space with the doors wide open. It's all T25 and T30 Torx and a couple of 10mm bolts. I set the adjusters on the replacement lights the same as the ones I took off so everything lined up as it should when it went back together.
However, quite why the headlights, at the very least on the RHD versions, don't have switchable dip, I have no idea. Do they think that nobody is ever going to take their car to the Continent? Beam benders don't work too well on HID lights and the dip cut off is set by a little metal shield inside the light unit which could easily have a lever attached to it to allow it to switch one way or the other. The performance is fantastic, the interior is a really nice place to be, but under the skin it's no more than average really.
I agree about the parts prices. A pair of headlights would have cost me £1600 each if I had to buy new. When you look at them, they are no different to something you'd find on a Polo or a Golf.
The fact that the car is going to end up in France means that once it's gone through the IVA test and got UK registration, I'll be swapping the originals back in. It has been imported from Russia and is built to EU spec but Bentley won't issue an EU Certificate of Conformity so I've had to go the IVA route. France doesn't have an equivalent to the IVA but once it has registration in one EU country, it will be accepted in any other.
The fact that the car is going to end up in France means that once it's gone through the IVA test and got UK registration, I'll be swapping the originals back in. It has been imported from Russia and is built to EU spec but Bentley won't issue an EU Certificate of Conformity so I've had to go the IVA route. France doesn't have an equivalent to the IVA but once it has registration in one EU country, it will be accepted in any other.
Yes they did. There's what is known as the 1958 agreement which says that cars built for different EU countries will be made to the same spec and Russia signed up to that in 1995. So a car for the Russian market will be built to the same spec as one for an EU country. The only differences between a RHD and LHD version is the headlights, the speedo (must read in miles or miles and kilometres) and the position of the rear fog lamp (must be central or on the offside).
Difference in this case is down to when the car was built. The Euro6 emissions standard became mandatory in the EU on 1st September 2014 but not until 1st January 2015 in Russia. It was built in October 2014 so, as it was intended for the Russian market, is certified to Euro5 as that was the current standard in Russia at the time. Consequently, they claim that it doesn't meet EU spec so they cannot, or will not, issue an EU CoC. The fact that the difference between Euro5 and Euro6 only affects diesels, the petrol emissions figures are identical, seems irrelevant to them, it would pass Euro6 without any modification. Most other manufacturers certify a car for the Russian market to the current EU spec so will issue an EU CoC, seems it's only Bentley (or VW Audi) that like to be awkward.
When I spoke to a Bentley main dealer they did say that Bentley themselves might be unwilling to help, they would rather someone bought a car from them than import one from elsewhere. In fact, I've got an email from Bentley saying that due to the lack of an EU CoC it will be impossible to register the car in any EU country. They've obviously not heard of the IVA system and I'm considering waiting until I've got the V5 and emailing them a copy.....
I've been importing cars from various different countries for years and there's nothing that I haven't been able to get registered so far, all perfectly legally. Some manufacturers will issue a CoC meaning you then go down the Mutual Recognition route, while others need to go down the IVA route. There's a mechanism that allows just about anything to be registered in the UK as long as you are prepared to do a little bit of work.
Difference in this case is down to when the car was built. The Euro6 emissions standard became mandatory in the EU on 1st September 2014 but not until 1st January 2015 in Russia. It was built in October 2014 so, as it was intended for the Russian market, is certified to Euro5 as that was the current standard in Russia at the time. Consequently, they claim that it doesn't meet EU spec so they cannot, or will not, issue an EU CoC. The fact that the difference between Euro5 and Euro6 only affects diesels, the petrol emissions figures are identical, seems irrelevant to them, it would pass Euro6 without any modification. Most other manufacturers certify a car for the Russian market to the current EU spec so will issue an EU CoC, seems it's only Bentley (or VW Audi) that like to be awkward.
When I spoke to a Bentley main dealer they did say that Bentley themselves might be unwilling to help, they would rather someone bought a car from them than import one from elsewhere. In fact, I've got an email from Bentley saying that due to the lack of an EU CoC it will be impossible to register the car in any EU country. They've obviously not heard of the IVA system and I'm considering waiting until I've got the V5 and emailing them a copy.....
I've been importing cars from various different countries for years and there's nothing that I haven't been able to get registered so far, all perfectly legally. Some manufacturers will issue a CoC meaning you then go down the Mutual Recognition route, while others need to go down the IVA route. There's a mechanism that allows just about anything to be registered in the UK as long as you are prepared to do a little bit of work.
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