Headlight beam deflectors - driving in Europe
Discussion
Thanks all. I've been trying to find someone with a beam setter - I'm on the Isle of Man which doesn't have MOT requirements so no luck so far! I'd be tempted to ignore it but have a HID kit fitted so the lights are a little better than the victorian gaslamps they fitted at the factory.
Worst case I'll point it at the garage one night and figure it out!
Worst case I'll point it at the garage one night and figure it out!
Might be worth contacting this lot to see if they do stickers for a Cerbera:
https://www.headlampconverters.co.uk/contact-us
I too have the single lamps and seeing as they are very similar in construction to lamps on almost all UK cars in the 1960s and 1970s (MGBs, Minis. Morris Minors and E types come to mind), the classic car market would surely know. I'm sure the glass front has areas that you can just mask. I'll take a photo of mine a bit later on to explain what I mean.
https://www.headlampconverters.co.uk/contact-us
I too have the single lamps and seeing as they are very similar in construction to lamps on almost all UK cars in the 1960s and 1970s (MGBs, Minis. Morris Minors and E types come to mind), the classic car market would surely know. I'm sure the glass front has areas that you can just mask. I'll take a photo of mine a bit later on to explain what I mean.
If you look at the lamp head on then you will see a sort of triangular section in the lower portion of the lens. These are the bits that you put beam deflectors on. Any of the Halfords/eBay ones will do. You used to be able to get away with sticking black tape over that bit but not so much these days.
Just make sure you have had the lights on for a good length of time when you come to take them off as the sticky residue is easier to remove warm.
Just make sure you have had the lights on for a good length of time when you come to take them off as the sticky residue is easier to remove warm.
Morning Phil,
I have tried several different shop bought deflectors but the problem with all of the was that they are quite stiff plastic that would not shape well to the domed glass on the Cerb and so fall off after a while.
Every time I have ended up resorting to insulation tape which works fine, just tape off the sort of triangle part of the lense as described above.
I have tried several different shop bought deflectors but the problem with all of the was that they are quite stiff plastic that would not shape well to the domed glass on the Cerb and so fall off after a while.
Every time I have ended up resorting to insulation tape which works fine, just tape off the sort of triangle part of the lense as described above.
Last time I did it was on square headlamps but the principal is the same I think. You need to put sticky black tape over the lower quadrilateral area on the lens. You need to confirm this, but it is the area of the lens that deflects the beam upwards. Personally, I'd just avoid driving at night.... Are is circled in red below:
I'm no expert on this as I've only ever used deflectors once when I departed the UK but........the cheap and nasty halfords deflectors I fitted with headlights on shining at a filling station wall in France gave me the impression that they had a shiny material on their insides that acted as a reflector so as to send the blocked light back at the cars headlights reflectors which in turn gave more distance of light from all parts of the headlights lenses that were not obstructed by them
Standard masking of a lens will not achieve this hence the lighting will not be as good as when using a purpose made deflector
If you know what I mean like
The other problem is that insulation tape will not stay bonded to the headlights lenses when the sun is melting it
A heat gun or hairdryer can be used to overcome the problem of Halfords cheap and nasty deflectors not being a good fit to a curved lens, heating up the deflectors will help them shape to the lenses
Standard masking of a lens will not achieve this hence the lighting will not be as good as when using a purpose made deflector
If you know what I mean like
The other problem is that insulation tape will not stay bonded to the headlights lenses when the sun is melting it
A heat gun or hairdryer can be used to overcome the problem of Halfords cheap and nasty deflectors not being a good fit to a curved lens, heating up the deflectors will help them shape to the lenses
Edited by Penelope Stopit on Tuesday 13th August 22:03
Gassing Station | Cerbera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff