headlamp conveters for France
Discussion
driverrob said:
The AA website seems to show just one size fits all. I assume I'll need 4 for the Jeep. Do they actually work?
You only need them for the part of the lamp unit that houses the dip beam element.Some of the CJ product had headlamp units that were switchable from left to right dip.
Do a bit of digging on google. Yours might be one of them.
Meths said:
Won't sticky tape do the same thing?
sort of - the advantage of the beam benders is that they let some light through but change the angle of the light beam so that it's not pointing left. Duct Tape will work, but you'll need to eat a lot of carrots.OP, you only need 2 (unless you have 4 dipped beam lamps). Cheapest place to get them is 1. interweb 2. the ferry/tunnel 3. Halfords, in that order - Halfords are £2 more than the ferry.
Be careful. Adhesives on glass headlights are no problem. Some adhesives on polycarbonate (?), i.e. plastic, headlights actually burn onto the surface with the heat of the lamps and may permanently scar the lens.
Volvo sell clip-on converters, (at least for some cars.......I have a set for my S60..........they're not cheap but they do work, don't knacker the lenses and are obvious to the Gallic plod.
Volvo sell clip-on converters, (at least for some cars.......I have a set for my S60..........they're not cheap but they do work, don't knacker the lenses and are obvious to the Gallic plod.
It's quite expensive to buy the converters on the ferry from what I remember, I'd buy some online if you have time.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEADLIGHT-ADAPTOR-CONVER...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEADLIGHT-ADAPTOR-CONVER...
The handbook for my A6 says that its a dealer job, to adjust them, as they are fancy bulbs.
What a faff. And a cost, I should imagine.
So, I have to go to the dealer and get them adjusted on the Friday 9when service dept are working). Then drive around with the headlights pointing the wrong way until early Monday morning, when I leave for France. REALLY??
What a faff. And a cost, I should imagine.
So, I have to go to the dealer and get them adjusted on the Friday 9when service dept are working). Then drive around with the headlights pointing the wrong way until early Monday morning, when I leave for France. REALLY??
Nobby Diesel said:
The handbook for my A6 says that its a dealer job, to adjust them, as they are fancy bulbs.
What a faff. And a cost, I should imagine.
So, I have to go to the dealer and get them adjusted on the Friday 9when service dept are working). Then drive around with the headlights pointing the wrong way until early Monday morning, when I leave for France. REALLY??
Lots of cars are light that. I just whack the Halfords specials on each year, and never yet had a problem. (with either damage, or being flashed for dazzling)What a faff. And a cost, I should imagine.
So, I have to go to the dealer and get them adjusted on the Friday 9when service dept are working). Then drive around with the headlights pointing the wrong way until early Monday morning, when I leave for France. REALLY??
I used carpet tape on the Jazz when we went to France 5 years ago - translucent "beam converters" were just too inflexible; while they would just about stick on and stay in place, when the headlights were on and the glue melted... They soon came away and fell off.
Having said this... there is a little - tiny, you'd never otherwise spot it - square 'nipple' on the surface of the Jazz's headlamp "lenses" that is the 'centreline' of the dipped beam at which the 'light-flick-up' begins, and judicious use of the carpet tape renders the 'cut off' flat
. 'Twas a sod to get the adhesive off afterwards though
.
I suspect other cars' headlamnps will have a similar tiny tiny 'nipple' to aid the use of tape to deflect RHD headlamps' output for continental use ?
Having said this... there is a little - tiny, you'd never otherwise spot it - square 'nipple' on the surface of the Jazz's headlamp "lenses" that is the 'centreline' of the dipped beam at which the 'light-flick-up' begins, and judicious use of the carpet tape renders the 'cut off' flat
. 'Twas a sod to get the adhesive off afterwards though .I suspect other cars' headlamnps will have a similar tiny tiny 'nipple' to aid the use of tape to deflect RHD headlamps' output for continental use
?I've driven on the continent more than 25 times in the last 6-7 years and never once have I stuck the headlight things on. In that time I've been pulled over I think 3 times (2 random checks, 1 minor speeding) and they have never cared about the headlights, nor my lack of any GB stickers on any car.
Every single time I've carried some stick on headlight things with me in case (and a GB sticker, the same ones from 7 years ago) and of course been observant in regards to not blinding oncoming traffic - I haven't been flashed very regularly at all, maybe once a trip? Quite simply when you 'have to do it at a dealer' you'd just be running the UK leg blinding people instead!
Every single time I've carried some stick on headlight things with me in case (and a GB sticker, the same ones from 7 years ago) and of course been observant in regards to not blinding oncoming traffic - I haven't been flashed very regularly at all, maybe once a trip? Quite simply when you 'have to do it at a dealer' you'd just be running the UK leg blinding people instead!
I tried the stick on things once and they really restrict the light output and don't really do a great deal so i took them off, Done about 25k this year in Europe without them and occasionally get flashed. If you have an adjuster in the car just set it slightly lower to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. The police don't seem to care nor do they have the means to test at the roadside accurately enough to issue a fine. Having said that many newer cars have a "flat beam pattern" which works for LHD and RHD countries anyway.
Skodaku said:
Be careful. Adhesives on glass headlights are no problem. Some adhesives on polycarbonate (?), i.e. plastic, headlights actually burn onto the surface with the heat of the lamps and may permanently scar the lens.
Volvo sell clip-on converters, (at least for some cars.......I have a set for my S60..........they're not cheap but they do work, don't knacker the lenses and are obvious to the Gallic plod.
They don't stick directly onto the polycarb though, on top of the polycarb is a painted hardcoat.Volvo sell clip-on converters, (at least for some cars.......I have a set for my S60..........they're not cheap but they do work, don't knacker the lenses and are obvious to the Gallic plod.
No worries now, guys.
It's just the quarterly wine & ciggies shopping trip to Calais tomorrow. We normally take OH's MR2 but, seeing the forecast for snow a few days ago, I thought I'd have to change the booking and use my Jeep.
The forecast now is just wet, with a chance of a little sleet so it's as your were.
We have all the necessary stuff but I'll bear in mind what's been said about the beam deflectors on the plastic headlamp covers.
It's just the quarterly wine & ciggies shopping trip to Calais tomorrow. We normally take OH's MR2 but, seeing the forecast for snow a few days ago, I thought I'd have to change the booking and use my Jeep.
The forecast now is just wet, with a chance of a little sleet so it's as your were.
We have all the necessary stuff but I'll bear in mind what's been said about the beam deflectors on the plastic headlamp covers.
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