second hand cars

[tetley]

[Charlotte3]

Pardon?

[Poppy]

Charlotte can you let me know where you got your CT. We have two local stations and neither will issue a CT with deflectors say we have to get replacement headlights. Funnily enough ours has Irish plates, I think it confuses everyone [8-)]

[tetley]

[8-|]

[Cassis]

[quote user="Poppy"]Charlotte can you let me know where you got your CT. We have two local stations and neither will issue a CT with deflectors say we have to get replacement headlights. Funnily enough ours has Irish plates, I think it confuses everyone [8-)][/quote]

If the car is here permanently, would it not make sense to get replacement headlights anyway?  If it's a common make you should be able to get them at a scrapyard for about 70 euros the pair.  Improves visibility no end in the dark compared to deflectors or bits of masking tape!  Failing a scrapyard, try E-Bay.

[Sunday Driver]

Poppy

Don't you think your CT stations are telling you something......[;-)]

Try http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Headlamp-Shop.  Their prices are very reasonable and a lot of forum members have ordered from them.

 

 

[Poppy]

Thanks for info re headlamp shops. Car wasnt made for European market so headlamps not available [:(]

Still interested in how a CT station could issue CT with deflectors on RHD lights [8-)]

[basquen]

[quote user="Poppy"]

We can't reregister our UK car because they didn't make the model for the European market therefore we cant get correct headlights. Without the CT the prefecture won't entertain an application for French plates.

[/quote]

Reading between the lines - if your car is a grey import ( Japanese import RHD only?) then the Prefecture will want an awful lot more than just  a valid CT. A vehicle that doesn't have EU conformity approval will need to be submitted for 'reception à titre isolée (RTI) which is the equivalent of UK SVA. This process can be quite lengthy, complicated and sometimes impossible. If the RTI is not accepted this does not mean the vehicle can then carry on being used on orignal GB  plates, it means it cannot be used in France.

[Will]

Yesterday BBC South ran an item on several of its news bulletins and programmes about DVLA and police having a crackdown on the large number of Polish workers in Southampton who drove there and have failed to re-register their vehicles after the six month period laid down by DVLA (the implication was that this was an EU or international stipulation). The DVLA man said that they had ways of knowing how long the vehicles had been in the country, and those longer than six months were there illegally. Being illegal, this invalidated their Polish insurance. And anyway, EU law said that vehicles must be insured in the country where they are registered.

I know this was Britain/Poland rather than France/Britain, but we are all in Europe so the same provisions should apply. And it is well known that the French can be somewhat selective about European directives, but this one is no skin off the Frenchman's nose, so to speak. Not taking sides in this debate, but it's food for thought.

[Sunday Driver]

Well spotted, Will!

The trouble with crackdowns is that they tend to catch out everyone.

Here's the background to the Jersey motorhomes incident (from one of the owners concerned):

For an island of 45 square miles, there are 644 motorhomes and caravans registered there.  France is just over one hour away by ferry but the cost of a return trip varies between £230 to £700.  To avoid this major holiday on-cost, most people have been leaving their motorhomes in France under cover in a large storage shed.

In May 2006, the French Douanes obtained access to the storage shed to examine its contents and ended up posting a notice on every motorhome and car stating "you must contact Saint Malo Customs before you use your vehicle"

When the owners made contact, they were reminded of the rule which states that foreign registered vehicles are not allowed to be kept in France or any other EC country for more than six months in any one year.  If this time period had been exceeded, then they would be fined between 300 and 1500 euros, depending on how long the vehicle had been in France.  In addition, if the original VAT had not been paid (Jersey is outside the EU VAT zone), then it would have to be paid before they could move the vehicle.  If the owner could provide proof that VAT had been paid in another EU country, then that would be accepted, but in such a case, the vehicle would now have to be re-registered in the country where the VAT was paid.

A nice little earner for the Douanes - do you think the Gendarmes will catch on....  [;-)]

 

[Charlotte3]

The CT centre is near Carrefour, on the main road.  If you are coming from Gorron, turn left at the roundabout (direction Laval) towards Carrefour, pass the next  2 roundabouts and the CT centre is on the RH side. I can't remember the name offhand but it is the only one there.

As to the price of French headlights, What I can't seem to get through to you is that I put the car in for the CT expecting to be given a long list of requirements to pass....I was not trying to dodge the system or anything else, ok?I was quite prepared to change the lights, no problem. As for visibility, if the lights passed the controle they are obviously as safe as French ones in terms of direction, brightness etc. therefore where is the benefit in spending 70 plus euros changing them?  Do you see what I mean?   I didn't ask anyone to pass them. I was as surprised as anyone when we went to collect the car and they said it was passed!  Mr C and I had bets on how much all the necessary work was going to cost.  When the chap insisted on ceremoniously placing our sticker on the windshield there was a race on to get the car going and escape before they changed their minds!!!!!

It's not my fault the car was passed, it's not my fault my insurance company  and our local police etc are happy with our car as it is ( and apparently with lots and lots of English plated cars locally with NO CT)

I am happy not to have to spend lots of money on an old car on her last legs, and I am happy to scrap her when the time comes.

I don't want to offend anyone, but this is my personal experience

 Perhaps if I had a good car worth good money I would feel differently, but I will not throw good money after bad without a damn good reason. 

Aly 

[Charlotte3]

Poppy,

Have you actually submitted the car for a CT with them or are you assuming they won't accept them? I f the beams fall within the normal scope of French lights and with adequate brightness, they will pass the test, if not it's new ones. The only way to find out is to put the car in for the test and find out.

Aly

[Poppy]

Hello Charlotte thanks for all the info on your CT. Yes our car has been in for a CT. We tested the beam ouselves with the deflectors against the house wall and beam is also bright but when we took it for its CT the first station took the deflectors off and refused to test it with them on. Result -form issued with the only failure 'lights non conforme'. Second station tested with deflectors and agreed everything fine but still wouldnt issue CT just another form with the only failure 'lights anglais'. It is so frustrating as we have paid and got a certificate of conformity and only need a CT to reregister. We cant get LHD lights they just dont exist. We have an international motor insurance card through a UK company and they are quite happy with the CT form showing the only failure lights anglais. The car is old but has never let us down and we dont really want to change it for a cheap French car which might only last a few months. We have been stopped several times by Gendarmes and they were quite happy with the insurance. We do go to Spain for about 5 months each year and with visits to UK are just on the borderof 6 months each year in France.

[basquen]

[quote user="Poppy"]we have paid and got a certificate of conformity and only need a CT to reregister. We cant get LHD lights they just dont exist. [/quote]

Sorry for jumping to conclusions - I assumed that no LHD headlights being available meant you had a non european spec vehicle. However, you say you have obtained a euro certificate of conformity. I 'm intrigued, what is your make/model of car?

[Cassis]

Sunday's tip for headlamps on e-bay is very useful but you might also want to check out your local breaker's yard if your car is not a rare breed.  On e-bay a pair for a Pug 306 are about 110 pounds but I got a pair for 70€ from the local breaker's yard.  For that price you'd have to be mad not to do it to be safe and sure.

[Poppy]

Basquen have sent you a PM [:D]

[Cassis]

So, it must be a secret special car.  A Reliant Robin, perhaps.

[Poppy]

Close its a Nissan Micra [;-)] Pmd because I thought no one else might be interested. Was typing and missed your posting.

Thanks again Cassis but Im tearing my already thin hair out because the headlights dont exist [:'(] The car was made with a 999cc engine for UK market but with a 1200cc engine for European. The front end was enlarged for larger engine and LHD headlamps different size and shape. Have been experimenting with 2CV and similar headlamps but no luck yet [:(] Also tried lounge and kitchen bulbs [:D]

[basquen]

    Here's an interesting link for when all else fails - not as good a new unit but if you cannot source the part and the end result is good, this maybe a compromise....

[Cassis]

Do you think this may be a solution unique to R4s?  I thought that most beam dispersion patterns these days were made by either the front lens or the rear reflector shape, rather than by the orientation of the bulb.

[8-)]

[Chancer]

I have done this modification myself many times over the years and it works perfectly, the reason that I dont post it is that some people have posted saying it is rubbish or that the lens is a deflector etc and I dont have the time or inclination to argue.

I have done it to my RHD car and it passed the CT and another contributor did the same following my instructions, in both cases the CT tester commented "impec..."

Send me a PM and I can tell you how to do it.

 

P.S It is not a compromise and if done properly the beam pattern will be exactly as a LHD headlight, my procedure is slightly different to the article but acheives the same result.