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Can I get a Controle Technique with Headlamp Deflectors on?


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Hi, I want to gain a CT for my UK registered Discovery, and immediately go to immatriculate it afterwards, BUT will it pass the CT with UK beam deflector stickers in place or WILL they insist that I have LHD headlamps installed instead?

Has anybody out there actually managed to get a CT with those beam deflecting stickers in place?

I hope this will be the case...

Many thanks,

Mark

 

 

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One of our cars passed with yellow electrical tape for beam deflectors!  Depending on your car , you may find that there is a screw to adjust the headlamps, we now have a RHD Citroen Xantia and our local garage adjusted the lamps for the CT for free.
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[quote user="Vienne_Billygoats"]

Hi, I want to gain a CT for my UK registered Discovery, and immediately go to immatriculate it afterwards, BUT will it pass the CT with UK beam deflector stickers in place or WILL they insist that I have LHD headlamps installed instead?

Has anybody out there actually managed to get a CT with those beam deflecting stickers in place?

I hope this will be the case...

Many thanks,

Mark

[/quote]

I don't know if this helps you but I bought new headlamps for my Disco here in France. The cost was very cheap (compaired to the UK), around 98 Euros each including the bulbs which were already fitted. You don't need to be technical to change them over either just remove the two plastic covers (under the bonnet) over the headlights in the same way as you would to change the lamp bulbs. Remove the plug and give the whole headlight a sharp forward tug. There are no screws or anything they just hook on with plastic 'cups' over metal 'balls'. Clip the LHD headlights in, connect the cable and replace the plastic. Total time 5 minutes. I used to put my RHD ones in the boot when returning to the UK and just swapped them back. I didn't even have to adjust them.

I really would recommend doing this especially if you live in a rural area. Contrary to their name the bits of tape/plastic that you fit do not deflect the beam they just blank it out. By fitting LHD headlights the difference is staggering, you get about 30% more light and of course the most important thing is that it's much, much, safer.

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We got a CT with sticky tape last June but I'm keeping an eye out for a pair from a scrapyard to replace before the next one's due, for the reasons Quillan describes.  Seems to depend on your CT man whether tape is okay or not.  Tape won't work if the deflector is built into the rear reflector part of the headlamp rather than the front lens itself, as is becoming common these days.

Phil

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Took my wife's reliant Scimitar GTE for control technique two days ago. The tester said he suspected it would need new headlights fitted (they had the UK stick on plastic beam deflectors on). he put it on his light testing box and he came back with a big grin on his face and said look at this, and showed me the result, they are perfectly aligned and we got our CT with no further problems.

 A lot comes down to the attitude of the tester. 2 others had refused to CT a UK  vehicle even though a requirement of re-registration. The chap we went to now CTs all our vehicles and if its a small thing light blown bulb, he will put a new one in for you, adjust lights if necessary or have no water in washer bottle,     I know,Iknow, should have checked! So much more affable than po faced UK testers.

www.leschenauds.com

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Personally speaking I can't comment to much on putting a RHD car through a CT here in France as I have never done it. I do think it's safer to fit LHD headlights if you intend to stay here and my personal expierence with my LR Disco was that buying them from a LR dealer here in France was not that painful. Indeed a pair cost less than buying one RHD unit in the UK. So to group all new headlight units as expensive is not really true, some are and some are not. The original poster specifically asked about a LR Discovery and in my personall opinion haveing owned one is that the cost is low against the benifits gained safety wise when driving in rural areas at night, it makes a very big difference.

The subject of replacing or using 'deflectors' or tape is at the end of the day a matter of personal choice.

As a sort of side issue I would have offered my old LHD headlights to the original poster if it were not for the fact I forgot to change them back when I took it back to he UK to sell it. I also had to get the cars first (UK) MOT and having found the price of new RHD units (my old ones are still here in my garage in France if anyone wants them) I said nothing and it passed it's MOT with no deflectors or tape. Doesn't say much for the MOT really but there you go.

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Plenty of discussion here about finding a CT tester/station that will "get it through" the test, so it's worth re-stating the likely legal situation (copied from that other thread):

If you put stickers on your UK RHD headlamps to "get it through the test" then they will not comply with the type approval certificate that you later submit to the prefecture for registration and your vehicle will be technically illegal under French construction and use regulations.  This could provide your insurance company with an easy way of refusing a payout in the event of an accident claim by invalidating your policy.  Failure to have insurance cover in place is punishable by a 3,750 euro fine, a three year driving ban and the potential confiscation of your vehicle. 

Should your vehicle be involved in fatal accident, the subsequent enquiry would almost certainly find the CT technician culpable for incorrectly issuing the certificate. 

If anyone imagines this is just a quirk of "french burocracy", it is the same process in the UK.  If you import a second hand LHD car, you need to change the lenses for the MOT.  If you import a brand new LHD car, then you have to change the lenses and submit invoices/receipts in order to obtain an additional UK conformity certificate (60 euros) before you can register it with the DVLA.

Apart from Quillan's timely safety reminder, the question of cost surely has to be a no brainer.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Many thanks to you all for your helpfull comments, and implied offers of defucnt lamps.

My old discovery now has a set of LHD lamps from UK ebay for only £40.00 each, brand new from the "Landrover Orphanage"

I do wonder why the replacement lamps on my other (new) Landrover cost £400.00!! when bought direct from Landrover UK - damn! - I should have tried ebay and or Landrover France or Germany instead - what a rip-off.

Thanks again,

Mark

 

 

 

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I just dug out all my old Disco bills from France.

Full service by Passion Auto's in Carcassonne 360.37 Euro's inc TVA plus

Projector-LH (Part Number XBC105150) 64.94 Euros inc TVA

Projector-RH (Part Number XBC105140) 64.94 Euros inc TVA

That was for a 2.5TDI ES7 MkII which is the last but one model and was in Oct 04 for the service and Jan 04 for the lights.

Fourty pounds new is a very good price, I would have thought they would have gone up a bit over the years not down so thats really good.

What you can do is phone up Landrover Customer service in the UKand ask for an approve dealer near you in France which is how I found Passion Auto's and I had no poblem with the warranty etc. I do believe although not too sure that Passion Auto's are not Landrover dealer anymore but there are dealers in Perpignan, Narbonne and Toulouse if you are down south.

I was inpressed with the service as well, I turned up late and the guy was siting waiting to start work and it was ready at lunch time much better than the UK I thought.

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