LHD headlamps

[P]

Just been chatting to a friend who said 'the reason you do not see the beam diverter stickers on LHD vehicles in the UK is because they do not need then as the dipped beam is not directed to the nearside as with RHD vehicles but directly in front of the vehicle, so they will not dazzle oncoming vehicles'.

Is this correct, which if so would mean that a RHD vehicle fitted with LHD headlamps could be used within the UK or within Europe without causing problems for oncoming drivers.

[Miki]

Not sure about all of them. Our family has four French cars and all dip to the right.

[Will]

I am sure that I have seen that particular bit of misinformation on another French forum. As Miki says, certain vehicle models may have symmetrical dipped beams and they could be used anywhere without beam modification devices. The vast majority of vehicles have asymmetric dipped beams, which means that, for LHD, they illuminate the right hand side of the road more than the left thanks to the shape of the beam, and vice versa for RHD. So using these without beam converters (or alternatively without adjusting the beams downwards) will dazzle oncoming drivers. The theory behind most types of beam converter is that they blank off the 'raised' part of the dipped beam, giving even illumination across the whole road width.

[Jc]

I had a Renault about 30 yrs. ago that dipped straight down(called single-dipping).It is the only car I've ever owned(other than pre-1950)that had them.Modern lights(double-dipping)dip down and to the side-hence double-It is possible that modern lights could meet the EU regs.without dipping to the side as well but not very likely.This could only be done by restricting the distance up the road that is illuminated and doing this would restrict their usefulness.

[Jc]

A RHD vehicle with LHD lights would be the same as a LHD vehicle anyway.

[Quillan]

I don't know about other cars but I had a 2002 Discovery that I bought from the UK. When it got to 3 years old I had a choice of either putting it on French plates or taking it back to the UK, getting a MOT and selling it.

Originally I had headlamp protectors which came with the stickers already in place from the factory. After 6 months I replaced the headlights with LHD ones. I bought them in France and they cost 98€ each including a bulb already fitted from a Landrover dealership in France. Not only were they considerably cheaper than RHD or LHD drive ones from the UK but the difference they made was incredable when compaired to the adapters. To be honest if you intend to live in France with a RHD car then change the headlights, it's much more safer at night, you see a lot, lot more than with these bits of tape. People don't realise they also effect main beam as well.

The thing was when I got almost to the ferry (I had driven for 12 hours) I remembered I had not swapped them back. On the ferry I was wondering how to get round this for the MOT. I decided to leave them and if the guy failed the car then I would have to buy, at considerable expence, new RHD ones. Guess what, it passed the MOT and nothing was said. Makes you wonder how good these MOT's really are at times.

[derf]

[quote user="Quillan"]

The thing was when I got almost to the ferry (I had driven for 12 hours) I remembered I had not swapped them back. On the ferry I was wondering how to get round this for the MOT. I decided to leave them and if the guy failed the car then I would have to buy, at considerable expence, new RHD ones. Guess what, it passed the MOT and nothing was said. Makes you wonder how good these MOT's really are at times.

[/quote]

It's perfectly acceptable in the UK to pass the MOT with beam masks or even black tape subject to the regs below: 

Right hand dip headlamps can be temporarily altered for use in the UK by fitting masks or converter kits which remove the beam 'kick-up' to the right.

A headlamp altered in this way is not a reason for rejection, if

a. the headlamp aim is not rejected for the reasons listed under diagram 1 (except that the top of the beam image will be a straight line)

b. the light output is not unduly
reduced - not usually a problem with commercially produced kits

c. the mask or converter is securely attached

[Quillan]

AH, but they had no tape, not deflectors, nothing.

[derf]

[quote user="Quillan"]AH, but they had no tape, not deflectors, nothing.[/quote]

Then that is worrying and the garage should have  been reported to the Mot test authorities not easy to do in your position as a non UK resident I know, but a letter to the regulatory body would alert them and they could up their checks on that garage.

[Will]

We bought a LHD car in Britain a few years ago, it had been imported from France and British registered, and had been through several MoT tests with sticky tape on the headlamps. It made it a piece of cake to put through the controle technique (though surprisingly because it had been French before and re-imported it caused a few headaches to register it in France).

I don't know of the MoT has changed but when my late father was a garage manager all that was necessary was that the headlights should work, and not cause dazzle on dipped beam. How this was achieved (sticky tape, beam benders, adjustment etc) was irrelevant. The French CT seems a bit more fussy in this respect.

I had a Renault in the mid-1960s - it was quite old even then - with lights you could convert between left and right hand dip by taking out the bulbs, flipping over a tag, and replacing the bulb in a slightly different position. Dead easy. I now have a 1971 MGB for which headlamp upgrades are cheaply available in either LH or RH dip. I would imagine the same lights may be suitable for other vehicles with 7in round headlamps. Not everything changes for the better.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Derf"]

[quote user="Quillan"]AH, but they had no tape, not deflectors, nothing.[/quote]

Then that is worrying and the garage should have  been reported to the Mot test authorities not easy to do in your position as a non UK resident I know, but a letter to the regulatory body would alert them and they could up their checks on that garage.

[/quote]

Seeing that they saved me around £300 and I sold the car three hours later and jetting back to France the next day, to complain would have been a bit like shooting myself in the foot really.

[Alcazar]

Judging by the number of blinding in one or both, headlights that one sees in the UK, not to mention the inevitable "cyclops one eyed monster" cars, one wonders at the efiicinecy of the MoT test.

Just recently, around here, there have been a rash of one light cars with NO sidelight on that side either, and every one I've seen has been the o/s light out.[:^)]

How dangerous is that?

Alcazar

[Quillan]

I know exactly what you mean. We are told to have a set of spare lamps in the car but when out and about at night the amount of cars I see with lights only on one side or no brakelights beggers belief. I have even come up to the back of a car that had no rear lights whatsoever. I have seen people pulled for not having a seat belt, I have even got done myself for using a mobile phone on a public highway in a stationary car (you must be off the highway) but I have NEVER seen anyone pulled for their lights not working. Still as I say to others doing my French shoulder shrug impression "its France".