Just had a nasty thought...

[Judith]

When I take my newly acquired secondhand French car back to the UK next month - what do I do about headlight deflectors?

Not that I intend to drive in the dark unless I can possibly help it, but, lots of info about driving UK cars in France on the forum, but nothing I can find about the other way -  its an 18mth old Peugeot 207 SW, and it does have an adjustment for the headlights, though I have yet to get it right for driving here at night.  Is there something I can do by adjusting the headlights for height, or do I do something else?  I've never seen anything on sale here, but then, I've never looked before, and I am not a car afficonado- it gets me from A-B ....

[Judie]

When I take my LHD Alfa over to the UK on regular visits, I just adjust the height of the headlights. I don't fiddle around with stick on thingies. Never had any problems, but I'm sure there are those here who will tell you different.

[bigears]

hi

do what all foreigners driving lhd cars have done for years. 

[PaulT]

Having looked at a number of GB cars at the Shuttle terminal in Calais very few seem to have deflectors and I am sure that most do not have adjusters to switch from RHD to LHD - and looking at those LHD coming in to the UK I have never seen one with deflectors.

So the majority view seems to be 'don't bother and just dazzle people.

Paul

[Judith]

[quote user="bigears"]hi

do what all foreigners driving lhd cars have done for years. 

[/quote]

Which is?

[Judith]

Thanks all - as I've never seen the deflector type things on sale here, it does rather look like a don't bother scenario - I'll lower the headlights and hope.  It may only be one evening I have to go out, the rest I don't intend budging when I've got where I'm going ...  but I'd still like to know what bigears was trying to say :)

[DerekJ]

[quote user="Judith"][quote user="bigears"]hi

do what all foreigners driving lhd cars have done for years. 

[/quote]

Which is?

[/quote]

Do nothing.

[AnOther]

Probably the reason you don't find deflectors in France is that relatively few French ever drive to the UK so there is no real market for them. Those who do simply don't bother or don't care. UK plod don't seem much concerned either.

At the UK ports the people you see carefully fitting their deflectors whilst queuing for the ferry are likely to be the tourists and first timers, seasoned visitors rarely bother, either that or they alredy have LHD lights or perhaps deflectors which stay on permanently.

[Will]

You can buy deflectors for LHD vehicles on most ferries, and at some ferry terminals (such as Portsmouth). Although I have never looked for them at the tunnel terminals I would imagine you can get them there too.

However if your car has height-adjustable lights, like Judie's (and our other car), you can just lower the beam.

[Judith]

Thanks all, I'll stop worrying, and lower the beam if needed.

[bigears]

don't dip the beam put it up and dazzle the on coming traffic, nothing like making your presence felt.

[Sunday Driver]

What's the point of making a stupid comment like that.....[8-)]

 

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

What's the point of making a stupid comment like that.....[8-)]

 

[/quote]

Is Ron Back?    [:P]

[bigears]

Lighten up Sunday Driver it wasn't meant as a serious suggestion. 

[Judith]

And I wouldn't do it, 'cos I'm not like that!  Even if I have had quite enough of bad lights, the response is not to turn up your lights in retribution - a very male thing to do, I might say!!

[bigears]

Judith that is a very sexist statement. 

[Iceni]

Why not, I've always imagined Judith to be a very sexist (is that the bon mot?) person. [6]

John

[bubbles]

or even "sexiste"

agreements, agreements!!

[bigears]

is that french?

[Judith]

[quote user="bigears"]Judith that is a very sexist statement. 

[/quote]

No - just through observation ....  though I do think there are many male / female differences in character - but "sexiste" whatever that really means -no.  I do, however, believe in both men and women being given opportunities outside their "usual" definition eg nurse = female, doctor = male, which stereotype, I do believe, we are finally getting rid off!  Maybe, rather than being a male/female thing, the characteristics of a driver are more character based than purely male/female!!

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I wouldn't bother with lights at all and just buy a set of infra red goggles and be drive like Arnie did in Terminator ;)

[Judith]

Thought you'd like to  know, I only had to drive once in the evening, and it was in rural Cambridgeshire.  Didn't bother to lower the lights (as I could not find the adjustment button in the dark) and besides which there was little traffic, and what there was also had badly adjusted lights - and I needed then quite high (though  not on full beam) to see the roads, as there were no side white lines to help on the farm roads of East Anglia!!

[Chancer]

None in my part of France either even on the route nationales and rocades.

[Judith]

Yes, it does seem to vary, department to department.  I cross the departmental boundary  regularly, and you can tell where you are by the condition of the roads........

[Chancer]

In the Nord Pas De Calais and Picardie I have never known lines to delineate the side of the road so its not down to lack of maintenance.

The paint that they use for central lines and those delinaeting filter lanes is not reflective and usaully worn away and of course cats eyes not being a French invention dont exist as they cant possibly be of any use!

With my now limited vision night time driving is France is a challenge whereas (usually) in the UK its much easier despite having lights with the continental dipped beam pattern.

They have even got catseyes on a section of the M25 with red led's in the back of them (presumably solar powered) which you can see in the rear view mirror, I cant work out what they are for except perhaps to warn people travelling in the wrong direction.