Headlamp Beam Deflectors

[Dan Grant]

Hi All,

 

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction for a guide to positioning headlamp beam deflectors on a 2009 Ducato.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Dan

[Don636]

I use the stick on deflectors and they come with instructions as to where to stick them but are disposable. What are you intending using - bits of black tape and you want to know where to stick it?

[mikebeaches]

Dan Grant - 2019-07-29 12:49 PM

 

Hi All,

 

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction for a guide to positioning headlamp beam deflectors on a 2009 Ducato.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Dan

 

There is detailed guidance in the link below for a Ducato X250:

 

http://deepredmotorhome.com/headlampdeflectors.php

 

[Don636]

Mike, what you have attached are details of how to fit headlamp deflectors/protectors, not beam deflectors. I had assumed the OP wanted to know where to fit some sort of masking to deflect the headlight beam for driving on the right.

[mikebeaches]

Don636 - 2019-07-29 6:40 PM

 

Mike, what you have attached are details of how to fit headlamp deflectors/protectors, not beam deflectors. I had assumed the OP wanted to know where to fit some sort of masking to deflect the headlight beam for driving on the right.

The plastic protectors have the positions marked on them for applying black tape to deflect the headlight beams; the shape and position are visible in the various images.

 

It was the main reason I acquired a set of the same deflectors when we had an X250.

 

Now have an X290, with a different design of protectors and different positioning for applying the black tape.

 

As an aside, the X290 deflectors are much easier to fit and remove than the previous X250 ones. The new version just clip on and off in moments when the bonnet is lifted.

 

The protectors also avoid the need to stick anything directly on the headlight lens, which can damage them, as I understand.

[blaven]

Anyone following this post: do not use electrical insulation tape on acrylic/plastic headlamps. The acrylic will be crazed when you remove the tape. I now bite the bullet and get proper beam adjusters (stick on).

You may think you don’t need them as you’ll only be daytime driving, but you hit one of those continental thunderstorms and you’ll need to put your headlamps on. Similarly in the tunnels you may need to go through.

[Guest pelmetman]

blaven - 2019-07-29 7:28 PM

 

Anyone following this post: do not use electrical insulation tape on acrylic/plastic headlamps. The acrylic will be crazed when you remove the tape. I now bite the bullet and get proper beam adjusters (stick on).

You may think you don’t need them as you’ll only be daytime driving, but you hit one of those continental thunderstorms and you’ll need to put your headlamps on. Similarly in the tunnels you may need to go through.

 

But those of us with glass headlights using sticky tape are OK ;-) ........

[Wasnt Me]

I used either masking tape or gaffer tape one year and it left a mark on the plastic lens.

 

On the upside I know where to stick the beam benders now :-D

[Matrix Meanderer]

Better still, fit headlamp protectors which have the beam change positions marked on for you to stick the (Included) sticky patches.

 

Sold by Van Comfort: http://www.vancomfort.co.uk/headlampdeflectorspage_000.htm

 

They do a great job in protecting the headlamp unit as well.

 

We leave ours on and just apply the sticky patches when leaving the UK and vice versa.

 

It works for us :-D

[Deneb]

mikebeaches - 2019-07-29 7:21 PM

The plastic protectors have the positions marked on them for applying black tape to deflect the headlight beams; the shape and position are visible in the various images.

 

It was the main reason I acquired a set of the same deflectors when we had an X250.

 

Now have an X290, with a different design of protectors and different positioning for applying the black tape.

 

As an aside, the X290 deflectors are much easier to fit and remove than the previous X250 ones. The new version just clip on and off in moments when the bonnet is lifted.

 

The protectors also avoid the need to stick anything directly on the headlight lens, which can damage them, as I understand.

 

I suspect that I have the same New Zealand made protectors which I use on my X290 when abroad.

 

The marked location for beam masking is completely wrong though, at least on my van. It creates a dark puddle on the road surface about 20yds or so ahead of the van, but has no affect on the leftward kick-up in the beam pattern.

 

I keep meaning to work out the correct positions for masking, but I have nowhere that I can position the van with the lights perpendicular to a wall at home, so I confess that I have been driving abroad with the headlamps dipped as far as the adjuster will allow, which avoids blinding oncoming drivers but did make for an interesting journey at night in poor weather conditions on an unlit rural road when I had to dip the lights due to oncoming traffic.

 

You have reminded me that I must sort this out ;-)

[StuartO]

My 2006 Hymer B674 is on a Fiat X244 chassis but has Hymer-fitted circular Hella headlights - which are adjustable for left or right hand drive but it's a pain to change them. Access requires removing the front bumper and you then have to remove one screw and slacken two others on each lamp. I'm not as agile as I used to be so it takes me a couple of hours.

 

We tour almost entirely abroad and never drive at night so I leave them in the LHD setting. This was OK until the MOT crteria changed last year, so I now have to change them to RHD for the MOT each year and back again afterwards. They are small projector-type headlamps and stick on deflectors don't seem to be available. I'm hoping to find an amenable MOT technician who will see the silliness of having to do this (because lots of foreign cars and lorries and MHs drive in UK without adjusting headlights) but I'm not hopeful of success.

 

 

[BruceM]

StuartO - 2019-07-30 10:27 AM

 

My 2006 Hymer B674 is on a Fiat X244 chassis but has Hymer-fitted circular Hella headlights - which are adjustable for left or right hand drive but it's a pain to change them. Access requires removing the front bumper and you then have to remove one screw and slacken two others on each lamp. I'm not as agile as I used to be so it takes me a couple of hours.

I too have Hella lights and consequently had a similar issue so if you foresee having to change the lights at least every year you may wish to adopt an approach similar to mine.

 

In summary, I lubricated the mating face of the rotating part of the light with silicon grease, loosened off slightly the two screws that are static while the light rotates, and extended the top positioning screw by welding a shaft on to it so that it could be tightened/untightened by hand – see the photos.

 

Consequently, swopping the lighting direction is a 30 sec job for one light (unscrew, swivel, re-screw), and because the other light has to be accessed ‘blind’, a couple of minutes for the other light.

 

The jubilee clip you can see in the photo was an inelegant temporary fixing (3 years and counting!) to provide some grip whilst turning the light. I’d ideally like to replace it with a rubberised grip of some kind but have yet to identify anything suitable.

[StuartO]

BruceM - 2019-07-30 12:38 PM...... you may wish to adopt an approach similar to mine.

 

That's a clever idea and next time I need to adjust I will adopt it. My next door neighbour is an expert welder too, so that part should be very easy. Thank you!

[Derek Uzzell]

An interesting 2008 article

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/31533/holiday-headlights-feature

 

I’m sure I read (some years ago) that ‘beam benders’ were generally ineffective - though (unless fiitted the wrong way up!) they probably don’t do any harm and show visually that a UK motorist driving abroad is doing his/her best.

[StuartO]

Derek Uzzell - 2019-07-30 3:38 PM

 

An interesting 2008 article

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/31533/holiday-headlights-feature

 

 

Interesting indeed. Worth extracting that AutoExpress did a survey of British (i.e. RHD) cars at their point of departure for Europe at Dover Port to look for headlight deflectors being correctly fitted with startling results:

 

Had no adaptors fitted 78%

Failed the alignment test 52%

Didn’t know the law 69%

Baffled by instructions 60%

Drove off without adaptors 30%

[mikebeaches]

Deneb - 2019-07-30 9:12 AM

 

mikebeaches - 2019-07-29 7:21 PM

The plastic protectors have the positions marked on them for applying black tape to deflect the headlight beams; the shape and position are visible in the various images.

 

It was the main reason I acquired a set of the same deflectors when we had an X250.

 

Now have an X290, with a different design of protectors and different positioning for applying the black tape.

 

As an aside, the X290 deflectors are much easier to fit and remove than the previous X250 ones. The new version just clip on and off in moments when the bonnet is lifted.

 

The protectors also avoid the need to stick anything directly on the headlight lens, which can damage them, as I understand.

 

I suspect that I have the same New Zealand made protectors which I use on my X290 when abroad.

 

The marked location for beam masking is completely wrong though, at least on my van. It creates a dark puddle on the road surface about 20yds or so ahead of the van, but has no affect on the leftward kick-up in the beam pattern.

 

I keep meaning to work out the correct positions for masking, but I have nowhere that I can position the van with the lights perpendicular to a wall at home, so I confess that I have been driving abroad with the headlamps dipped as far as the adjuster will allow, which avoids blinding oncoming drivers but did make for an interesting journey at night in poor weather conditions on an unlit rural road when I had to dip the lights due to oncoming traffic.

 

You have reminded me that I must sort this out ;-)

Interesting, I don't think I've actually checked the lights on the current X290 with the beam masking on?

 

But I vaguely recall being flashed by an oncoming vehicle on a Spanish motorway last winter, and at the time thought wonder why he did that when I've got the proper masking on the lights'.

 

Sounds as though I ought to check mine carefully - I'd just assumed the markings on the deflectors would be spot on. I think mine came from Van Comfort (the supplier link posted above).

[Deneb]

mikebeaches - 2019-07-30 5:36 PM

 

Interesting, I don't think I've actually checked the lights on the current X290 with the beam masking on?

 

But I vaguely recall being flashed by an oncoming vehicle on a Spanish motorway last winter, and at the time thought wonder why he did that when I've got the proper masking on the lights'.

 

Sounds as though I ought to check mine carefully - I'd just assumed the markings on the deflectors would be spot on. I think mine came from Van Comfort (the supplier link posted above).

 

I got mine from Van Comfort too. I assumed they would be correct, the same as you. It's the only reason I bought them as they are fairly easy to fit and remove, and using adhesive films on modern headlamps can cause crazing or fogging issues over time. For that reason, I didn't want to return them, as I reasoned that once I's determined where the masks should be they would do what I required. It's just one of those jobs I've yet to get around to!

 

I first noticed when driving that I had a dark unilluminated area a short distance in front of the van on the road surface, which was a similar shape to one of the masked areas on the covers. That prompted me to look more closely and on unlit roads or when stopped behind another van or similar vehicle at night I could still clearly see the kick-up to the left in the beam pattern from both headlamps.

 

I used to have an Mondeo to which I also used to apply masking to the headlamps when driving abroad. The cutting templates and positioning for the masks were available in Fords TIS workshop manual, and were larger and in a completely different position relative to the lamp centres than the indications marked onto the X290 covers.

 

Van Comfort no longer seem to have any images of the covers with masks fitted on their website, but I have found some on google. The first image "HL-Mask1.jpg" shows a mask fitted in a similar location to the nearside headlamp mask on my cover. The second image "HL-Mask2.jpg" is from a current Van Comfort eBay advert (item number 1077725066) and shows a differently shaped and oriented mask more aligned with the general position I think it should be - to the lower right quadrant of the lamp reflector.

 

Having just noticed this difference I think I may email them to see what they say.

 

Edit: Looking closely at the mask in the second image though, I'm a little suspicious that it's just a photoshopped block added by image editing software?