Head Light Changes

[bertie burstner]

Importing the Motorhome in September .Citroen Jumper Model which is The Fiat Ducato 2002 - 2006 main unit.

Have sorted the speedo dial now head light change,should it be new or will second hand units be OK.?

Price new £130 each or £55 each Second hand from crashrepair.

 

[Brian Kirby]

So long as the second hand units are completely undamaged, and are offered as working units, I'd go for them.  The levelling motors are in each lamp unit, so you won't be able to test their functioning until the lamps are connected.  Therefore, I'd say delay buying until you have the van, and then ask for an agreement to replace if found faulty.

[bertie burstner]

Thanks Brian for your response. I will ask for confirmation of the points you mentioned very helpful. I have had the van for a couple of years now and am returning to Uk after a long spell living in France. I will ask my son to purchase the second hand units and bring them out in August.I will arrange for my local garage mechanic to do the change over juat before our return in September.It will become a family van for general use during school hols and some Uk touring for us.

[Andy T]

Sorry to butt in, but I'm sure I read somewhere that continental headlights dip straight down and not to the right and are not therefore a fail for the UK MoT test?

Worth checking with your MOT station - and apologies if its complete rubbish and I've been dreaming again!

Andy.

[Brian Kirby]

Andy T - 2008-07-06 11:16 AM Sorry to butt in, but I'm sure I read somewhere that continental headlights dip straight down and not to the right and are not therefore a fail for the UK MoT test? Worth checking with your MOT station - and apologies if its complete rubbish and I've been dreaming again! Andy.

I'm sure you did read/hear this somewhere.  It keeps surfacing but, sadly, it is complete rubbish! 

I have no idea where this persistent rumour originated, but the present UK dipped beam pattern is, in fact, a (left to right handed) mirror image of the continental dipped beam pattern. 

So far as I can remember, the asymmetric dipped beam pattern was invented a long time back by the likes of Cibie of France, and was then adopted by the EC as offering the best compromise between forward vision and dazzle reduction for oncoming traffic.  When the UK joined the EC we adopted the same configuration, except that it had to be reversed to suit left hand traffic.  That is the only difference between UK and continental headlamps.

[Derek Uzzell]

It's worth emphasising (again) that the UK's MOT test is unconnected to the technical regulations for UK-registering an imported vehicle.

 

The MOT test permits headlights to be adapted via masks or beam-deflectors so that the modified beam pattern is suitable for driving on the left. Conversely, UK vehicle-registration requirements specifically prohibit use of masks/deflectors to obtain a suitable on-the-left beam pattern.

 

'Grey' importers of LHD motorhomes often suggest that the imported vehicle's original headlights can be retained and a beam pattern acceptable for UK-registration purposes can be attained by simple adjustment. The explanation normally offered is that modern lights produce a more flattened beam than in the past, so adjusting a modern right-dipping headlamp leftwards will be OK.

 

Sadly, this ploy is a non-starter as UK lighting regulations insist that, on UK-registered vehicles, the light-units themselves must have been originally designed for use in 'left-hand traffic'. Even if it were possible to twiddle with a LHD vehicle's headlight-adjusters so that the lights' beam-pattern conforms to UK requirements, this would still not be enough as the original design-purpose of the light-units remains unaltered. A light-unit designed specifically for 'right-hand traffic' retains that purpose no matter how it's adjusted.

 

Some headlamp light-units can, by design, provide alternative asymmetric dipped-beam patterns. This involves rotation of the bulb-holder/reflector and the most well known example is the small round Hella-manufactured unit used on many A-Class motorhomes.

 

What this all boils down to is that, if you intend to import a motorhome into the UK, unless it's got light-units that are particularly designed to be 'dual purpose' (like the Hella ones I've just mentioned), then the headlamps will need to be replaced to meet UK-registration requirements.

 

It's certainly true that there are plenty of imported LHD motorhomes that are UK-registered and retain their right-dipping headlamps, and that these vehicles are regularly bought and sold and successfully pass the MOT test. But this doesn't alter the fact that their headlamps didn't meet UK-registration requirements when they were initially imported, nor that their headlamps still don't.

[bertie burstner]

Thanks Dereck for "again "as you say pointing out the danger area of relying on MOT test against correct UK registering of the vehicle when imported from the continent.I intended to ask Andy T to review all the previous correspondence when the legal aspects were well mentioned.

I checked out the points that Brian listed and discovered that the £55 units were not second hand but new and special made but not to spec.so could have been a problem.A foreign made cheap product from !!!! I think we all know where.So thanks Brian for saving me hassle etc.

Using the V no I checked with the local Citroen Garage parts dept in Portsmouth and obtained the part no's for each headlamp priced at £150 each off the shelf.

When discussing the "second hand " details with the crash repairs rep and informing him that I wanted genuine replacements he offered me the contact details of a discount Citroen parts garage. I contacted and checked out the part nos and the price was £112 each with free delivery from Doncaster to Portsmouth. Hopefully I have sorted it this time !!

I will ask my son to bring them.I wonder if I shoud do a COD!!!!!! on him?

I have booked my local garage mechanic as his charges are only €30/hr

He will sort the rear fog light as well and next week I will have a go at installing the replacement Speedo faceing.

Thanks again for all the help and info

Bertie.