chris Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Just put our van in for very first MOT and it cannot be passed as the rear fog light is on the left side and not the right for UK. Our mechanic showed us the void space in the light cluster so he has three options 1. to create a new fitting to include bulb on the correct side and this will be neatest job. Cost could be £80 plus. This is what we are aiming for 2. to cut a hole in rear bumper to take a new light fitting just for fog lamp. About £60. Second choice because don't like drilling any holes in our van 3. to fit a light just below rear bumper which will hang below van. About £50. Not what we want as such a low van this will scrape on speed bumps and reversing up inclines. Because the van is made in France they have made a right side driving model but fitted the body with French light clusters so they are wrong for the fog lamp. I should have guessed something would go wrong. I am not even trying to get Chausson parts (they probably haven't got the correct fitting anyway). We want to use our van not keep it off the road and its out of warranty now. The mechanic has our go ahead to do the best job but it is a warning to all you owners that this is probably the case with your vans too. Get it checked out before first MOT is due everyone. aghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Surely this is not a warranty issue. If it is "as supplied" it is technically not roadworthy as it would not comply with Construction & Use Regulations. It should be rectified by the supplying dealer, unless you imported it privately of course. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Stuart, We bought from a dealer who stopped dealing with Chausson so we went through a lot of hastle to transfer warranty to another dealer. Big hastle I tell you. We will get it fixed and mention to our new dealer on Thursday as they are doing the 3rd year service for us. They might take pity but doubt it as it was not their original van. My main concern is to warn everyone so that you are prepared. I have posted this on moterhomefacts too so that people are aware of this. It is because the van has been made in France for British market but they have put the French light fittings on the body. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyH Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Doesn't only apply to Chausson. I have seen reports of the interior of tail lamps having water damage and people have found holes on the top of the lenses. This is because the European maker has merely turned the lamps upside down and fitted them to the other sides thus putting the drain holes on the top instead of on the bottom . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Oh well that's Chausson crossed off my list of 'possibles' lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Losos - 2009-03-10 8:13 PM Oh well that's Chausson crossed off my list of 'possibles' lol For a 10 minute job or at worse a 30 minute one if they go for an extra light under bumper. probably took longer to write the thread....... It is the dealers responsibility anyway *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian0354 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 As stated by Judge above, this is a fault of the supplying dealer and should have been spotted when the vehicle was PDI'd prior to first delivery. It is only the manufacturers saving a few pence. When I imported my Westfalia I had to alter the wiring and, as there was a bulb holder in the [uK] off-side, I wired it up so that I have a fog lamp on both sides. By doing this I'm safe, and legal, on both sides of the channel. If you use your MoHo abroad, and as you are having the wiring altered, have your auto electrician fit an extra and keep the original as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Are you sure you can't swap the two lights left for right, to put the fog light on the UK offside? Alternatively, can't you swap the nearside foglight for the offside reversing light? Finally, have you taken both rear light clusters off the van, and checked if these are spare contacts behind a vacant foglight lamp position in the UK offside cluster? Some have this arrangement to suit LHD/RHD swapping, when all that is required is an additional lamp and wiring, sometimes lamp contacts and wiring, to give rear fogs both sides, which are legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 Great News Decided to phone the new dealer today and tell them about problem. They are fixing it for us tomorrow when we have the habitation service done. Will report back tomorrow night hopefully with it all sorted. Must say they can sort Chausson problems for us at Continental Caravans, Crosshands, South Wales. One to reccomend as no dispute whatsoever. Everything is a learning curve and hope I have pre-warned 2006 Allegro owners to check before MOT due. This also applies to other continental vans made for british market. Will let you know tomorrow now and thanks to everyone for the informative responses. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 ALL DONE Continental caravans did the service today and took a light socket from a van being scrapped and fitted this in the light cluster. We now have a lovely MOT certificate Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Elswood Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 WOW !!!! I wasn't aware that a fog light was part of the MOT test !! Maybe though if you have one fitted, then it has to be the correct side for the UK. If that is the case it might have been easier to 'disconnect it' Just a thought !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 Getting an MOT is a lot more detailed than I thought too. This was pointed out to me on MHF forum. http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_110.htm The inspection of rear fog lamps is confined to the one rear fog lamp which is required to be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Elswood Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 chris - 2009-03-14 4:41 PM Getting an MOT is a lot more detailed than I thought too. This was pointed out to me on MHF forum. http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_110.htm The inspection of rear fog lamps is confined to the one rear fog lamp which is required to be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980. Chris Thanks for that Chris, I will bear that in mind when I get my MOT done next year. Strangely it is not a requirement to have a working speedometer as part of an MOT. I had a fault on mine a while back and was worried about MOT failure etc. and my garage told me it was not one of their checks !! How weird is that !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisturx Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I had the same problem on an imported Hobby 750 in 2006. The plastic taillight cluster had been designed for twin reversing and twin fog lights but on removal I had to gingerly drill out an access hole to each spare reflector. The main metal bulb framework had provision to mount the extra bulb holders. After a trip to Brownhills and a bit of persuasion I was allowed to remove the clip- in bulb holders from a Hobby with a crunched tail light cluster. By running a new feed from left to right and another right to left I now have twin reversing and twin fogs Most importers turn the the cluster upside down and swap sides as already mentioned, which if the drainage hole is not sealed will cause a problem . I still find it annoying that the amount you pay for a new van could surely cover twin fogs/reversing lights. Reversing at night with a single light is a nuisance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I believe Chris's 2006-vintage Chausson Allegro 83 has 'handed' one-piece rear light-clusters, with each cluster designed to accommodate a brake light, marker light, reversing light, trafficator light and reversing light. As left and right clusters can't be swapped from side to side, this means that the available options were as Chris's mechanic described. Alternatively, the right-hand cluster could be replaced with one designed for a RHD vehicle - which (assuming a RHD version is available) is what Chausson should have done in the first place. Later Allegros have a different rear lighting arrangement that (if necessary) should be easily adaptable to obtain the legally-required fog-light position. I think the rear light-clusters of 2006-model Hobby 750s are not 'handed', so can be swapped from side to side to get the fog-light on the correct side for the UK or Continental Europe. This would, of course, invert one of the lights. Like RoyH, I've read reports of inverted rear lights on motorhomes letting in water through un-sealed drain holes, but I'm not sure how accurate such reports are. My Hobby T-600 has 10 separate un-handed Hella-made rear light units. The plastic outer cover of each unit has a drain 'notch' top and bottom and sealing against water ingress is via a circular-section rubber strip gripped between outer cover and the light unit's body. The rubber strip is not continuous: whichever way up the light-unit is fitted, a gap in the rubber strip needs to be aligned with the lower drain notch. Prior to deciding to buy a Hobby I looked at examples in the UK. Noticing that water droplets were very evident in the rear lights of some of these I asked about this and the importer explained that Hobby had fitted incorrect light units and he was going to contact the factory about this. In fact, this is not the case - although it would be possible to arrange the rubber seal with the gap in the wrong place should one be perverse enough to do so, the water droplets are simply due to condensation forming behind the plastic outer cover. If sufficient condensation forms, some of it will indeed exit the light unit through the tiny lower drain-hole, but the rest will remain there indefinitely as ventilation within the light unit is virtually nil. I'd be surprised if there are un-handed rear motorhome light-units - that can be swapped from side to side without looking very peculiar - that do not have a system for waterproofing similarly designed to allow the unit to be fitted either way up. My experience has been that, although there may be a handy space in a rear right-hand (or left-hand) light-cluster to accept a fog- or reversing-light, installing one may be more complicated than just running a cable to it and fitting a bulb. I've come across instances where the plastic has been silvered (to act as a reflector) on a handed light-cluster that incorporated the fog-light, but left un-silvered on the opposite cluster with the 'void'. Where rear light-clusters are visually identical externally one might be forgiven for thinking it would be simpler for everyone concerned for the lights inside the clusters to be the same on each side (my 1995 VW Golf Estate's rear lights are like that). Then whisturx's wish for twin fog and reversing lights, and UK/Continental regulatory requirements, could all easily be met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizken Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 The short answer to this is that if a fog light is fitted, it must work for MOT. For single lamps, these must be fitted in the correct position to comply with Construction & Use regulations. If this is not correct, the dealer has sold a vehicle which is not roadworthy and they should rectify the fault. If they refuse, inform them of your intention to inform Trading Standards, as this is a breach of the law Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Just checked my Chausson Welcome 70 2005 and both the main fog and the one on the factory supplied scooter rack are ok (well it had passed its first mot last year but still thought I'd better check. Eggy :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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