whisturx Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 In April I imported a new LHD Hobby 750 from Germany, to replacve my previous Hobby. On the last van(2001 model) I replaced the headlights at vast expense to UK spec before the MOT. I heard somewhere that the post 2002 Fiat headlights can be re-aligned ? There appears to be a piece in the light that looks as though it might be adjustable ? Anybody any ideas ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Ours was imported last year. I understand the lights don't convert to dip left. A pair of left dipping headlight units was just under £200 inc VAT last April. I didn't think that too bad, as they come with all the bulbs etc already in place and you then have one set for UK and another for Europe. Switching between one set and the other (which I do at home before leaving) doesn't take long, either.Having said that, a simple switch would be cheaper but, if it's there, I haven't found it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Or alternatively you could get OE ones from here for just under £109 a pair though you need to find out why the special offer doesn't follow through to the cart page www.allpartssouthwest.com/acatalog/Special_Offers__DUCATO_Mk3_2002__259.html Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisturx Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Baz Many thanks for the web site. I have managed to get the discount on to the cart page but my only concern is that they are "recycled" which with the plastic lens could be scratched or chipped. Original Equipment or OE means recycled I assume? I have sent them an email to query condition. Fiat were quoting £ 86 plus VAT or £ 202 the pair total compared to £120.66 delivered !! Has anyone used them for parts ? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zulurita Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 What about the plastic clip on headlamp protectors. You could fit these and add the beam benders and then when back in UK just slip off the headlamp protectors and "voila" back to uk legality and takes seconds to remove. You could also have a second pair for UK use to protect your headlamps still cheaper than complete new headlamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Hi whisturx, No you will/ should find that they are brand new, they buy direct from the manufacturers so you get the best prices. It is a bit confusing because they do break vehicles there as well. I got a pair of new mirrors there for my Boxer, they were brand new and boxed in branded packaging. Just goes to show how much is made by the 'middlemen'. Ragards Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 [QUOTE]zulurita - 2006-08-20 5:46 PM What about the plastic clip on headlamp protectors. You could fit these and add the beam benders and then when back in UK just slip off the headlamp protectors and "voila" back to uk legality and takes seconds to remove. You could also have a second pair for UK use to protect your headlamps still cheaper than complete new headlamps.[/QUOTE] The van, as supplied in Germany, has right dipping headlamps, but left dipping lights are required for UK registration. For this requirement, beam benders or masks cannot be used. New headlamp units are a must. However, once done, you have two sets of headlamps: one for UK, and another for everywhere else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroanchor Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 It would appear that left handed lights are only needed for first registration, and a lot of mot stations will pass a vehicle with deflector plates etc, so would it not be plausable to "borrow" a pair of headflights from a friend for the initial test ? if you do a lot of continental driving after paying out a couple of hundred pounds to convert your headlights to left hand to comply with UK regs, you then have to put right hand beam benders back on every time you go abroad. >:-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 [QUOTE]euroanchor - 2006-08-21 8:49 AM It would appear that left handed lights are only needed for first registration, and a lot of mot stations will pass a vehicle with deflector plates etc, so would it not be plausable to "borrow" a pair of headflights from a friend for the initial test ? if you do a lot of continental driving after paying out a couple of hundred pounds to convert your headlights to left hand to comply with UK regs, you then have to put right hand beam benders back on every time you go abroad. >:-([/QUOTE] Perhaps I didn't make myself quite clear. As the vehicle was supplied on right dip units, all that is needed is to buy a set of left dip units, but you retain the right dippers as well. You then have two pairs of headlamp units, complete with all necessary bulbs etc, one dips right, one dips left.For UK registration and use, you install the left dippers. Before you leave for anywhere that drives on the right, you swap over to the right dippers. This involves no more than opening the bonnet, removing four screws that hold the radiator grille in place, removing the grille with a gentle pull upwards, then removing two fixing screws on each headlamp, gently rotating each headlamp foward and out until it pops off its outer snap connector, disconnecting a single, multi-plug connector, from the back of each headlamp unit, and then reversing the process to install the opposite dipping set of headlamps. This process does not disturb the main headlamp aligning screws, which will remain undisturbed throughout. From my own experience, the headlamps are made with sufficient accuracy that, provided the main alignment screws are left undisturbed, both sets correctly align "out of the box". All of the load compensation mechanism for the dipped beams is via on-board motors, housed within the headlamp units themselves. It is thus, literally, just a matter of unscrewing and unplugging one set, and plugging in and screwing in place, the other.Once you know what fits where, the whole job can be done in 15 minutes, maybe less.There are no masks or benders required, so no possibility of them falling off, or damaging the plastic "lenses", and you have a "proper" set of dips and main beams for whichever side of the road you are driving. After spending £30,000 or so on the van, and saving a few thousand ££ by importing it yourself, skimping on the lighting for less than £200 does seem a bit like the proverbial ha'poth of tar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroanchor Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 [QUOTE]Brian Kirby - 2006-08-21 6:06 PM QUOTE] Perhaps I didn't make myself quite clear. As the vehicle was supplied on right dip units, all that is needed is to buy a set of left dip units, but you retain the right dippers as well. You then have two pairs of headlamp units, complete with all necessary bulbs etc, one dips right, one dips left.For UK registration and use, you install the left dippers. Before you leave for anywhere that drives on the right, you swap over to the right dippers. This involves no more than opening the bonnet, removing four screws that hold the radiator grille in place, removing the grille with a gentle pull upwards, then removing two fixing screws on each headlamp, gently rotating each headlamp foward and out until it pops off its outer snap connector, disconnecting a single, multi-plug connector, from the back of each headlamp unit, and then reversing the process to install the opposite dipping set of headlamps. This process does not disturb the main headlamp aligning screws, which will remain undisturbed throughout. From my own experience, the headlamps are made with sufficient accuracy that, provided the main alignment screws are left undisturbed, both sets correctly align "out of the box". All of the load compensation mechanism for the dipped beams is via on-board motors, housed within the headlamp units themselves. It is thus, literally, just a matter of unscrewing and unplugging one set, and plugging in and screwing in place, the other.Once you know what fits where, the whole job can be done in 15 minutes, maybe less.There are no masks or benders required, so no possibility of them falling off, or damaging the plastic "lenses", and you have a "proper" set of dips and main beams for whichever side of the road you are driving. After spending £30,000 or so on the van, and saving a few thousand ££ by importing it yourself, skimping on the lighting for less than £200 does seem a bit like the proverbial ha'poth of tar.[/QUOTE] I think Brian, maybe it is you, who missed the point of my reply, if you import a vehicle you have only a limited time to get it registered, so if ordering headlights will take some time,then my suggestion was to ensure you dont fall foul of the registration laws, it has nothing to do with skimping as you put it, and maybe, for some people, another £200 outlay so soon after spending what could amount to their life savings, is an expense they could do without, especially if they have allready gone over budget, as so often happens. As for changing the headlights, you would need to do this on the ferry, as technically you wouldn't be legal to drive it from home to the port with left dipping headlights, which again was why I suggested "borrowing " a set of headlights for the initial testing process, especially if most or all of your trips were continental. Or are you saying that you would change your lights twice for every journey ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Mark (or Dusty)Before deciding to import, I had enquired of the Fiat service centre how long it would take to get a pair of UK spec headlamps, and at what cost, and had pre-ordered these before leaving to collect the 'van. Answer, about one week. In the event, the headlamps took about ten days to arrive at the UK service centre, as they went via the Hebrides - don't ask! They were collected, and fitted, a couple of days after we, and the van, got back. This was, as above, quite easy.Borrowing might be a possibility, but you'd presumably have to return the lamps at some point, leaving you with only the (technically illegal) right dippers to fit in their place. As you point out, you're then stuck with "illegal" lamps in the UK. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend this approach. If you don't pre-order left dippers, but buy and fit them after you've registered the vehicle, you are in exactly the same position as I described, it just takes you longer to get there!Re driving to the port from home, I'm afraid I can't see where the borrowed lamps would help. In effect, you're left with two choices. One is to drive to the port on the right dippers (which is what I do). The other is to drive to the port with the left dippers fitted, and the right dippers in the "boot", and then swap at the dockside. That is feasible, and some may prefer that. However, you'd then have to carry the left dippers with you on holiday. They don't weigh much, but you'd be surprised how big they are once removed and safely packed! The illegality of using the right dippers in UK is a bit "technical". I don't travel at night to the port, so lighting is only required exceptionally - to assist in being seen, not to assist in seeing. If this becomes necessary, I put the lamps down to the max possible, so that the dipped beam is very "short" and no dazzle to oncoming traffic results. My journey within UK is mercifully short, and I'm comfortable with this arrangement. I don't advocate everyone should do likewise, I just report that it is a possibility that I find convenient.Left dipping lamps are not required just for registration purposes, however, whereafter you can swap back to the originals. They are required to satisfy the Construction and Use Regs, which apply for so long as the vehicle is UK registered. Since the registration process seems seldom to involve any kind of inspection of the modifications carried out, you are taken on trust by DVLA, on the strength of a signed declaration (with all the usual warnings about the consequences of false declarations!) that the vehicle has been modified as required.If one were to drive in UK with the right dippers fitted, as I do to and from the ports, and be challenged by the police to demonstrated compliance, my answer would be that the lamps fitted were by way of conversion for use in Europe, and that one was on one's way to, or from, there. If further challenged, I have the correct left dippers at home, and those are normally fitted, except while in transit to from ports. If really, really, pressed, I could present the evidence, even if that meant returning home!However, I think the police are on the whole reasonable and, provided one gave the correct answers, in a reasonable fashion, and demonstrated that one was acting reasonably and with knowledge of the law, they would not wish to press charges or even, probably, wag their finger. However, this is supposition, as I haven't, to date, been so challenged. As I said above, others must make their own decision.Regarding costs, I can only say that it would, in my opinion, be unwise in buying a motorhome, wherever bought, and whether on not it is new, to so tax one's budget that nothing is left after the van is finally paid for! I think that the retention of some level of contingency fund is an absolute necessity. There is always something that arises, that will add unexpectedly to the expense of first ownership of these vehicles. My own advice, for what it's worth, for anyone contemplating buying a motorhome, and especially if it represents their life's savings, would be to keep at least £1,500 in their back pocket, and to be quite ruthless in this.The last thing anyone needs, having paid out the substantial price of a motorhome, is to then find that using it becomes a source of stress or dissatisfaction, because of desirable minor additions or alterations (or even repairs) that cannot be made for purely financial reasons. After all, even filling the thing up these days costs in the region of £50, and at around 25mpg, you don't get all that far on a tankfull, so just driving it is expensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Straight out of the top drawer that one Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroanchor Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 If only everything in life was that simple eh ? :D hope you didn't think I was critisizing you Brian, I agree with just about everything youv'e said, but best laid plans and all that, specially with the budget bit. how often have we all set a figure or price, then got carried away. Thank god I only take my Hymer abroad once in a blue moon. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Criticising, Mark. Never! Just giving me the opportunity to clarify a bit better.We like abroad on the whole. Less traffic, better maintained, often better engineered, roads, lower site and fuel costs, cheaper wine. We go whenever we can!Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisturx Posted August 25, 2006 Author Share Posted August 25, 2006 Many thanks for all the advice. I took Baz's comments and ordered from AllpartsSouthwest.com ,ordered Monday £120 delivered Wednesday,fitted Thursday and I have just taken the van into our local garage and had them setup for UK. So now set up for UK and Europe. I note the discussion on driving to the ferry in UK on the wrong set up but I have yet to see a foreign car/lorry with any overlays on their headlights ! To change the subject I am now after info on tow bars so watch new post !! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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