oldaljones Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Hi all I have a Fiat Ducato, drivers side, headlamp unit suitable for continental use, ie , IT DIPS TO THE RIGHT, was picked up on MOT. If anyone interested please PM me, thanks. Old Al :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMac46 Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 What year/model of Ducato? The headlights changed over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I believe Old Al’s motorhome is a 2011 Bessacarr E560, so built on a Ducato X250 chassis. (Interesting that the right-dipping headlight unit was (presumably) not spotted during earlier MOT tests.) This webpage http://www.hammys.eu/ducato?gclid=CJXeq8L0rNACFZUK0wodLHELew suggests that the LHD headlights fitted to 2006-2010 Ducato X250s differed from those fitted to 2010-2014 models. It’s also worth noting the price-differences between the the X250 headlights and the 2014-onwards X290 lights (particularly those with LED daytime running lights). The suggestion seems to be that the headlight units being advertised are ‘pattern’ parts rather the units that Fiat would factory-fit, which makes one wonder about the price one might pay from a Fiat main agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldaljones Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 Hi Jon Mac 46 this headlight unit is not from my mo/how but from a friends, it was purchased by him in 2006 and is as he received it from new. I cant give any more info as he is away touring until Friday Old Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe66 Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I have a 1996 Benimar on a Ducato, I bought it last year. I have 5 old MOT tickets and when I took it for the MOT in October it failed because it has RHD headlights so how did it pass the other MOTs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Joe66 I assume by “RHD” you mean “Right Hand Dipping” not “Right Hand Drive". I’m also guessing that your motothome is left-hand-drive. The UK MOT-test can be passed even if a vehicle has headlights that dip to the right. Section 1.8 (Headlamp Aim) on this link https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/518634/mot-inspection-manual-for-class-3-4-5-and-7-vehicles.pdf advises as follows: "Masks or converter kits may be fitted to right hand dip headlamps to temporarily alter the lamp for use in the UK by removing the beam ‘kick-up’ to the right. A headlamp altered in this way is not a reason for rejection, if: a. the headlamp aim is not rejected for the reasons listed under diagram 1 (except that the top of the beam image will be a straight line) b. the light output is not unduly reduced - not usually a problem with commercially produced kits c. the mask or converter is securely attached.” Where a vehicle will be failed is if its headlamps’ beam pattern is found during the MOT-test to not conform to the required pattern specified in the Inspection Manual. It’s likely that the previous owners of your Benimar were well aware that its headlamps dipped to the right and, before presenting the vehicle for its MOT-test, fitted masks or beam-converters to the headlamps, thus allowing the test to be passed. Presumably, when you presented your motorhome for testing, you did not know it had right-dipping headlights and there were no masks/converters on the lights. It’s pretty common for older LHD motorhomes that were ‘self imported’ into the UK to retain their original right-dipping headlghts and to pass the MOT-test by adding masks/converters. In fact, my previous 2005 LHD Hobby motorhome still had its right-dipping headlamps when I sold it in 2014 and bits of black tape used to be stuck on its lights at MOT-test time to get it through the test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldaljones Posted November 19, 2016 Author Share Posted November 19, 2016 Here are the details of the headlight unit, it was fitted to a January 2007 registered Fiat Ducato which is a X250. When sitting in the driving seat looking forward, it is the lamp on the RIGHT and it dips to the RIGHT (continental style) it is not new, but used, it is not damaged, it has a manufacturers sticker with a barcode 1340663080 21 G6-TA as this was replaced with new unit it can be shipped in the correct box with proper safety packaging, it weighs 4kgs and measures 67cms x 36cms x 34cms. I hope this is all clear, if you have any questions please ask. Old Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 We have had 2 lhd vehicles which passed the MOT with their continental headlights, and both used to carry the stick-on deflectors, still sealed in the packaging, in the door pocket, but I believe that the law has changed recently and the deflectors, fitted or not, are no longer accepted. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 AGD When a vehicle is first UK-registered its headlamps, speedometer, rear fog-light, etc. must comply with the UK’s technical requirements. Where motorhomes are concerned, the requirements are listed on the final page of this document https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222591/apply-commission-notice-motorhomes.pdf and it will be seen that “...stickers, beam-benders / deflectors are not acceptable..” as a means to produce a UK-specifaction headlamp beam-pattern. (This was always the case, but the DVLA/VCA are much more vigilant now than in the past.) Lots of older vehicles (particularly older LHD motorhomes) were imported to the UK and registered here without any headlamp changes being carried out. No inspections used to be made when the vehicle was UK-registered and the applicant for UK-registration did not have to state that the vehicle had UK-spec headlamps, speedometer, rear fog-light, etc. When it’s time for the first MOT-test, the headlamp aim and beam pattern should be checked. However (as will be apparent from my last posting above) the MOT-test regulations DO allow masks, stickers, beam-benders/deflectors to be fitted temporarily to right-dipping headlamps to obtain a beam pattern that will allow the vehicle to pass the MOT-test. In my last posting I said about my Hobby motorhome “...bits of black tape used to be stuck on its lights at MOT-test time to get it through the test”, but it would have been more accurate for me to have said "“...bits of black tape could have been stuck on its lights at MOT-test time to get it through the test.” My Hobby used to be MOT-tested and annually-serviced by the same garage at the same time and I don’t know if they actually stuck bits of tape on the headlamps prior to the MOT-test and took them off afterwards or didn’t bother. I certainly did not stick anything on the headlamps myself before presenting the motorhome for testing and there was no tape on the headlamps when the vehicle was returned to me. As the garage was aware that the vehicle was in ‘full’ LHD state - right-dipping headlamps, kmh-only speedometer - and that the only time the motorhome was driven in the UK was to and from a ferry-port and to the garage for servicing/testing, they may have thought playing about with masks was a waste of time. I’ve just checked the Hobby’s MOT history that confirms that no advisory notes were recorded. The history is a mite odd as - because the odometer measured in kilometers - some of the readings are in “kms” while others are in “miles”. The information for the July 2014 test (not long before I sold the Hobby) shows an odometer reading of 63,362 kms, the test data for July 2015 shows 64,778 kms and for July 2016 65,034 miles. The implication seems to be that the Hobby has covered very little distance since I sold it, or there’s something wrong with the data or the vehicle’s odometer. As the Hobby’s odometer readout went through an extended funny phase and then miraculously recovered, the odometer may be the culprit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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