Headlamp New Boxer

[ADRAD]

Hi. I have the new Peugeot Boxer based motor home and am going to France & Spain early Sept. I am trying to find out about the headlamp adjustment as the plastic/glass is clear i have been told that you do not need to fit a beam bender can anyone help please even the dealers i have spoken to do'nt know. thanks ADRAD (?)

[Derek Uzzell]

There are a couple of UK motorhome 'grey' importers who say that one can fiddle with the headlight-adjustment on LHD motorhomes based on the latest Boxer/Ducato/Relay chassis so that a 'flat' dipped-beam pattern is produced. They advise that doing this allows the imported motorhome to comply with headlight regulations relating to UK registration requirements. This claim is incorrect - in this instance, the only way to meet those requirements is to swap the headlights for ones that produce the 'correct' UK pattern.

 

However, assuming one can in fact adjust the dipped-beam pattern on these LHD vehicles' headlights to the extent that (when the vehicles are driven on the left-hand side of the road) the lights don't dazzle oncoming traffic, then it may well be practicable to do the same for RHD vehicles like yours and produce the vice versa effect.

 

Your RHD Boxer-based motorhome will have headlight-units that conform to UK regulations and these will be perfectly legal for use when driving in France or Spain. The important thing is that the beam patterns they emit when used abroad should not dazzle oncoming drivers, but there's no stipulation how such non-dazzle patterns may be achieved. 'Masking' the headlights is OK legally, as is fitting beam benders. So, if you can twiddle the dipped-beam adjustment to produce a similar effect to masks or beam-benders, then that will be acceptable too. Essentially, what you would be attempting to do is remove the angled-upwards element that's incorporated into the leftmost part of the dipped-beam pattern of 'RHD' headlights to illuminate UK road-sides and kerbs. If you can do that via adjustment without compromising the rest of the beam-pattern, then you will have met driving-abroad lighting requirements.

 

I guess there's a potential downside to the adjustment ploy, in that it's not immediately obvious to an authoritarian onlooker (like a gendarme) that anything has been done to prevent dipped-beam dazzle. Adding masks or beam-benders to headlights of RHD vehicles may not be particularly effective (especially, as I've occasionally seen, when they are put on the wrong side of the light-unit!), but they are instantly apparent. I mention this in passing as, in the highly unlikely event that you got challenged, you might have to prove your adjusted lights were dazzle-free.

 

Just in case you've been told that your Boxer's headlights are somehow 'bisexual' and produce a pattern that's simultaneously legally acceptable in the UK and in Continental Europe, then the answer's No. If you want to be legal headlight-wise in France and Spain, then you'll need to do something to your motorhome's UK-norm lights before driving there. (I don't think you were suggesting this, but people do get told some very weird things!)

[ADRAD]

Thanks Derek.

I have also be told that because the headlamp cover is plastic i cannot stick on beam deflectors thanks again ADRAD

[g4oip]

Lights produced in europe have 'E' ref and are suitable for use anywhere you care to go. There used to be legal requirements for lights but that was before flat beam lights.Anybody who thinks that bits of sticky amount to some law body that you can be prosecuted by not sticking on your lights and instantly ruining them must be some thing of a salesmans delight who would no doubt spend £6 every year for benders that you will never see fitted to any professionally driven lorry or van.I have got electrical tape I can cut up in bits for anyone that wishes to ruin there lights at half the going rate.

[Brian Kirby]

ADRAD - 2007-08-03 11:59 AM Thanks Derek. I have also be told that because the headlamp cover is plastic i cannot stick on beam deflectors thanks again ADRAD

Trevor

You don't say who has been doing all this telling, but I wonder if it might be worth making a telephone call the to the Fiat Commercial Customer Helpline.  If anyone should know about their headlamps, and what is necessary or permissible, in terms of suitable adjustments or materials, it should be them. 

To mask off the dipped beam as Derek suggests should be possible, but there have been a few references to reactions between tape adhesives and the lamp "lens", or possibly between the tape itself and the lamp lens.  I think the first golden rule is not to use insulating tape, and the second not to use a dark coloured tape that may concentrate heat. 

I have used the stick on "cut to fit" type masks available from Halfords - the ones that are just a square of black PVC with multiple cut outlines printed onto them.  These have a peelable adhesive, so are fairly easy to remove, do not leave a sticky residue, and are silver backed so as to reject most of the heat. 

Then, wait 'till it's dark, aim your lamps at a wall, and expirement with paper masks until you get the size and shape right: mark the lens where the mask was, and use the paper mask as a template to cut the right size and shape stick on mask from the Halford's PVC stuff.  It takes longer to write than to do!  Can't guarantee sucess, but I have not detected any evidence of deterioration on the clear plastic lenses on our car, which has been so adorned several times.

Cheapskates tip: if you peel the masks away carefully, and put them back onto the waxed backing paper as soon as you get home, you can use them again and again!

[ADRAD]

Thanks Gents.

Still awaiting my return call from both Peugeot and Fiat. Will come back to you I get the rite info Thanks ADRAD

[tonyishuk]

My concern would be driving a RHD vehicle with no obvious black strips / beam benders etc is explaining (in pigeon french / spanish) to the gendarm / spanish equivalent that its all in the adjustment behind the headlamp.

 

I have sneaking suspicion that they would know which vehicles have and have not.

 

 

[myshell]

I would tend to err on the safe side and take heed of Derek & Tony`s warning, gendarmes are not the sweetest of guys in the world, I have seen them checking British registered vehicles on the Cite de Europe car park and issuing on the spot fines for not displaying a GB plate or not having beam benders fitted. Its a pitty the British Bobby doesn`t do the same to the foreign drivers who come over here and proceed to blind oncoming traffic with their headlights and half a dozen spotlights.

 

 

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, so ENJOY IT.

[Tomo3090]

I too have a 2007 Boxer and I just bought some stick on beam benders from Halfords and they were marked LH and RH for which ever direction you wanted them. I then waited until dusk when the light beam was more visible, shined it onto a wall and then visually worked out where on the plastic lens cover they should be stuck. It was good enough for 10 weeks arround France & Spain, with no police complaints and no "flashing" from blinded motorists! When I was waiting to get off the ferry as we entered Dover Harbour to come home they just peeled off. Admittedly they needed help from my finger nails, but it didn't scratch or damage the lens cover at all. There was some "sticky" residue where the rim of the cover had been but some WD40 on a cloth soon shifted this.

 

Which by the way is a handy tip for removing any pricetag or sticky residue on any item from a shop!

[Derek Uzzell]

g4oip:

 

Before I imported my LHD motorhome from Germany I did some serious research into headlight regulations. If I could side-step UK registration requirements somehow and legally retain the vehicle's original right-dipping headlight-units, then I dearly wanted to do it. This was not just to save money, but also (as we only motorcaravan abroad) it seemed illogical to swap the light-units for left-dipping versions when they would rarely be used in the UK, and then either mask/beam-bend the latter lights (or switch back to the originals) when going abroad. However, at the end of the day, I had to accept that, to comply with UK registration rules, the only option would be to swap the lights.

 

Since 1986 a vehicle registered in the UK (no matter where in the world it was made) must be fitted with headlamps producing the required dipped beam for 'left-hand traffic'. That means the headlamp must have been type-approved to European regulations with the correct beam pattern for left-hand traffic. There will be an 'e-mark' on the headlamp-unit, a letter 'e' or 'E' in a small circle with a number, some other numbers nearby and some letters - eg. HC indicates Halogen dipped beam, HCR means Halogen dipped and main beam inside a single housing, PL indicates Plastic Lens, etc.

 

As part of the approval-mark, headlamp lenses often have a sideways pointing arrow (or arrows) that indicates the 'traffic side' suitability. Arrows may be moulded into the headlamp-unit itself or the unit may carry an 'arrowed' stick-on label. Some headlamps carry two arrows, pointing to the left and right, and these units are capable of producing the correct asymmetric beam for both left- and right-hand traffic with a special adjustment to change between the two. This adjustment would normally be performed by the light-unit's manufacturer on the production line. It's sometimes mistakenly assumed that a '2-arrow' light-unit produces a dipped-beam pattern that's simultaneously legally suitable for left- AND right-hand traffic. This is not the case; such units will either already have been factory-set for the appropriate 'traffic side' before being fitted to the vehicle, or, if DIY adjustment is possible (eg. as with the small round Hella lights used by several A-Class manufacturers), will need twiddling to match the traffic side on which the vehicle is to be driven.

 

In the absence of arrows, headlamps can be shone on to a flat vertical surface at night to check the traffic-side suitability. This is normally quite clear from the asymmetric wedge of light above the horizontal that lights up the verge.

 

You say that "There used to be legal requirements for lights but that was before flat beam lights". There is a vast number of regulations relating to road vehicle lighting and, although these will be in continuous update to deal with new technology (like gas discharge lighting), as far as I'm aware there have been no significant regulation changes relating to the 'bulb-type' headlamps used on the vast majority of motorhomes including the latest SEVEL-based models.

 

'Traditional' headlamps intended for left-hand traffic (as in the UK) still 'dip left' and the dipped-beam pattern continues to be asymmetric with a 'verge-illuminating' above-the-horizontal wedge of light to the left of the pattern. Headlamps intended for right-hand traffic (as in Continental Europe) are mirror image - they 'dip right ' and the asymmetric dipped-beam pattern has its verge-illuminating wedge of light to the right of the pattern. I'm not sure what you mean by "flat-beam lights" unless you are suggesting that some headlamps now produce a symmetrical dipped-beam pattern. This may well be true, but it's worth emphasising that such headlights would be illegal on UK-registered motorhomes as only mopeds/motorcycles may be fitted with symmetrical beam-pattern headlamps.

 

It used to be child's-play to distinguish visually between headlamps suitable for left-hand-traffic or right-hand-traffic. Just a glance at the pattern moulded into their outer lenses revealed this. Nowadays, with 'clear' headlamps, it's often impossible to know which way a headlamp dips just by looking at the light-unit.

 

My "gendarme" point was simply that, if you are driving a RHD motorhome abroad and the vehicle has clear headlamps without masks or beam-benders, there's nothing immediately apparent (just by looking at the light-units) to indicate those lights have been adjusted to meet Continental European non-dazzle requirements. Consequently, a Continental policeman may well assume the lights still produce a UK-standard left-hand traffic dip pattern and you may have to dissuade him/her otherwise. This would equally be true if you had replaced (as some UK motorcaravanners do) your left-hand traffic (UK) light-units with right-hand traffic (mainland European) units for the period you were touring abroad.

 

As far as I'm concerned, what motorcaravanners do about their UK-norm headlights before heading abroad is their own business. The options seem to be:

 

a) fit masks

b) fit beam-benders

c) adjust the units (if practicable) to produce a right-hand traffic beam pattern

d) adjust the units (if practicable) to produce a non-dazzle dipped-beam pattern

e) swap the units for right-hand traffic equivalents

f) do nothing

 

I asked at a UK police station whether 'Continentals' driving in the UK legally needed to meet the same vehicle lighting rules as we did when driving abroad. I was told "Yes, but it's not a hot UK policing issue at present, though it might become so in the future". Basically, the UK police ain't much bovvered.

 

I asked something similar at a local Department for Transport roadside vehicle 'spot check' centre and the answer was "We are much more interested in whether the lights on 'foreign' vehicles are working rather than which way they dip." So it seems that foreign drivers coming to the UK are most unlikely to get picked up for the type of offence we are discussing here.

 

From what 'myshell' says, foreign police take a much less tolerant attitude and this needs to be borne in mind if option (f) above is chosen.

[colin]

Good post covering most of the points Derek, but may I add something(not relavant to 'ADRAD') for the owners off older/odder vehicles.

Prior to the 'E' mark there was a BS mark, I have misslaid regs so cannot confirm exact markings, also there are lights from USA that are marked 'drive left' for UK beam pattern

[g4oip]

Have spoken at length with French police as lived abroad for 6 years and they were v. amused that we try to block lights at all. E approved means just and only lights without approval should be carfully set to avoid problems.

[Derek Uzzell]

q4oip:

 

OK, I was merely repeating (virtually word for word) the written information I was given by a senior engineer of the UK Department for Transport's Technology and Standards section. If you choose to accept a conversational opinion from humorous French police that apparently conflicts with the DofT engineer's advice, then that's no skin off my nose.

 

I do know that the original e-marked (or, as you seem to want to call them, "e-approved") headlights on my LHD Transit-based Hobby very definitely dip to the right, that the dipped-beam pattern is very definitely not 'flat' and, when I had arrived back in the UK and was driving the newly-purchased motorhome homewards on the M4, that approaching motorists on the opposite carriageway definitely did not appreciate the headlamps' dazzle effect one bit.

 

I suspect we shall have to agree to differ about this. However, if it were the case that an e-marked headlamp can be used legally throughout Europe irrespective of which way the headlamp dips or the dipped-beam pattern it produces, without adjustment and/or addition of masks/beam-benders to prevent dazzle (which I presume is what you are suggesting), then why do new LHD or RHD vehicles have different headlamp-units (all e-marked of course) fitted on the factory line? Why do many vehicle handbooks provide advice on how headlamps should be masked/adjusted to comply with 'foreign' driving conditions? And why is there any market for beam-benders if nobody needs them?

 

Perhaps your French police pals are right and it's just that UK motorists are uninformed mugs.

[Derek Uzzell]

Motorists intending to travel outside the UK may find the following links useful regarding national driving requirements:

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/general_advice.html

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/AA_compulsory_equipment_june2007.doc

[Derek Uzzell]

A further word on this.

 

The advice of the Caravan Club in their Touring Handbook is

 

"If they are likely to dazzle other road users, adjust your headlights to deflect to the right instead of the left using suitable beam deflectors or (in some cases) a built-in adjustment system. Even when not planning to drive at night, you will need to switch your headlights on in tunnels or if visibility is poor. Some countries require dipped headlights to be used during daylight hours. Bulbs are more likely to fail with constant use and you are recommended to carry spares."

 

Naturally enough, this advice will be aimed primarily at caravanners whose towing-vehicles will usually have no dashboard-mounted headlight 'levelling' facility. Conversely, the light-commercial chassis on which many motorhomes are based often do have a dashboard control that permits their headlight beams to be adjusted in the vertical plane according to vehicle load (or the whim of the driver).

 

As I said earlier (to the best of my knowledge) there are no regulations in the UK or mainland Europe stipulating how 'visiting' motorists achieve a non-dazzling headlight state. Certainly, on my Hobby, I can deflect the headlight beam radically downwards via the dashboard control and, when fully declined, that beam is most unlikely to dazzle anyone whichever side of the road I'm driving on. The drawback is, of course, that doing this shortens the range of the dipped beam considerably, making night driving less comfortable. Anyway, it's something to consider perhaps.

 

(Incidentally, I've sought guidance from the Caravan Club on the above and I'll report their response when I get it.)

[Derek Uzzell]

I said previously that I was contacting the Caravan Club about headlight requirements outside the UK. This is what I wrote to the CC:

 

"NON-DAZZLING HEADLIGHTS ABROAD?

 

Page 16 of your indispensable Caravan Europe 1 Touring Handbook includes the following advice in the "Vehicles and Equipment" section:

 

"If they are likely to dazzle other road users, adjust your headlights to deflect to the right instead of the left using suitable beam deflectors or (in some cases) a built-in adjustment system. Even when not planning to drive at night, you will need to switch your headlights on in tunnels or if visibility is poor. Some countries require dipped headlights to be used during daylight hours. Bulbs are more likely to fail with constant use and you are recommended to carry spares."

 

Naturally enough, this advice will be aimed primarily at UK caravanners whose towing-vehicles will usually have no dashboard-mounted headlight 'levelling' facility. Conversely, the light-commercial chassis on which many motorhomes are based often do have a dashboard control that permits their headlight beams to be adjusted in the vertical plane according to vehicle load.

I am not aware of any regulations in the UK or mainland Europe stipulating exactly how 'visiting' motorists achieve a non-dazzling headlight state. Certainly, on my own motorhome, I can deflect the headlight dipped-beam radically downwards via the dashboard control and, when fully declined, that beam is most unlikely to dazzle anyone whichever side of the road I'm driving on. Admittedly, this ploy does not change the dipped-beam direction from the left to the right for Continental touring, but neither does the time-honoured practice of sticking 'masks' on headlamps.

 

Could you advise me please:

 

a) Whether there are specific regulations in mainland European countries defining how visiting motorists should achieve non-dazzle vehicle lighting. If so, what are they?

 

b) If there are no specific regulations, do you think that deliberately adjusting the headlamp dipped-beam well downwards in the way I've mentioned above is likely to be considered adequate by Continental law authorities?"

 

 

The CC's Travel Service Information Officer replied as follows:

 

"Thank you very much for your recent enquiry regarding headlights, I am sorry it has taken so long to reply to you, but trying to find answers to your questions has proved to be very difficult.

 

There are no specific regulations on how you need to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. I have spoken to our technical department and they do not advise adjusting your beam to the lowest level as this would affect your own ability to see the road, and as you quite rightly said it does not affect the direction of your beam. I would still advise you to use beam benders which can be purchased from Halfords or on line at www.travel-spot.co.uk"

 

 

So there you are - it seems that, whether you stick masks or beam-benders on your motorhome's headlights, or adjust their 'aim' downwards, or (if it's practicable) fiddle with the light-units to alter their dipped-beam pattern, as long as the headlights end up not dazzling other road users while you are driving abroad you should (according to the CC) be legally OK.

 

(Worth emphasising again though that only the last method - physically altering the headlights' dipped-beam pattern to conform to the UK 'left-hand traffic' norm - is valid as far as complying with UK-registration requirements for imported LHD motorhomes is concerned. And, if this proves impracticable, you'd need to swap the headlights for RHD-pattern equivalents.)

[graham]

On the previous Boxer you could buy Peugeot clip on headlamp protectors which came with stick on masks. I put the ready masked protectors on at the uk port and remove at the french port on the way back. I would check the Peugeot website or their van outlets to see if they are available for the new vehicle yet. They cost around £35 (yes I know its not cheap but less than a fine and you can use them again and again).

[paul2]

I was told on a mot testers course that a LHD vehicle fitted with euro flat top beams headlights would be a pass. I have never seen any!

Paul

[Derek Uzzell]

No, I've never seen one either! The only car headlight I can recall that had a (sort of) flat dipped-beam pattern was Cibie's round Z-beam unit, but even that pattern was assymetrical and had a kick-up on the kerb side. It would be interesting to know where people who come up with such statements get their information from.

 

Nevertheless, it is true that a vehicle can wriggle its way through the UK MOT test provided that the dipped-beam pattern its headlights produce falls within the test's required parameters. This is irrespective of the headlights being fitted with 'masks' or beam-benders.

 

There is a difference between UK-registration requirements for LHD vehicles' headlamps and UK MOT test requirements, and many motorcaravanners seem unable to get their heads around this. Vehicle-registration and MOT testing are different procedures with different objectives and the headlamp regulations just happen to differ as a consequence.

 

There is an apparent contradiction between the stringent registration rules for headlights and the MOT test's greater latitude and, naturally enough, motorcaravanners prefer the latter! The fact is, if a motorhome's headlights don't meet the UK-registration criteria, it's academic that it can pass our MOT test - it's technically illegal when it's submitted for MOT testing, and passing the test will not legalise it in this respect.