Head headlight adjustments for Europe Driving

[Raldanash]

All,

I am a bit puzzled... I am going to Europe on Saturday in my car (not the Honda on this occassion but the bus - still think you can help me)

I got one of those sticker sets from halfords that gives you 2 bits of plastic to stick on the headlamp glass to block out your light and keep it from dazzling oncoming traffic.

Here is the question.
over here, we drive on the left, meaning the light cone is skewed to the left.

Over there, they drive on the right, meaning a left skewed cone would dazzle them. So far so good.

Now would that not mean that I stick the sticker on the left side of the bulb (looking in driving direction, right if looking on the lamp while in front of the car) to block out that part of the cone?

The instructions from Halford say differently, putting the sticker in the bottom right (driving direction) segment of the lamp.

Am I missing the trick that the reflector redirects the light from the right of the bulb to the left of the street? Is Halfords wrong?

Your help would be much appreciated....

[lobey dosser]

Yeah - I'd like to know that, too. Going over to France in July.

Logically you would think that the masks should go to the left of the bulb (when viewed from the driver's seat), but the instructions say stick them on the right.

[AllGo]

Don't bother adjusting your headlights, it's not worth the effort.. Nobody on the mainland really cares if your headlights are pointing slightly to the right or slightly to the left.

If you have the xenon (HID) headlights, there is a switch on them to switch between LHD and RHD.

[Old River Man]

I have never bothered to use the beam deflectors and mine has been into Europe a couple of times. Going again next week after its had its next service but I did not know there was a switch to change the lights over. Just shows you learn something new everyday.

[okehciv]

Originally Posted by AllGo

Don't bother adjusting your headlights, it's not worth the effort.. Nobody on the mainland really cares if your headlights are pointing slightly to the right or slightly to the left.

If you have the xenon (HID) headlights, there is a switch on them to switch between LHD and RHD.

Thats a new one on me also, can't remember seeing or reading that before. Will check out at a more sensible hour

[djm]

Originally Posted by AllGo

Don't bother adjusting your headlights, it's not worth the effort.. Nobody on the mainland really cares if your headlights are pointing slightly to the right or slightly to the left.

If you have the xenon (HID) headlights, there is a switch on them to switch between LHD and RHD.

Really? That'd be fantastic! Where do I find this switch? It'd save me so much hassle and also keep my car looking sexy on the continent

[tomtank62]

Raldanash

I bought Eurolites when I went abroad and sat on the floor in front of the car thinking exactly the same thing. I came to the conclusion that the instructions were for LHD cars and stuck my bits to the right when looking at the lamps.
I may have been wrong, and as it turned out I never drove in the dark anyway - apart from in the ferry

[ante00]

here nobody looks in your lights so do worry about it....lights are lights...example; in my country some people have lights adjust high and nobody complains about it or when one blubs goes dead they cange it but don't know that they have to change both because of beam.....so your are lights are OK

[Raldanash]

Ante - thanks for the reassuring words, but the route I am taking is a bit of a hot spot. France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, all motorway, all full of eager policemen.

As for the kits being for LHD cars - they claim on the pack to be made in the UK, and were packed in with a GB magnetic plate... I found myself experimenting yesterday evening by holding a credit card in front of the lamps, and still stand by my original thought of doing the opposite of the instructions.

[msilva_ahk]

Originally Posted by AllGo

Don't bother adjusting your headlights, it's not worth the effort.. Nobody on the mainland really cares if your headlights are pointing slightly to the right or slightly to the left.

If you have the xenon (HID) headlights, there is a switch on them to switch between LHD and RHD.

Hello,

AllGo, where is the switch? Nobody else seem to know about it and it would be v helpful for me to know. I'm driving to Italy through France and Switzerland in July-August.

Thanks

[alanwalne]

I have a SE (no HID) and have fitted the Halfords converters for a tripto France. Looking from the front of the car, the beam benders are fitted at adout 7 o'clock from a little blob in the middle lights on the car. When going along the A" the lights were definitly tipping right

[WavyD]

I use the Hella ones that are a circle with a pull of extra bit sticking out of the side. They also say to stick them onto the opposite side of the lens to what you would think! I just stick them wherever they say and its not my problem if they don't work! On some cars, I have stuck them to a set of headlamp protectors. That way you can clip them on and off when needed for continental driving (but too expensive if you only do the continent once a year).

[waran]

I'm going over to France soon too! Any word on this switch for the Xenon's? Anyone found it yet? I remember an earlier topic on this on this forum, and the conclusion was the adjusters that are seen is to set the base point so the auto levelers can do their thing and not for going to the continent. However, switch would be awesome, I wouldn't expect honda to make a seperate LHD & RHD versions of the headlights, I'm sure there is a way to flick it over. Don't you just love mass production...

[WavyD]

Originally Posted by waran

I'm going over to France soon too! Any word on this switch for the Xenon's? Anyone found it yet? I remember an earlier topic on this on this forum, and the conclusion was the adjusters that are seen is to set the base point so the auto levelers can do their thing and not for going to the continent. However, switch would be awesome, I wouldn't expect honda to make a seperate LHD & RHD versions of the headlights, I'm sure there is a way to flick it over. Don't you just love mass production...

Way back in X Reg, my Vauxhall Omega had the lever for headlamp switchover. It was a thin bar, mounted at the top rear of each headlamp. You could not see it, as it was just under the metal of the bodywork. You had to lift it slightly and then slide it to one side. Hope that helps in your quest!

[harq]

I had the same thing whilst driving in Europe. I was attempting Cambridge to southern Hungary in one go (!) and I'd got to about 100km short of Vienna with the sun heading for the horizon and figured I'd better stop off to do the beam benders. I got a few funny looks from the german speakers coming and going in the service station car park as I sat
cross-legged in front of a headlight puzzling over poor instructions. In the end I figured, rather than relying on the instructions, the trick would be to see where the light was coming out from. Indeed, FACING the car, 10 steps back and to the right, I could see that tho' shining at my 'UK verge' location, the full intensity was via a portion of reflector on the LEFT side of the LAMP (again *facing* the car). Dipped beam of course. So I edged the bender sticker to ensure it covered that part. Worked a treat.
Hope that helps.
PS. Try this at your own risk. I had to do some serious squinting and even then didn't take full on exposure.

[WavyD]

I have just found this site offering help to Golf owners. Look at the second photo down, it shows a small switch to go from Europe to UK and Back. It maybe worth looking for on the Civic!

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=51636.0

EDIT Sorry Its the Third Picture Down!

[FWH]

Originally Posted by WavyD

I have just found this site offering help to Golf owners. Look at the second photo down, it shows a small switch to go from Europe to UK and Back. It maybe worth looking for on the Civic!

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=51636.0

EDIT Sorry Its the Third Picture Down!

WHY ON EARTH WERE YOU SURFING A GOLF FORUM!!!!!

[WavyD]

Originally Posted by FWH

WHY ON EARTH WERE YOU SURFING A GOLF FORUM!!!!!

I was surfing past, tripped over a dead GTI driver and fell through the door!

I actually did a search for "Xenon.pdf" to pick a file up someone had tried to post on here . The GTI forum was one that just came up! Its OK I didn't bring any contamination back with me and I've had a good wash since!

[TTDegs]

VAG cars do have this switch (typically), as my A3 A4 and TT all had something similar

Yet to find it on the Civ though

[WavyD]

Originally Posted by TTDegs

VAG cars do have this switch (typically), as my A3 A4 and TT all had something similar

Yet to find it on the Civ though

I can't get away from the fact that it just wouldn't make economic sense to produce two types of headlamp! Even if its only for factory use. There must be a switch, swappable bracket or adjuster arm of some type for use during manufacture. Maybe its been hidden behind a plastic cap or within an indent, under a sticker or label applied to the housing!