Adjusting Headlamps for Driving in Europe

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
I have a UK registered 2013 CLS 250 CDI which I am in the process of importing into Switzerland. The "MOT" went well with the exception of the lights. The tester failed the car because the headlamps are not focussed to drive on the right.The car does not have the intelligent light system. I have read several threads on this forum about this issue that referenced lever adjustment to achieve the correct settings but in the main these referred to older vehicles. Can anyone advise if the lights on my car can be adjusted in this manner?
Many thanks,

Should be able to, tourist feature is still available on non-ILS. However there IS a difference between LHD & RHD lamps.
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
..... I have read several threads on this forum about this issue that referenced lever adjustment to achieve the correct settings but in the main these referred to older vehicles. Can anyone advise if the lights on my car can be adjusted in this manner?
Many thanks,


I don't know about your specific car, but there's often a shutter within the headlamp that cuts off the up sweep to the left of a RHD car to give you a flat beam, it doesn't make it into a LHD headlamp though.
 

Mr Filipov

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
739
Reaction score
157
Location
Huntingdon
Your Mercedes
2017 BMW 535d Gran Turismo
I am sure someone would have asked probably, or maybe not due to lack of numbers in production. On a 2007 CLS320 with projector headlights (non-xenon). I will be travelling europe this summer and would like to know what I can do. Ideally would like to avoid putting stickers on the lights. Remmeber doing that a few years ago when I went to France and taking it off after only a week was such a pig.
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
I am sure someone would have asked probably, or maybe not due to lack of numbers in production. On a 2007 CLS320 with projector headlights (non-xenon). I will be travelling europe this summer and would like to know what I can do. Ideally would like to avoid putting stickers on the lights. Remmeber doing that a few years ago when I went to France and taking it off after only a week was such a pig.

Look on the back of the left hand headlamp unit. Remove the rear cover if it has one, there will be a white lever, Push this down (or up, I forget), it moves a light shield inside the lamp that cuts off the dogleg beam for left side kerb illumination.
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
I am sure someone would have asked probably, or maybe not due to lack of numbers in production. On a 2007 CLS320 .......

They have asked ..... it was just above your question :rolleyes: .... & I gave the same answer as Craig ;)
 

mikestrivens

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
2,715
Reaction score
147
Location
Stockport
Your Mercedes
1995 W124 320TE, 1998 R129 SL500, 2016 Triumph Tiger 800 XCx
Look on the back of the left hand headlamp unit. Remove the rear cover if it has one, there will be a white lever, Push this down (or up, I forget), it moves a light shield inside the lamp that cuts off the dogleg beam for left side kerb illumination.

But that doesn't make it a RHD lamp fitting, i.e. for driving on the wrong side of the road. Personally for the odd trip to France etc I've never bothered to change the lights but I do virtually no night driving. It might be different if you were moving to a RHD area, from a LHD area, and getting it type approved or the equivalent of MOT'd.
 
Last edited:

rf065

Senior Member
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
3,518
Reaction score
996
Location
Grossbritannien
Your Mercedes
SLC300 - C250d Estate 4 Matic & Z900rs
Ideally would like to avoid putting stickers on the lights. Remmeber doing that a few years ago when I went to France and taking it off after only a week was such a pig.

Just adjust the lights to the lowest setting, in France anyway, the law states you must not cause your light to blind oncoming traffic, there is no mention of stickers or LHD settings. Turning the thumb wheel on the dash to lower the lights is sufficient to comply with the law.

You never see LHD cars coming to the UK with stickers on their lights either.

Russ
 
Last edited:

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
Just adjust the lights to the lowest setting, in France anyway, .....
That's just bone idle & besides, not all cars have a 'lowest setting' on the lights .... mine doesn't (Airmatic) and HIDs have auto levelling so they don't have a manual setting either. It takes two minutes to lift the bonnet, stick your hand in the back of the head lamp & move the shutter if you have asymmetric lights


You never see LHD cars coming to the UK with stickers on their lights either.

Russ
because they're very often symmetrical beams that don't need stickers.
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
But that doesn't make it a RHD lamp fitting, i.e. for driving on the wrong side of the road. Personally for the odd trip to France etc I've never bothered to change the lights but I do virtually no night driving. It might be different if you were moving to a RHD area, from a LHD area, and getting it type approved or the equivalent of MOT'd.

Nope it doesn't. It's called "tourist mode" as it's meant for visits only e.g. touring holidays.

On the LED ILS lamps they are completely symmetrical and can be changed via the dash menu from RHD to LHD.
 

rf065

Senior Member
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
3,518
Reaction score
996
Location
Grossbritannien
Your Mercedes
SLC300 - C250d Estate 4 Matic & Z900rs
That's just bone idle & besides, not all cars have a 'lowest setting' on the lights .... mine doesn't (Airmatic) and HIDs have auto levelling so they don't have a manual setting either. It takes two minutes to lift the bonnet, stick your hand in the back of the head lamp & move the shutter if you have asymmetric lights



because they're very often symmetrical beams that don't need stickers.

How's it bone idle? I don't have any adjustment other than the thumbwheel on the dash and on the lowest setting they do not blind anyone and more importantly still comply with the law. The only other option is stickers on the headlights which I've used a few times and thought they were crap.

Russ
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
How's it bone idle? I don't have any adjustment other than the thumbwheel on the dash and on the lowest setting they do not blind anyone and more importantly still comply with the law. The only other option is stickers on the headlights which I've used a few times and thought they were crap.

Russ

it's bone idle because you're just tipping the beam downward for the easiest.
Of course they'll blind people when you're on the wrong side of the road ... they have a lick up to the left .... exactly where Pierre & Helmut are! If you have projector lights, there's very likely going to be lever & shutter inside the headlight. I agree, stickers don't work ... that's why we have shutters to make your asymmetric headlights symmetrical ie a flat beam

And how doe it comply with the law? You're blinding others on the road. You'd be better off leaving the beam symmetrical over here too
 
Last edited:

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,326
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
A little word of warning about not doing anything about your lights beam pattern - the finest can be very stiff. Up to £500! They were running an article in the ferry magazine on our last trip warning about it.

http://www.motoring-into-europe.co.uk/faq.html

OP, given you'll be spending some time over there from thd sounds of it why not source a set of LHD lights and swap them over?
 
Last edited:

rf065

Senior Member
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
3,518
Reaction score
996
Location
Grossbritannien
Your Mercedes
SLC300 - C250d Estate 4 Matic & Z900rs
it's bone idle because you're just tipping the beam downward for the easiest.
Of course they'll blind people when you're on the wrong side of the road ... they have a lick up to the left .... exactly where Pierre & Helmut are! If you have projector lights, there's very likely going to be lever & shutter inside the headlight. I agree, stickers don't work ... that's why we have shutters to make your asymmetric headlights symmetrical ie a flat beam

And how doe it comply with the law? You're blinding others on the road. You'd be better off leaving the beam symmetrical over here too

Firstly, I'm not bone idle because I only have two options, turn the headlights to the lowest setting or use stickers. Using stickers results in other cars flashing me because they are blinded and turning the lights to the lowest setting means no one flashes me at all. How is that bone idle?

I don't have shutters or fancy lights and as long as I don't blind oncoming traffic then I'm complying with the law, which merely states it is an offence to blind oncoming traffic. It does not mention how you have to do this and does not state that stickers have to be used or anything else.

Russ
 

rf065

Senior Member
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
3,518
Reaction score
996
Location
Grossbritannien
Your Mercedes
SLC300 - C250d Estate 4 Matic & Z900rs
They were running an article in the ferry magazine on our last trip warning about it.

That would be the same ferry companies that tell you to buy breathalyzer kits as you need them when the law was never passed in France, very convenient as their shop must have thousands of them left to sell. The same magazines that tell you to buy stickers for your lights and claim you need them too. Not sure I would pay much heed to their articles.

Russ
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,326
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
That would be the same ferry companies that tell you to buy breathalyzer kits as you need them when the law was never passed in France, very convenient as their shop must have thousands of them left to sell. The same magazines that tell you to buy stickers for your lights and claim you need them too. Not sure I would pay much heed to their articles.

Russ

Google search reveals similar information from several other sources (that don't sell stickers).
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
What's changing then if they're already symmetrical :???::???:

The road they project onto is not symmettrical, there is a bias that needs to change. Otherwise we'd all drive down the middle of the road both ways :p
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
That would be the same ferry companies that tell you to buy breathalyzer kits as you need them when the law was never passed in France, very convenient as their shop must have thousands of them left to sell. The same magazines that tell you to buy stickers for your lights and claim you need them too. Not sure I would pay much heed to their articles.

Russ

The law was passed and enforced for about 18 months. What was then changed was the ability of the police to issue on-the-spot fines for those people not carrying breathalysers..........
 

You lost your key ? Or maybe you need a spare! Your vehicle imobilliser does not respond anymore? WE CAN FIX THEM ALL !! Mobile ! Save Time and Increase Profits With us !
Top Bottom