Changing headlights from RHD to LHD

[jmartin]

Hi, I am a new member and have a 2008 C180 Sport Kompressor Estate. The car is right hand drive but I live in France and need to change the headlights to dip in the opposite direction to get through the control technique [MOT] and I have been told that they are switchable and don't need replacing. I believe that I have to remove the headlights but don't know what to do next. Can anybody please help? Any information would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

 

[television]

Only Xenons have a cover that comes down to cut of the high part of the beam.

I have never heard of them being OK on an import and import regs. The lamps must be changed.

 

[deejaybee]

Not sure if the test regulations may be different in France to the UK, but here you can get away with fitting stick-on beam deflectors.

My SL320 is to UK spec but was originally supplied "to a NATO employee" in Europe and was fitted with right dipping headlamps (unkown to me at purchase). After I had the car for nearly a year and took it for an MOT the first time i was somewhat suprised to get a failure on the lights! The garage explained it was set up for driving on the continent and just said to fit beam deflectors, which I did. You may find that they need to be replaced each year as they are not actually intended to be permanent and dirt etc. may build up beneath them.

You could of course look at purchasing used headlamp units from a breakers yard which should be much cheaper than new ones.

 

[jmartin]

My brother in law had them changed on his 2008 C-Class by an MB agent but they didn't change the complete headlight units, so I guess that they must be switchable as on some BMW and Volvo's. What do you think? I understand that this switching of dipped beam is a relatively recent thing.

 

[ernieh]

Hi, I am a new member and have a 2008 C180 Sport Kompressor Estate. The car is right hand drive but I live in France and need to change the headlights to dip in the opposite direction to get through the control technique [MOT] and I have been told that they are switchable and don't need replacing. I believe that I have to remove the headlights but don't know what to do next. Can anybody please help? Any information would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

On the 204 series, there is a switch on each h/l that flattens the beam to make it legal on the Continent. My dealership did it for me for both of our continental holidays and then switched them back foc. Literally takes 20 seconds per lamp!

Ernie

 

[television]

Again only on Xenon lamps, or some projector lamps

 

[EmilysDad]

Again only on Xenon lamps, or some projector lamps

Surely a 2008 Merc should at least have projector headlamps? My 2007 R Class has projectors with the beam cut off shutter

 

[television]

Surely a 2008 Merc should at least have projector headlamps? My 2007 R Class has projectors with the beam cut off shutter

Just looked in the sales book and projector lamps are standard You made me check

 

[EmilysDad]

Just looked in the sales book and projector lamps are standard You made me check

So there'll be a shutter to cut off the RHD upsweep to the left?

 

[television]

So there'll be a shutter to cut off the RHD upsweep to the left?

Only to cut the top of the beam, this will not pass for importing.

 

[EmilysDad]

Only to cut the top of the beam, this will not pass for importing.

That's what I thought. I wonder if it would be possible to dismantle a headlamp & set it up for LHD land Plastic lenses will generally come off with a bit of gentle heat ........ I'd have thought that any manufacturer would make things as easy (ie cheap) as possible for themselves and have a minimum number of parts across all their cars

 

[television]

That's what I thought. I wonder if it would be possible to dismantle a headlamp & set it up for LHD land Plastic lenses will generally come off with a bit of gentle heat ........ I'd have thought that any manufacturer would make things as easy (ie cheap) as possible for themselves and have a minimum number of parts across all their cars

It is the shape of the reflector that is wrong

 

[EmilysDad]

It is the shape of the reflector that is wrong

I'd have thought that it was more due to the orientation of the bulb and its relationship to the shield that gives the dipped beam ........

 

[jmartin]

There is definitely a way to convert from RHD to LHD on a 2008 C180 because MB did it while my brother in law waited but he did not see how they did it. He has the same car and year. Somebody must know how to do it. I am a good hours drive from a MB agent and I would like to know how to do this myself for return trips to the UK.

 

[EmilysDad]

There is definitely a way to convert from RHD to LHD on a 2008 C180 because MB did it while my brother in law waited but he did not see how they did it. He has the same car and year. Somebody must know how to do it. I am a good hours drive from a MB agent and I would like to know how to do this myself for return trips to the UK.

Your brother in law just moved a shutter inside the headlamp to remove the upsweep to the left from a RHD headlamp ie your beam before was \____ \____ and afterwards it was _____ _____ Have a fish around, they're not too difficult to find but IIRC the levers work opposite way around ie one will be up while the other will be down.
As Malc says though, doing the above is unlikely to satisfy the French bods when you import a car ...... it doesn't make them LHD ie you don't get an asymmetrical beam of ____/ ____/

 

[jmartin]

Thanks for that Emily's Dad but I am still confused because Mercedes France said that these headlights were switchable from RHD to LHD and my brother in law has already registered his car in France after passing the Control Technique [MOT] so maybe I will have to visit a Merc agent. Maybe they will show me how to do it. Ha Ha.

 

[EmilysDad]

Thanks for that Emily's Dad but I am still confused because Mercedes France said that these headlights were switchable from RHD to LHD and my brother in law has already registered his car in France after passing the Control Technique [MOT] so maybe I will have to visit a Merc agent. Maybe they will show me how to do it. Ha Ha.

Perhaps any symmetrical beam suffices for Le MOT

 

[jmartin]

Hope so Emily's Dad. I don't really understand 'symmetrical beams' as that would seem to indicate that they face forwards and don't dip to the left or right. Incidentally I saw a Volvo on UTube being changed from left to right and he had to remove the dipping bulb then the lever rotated a small curved screen horizontally to the other side and then the bulb was replaced so I was hoping that it would be similar on my C180. My wife is from Bury, her maiden name was Fish. Don't suppose you know any Fish people. Thanks for trying to help.

 

[whitenemesis]

If you remove the big black cap on the rear of the headlamp unit you will find a small, fragile lever next to the dipped beam bulb, on the wing side.

As posted, the French require a change of lamp unit on imports to comply with regs.

 

[jmartin]

Thankyou 'whitenemesis' I have found my posts. Must be losing it in my old age.