France - Headlamps

[Retired]

I guess the only question that remains is how easy it is to convince the police that your headlamps have indeed been adjusted.

David

Isn't it up to them to demonstrate that they are incorrectly set?

I'm sure every French, Belgian, german etc driver doesn't have to prove his lights are correctly aligned.


After all, I don't have to prove I was driving at the limit, they have to demonstrate I wasn't.

 

[whitenemesis]

Not the white plastic thingy, see here..(for a 203 anyway, although most others are similar positions)

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showpost.php?p=386603&postcount=10

 

[Phil D]

Isn't it up to them to demonstrate that they are incorrectly set?

I'm sure every French, Belgian, german etc driver doesn't have to prove his lights are correctly aligned.


After all, I don't have to prove I was driving at the limit, they have to demonstrate I wasn't.

eh...... not when driving in mainland Europe - it would be a reasonable assumption that they were ok as all are set up to drive on the right - there's a big difference between lights that are slightly out of alignment and ones which are fundamentally wrong because they dip the wrong way

if they came to the uk they would have to adjust
whether the police here bother or not is a different issue

 

[Retired]

eh...... not when driving in mainland Europe - it would be a reasonable assumption that they were ok as all are set up to drive on the right - there's a big difference between lights that are slightly out of alignment and ones which are fundamentally wrong because they dip the wrong way

if they came to the uk they would have to adjust
whether the police here bother or not is a different issue

Don’t think I follow this.

So I’m driving along in France, get stopped by the police and asked if my headlights are correctly adjusted for France. If I say yes are you saying they can ask me to prove it, and if I can’t I get done?

How am I to prove it?

Surely they have to have a reasonable suspicion that they are incorrect, which could, I suppose, be that it’s a UK car, and then test that suspicion by using some mechanism to prove their case.

 

[whitenemesis]

It's simply if the lights dazzle, you'll get pulled matters not if you are French or foreigner

 

[Retired]

It's simply if the lights dazzle, you'll get pulled matters not if you are French or foreigner

Yes, that’s blindingly ( sorry) obvious.

Originally Posted by gordonwd
I guess the only question that remains is how easy it is to convince the police that your headlamps have indeed been adjusted.

David

My point is rooted in this comment. They can stop me because they believe the lights are incorrectly adjusted but it is not up to me to prove they are ok it is up to them to prove they not correctly adjusted.

 

[whitenemesis]

Agreed but I think there will be no need for them to prove anything. If in their opinion the lights dazzle you'll get pulled and fined(?). If you contest it, you will have to prove they are correctly adjusted?

 

[Phil D]

Yes, that’s blindingly ( sorry) obvious.

Originally Posted by gordonwd
I guess the only question that remains is how easy it is to convince the police that your headlamps have indeed been adjusted.

David

My point is rooted in this comment. They can stop me because they believe the lights are incorrectly adjusted but it is not up to me to prove they are ok it is up to them to prove they not correctly adjusted.

On a RHD car the dipped beam pattern cuts away more from the driver's side so as to reduce the risk of dazzle. The reverse is the case on a LHD car. I would imagine all the police would do is switch the lights on and establish whether any attempt had been made to alter the RHD pattern - difficult perhaps in bright sunshine but not impossible.
so for a fiver why risk it, quite apart from common couretsy

 

[killwilly]

Not the white plastic thingy, see here..(for a 203 anyway, although most others are similar positions)

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showpost.php?p=386603&postcount=10

So can this adjustment only be made to cars with bi-xenon lights?

My car has Projector headlamps, can they be altered? The handbook makes no reference to this.

I'm off to France in September, so would be grateful for any advice re headlamp conversion.

 

[Phil D]

So can this adjustment only be made to cars with bi-xenon lights?

My car has Projector headlamps, can they be altered? The handbook makes no reference to this.

I'm off to France in September, so would be grateful for any advice re headlamp conversion.

no expert by I believe the "flick a lever" solution is only with Xenons - buy the stick-ons from amazon - dead cheap, easy to fit (bit of a sod to get off though)

 

[Retired]

On a RHD car the dipped beam pattern cuts away more from the driver's side so as to reduce the risk of dazzle. The reverse is the case on a LHD car. I would imagine all the police would do is switch the lights on and establish whether any attempt had been made to alter the RHD pattern - difficult perhaps in bright sunshine but not impossible.
so for a fiver why risk it, quite apart from common couretsy

In an earlier post I said lights should be adjusted so as not to dazzle other drivers not just to escape a fine. I also said I leave mine adjusted for driving on the right as I travel to mainland europe a few times a year.

The adjustment removes part of the beam that would dazzle when in europe, so does not cause dazzle in uk and has very little effect on the effectiveness of the lights.

The adjustment does not flip the lights between 'proper' LHD and RHD, it only removes the part of the beam that would cause dazzle in europe.

 

[whitenemesis]

So can this adjustment only be made to cars with bi-xenon lights?

My car has Projector headlamps, can they be altered? The handbook makes no reference to this.

I'm off to France in September, so would be grateful for any advice re headlamp conversion.

no expert by I believe the "flick a lever" solution is only with Xenons - buy the stick-ons from amazon - dead cheap, easy to fit (bit of a sod to get off though)

The adjustment lever is present on models with projector style headlamps, be they halogen, xenon or bi-xenon. I gave a model list in an earlier post..

 

[Phil D]

The adjustment lever is present on models with projector style headlamps, be they halogen, xenon or bi-xenon. I gave a model list in an earlier post..

happy to be corrected

 

[FrenchregW246]

Living in France, we never change the direction of headlight beam when coming to UK, but what I do is use the small dial alongside light switch to lower beam. These seems to work ok.

 

[whitenemesis]

Living in France, we never change the direction of headlight beam when coming to UK, but what I do is use the small dial alongside light switch to lower beam. These seems to work ok.

Cars with xenons do not have that dial. The headlamps are leveled automatically using sensors on the front and rear ARBs. So one would not be able to 'dip' the beams that way.

 

[Clarence]

Just taken my 211 with projector lights to France. Altered beams with the switches for continental roads, no problems whatsoever, very easy.

 

[killwilly]

Just taken my 211 with projector lights to France. Altered beams with the switches for continental roads, no problems whatsoever, very easy.

Sorry for the late post, just returned from a few days away. Do you mean the beam adjustment switch inside the car, by the on/off switch, or do you mean one on the headlights under the bonnet?

 

[Clarence]

By the headlight under the bonnet.

 

[gordonwd]

Sorry chief - I have halogens and was able to use the lever-flicking approach. Once you've found the lever, it's a doddle.

Anyways. For anyone interested, here's a snapshot of the data for the trip in question. Mostly autoroute driving, um, more or less around the 130kph speed limit. Mostly. Ahem.


Total miles : 1837.
Total hours : 35h 15 mins
Average Speed : 52 mph

Fuel consumption : 39.4 (pretty damned good I think).


David

no expert by I believe the "flick a lever" solution is only with Xenons - buy the stick-ons from amazon - dead cheap, easy to fit (bit of a sod to get off though)

 

[killwilly]

I'm a little confused as to the location of the switch on my CLC, could someone point me in the right direction please? :Oops: