UK to Spain lighting question

[Wendy Powell]

Morning, I’m a newbie to this site.
I have a 64 plate B class and I am taking it over to Spain full time

I have been told they apparently I can adjust the lights instead of changing them to meet eu regulations to register it on a Spanish plate

Does anyone know how this is exactly done?

thanks in advance !!

 

[bembo449]

either at an mot testing station who will manually adjust them or they simply may have a little lever on each lamp unit to swap between LHD & RHD , I'm sure someone will know for sure

 

[Craiglxviii]

That’s fine for visiting, but to permanently export the car I believe it has to have native condition headlamps, which means a complete swap out from right to left hand drive units.

 

[bembo449]

that's the sort of good news the OP wasn't expecting pal

 

[Craiglxviii]

that's the sort of good news the OP wasn't expecting pal

The good news is, it isn’t necessarily massively expensive or difficult to do.

 

[bembo449]

but certainly not something the OP had expected pal

 

[Oldspanners]

It depends on how the regulations are interpreted in Spain.
Here in France the car will pass its Control Technique with just the beam "flattened" by moving a lever if fitted on the lights or by changing the settings on the car if you have (I think) "intelligent lighting".
The expense of changing lights depends obviously on the model, older cars with ordinary bulbs are cheaper, I had to change my 2004 C class cost me about £150 five years ago, a couple of hours to fit DIY, and about €20 to set on a beam setter.#
Edit if you do need to buy new lights make sure they have the E marking for European conformity as there are a lot of cheap ones that don't.

 

[bembo449]

I thought most cars that were sold in both RHD & LHD had the little lever inside , thought it saved making left & right handed units ? ive only been over the water in a Volvo and a BMW , both of which had the lever fitted

 

[Oldspanners]

I thought most cars that were sold in both RHD & LHD had the little lever inside , thought it saved making left & right handed units ? ive only been over the water in a Volvo and a BMW , both of which had the lever fitted

Lights with the lever fitted only move a mask inside the light to flatten the pattern so as the RHD goes from \-- to --- to get a real LHD pattern --/ you need to change the light or have intelligent lighting.

 

[EmilysDad]

It depends on how the regulations are interpreted in Spain.
Here in France the car will pass its Control Technique with just the beam "flattened" by moving a lever if fitted on the lights or by changing the settings on the car if you have (I think) "intelligent lighting"....

You loose the auto main beam when set to "right hand traffic" on my ML with ILS lighting.

 

[Oldspanners]

You loose the auto main beam when set to "right hand traffic" on my ML with ILS lighting.

Do you know approximately when ILS was introduced as it would be handy when (if) I get a chance to update my wheels?

 

[EmilysDad]

Do you know approximately when ILS was introduced as it would be handy when (if) I get a chance to update my wheels?

Mine is a 14 plate HID ILS, but as with almost everything MB, there were an option. Craig seems to be the man in the know but there are cars with ILS led lighting too.

 

[ajlsl600]

That’s fine for visiting, but to permanently export the car I believe it has to have native condition headlamps, which means a complete swap out from right to left hand drive units.

Xactly been there dun that 2 x wont get a ct there with uk lights,unless u "know"someone it will go to dealer to get doc stating that it meets in country regs,then ct then yr good to go . Cost me headlight units and 1time 130 euro for documentation, 2 nd time no charge,boy did I leave there quick..

 

[jp williams]

That’s fine for visiting, but to permanently export the car I believe it has to have native condition headlamps, which means a complete swap out from right to left hand drive units.

I agree. Silly to ask here. Ask your Spanish Lawyer.

 

[Craiglxviii]

You loose the auto main beam when set to "right hand traffic" on my ML with ILS lighting.

Does that have LED? Because all the fancy LED moving black spot ILS lamps have electronically adapted beam pattern, that is, it’s a uniform flat beam with the dogleg set by the lamp’s own moving shade devices not a shutter or indeed any special lensing.

The newer ILS have full electronically shaped beams with no moving parts, so <should> just be a setting in the cockpit menu somewhere.

 

[EmilysDad]

Does that have LED? .

No. Mines bi-xenon/HID

 

[Craiglxviii]

No. Mines bi-xenon/HID

Right, that’s be why then. No beam steering.

 

[LostKiwi]

Quite often need to change rear lights too if the fog light is integrated into rail lights.
UK standard is fog light on right, Europe is fog light on left.
A cheaper alternative is to disable factory fog light and fit a separate one in the appropriate place.

 

[Wendy Powell]

Quite often need to change rear lights too if the fog light is integrated into rail lights.
UK standard is fog light on right, Europe is fog light on left.
A cheaper alternative is to disable factory fog light and fit a separate one in the appropriate place.

Thank you

 

[ajlsl600]

Quite often need to change rear lights too if the fog light is integrated into rail lights.
UK standard is fog light on right, Europe is fog light on left.
A cheaper alternative is to disable factory fog light and fit a separate one in the appropriate place.

Interesting, both mine are factory fog, uk cars. Yet CT, reg no issue, so far...