There is another thread running re high power light bulbs in which it seems to imply that bulbs are now available in right or left hand dip. This seems likely to me in that most cars now have comletely bank smooth lenses and I presume the dip pattern is generated by the bulb - is this the case?
If it is it would seem to be much easier for the car manufacturers to arrange for the bulb, in its holder, to rotated a few degrees so that the beam would change from UK pattern, flat on the right up a bit to the left ,to Coninental, flat on the left up a bit to the right. This could be achieved by rotating the holder about 15 degrees anti clockwise.
Funny old thing, I seem to recall that some cars had a little toggle, years ago, which achieved just this effect. If changing bulbs was easy I would rather do that for a trip across the Channel than mess about with stick on beam deflectors.
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Many still do, AS, my Roomster has a lever which changes the headlight beam to "neutral" for driving abroad and I understand BMW 5 series have an electric version!! I think that the lens is now on the inside of the glass?
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Most lights are now generic and it is the bulb position that dictates the dip direction hence the lever, the FocusST has Xenons that can be changed L to R dip by the dealer apparently. A simple switch would be useful.
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There's an incomplete list here to which I've just added the Roomster, and will add any more you come up with.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=72
HJ
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HJ,
I understand that on the Focus II cars with adaptive lighting have the levers on the back of the light units, with Xenons they are dealer switchable though with standard lights they need correctors.
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Can stick on beam benders be used with xenons ?
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HJ - you could add the Mk 1 Skoda Superb to your list. Although a clone of the old Passat, the lights are more Audi-like with projector lenses for the dipped beams and the integral foglamps.
Changing the dip is vey easy if you know how - although VAG/Hella have made an excellent job of hiding the levers. My dealer wanted GBP100 to remove the lamps and adjust - GBP200 per trip. Jokers.
The trick is to access the dipping adjust levers through the aperture for the main beam headlamp and use a bent screwdriver. On the RHS you need to remove the air inlet trunking - 3 screws. I did mine in under 5 minutes in the ferry queue.
659.
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One of the problems with bulbs being allowed to toggle in their holders is that it allows people to mess with them and so possibly blind oncoming drivers so personally in principle im against headlight manufacturers making it too simple for simple people
I read yesterday that there is a new headlightbulb out complete with bulb holder for the new golf,this will make it impossible to fit wrongly so i guess some manufacturers are taking misaligned bulbs seriously
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As an aside, I didn't adjust the lights back for a few days when I came back and the beam had a peculiar "black" spot to the left hand side. It wasnt noticable when I was abroad as that would have been the centre of the road, but that black spot was on the left hand kerb over here which made it stand out! At least it proved it worked I suppose!!
(PS I wasn't dazzling anyone with it like that as the Roomster only centres the beam, it doesn't turn it fully the other way - I understand the LHD Roomsters have a similar set up for coming over here!)
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These adjusters for dip only make the asymmetric beam symmetric, they don't dip them the other way.
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Yes. The small round ones are designed to be compatible with xenons, I have been using them on my Saab 9-5. They don't seem very effective, but then again, I never seem to upset other drivers abroad.
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Historic note! Our old Renault 4 (1975ish) had little levers under the lights - just flipped them across when going abroad. Suppose you could say that technology had gone backwards since then but I suspect that nowadays the headlights on an old Ren 4 would look like a couple of candles!
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Yes my Renault 4 had little levers under the headlights but I thought they were to point the headlamps down a bit when carrying a full load. Lowering the beam would have the same effect for driving abroad as HJ recommends with modern electric headlamp adjusters.
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Skoda Octavia (mine is a 2008) has it as well - five minute job, headlamp out, bulb out, move lever, reverse process.
Lever actually changes the shape of the screen that cuts off the top half of the beam.
See Briskoda for full details
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I have a Skoda Roomster I exported to Portugal. They changed the headlights with the "flatening" bar on the headlights for registration over there. Now I need to conver it back to UK headlights since moving back. You say you managed- can you please say how and if possible provide a photo? Many thanks!
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