Headlights in Europe

[The Mighty Pauls]

Hi all - I have seen a few posts on this subject, but haven't managed to find a definitive answer!!

I am off to France on Friday and was wondering if I needed headlight deflectors....

I have a 2014 SE 140 BMT - there appears to be some kind of headlight adjuster on the dash, but not sure if this is sufficient?

I am reluctant to put 'Eurolites' stickers on as they are a b****r to remove.

Has anyone any advice?

Very much appreciated.

TTP
Bristol

 

[Loz]

Firstly it depends on which lights you have, but assuming you have the Halogens;
Purchase some acrylic headlight protectors and apply black insulation tape to mask off the "Up slant" that you can see if you are facing a suitable wall.

They can be removed and replaced when needed.

 

[The Mighty Pauls]

Thank Loz - so are you saying that the Halogen (standard) lights on the 5.1s definitely require masking of some kind? The adjuster in the cab is insufficient?

https://+++++++++++++++++++++++/pro...stickers-for-europe-not-for-xenon-headlights/

£55 seems a lot to pay!

Cheers

 

[Loz]

Its up to you, you could not bother as the chances of needing your lights are low this time of year, use the level adjuster to wind them right down and not see where your going if you do need them.

Or a brit hating gendarme might just spot they haven't been done and use it against you..

...and £55 is a lot less than a new headlamp..

 

[bigmac77]

Or just buy the eurolite stickers for £2.50. They aren’t that difficult to remove and give you something to do whilst on the euro tunnel on the way home.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi all - I have seen a few posts on this subject, but haven't managed to find a definitive answer!!

I am off to France on Friday and was wondering if I needed headlight deflectors....

I have a 2014 SE 140 BMT - there appears to be some kind of headlight adjuster on the dash, but not sure if this is sufficient?

I am reluctant to put 'Eurolites' stickers on as they are a b****r to remove.

Has anyone any advice?

Very much appreciated.

TTP
Bristol

Not sufficient I'm afraid.
As @Loz suggests - Headlamp Protectors + Blackout. Or Eurolite. They are easy to remove - just leave the headlights On for 5-10 minutes then they just peal off. Widow cleaner removes any glue left.

 

[The Mighty Pauls]

Much appreciated everyone.

Eurolites it is!!

Bon Chance!

 

[18hunts]

I have headlight protectors with blackout stickers permanently fitted. Two min's to put on and take off. Do they do any good. Don't know but it shows willing and I've never been flashed by oncoming traffic. When not in use they sleep in a pair of old pillow protector cases until required. On mine the headlight adjuster just raise and lowers the beam, not adjustment for driving on the wrong side of the road but adjusting for weight being carried.

 

[Ryemslie]

We just did eight week over there. I didn’t want to fit eurolites so I bought some & stuck them in the drawer under the rear seat along with first aid kit etc so they were easily accessible incase I needed to fit them whilst over there. Never did in the end.

 

[inthemidnighthour]

We just did eight week over there. I didn’t want to fit eurolites so I bought some & stuck them in the drawer under the rear seat along with first aid kit etc so they were easily accessible incase I needed to fit them whilst over there. Never did in the end.

Same here have a set in the glovebox but never fitted or used yet
Still sitting outside it's 32 degrees at 2336 in south of France !,,

 

[kurienp]

For halogens, black electrical tape - two small pieces over the part of the headlight that throws the light on to the opposite side. This is a small patterened glass between the high and the low beam lights.

When in Austria last year the traffic cops there appreciated my handiwork and gave me a thumbs up

Easy to remove as well - without any residue. Zoom n and see pic below - black tape on the headlights

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Erbster]

Same here have a set in the glovebox but never fitted or used yet
Still sitting outside it's 32 degrees at 2336 in south of France !,,

Me too.
Don’t drive much at night on holiday


https://caliventures364847572.wordpress.com/

 

[MattBW]

I've got some eurolites I think they were about 3 quid delivered. Will be fitting them before denmark trip

 

[jqp]

Just a note in favour of Eurolites. I used them on my first Cali trip to France & Spain this March. First night I had a Garmin malfunction (finger trouble entering lat/long for parking spot) so spent a couple of hours exploring very rural lanes SW of Paris in the dark. I found that the grating pattern on the Eurolite stickers does indeed throw some light to the right-hand verge which was very helpful.
The left-hand Eurolite went missing during a blizzard on the Col de Tourmalet, so they do not stick that tight! Grateful for 4-motion and winter tyres on that trip.

 

[Shadrack]

For halogens, black electrical tape - two small pieces over the part of the headlight that throws the light on to the opposite side. This is a small patterened glass between the high and the low beam lights.

When in Austria last year the traffic cops there appreciated my handiwork and gave me a thumbs up

Easy to remove as well - without any residue. Zoom n and see pic below - black tape on the headlights

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

I agree, I have always used tape on many different vehicles over the years. Can be cut to a nice shape with scissors if needed. Works fine

 

[oryx white]

I purchased the VW approved headlight protectors with the black tape to cut out the beam when we went to Le Mans. £40. Can't recommend them as they are not a snug enough fit. The offside one fell off on the way home (admittedly after a little plastic bottle was thrown up onto it when leaving an aire) with the metal bracket scratching the paintwork under the bonnet as it departed.

Eurolites for me next time.

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

I purchased the VW approved headlight protectors with the black tape to cut out the beam when we went to Le Mans. £40. Can't recommend them as they are not a snug enough fit. The offside one fell off on the way home (admittedly after a little plastic bottle was thrown up onto it when leaving an aire) with the metal bracket scratching the paintwork under the bonnet as it departed.

Eurolites for me next time.

How do you mask led headlights?

 

[kurienp]

How do you mask led headlights?

As I understand, the VW MFD has a setting which makes the led headlights adjust to LHD or RHD driving.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[pete&gill]

We use Eurolites several times before they get too tatty - just save the silicone paper - they come off easier 2nd and 3rd times!

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

As I understand, the VW MFD has a setting which makes the led headlights adjust to LHD or RHD driving.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Thanks. I didn’t find that in the handbook.

 

[Elmo3]

Hi all

The more I read on the topic, the more confused I’m becoming! 2017 Ocean with standard halogen headlights. Do I need Eurolites in France? I’ve read threads on here that say no you don’t and some say yes you do. I’ve noticed on the headlights there are no markings at all so even if I need Eurolites where are they supposed to be placed?

Thanks!

 

[kurienp]

Hi all

The more I read on the topic, the more confused I’m becoming! 2017 Ocean with standard halogen headlights. Do I need Eurolites in France? I’ve read threads on here that say no you don’t and some say yes you do. I’ve noticed on the headlights there are no markings at all so even if I need Eurolites where are they supposed to be placed?

Thanks!

Elmo, if you are taking a RHD vehicle to an LHD country, yes, you need to change the beam pattern. The headlight glass itself may not have any marking/pattern (see the pic posted by me above). The wide throw to the kerb side/passenger side is done by the reflector and does not need a pattern on the headlight glass such as was in older vehicles.

The eurolites or any other option (such as the black tape) blocks out the light throw to the passenger side - which, when you drive on the opposite side, without any light beam modifier such as eurolites can blind the oncoming cars on the passenger side lane.

Hope that clarifies.

 

[Elmo3]

Elmo, if you are taking a RHD vehicle to an LHD country, yes, you need to change the beam pattern. The headlight glass itself may not have any marking/pattern (see the pic posted by me above). The wide throw to the kerb side/passenger side is done by the reflector and does not need a pattern on the headlight glass such as was in older vehicles.

The eurolites or any other option (such as the black tape) blocks out the light throw to the passenger side - which, when you drive on the opposite side, without any light beam modifier such as eurolites can blind the oncoming cars on the passenger side lane.

Hope that clarifies.

Many thanks. It’s just very confusing when you read posts saying the H7’s are a flat projection and don’t need any Eurolites. Also extracts from the VW workshop manual saying no adjustment required!

 

[Loz]

Many thanks. It’s just very confusing when you read posts saying the H7’s are a flat projection and don’t need any Eurolites. Also extracts from the VW workshop manual saying no adjustment required!

I think we came to the conclusion that the manual and workshop manual were written based on the LHD original version and these have flat beams, so when they say “driving abroad” they meant driving LHD over here. But a number of members have reported that halogen lights on UK models have an uptick on the left and also there are different part numbers for headlights for RHD/LHD.
So without a fully scientific test the general consensus is to fit deflectors or blockers. (Of course if VW technical wern’t useless we would have had an official answer by now, but the question seems too difficult to understand )

 

[Elmo3]

I think we came to the conclusion that the manual and workshop manual were written based on the LHD original version and these have flat beams, so when they say “driving abroad” they meant driving LHD over here. But a number of members have reported that halogen lights on UK models have an uptick on the left and also there are different part numbers for headlights for RHD/LHD.
So without a fully scientific test the general consensus is to fit deflectors of blockers. (Of course if VW technical wern’t useless we would have had an official answer by now, but the question seems too difficult to understand )

Brilliant, thanks. Have ordered some Eurolites. If anyone has a diagram of where they should be positioned, that would be very useful!