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Wed 31 Mar 2004 12:58

Headlights in france - Dereksn51

Enlighten me again someone please.I'm under the impression that there is no need to apply headlight adjusters for a trip to say France if it is not my intention to stay longer than 90 days.Is this a correct assumption and if it is do you have any ideas where it is officially confirmed in writing?

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Wed 31 Mar 2004 13:06

Headlights in france - No Do$h

There is a requirement to adjust your lights, it's just that very few of les flics seem to enforce it.

No reports on here of anyone getting done for not having them, but I apply them to my headlights as a matter of courtesy and out of a not altogether altruistic desire not to blind Johnny Frenchman and have his plastic go-kart bounce off my car.

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Wed 31 Mar 2004 13:19

Headlights in france - Mapmaker

Traditionally the French would drive you off the road if you didn't have yellowed headlamps as well - I don't know whether they still try to drive you off the road if you don't adjust your headlamps. out of courtesy to my hosts I would always fit deflectors.

As ND points out, their plastic cars will collapse if they do hit you (and will become more attractive as a result...) so perhaps they no longer persist in this hobby.

By the way, a bit of parcel tape is as effective as those rather expensive fit-to-size stickers you buy - or cannot as they are out of stock - at ferry ports.

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Wed 31 Mar 2004 14:43

Headlights in france - Armitage Shanks{P}

It is said that the Le Plod Francais is very anti British motorists and that they picked on for petty offences , like to beam deflectors. I went there a few weeks ago and couldn't really see exactly where to put black tape on my lenses (Pug 206) so I put some on about right to show I had made an effort and din't have a problem. How many foreign registered cars do you see over here with beam deflectors? Probably none and probably because the offence can't be detected by roadside optical devices!

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Wed 31 Mar 2004 14:54

Headlights in france - Robert J.

Before somebody else mentions it, take care if you are going to use parcel tape, gaffer tape etc. to block your lenses out if you have polycarbonate lenses. It has a nasty habit of attacking the glass and cannot be repaired.

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Wed 31 Mar 2004 15:07

Headlights in france - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

HJ has also said to simply adjust your headlights to their lowest position to avoid dazzle.Works on my Passat.
BTW I previously purchased the recommended deflectors for polycarbonate headlights, fitted according to instructions and one fell off on the M25 in a rain shower befor I even got to the ferry!. Looks like water soluble glue.
I wasna fu but just had plenty.

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Wed 31 Mar 2004 15:14

Headlights in france - Robbie

HJ has also said to simply adjust your headlights to their

lowest position to avoid dazzle.Works on my Passat.

But what do you do with headlights with automatic adjustment according to load?

My Accord has these and the headlight covers are an odd shape, so I can't see where I can place any deflecting tape.

When I had my Omega I set the dipped to the lowest level.

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Wed 31 Mar 2004 16:14

Headlights in france - terryb