LHD/RHD Headlights

[theorganist]

I believe I read somewhere, maybe on here that some Renaults had headlamps which could be switched from LHD to RHD obviously ideal for importing a car and not having to find UK market headlamps for the MOT.

 

Does anyone know which models have headlights which were adjustable. I believe the Renault 5 was one, which would be useful as if/when I import another car from France I would love a mark 1 Renault 5 or a Renault 6? I was reading on the Renault 4 forum that the supply of UK market Renault 4 headlamps had been exhausted!

 

I actually aquired the headlamps for the 14 from e-bay, before I had even decided to go ahead and import one. Infact finding the headlamps on e-bay made my mind up.

[dollywobbler]

I always thought the Renault 4 was one that had switchable lamps. Were those levers under the headlamps to compensate for load then?

 

For info, Citroen 2CVs often have switchable lamps. You can change the bulb position. Whether this was applied to other cars, I don't know.

[pompei]

I don't know if this is any help but there are no RHD Fiat 500 headlights available any more. There have been two ways round this, either hope the MoT man will let LHD ones pass, either with or without tape (they are so dim they will never dazzle anyone!) or get LHD units, split the lens from the silver backing part and glue the old RHD lens onto the new unit. Messy and complicated but seems to work

[theorganist]

Thanks for that guys. I seem to remember the Renault 4 forum members had devised a way of turning LHD into RHD headlamps, I think the lever was for load adjustment, however I may stand to be corrected and infact may have dreamed the whole thing up!!

 

@dollywobbler I assume that means the Dyane would be the same then. Have always fancied a Dyane!

[dollywobbler]

Yup. Round headed 2CV derivatives are fine. Bit more of a problem if you buy one with square headlamps. Not all of the headlamps have the switchable notch, but it's easy enough to cut one in the right place. Wonder if that's an option on the Fiats? Seems extreme to have to pull the glass off and move that!

[Mr H Sceptre]

My Simca has LHD headlights, but to get it through its MOT I didnt need to get RHD headlights. I just got stick on headight deflector type thingies - little oval shaoped clear bits of plastic that your place on the headlight. Not sure where they are from as my mechanic ordered them.

[michiel]

My Simca has LHD headlights, but to get it through its MOT I didnt need to get RHD headlights. I just got stick on headight deflector type thingies - little oval shaoped clear bits of plastic that your place on the headlight. Not sure where they are from as my mechanic ordered them.

 

That's good news for when you sell the Break to me in the future

[Mr H Sceptre]

My Simca has LHD headlights, but to get it through its MOT I didnt need to get RHD headlights. I just got stick on headight deflector type thingies - little oval shaoped clear bits of plastic that your place on the headlight. Not sure where they are from as my mechanic ordered them.

 

That's good news for when you sell the Break to me in the future

 

 

Haha!

 

I'm hoping the Break will be part of my life for many a year yet. Its a fantastic little car & you feel a million Euro's driving her around

[Tayne]

I have no idea about Renaults but Land Rover Discoveries have a switchable lever to move between left and right dip for the headlights.

[michiel]

Haha! etc.

 

I only had mine (hatch) for a few months and it had a knackered clutch, but I remember the feeling!

 

Here's an apology for the off-topickery:

 

[Pete-M]

If it uses standard H4 (or similar) type headlamps a crafty bodge is to rotate the holder the bulb sits in to move the beam pattern something resembling a RHD one.

 

More often than not the only bit the tester actually looks at is the beam cut off, not the actual pattern.

 

I've got away with that plenty of times. Quite a lot of manufacturers build similar gubbins into their headlamps. BMW E39 being one example, Ford Scorpio is another.

[theorganist]

Thanks for the interesting replies. Sounds like it is definately not an insurmountable problem then!

 

Thanks for the R6 picture Michiel. Not sure what it is I find so appealing about them, probably just the general quirkyness! I don't think I have actually ever seen one in the metal, even going back to the eighties!

[Albert Ross]

The bits that are looked at for MOT consideration are these.

A. The "kick up" must be to the left. That's if there is one..... if there isn't one, it can't be in the wrong place..... Black or other coloured thick tape is your friend.

B. Height of the beam. It must fall below a certain line on the setter, dependent on the height of the headlamp mounting from the floor. These are tested on dipped beam.

 

Older sealed beams are tested on full beam and have to have a "hotspot" fall within a certain area of the setter screen. LHD Yellow 5 and 7 inchers are available, but not RHD in Yellow

[michiel]

Thanks for the R6 picture Michiel. Not sure what it is I find so appealing about them, probably just the general quirkyness! I don't think I have actually ever seen one in the metal, even going back to the eighties!

 

You're welcome! For me it's like the 2CV-Dyane, I actually like the Dyane better, and prefer the 6 over the 4. Friends of my parents had a very brown one in the mid eighties. I didn't like it then...

[Mr Lobster]

R4s are easily adjustable but R5s are not. Headlight deflectors are your friend.

 

Incidentally, whilst R4 headlights are difficult to find, early Lotus Elises use exactly the same headlight (or so an Elise specialist says anyway)

[e287yba]

I noticed SambaS's Polonez had black tape on its headlights at Chumley-Warner Castle last week, and there were issues with getting RHD headlights weren't there?

 

I also used to go to Chesterfield on a regular basis, and heading out of town there was a garage on the A623 west of town (on the right on the hill, the last bit of civilisation before the wilderness) which had a LHD Maestro (I didn't recognise the reg. no. as that of a Ledbury or Apple) parked up with - you guessed it - tape on the headlights.

 

[Mr H Sceptre]

Haha! etc.

 

I only had mine (hatch) for a few months and it had a knackered clutch, but I remember the feeling!

 

 

I did need to replace the clutch slave cylinder on mine after a couple of months of ownership, which does occasionally need the nut on the main spindle tightening as it works itself loose from time to time. The old slave cylinder had two nuts next to each other, one acting as a locking nut, in effect.