Driving Lights in Europe - Headlight conversion

[TR7Driver]

Thanks for all your advise, much appreciated, will test at the weekend against the garage doors and see I can notice a difference when set to travel. Likewise I have also learnt about fog lights, I just wish Europe would harmonise on what you need to carry as each country has a different take on what you need and where it should be stored in the vehicle.

[Ryeman]

I always thought that driving with fog lights on in good visibility is what's known as "Posing"

That's what it is out here.

I can remember in the fifties when you would get a 'pea-souper' so bad that if you had to drive home across Melbourne frinstance in June you had to crawl in the gutter til you saw a parked car then get around it and find your way back to the gutter again - if only we had 'fogs' then.

Fogs don't come like that anymore thank goodness......"the good ol' days"? No thanks.

ps....I was a kid, not the driver!

Edited 15 July, 2015 by Ryeman

[freedie]

Well, I'm off to Warsaw in a mo and I will just use travel mode as I always do. The only difference with this trip compared to some others earlier this year is that the days are so long I probably won't be driving in the dark. However, when I did the travel mode worked for me...

[eribaMotters]

I am finding some of the logic in this post worrying, for those of us with normal headlamps.

 

True - if you wind the beam down so it is on the lowest setting you will not dazzle oncoming traffic.

But also true - the beam will be to low for you to illuminate the road ahead for you to drive "safely"

I know some will say they have done it for years, but that is also like saying it is safe to cross a road withoutout looking. You may be fine, but then again you may not.

Whilst it is not a legal requirement to use beam benders, they do go some way to addressing the problem.

Black tape on glass headlamp lenses used to work fine, but I am not sure about the use on plastic headlamp lenses. Can it have a detrimental effect on the plastic?

 

Colin

[Frenchtone]

My lights do not have tell tales to help locate strips etc so it becomes hit and miss, hence my earlier stance re setting to min, its all speed relevant in open countryside wind em' up a little towns no prob on base setting as with uk speed limit is 30mph equiv!

[muddyboots]

Black tape on glass headlamp lenses used to work fine, but I am not sure about the use on plastic headlamp lenses. Can it have a detrimental effect on the plastic?

Pretty sure someone did that on a Seat Leon a few years back, just using black insulation tape, and it damaged the plastic lenses.

 

A while since I've driven abroad, but I used beam benders, which as the name suggest don't block the undesired light out, but bend it downwards.

I switched the headlights on so I could see the beam on the garage door, and moved the beam benders around until I found the position where they got rid of the kicked-up part of the beam, then stuck them on.

 

As for only driving in the day so you'll never use your headlights, remember that if you have auto lights they'll come on in tunnels etc or when it rains quite a bit.

[Ryeman]

I can 'deselect' the auto function on my 2012 model

[voluptua]

I can 'deselect' the auto function on my 2012 model

Yes, but why would you want to drive in the dark in a tunnel - or in the rain?

[Frenchtone]

 ^   humans are king not computers!!!  ; - ))

[Llanigraham]

Yes, but why would you want to drive in the dark in a tunnel - or in the rain?

 

Because like lots of other people he likes to think for himself?

[lordsummit]

Is there no way to change the beam direction on a Yeti without xenon lights? I'm picking mine up on Monday and taking it to France at the weekend. My Fabia had a lever behind the lights, fiddly and sharp, but it worked.

[The Plumber]

Unfortunately it is only the xenon that can be adjusted on the Yeti for continental driving. With the standard halogen you will have to use some beam benders or similar.

 

The Fabia II had DE module eyeballs which contained shutters, hence why you could flatten the beam via that lever.

 

 

TP

[lordsummit]

thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TR7Driver]

Switch the lights to travel mode last night and notice the beam move in. This morning when I got in the car and started the engine the light failure lamp flashed on the dash board for a few seconds. This is not mentioned in the manual, but a useful indicator you have travel mode selected.

[Urrell]

Switch the lights to travel mode last night and notice the beam move in. This morning when I got in the car and started the engine the light failure lamp flashed on the dash board for a few seconds. This is not mentioned in the manual, but a useful indicator you have travel mode selected.

 

It is in mine.

[freedie]

Well, I'm home again; and agree with above.

And yes, I did drive in the semi-dark...

 

As an aside, I was in the Negev earlier this year followed by the Sahara later on and Poland was hotter than both (all the time I was there, especially so at night... phew!)

[VAGCF]

When driving home in the winter, through the country and no street lights, I've had plenty of cars driving towards me with their fog lights on, and to be honest haven't found them a problem. And I'll hold my hands up, I've done it myself, in my Passats, which had pretty poor, non-halogen lights, where it was difficult to see the edge of the road.

 

What does dazzle me though, is when those very bright head lights (not sure of the type) shine into your eyes when going over a bump/coming out of a dip. Also LED rear lights are a problem, far too bright.

 

All of our cars now have Xenons (so no need for fogs anymore) and when out the other night found the lights to be very good. The cornering function at low speed using the fog lights (!  ) is effective as well. 

Edited 3 August, 2015 by VAGCF

[Urrell]

What does dazzle me though, is when those very bright head lights (not sure of the type) shine into your eyes when going over a bump/coming out of a dip. Also LED rear lights are a problem, far too bright.

 

 

I think Volvo's are worst for this, can be mistaken for the car flashing you as it goes over a bump/undulation.

[Clive smith]

I have Xenon Headlights, the European mode just seems to flatten the beam not shift it to the other side, I am re-registering my car in Spain and I have needed to change the headlights ( not cheap !!)

I am stuggling at the moment to get the rear foglight changed from the right side to the left. A main agent in Fuengirola wants to change both rear light clusters and the wiring and only charge about 450€ I have explained that the lens clusters are all the same, but may as well talk to the brick wall. Still trying to sort out an answer.

 

 

Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI Elegance 2011

[Frenchtone]

^ dead easy to do yourself, either to use both, or left in spain/france etc or right uk, dismount rear panel, id the feed wire and either extend to the otherside, need to reuse the connector on the other light cluster or fit a 2 way switch and extend to the other side and acquire another connector, you then have the ability to change side at the flick of a switch, did this to my first mk1!!!!