Headlight adapters on Yeti

[hmibennett]

I recently bought a French Peugeot 207cc to use when at the flat in France and have just brought it back to the UK for a few weeks to give the engine a decent run. I bought headlight adaptors in France to use in the UK but had not put them on as I intended to arrive home here in daylight. Because of an enormous hold-up on the M1, I in fact arrived home near midnight but to my amazement found that no oncoming drivers flashed me and it appeared that the dipped headlight beam goes virtually straight ahead, ie it illuminates the road in front irrespective of which side you are driving on. Are French lights set up differently, does anyone know? It appears that I probably don't need to put the sticky patches on - and that may explain why I don't think I've ever seen a French car with them in the UK (I had always assumed it was just the French drivers who couldn't be a**ed!).

[CFB]

You may only have to change the bulbs - UK Bulbs are all Left Hand dip, I think that the ones sold in France just dip up and down without a 'kick' to the left, though try The Plumber, he has all the part numbers and will tell you what you need

???

It is the reflector that determines the beam pattern, not the bulb.

[weasley]

???

It is the reflector that determines the beam pattern, not the bulb.

Precisely. An H4 bulb is an H4 bulb, wherever you buy it.

[briwy]

Has anyone found a way to reuse the adapters once they have been removed?

We go to France three or four times a year and it's getting expensive having to but new ones each time.

I'm a bit wary of using any sort of glue as it may react with the plastic.

My Octavia has the facility to flatten the beam using a lever in the back of the light unit. Five minute job to whip the unit out and alter it.

Bit disapointed the Yeti isn't the same.

[weasley]

Last time I went to France I used some white electrical insulating tape to mask the appropriate bit of the headlight. I first worked out where to mask by aiming the lights at a wall and moving a bit of card around the lens until the 'kick' went flat, then masked away. Two weeks away and ne'er a problem. I always keep a roll in the car anyway, so it was effectively free.

[Frenchtone]

Last time I went to France I used some white electrical insulating tape to mask the appropriate bit of the headlight. I first worked out where to mask by aiming the lights at a wall and moving a bit of card around the lens until the 'kick' went flat, then masked away. Two weeks away and ne'er a problem. I always keep a roll in the car anyway, so it was effectively free.

I use Duck tape trimmed appropriately, spot of cooking oil also works with the remnant goo, needs to soak in 10 - 15 mins then wipes off with no residue!

[Michael G]

Is the Berio Mild and Light Olive Oil best, or the Extra Virgin ?

[Frenchtone]

depends on pan size, length of cooking etc - if you want, i'll seek pro advice!! :p

( No virgins round here tho')

[Michael G]

[Octman]

Last time I went to France I used some white electrical insulating tape to mask the appropriate bit of the headlight. I first worked out where to mask by aiming the lights at a wall and moving a bit of card around the lens until the 'kick' went flat, then masked away. Two weeks away and ne'er a problem. I always keep a roll in the car anyway, so it was effectively free.

I used to do this in the old days when headlight lenses really were lenses and were made of glass and not the clear plastic we have now. I have seen many times on other forums that the plastic used in headlights now can be badly damaged by using plastic tape. You had no such problems?

[weasley]

This was on a plastic-lensed Volvo and no, no problems after 2 weeks away,

[bigjohn]

I damaged my Skoda Superb I headlight units with black insulation tape in Italy - It was really hot and you had to drive with your headlights on all the time - white probably better.

After 7 years of driving abroad I recentley discovered a little lever when I changed a side light bulb that flattens the headlight dipped beam. No mention of this in the handbook or at the dealer when I asked!

[Octman]

My Fabia 3 had the module headlights, which to me seem to be the same as the bi zenon ones in the Yeti but with a halogen bulb fitted, and the dip was changed by moving a small lever on each light unit( accessed by removing the rubber cover). It did change the dip satisfactorily but the main beam was rubbish, with big " holes " in the light output, and was very disconcerting to use. Good job I hardly ever needed to drive it at night.

I did look up these units on the Hella website and they were disigned for HID units so perhaps they were not really compatible with halogen bulbs.

[900000]

My Fabia 3 had the module headlights, which to me seem to be the same as the bi zenon ones in the Yeti but with a halogen bulb fitted, and the dip was changed by moving a small lever on each light unit( accessed by removing the rubber cover). It did change the dip satisfactorily but the main beam was rubbish, with big " holes " in the light output, and was very disconcerting to use. Good job I hardly ever needed to drive it at night.

I did look up these units on the Hella website and they were disigned for HID units so perhaps they were not really compatible with halogen bulbs.

The Halogen Yeti has the exact same problem. See point number 28 in this thread.

[Octman]

Thanks. I got the impression that the module halogen lights on the Fabia 3 that I had, which used a single filament bulb for both dip and main beran, the dip being created by a moveable shield within the unit, was pretty well much the same as the Bi Zenon ones in the Yeti, with a couple of obvious differences of course. If so, and as you say they are now worth having, there must have been a much needed redesign somewhere since they were first fitted to the Fabia. My Fabia ones were so bad I often wished for the double filament type lights fitted to the trim levels 1 and 2. I note that Skoda no longer fit the module units to the current Fabias. I also think they were for a short period fitted to the Mini, but no longer.