My Yeti spends 4 months in Spain, 7 in UK and 1 in the Netherlands. It's a UK model with Xenon headlights. Last year it failed the Spanish ITV (MOT) on lights despite being in travel mode. I've spoken to Skoda dealers in all three countries and nobody knows if the lights can be easily adjusted to be street legal for RHD and LHD countries. My questions are: is it the light itself that is right or left orientated, the computer control or an adjustment that can be made to the beam?

There are left and right hand drive Xenon headlights.
The travel mode will cover driving abroad but I suspect to pass inspection over there the RHD headlights will need to be fitted.

As Urrell has said, you will need to change the complete light unit for Left Hand Drive ones.

   ^ +1  not quite the same, but need to change my std rhd's to lhd's here in france although the controlle technique guy stated 'off the record' with the headlight controls in base mode they were marginal on the machine, and dependant on the day could be a pass or a fail, rear tyres over inflated and lower press in fronts would do it!  make of that what you will!  but it is france!

Edited 29 December, 20169 yr by Frenchtone

My understanding is that the MOT or (equivalent test) checks for a 'kick-up' of the beam pattern of both headlights to the nearside,

 

EG  UK lights must shine like this:   \_ \_

 

And for the rest of Europe it should be    _/ _/

 

Many car headlights when set for 'abroad' travelling simply remove the 'kick-up':  _  _

- which will fail the test. With some headlights you can (unofficially) remove and reverse the mask that creates the kick-up pattern rather than replacing the headights - I don't know if this can be done with the Yeti?

 

Jim

Edited 29 December, 20169 yr by muddyjim

Thanks everybody. With many vehicles (especially commercial) spending a lot of time in both environments plus the amount of computer intervention in them, it's a pity designers haven't cracked this one properly.

where is the vehicle registered? as, it should conform to test regs in that country alone as I understand!

It does seem a little daft when you think about it.

 

You'd think manufacturers could save some costs by just having to make one light unit and have the ability to switch fully between LHD/RHD.

 

At the moment a little lever just blocks out a section of the light to remove the kick up but surely it would be very easy to have something that slid and covered the "kick" on one side and exposed it on the other?

 

But yeah unfortunately at the moment your only option is to fit LHD lights.

It does seem a little daft when you think about it.

 

You'd think manufacturers could save some costs by just having to make one light unit and have the ability to switch fully between LHD/RHD.

 

At the moment a little lever just blocks out a section of the light to remove the kick up but surely it would be very easy to have something that slid and covered the "kick" on one side and exposed it on the other?

 

But yeah unfortunately at the moment your only option is to fit LHD lights.

The Yeti xenons dont. They have a setting which creates a flat beam for overseas travel

The principle is the same whether you are moving a lever yourself or the computer does it via a motor.

 

This is basically what creates that clean line and kick up:

 

 

Then lights that have the adjustment cover up the sloping section and make a flat line.

 

If this could be rotated/flipped inside the light then it would truly switch between LHD/RHD rather than just creating a flat beam.

 

It's exactly the same on my Saab bi-xenon lights. You just get a flat beam.

If your lights are RHD, can you not get the MOT done in the UK, as frenchtone hints at?

If your lights are RHD, can you not get the MOT done in the UK, as frenchtone hints at?

 

Good question!!

yes you can, I used to have a uk address with car the registered to that address, had to use uk insurers, saga, for unlimited time/travel abroad, that may now have changed, and had to return to the uk for said mot etc although I lived in france, still do, but couldn't get insurance with a uk reg/address here in france and ct was also not legal, just advisory. In the end my uk address disappeared when my mum moved in with me, so no uk address, had to reg car here in france(cost a fortune, but that's another story), then needed insurance here etc no ct as the car is less than 4 yrs old.

the crux of this ia#s/was the relevant mot or equiv is accepted over the whole of the eu currently, after brexit who knows!

There is also regulation that if you spend more than 6 months in any country, the vehicle has to be registered in that country, that also applies across europe so why your spanish guy didn't say anything is a bit of a mystery!!

Edited 29 December, 20169 yr by Frenchtone

It does seem a little daft when you think about it.

 

You'd think manufacturers could save some costs by just having to make one light unit and have the ability to switch fully between LHD/RHD.

 

At the moment a little lever just blocks out a section of the light to remove the kick up but surely it would be very easy to have something that slid and covered the "kick" on one side and exposed it on the other?

 

But yeah unfortunately at the moment your only option is to fit LHD lights.

Once LED Matrix or similar become the norm it will be easy for the manufacturers to switch between LHD and RHD and with proper beam patterns for both.

The principle is the same whether you are moving a lever yourself or the computer does it via a motor.

 

This is basically what creates that clean line and kick up:

 

 

Then lights that have the adjustment cover up the sloping section and make a flat line.

 

If this could be rotated/flipped inside the light then it would truly switch between LHD/RHD rather than just creating a flat beam.

 

It's exactly the same on my Saab bi-xenon lights. You just get a flat beam.

So why not disassemble the lights and just flip the mask plate the other way, so the kick up is on the opposite side?

I'll bet the mask is the same part but the way up its fitted is the only difference between RHD and LHD.

Surely if the car is UK registered and spends most of it's time in the UK it will have to be MOT'd in the UK. Frenchtone asked the same question and I agree with him. Unless you have re-registered it in Spain then I can't see how you could need an ITV.

 

Yes there are separate lights for right and left hand drive cars with different part numbers, If I remember correctly, the part number for LHD starts 5J1 and for RHD starts 5J2. I found this out because my car failed it's first MOT last January due to the light pattern for the nearside light being incorrect. It turns out I had a RHD unit on the offside of the car and a LHD unit on the nearside!

 

Ian.

Thanks for all the info. It looks like I might be able to save a bit of money by altering the lights rather than buying new ones, if we become Spanish residents and have to re-register the car. Yes as a few of you pointed out I should have got an MOT before leaving for the winter but the main dealer who sold it to me said it would be done and I forgot to check. (Yes better forward planning this year!) Did the Spanish ITV voluntario principally to satisfy the insurance company. (At first they wanted us to drive back but eventually settled for the local test. Which it passed on everything but headlights so as it was voluntario on a UK car they gave me the ticket to send in). Thanks again.

I'd be very surprised if you could adjust LHD/RHD as the shield is rarely reversible, especially as they will be bi-xenon so the shield will have the extra complexity of a pivot and solenoid connection.

 

Just to answer some other questions that have come up:

- Travel mode does not alter the beam cutoff. It lowers the beams and angles them away from oncoming traffic, it also disables the AFS cornering functionality.

- Some cars do have a movable shield to create a flat cutoff, I've only seen this on low beam projectors and never on bi-xenons.

 

To the OP, the correct solution is to buy replacement LHD headlights and have them fitted or get a UK MOT.

 

If you modify the existing headlights, you stand a very good chance of messing up the beam focus, aim or position. The headlights are e-marked for RHD use so they will no longer be road legal if modify the internals for a LHD usage.

ebay.it had some for lhd cars early last year, about 100 euros each, about half the genuine skoda price, only difference, no yeti in side of unit!

ebay.it had some for lhd cars early last year, about 100 euros each, about half the genuine skoda price, only difference, no yeti in side of unit!

 

Maybe halogens available for that, even at Superskoda the Xenon headlights are €500.

   

yeap my mistake, touch of Monday morning brain fade!!  ; - ((