LHD and MOT and the Headlamps

[chrispenrallt]

I have looked at previous posts about this, but I’m still not sure about how the law views it. I took my LHD motorhome to the MOT station today. When I called to collect it they said that I would have to change the headlamps as the beam was not correct. My motorhome is a LHD Carthago Compactline 2015. I have all the previous MOTs and according to my brother who was the previous owner from new there has never been any mention of this when it has been been in for test previously. The chap said he would check with DVLA to see if I could just put stickers or lenses on it.
Does anyone know what the law actually is as I would like to be able to show the guys in the garage tomorrow that I’m not just a dim woman who knows nothing!

 

[jongood]

Thanks for info, my Carthago looks just that!

Jock and Lenny have given you the correct answers. Just to add, you only need to rotate the dipped beam unit probably usefull to put headlights onto dipped beam and make you ifentify the correct lamps, you should then see the 3 screws at the back on like an insert.

Its better not to stick tape on plastic lenses as it can damage them.

edit. And Autorouter

 

[Lenny HB]

Also I don't think masking the lamps works on the Hella projector lamps.

 

[chrispenrallt]

I reckon the tester isn't aware of the lamp adjustment. Even if they said that they would have to charge for adjusting the lamps before the re-test, that would be better than nothing I suppose.
If I was anywhere close to your location, I'd come over and adjust the bu@@ers myself for you.

On our old Hymer, I had them set up so that I could reach in and rotate them to alter the beam before crossing the Channel, then rotate them back again, before coming back to Blighty.

Cheers,

Jock.

You may be right about them not knowing about the adjustment. I dont want to rub them up the wrong way so I am going to copy out some of the info tyhat I have been given and take it up with me this morning. I cant be the only person with a LHD motor home who has had this problem.

 

[Reallyretired]

I had these Hellar lamps on a Rapido and a Dethless. Both a complete bugger to adjust due to poor access. Best to leave the final screw out once you get it out, then you just need to lose and turn.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Hoovie]

Yes that’s what’s I’m trying to find out, the rules as they stand in 2023. I have just come off the phone from talking to the mechanic who has actually done the MOT for the last few years and he said that my brother had never put stickers on the headlamps and it had always been acceptable. So what do we glean from that ?

What do we glean from that? Well, it suggests to me the MOT tester he went to doesn't do his job properly.

You have headlights that point the wrong way and frankly you should get them sorted out both for your own benefit and other road users rather than looking for ways to circumvent the issue.

 

[chrispenrallt]

What do we glean from that? Well, it suggest to me the MOT tester he went to doesn't do his job properly.

You have headlights that point the wrong way and frankly you should get them sorted out both for your own benefit and other road users rather than looking for ways to circumvent the issue.

Hoovie I am wanting to do this, but if its just a matter of adjustment then I would rather pay to have that done than pay ££s for new headlamps. I am not trying to circumvent the issue at all just want to get the MOT done and be safe on the road for myself and other users, Just find it odd that the last 4 MOTs done on the vehicle have no mention of this at all. Lets see what today brings at the testing station.

 

[Lenny HB]

Hoovie I am wanting to do this, but if its just a matter of adjustment then I would rather pay to have that done than pay ££s for new headlamps. I am not trying to circumvent the issue at all just want to get the MOT done and be safe on the road for myself and other users, Just find it odd that the last 4 MOTs done on the vehicle have no mention of this at all. Lets see what today brings at the testing station.

If you took my advice I gave you eairler you would know the situation as I said I won't repeat it again they may be set to flat dipping and you had a picky MOT guy, just check the ruddy thing rather keep going on about it.

 

[funflair]

Hoovie I am wanting to do this, but if its just a matter of adjustment then I would rather pay to have that done than pay ££s for new headlamps. I am not trying to circumvent the issue at all just want to get the MOT done and be safe on the road for myself and other users, Just find it odd that the last 4 MOTs done on the vehicle have no mention of this at all. Lets see what today brings at the testing station.

If you are ever going to go abroad you would be best off learning how to do it yourself, unless you are very confident that you will never get caught out in the dark, when adjusting them I have found that you have to back the screws off enough to lift the lamp assembly off it's seat and then turn.

chrispenrallt I will add this photo, its 2005 build Hella 90mm so may well be the same as yours,

As you will see one screw needs to come right out and the other two need to come out a good way to lift and turn.

 

[Lenny HB]

If you are ever going to go abroad you would be best off learning how to do it yourself, unless you are very confident that you will never get caught out in the dark, when adjusting them I have found that you have to back the screws off enough to lift the lamp assembly off it's seat and then turn.

Mine are easy just flip a lever but the Classic ones are a pain if not easily accessible so best just to leave them on flat dipping perfectly acceptable in all countries. And most people don't do much night driving in a Motorhome.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jongood]

If you took my advice I gave you eairler you would know the situation as I said I won't repeat it again they may be set to flat dipping and you had a picky MOT guy, just check the ruddy thing rather keep going on about it.

I set ours back to flat dipping straight after the MOT. that way I only change one headlamp over every year. the beam is crap anyway but I try to be sat with a glass in my hand before its get dark anyway

 

[jongood]

I set ours back to flat dipping straight after the MOT. that way I only change one headlamp over every year. the beam is crap anyway but I try to be sat with a glass in my hand before its get dark anyway

I rest your case Lenny

 

[Lenny HB]

I set ours back to flat dipping straight after the MOT. that way I only change one headlamp over every year. the beam is crap anyway but I try to be sat with a glass in my hand before its get dark anyway

It would have failed the MOT then.

 

[jongood]

It would have failed the MOT then.

?? I run it both dipped towards the outsides ( do you mean something different?). then I change the left hand one over while its mot'd then change it back again.

 

[Manic]

I had my Hymer mot’ed a few years ago and had forgot to change candles, whoops sorry headlights and when I collected it with a pass the tester said he‘d put tape on headlights and I can remove it now. He had just put a square of black electric tape on dipped beam lights.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[funflair]

Mine are easy just flip a lever but the Classis ones are a pain if not easily accessable so best just to leave them on flat dipping perfectly acceptable in all countries. And most people don't do much night driving in a Motorhome.

My experience has been that the kick just goes from one side to the other when turned, when we got the Palace I couldn't turn the light for a long fixing screw in the way so I asked the factory to shorten them as they were doing some other jobs, the answer was "no you have to put in LH lights for the continent" I got my little hacksaw out and then adjusted them myself

 

[chrispenrallt]

If you took my advice I gave you eairler you would know the situation as I said I won't repeat it again they may be set to flat dipping and you had a picky MOT guy, just check the ruddy thing rather keep going on about it.

Lenny H B I am going to the MOT station now. I have printed out your earlier post which I am going to show the guys in the workshop. I am very grateful to all who replied to my posts

 

[JockandRita]

Lenny H B I am going to the MOT station now. I have printed out your earlier post which I am going to show the guys in the workshop. I am very grateful to all who replied to my posts

Please remember to come back on here, letting us know how you got on.

Again, good luck.

Jock.

 

[Lenny HB]

Lenny H B I am going to the MOT station now. I have printed out your earlier post which I am going to show the guys in the workshop. I am very grateful to all who replied to my posts

I would have checked them before going then if they are set to flat dipping take the van to a different place for an MOT.

 

[Lenny HB]

My experience has been that the kick just goes from one side to the other when turned,

Iv'e never seen that only ever seen lamps that can be set to flat or kick up on one side. May be different on posh vans.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[dazandandrea]

Did having your lights “titted” help
Phil

God knows why autocorect changed it to that unless its something to do with my browsing history

 

[Lenny HB]

?? I run it both dipped towards the outsides ( do you mean something different?). then I change the left hand one over while its mot'd then change it back again.

I thought you were LHD and if so and you changed them to flat dipping after the mOT that means you took it for an MOT with them set to LHD (kick up to the right).

 

[JockandRita]

I would have checked them before going then if they are set to flat dipping take the van to a different place for an MOT.

Lenny, maybe the lady isn't technically minded or "hands on", but wants the lamp adjustments sorted out by someone who is.
She is doing her best to resolve the issue.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[gus-lopez]

Think you don’t need tax if on route to a booked MOT? Maybe you have to be local though?

There is no limit on distance as long as a test is booked.

 

[Lenny HB]

Lenny, maybe the lady isn't technically minded or "hands on", but wants the lamp adjustments sorted out by someone who is.
She is doing her best to resolve the issue.

Cheers,

Jock.

I assumed a man but you don't need to be technical to point the van at a wall and look at the light pattern.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[L' Hobo]

I reckon the tester isn't aware of the lamp adjustment. Even if they said that they would have to charge for adjusting the lamps before the re-test, that would be better than nothing I suppose.
If I was anywhere close to your location, I'd come over and adjust the bu@@ers myself for you.

On our old Hymer, I had them set up so that I could reach in and rotate them to alter the beam before crossing the Channel, then rotate them back again, before coming back to Blighty.

Cheers,

Jock.

Jock, I'm just wondering, instead of going to the trouble of rotating the lens (in this Country) why cannot a bit of shaped gaffer tape be used to cover the 'kick-up'? It would save an awful lot of Faff for a mechanically inexperienced person.

As I say, when I go to the MOT station I mention that the gaffer tape is 'temporary' (this covers the testers back) and I'm going abroad again in a few weeks time. ( I'm pretty sure that the tester knows that I just don't want to change it's originality)

Just read jongood post and I should say my lenses are glass.

 

[Lenny HB]

Jock, I'm just wondering, instead of going to the trouble of rotating the lens (in this Country) why cannot a bit of shaped gaffer tape be used to cover the 'kick-up'? It would save an awful lot of Faff for a mechanically inexperienced person.

As I say, when I go to the MOT station I mention that the gaffer tape is 'temporary' (this covers the testers back) and I'm going abroad again in a few weeks time. ( I'm pretty sure that the tester knows that I just don't want to change it's originality)

As I said I don't think masking works very well on the Hella projector lamps. You only really need to change them once to flat dipping and leave them like it, the difference when driving is hardly noticeable.

 

[L' Hobo]

If you took my advice I gave you eairler you would know the situation as I said I won't repeat it again they may be set to flat dipping and you had a picky MOT guy, just check the ruddy thing rather keep going on about it.

I 'm pretty sure that flat dipping is not an MOT failure, I was under the impression that some modern M/H had this, so they could be compliant in ALL countries?

 

[chrispenrallt]

I would have checked them before going then if they are set to flat dipping take the van to a different place for an MOT.

Lenny the van is there already. I took it yesterday, I had no idea about the headlamps being different and also with there being no mention of it on the previous 4 mot certificates. However if they fail it today after me going up there with the info I will think about doing it myself at home ( or getting o h to do it) and then returning to a different MOT test centre.

 

[L' Hobo]

As I said I don't think masking works very well on the Hella projector lamps. You only really need to change them once to flat dipping and leave them like it, the difference when driving is hardly noticeable.

Sorry, misunderstood what you were saying, I thought when one rotated them, they went to the opposite 'kick-up'.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Reallyretired]

With the standard bulbs those Hella lights are so dim they wouldn't dazzle whichever way they dipped.