Headlight (pattern beam) European driving.

[Mike J]

April 25th 2017
I sent an email requesting guidance to Volkswagen UK Customer Services Centre.
Beforehand I used the VW UK chat line only to be informed that my question would be forwarded to the Technical team.
April 26th
I again emailed VW UK.


May 1st
I received the following email;
'Thank you for your recent enquiry with regards to adjusting your vehicles headlights whilst driving in France. I apologise for the delay in our response.

I have forwarded your enquiry to our Technical Support Team. They have confirmed that no adjustment of the headlamps would be required. The beam pattern of the halogen headlamps fitted to your Golf complies with use in both right hand and left hand drive countries.'


NB: Before contacting VW UK I telephoned the VW dealership who supplied my car and was told by their technician that my headlights could not be adjusted to suit European driving and I would need to fit headlight beam stickers to the lenses. 



(Mk 7 Blue Motion 2L TDI)

[dubber36]

There is no adjustment for halogen lights and you WILL need beam deflectors.

When I had my Passat, I bought a set of VW headlight protectors to stick beam deflector stickers on to, however they came with 2 shaped black stickers and guide marks on them to show where they should be stuck on. Each time I went over the channel, I clipped the headlight protectors on. It takes seconds in the queue for the ferry or train.

[fredgroves]

Yes, unless you have active (bendy) lights you can't adjust them and have to use beam deflectors.

Same on every car...

With active forward lighting you can do it (on pretty much any car) with either a switch, a fuse link or a menu setting.

[itavaltalainen]

With halogens you’ll need the beam converters.
I used to stick them on while waiting at the Eurotunnel terminal or in queue to get on the train.

These days I just use the settings menu as my car luckily has bendy lights.

[Mike J]

So gentlemen you are all telling me that VW UK Technical Support are wrong?

Before I received the answer I posted I researched the light pattern from the Halogen beam on my Golf and found that it is flat (the same pattern as the halogen headlights on US Golfs).
So from VW UK's advice I can only assume that because the headlight beam is not redirected upwards there is no requirement beam deflectors.

Further, the latest H7 halogen bulb is unlike the older style H4 headlight bulbs as it does not have a deflector shield inside the bulb eg; a standard UK car could be fitted with EU H4 bulbs and pass the computerised Euro MOT light test (I know because I have done it).

I have also purchased a pair of EU Phillips H7 headlight bulbs and can confirm that the beam these bulbs project from my headlights is the same as that from the bulbs fitted when the car was delivered to me (new) in the UK.



NB: I will drive as advised by VW UK but take the precaution of carrying a translation of their email should it be required.

[itavaltalainen]

RHD headlights and LHD headlights may have the same light height but the beam pattern is different to my knowledge.
With RHD you want to illuminate the left hand side of the road more and not put too much light on right side of the road as that's where oncoming traffic is - and vice versa.

Perhaps they've found a way where this isn't the case any longer and the beam pattern now is symmetric?

[bgbazz]

I'm not going to venture into the technical aspects of this discussion, but I've been following from the beginning and I'm curious.
Some months ago, I was on here asking about how to improve the lighting on my old Mk4....lots of helpful and interesting replies were forthcoming, so I did a lot of research...I even considered buying two complete headlight units (new) from various suppliers and I was very surprised to be offered units (complete with the correct and legal bulbs) which would be legal in the LHD and RHD configurations. I chose not to believe that this was possible and took the age old route and just purchased new bulbs. That may have been a mistake.

Earlier this evening I read the post written by Mike J and was again curious...I have just got off the phone from my friendly MOT man and he confirmed what was written...there is no requirement for headlight adjustment, or the silly plastic deflector things which were required in the past. We laughed about the time that my Pug 406 failed the test...and the time that my Jeep Cherokee cost me 600 quid for new headlights...he is on the ball!

Carry the translation of the email, Mike J, but you shouldn't need it.

PS. For those who might argue the toss...have a look at where I live now.

[fredgroves]

I'm not sure I understand how this could pass a UK MOT test...

https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2016/02/dazzle-zone-diagram.jpg

[mustard]

Nobody seems to bother the other way, loads of European registered cars where I live with unadapted headlights, one an absolute wreck last registered in its own country in 2005, but as it obviously has not got a UK MOT, I guess it is never checked.

[fredgroves]

Which is great until the car has an accident and then the insurers refuse to pay out because of a violation... great for the third part they involve!