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Roadtrip to Ireland - Beam adjustment / Beam Benders

  • 03-06-2011 10:52am
    #1
    keithclancy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭


    So, heading on a road trip back to Ireland this month.

    Wondering about the headlamps, theres a lever to change it from LHD to RHD setting I noticed it when changing the bulbs last time.

    Is it ok to use this or is it something thats set once and should be left alone, i.e. should i stick on beam benders instead.

    Manual is in Dutch so ....


Comments

  • #2
    Anan1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,815 ✭✭✭✭Anan1


    If there's a lever then i'd say it's fine to use it.


  • #3
    Del2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,102 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    Anan1 wrote: »
    If there's a lever then i'd say it's fine to use it.

    +1, why go to the bother of trying to fit beam benders when the car can do it for you. Or you could do what a lot of Irish car drivers do already and blind everyone when driving at night.


  • #4
    keithclancy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    Del2005 wrote: »
    +1, why go to the bother of trying to fit beam benders when the car can do it for you. Or you could do what a lot of Irish car drivers do already and blind everyone when driving at night.

    Yeh, I guess.

    Just was wondering if anyone knew it was something you can do on a regular basis or if its meant to be done once and left alone, i.e. goes loose as its not designed to be fiddled with regularly.


  • #5
    high horse
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,014 ✭✭✭high horse


    My car failed the NCT a month ago on headlight alignment. When I brought it to advance pitstop to get them fixed he told me the lights were set up for a LHD car. A bit of research later and I found out about that lever in the lights and had it switched back to the correct position for RHD.

    OP, are your headlights xenon? I think it's pretty common to have that switch on xenon lights. I see no reason not to use it as its been designed exactly for that purpose :)


  • #6
    vectra
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,626 ✭✭✭✭vectra


    keithclancy wrote: »
    So, heading on a road trip back to Ireland this month.

    Wondering about the headlamps, theres a lever to change it from LHD to RHD setting I noticed it when changing the bulbs last time.

    Is it ok to use this or is it something thats set once and should be left alone, i.e. should i stick on beam benders instead.

    Manual is in Dutch so ....


    It does exactly what it says on the tin ;)


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  • #7
    keithclancy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    vectra wrote: »
    It does exactly what it says on the tin ;)

    Well theres nothing written on it, it just seems to block out the bright triangle bit at the edge of the light :)


  • #8
    Del2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,102 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    keithclancy wrote: »
    Yeh, I guess.

    Just was wondering if anyone knew it was something you can do on a regular basis or if its meant to be done once and left alone, i.e. goes loose as its not designed to be fiddled with regularly.

    I'd say if it is an adjuster that you can use it fairly regularly, but I wouldn't be changing it over every couple of days.
    keithclancy wrote: »
    Well theres nothing written on it, it just seems to block out the bright triangle bit at the edge of the light :)

    Turn on your lights, face car towards a wall, see which way the light dips, switch the switch and see if dip has swapped over.


  • #9
    biko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,220 ✭✭✭✭biko


    If you tell us what model/year the car is I can see what google has to say.


  • #10
    CiniO
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,069 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    Is there anything stated in Irish road traffic law, that visiting LHD vehicles registered abroad must switch their lights or use beam benders?

    Because as far as I know there isn't anything like that.


  • #11
    keithclancy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    biko wrote: »
    If you tell us what model/year the car is I can see what google has to say.

    Volvo V50 2005


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  • #12
    Our man in Havana
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,473 ✭✭✭✭Our man in Havana


    CiniO wrote: »
    Is there anything stated in Irish road traffic law, that visiting LHD vehicles registered abroad must switch their lights or use beam benders?

    Because as far as I know there isn't anything like that.
    No, but I can imagine you could be prosecuted for blinding oncoming traffic.


  • #13
    slimjimmc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,786 ✭✭✭slimjimmc


    CiniO wrote: »
    Is there anything stated in Irish road traffic law, that visiting LHD vehicles registered abroad must switch their lights or use beam benders?

    Because as far as I know there isn't anything like that.

    AFAIK you must comply with the technical requirements of the country you're driving in. That would include having lights which don't interfere with other road users. How you achieve that is basically up to you. So no, "beam benders" are not required by law, but they're one way of ensuring compliance with the law.


  • #14
    Del2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,102 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    Our man in Havana wrote: »
    No, but I can imagine you could be prosecuted for blinding oncoming traffic.

    They properly have a law for it somewhere which they never use so they'll bring in another one to make it illegal to blind oncoming drivers with your lights and not enforce that either.

    If they can't be ar$ed sorting out the Irish Cyclops and cross eyed cars why would the bother with a foreign reg one, which is properly less blinding then loads of Irish cars.


  • #15
    CiniO
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,069 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    slimjimmc wrote: »
    AFAIK you must comply with the technical requirements of the country you're driving in.

    AFAIK you must comply with the technical requirement of the country the car is registered in.

    That's the main aim of Convention of Road traffic from Vienna 1968.


  • #16
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,620 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    Del2005 wrote: »
    They properly have a law for it somewhere which they never use so they'll bring in another one to make it illegal to blind oncoming drivers with your lights and not enforce that either.

    If they can't be ar$ed sorting out the Irish Cyclops and cross eyed cars why would the bother with a foreign reg one, which is properly less blinding then loads of Irish cars.

    Just had to quote it, I agree with it so much.
    A thousand laws for everything, no one gives a shyte, least of all the cops, more hysteria and "think of the children", more laws, all getting ignored and so on...
    So OP the answer is that, yes there must be a law for it somewhere, no, no one cares, there will probably be another one shortly, so if you really want you can adapt your headlights.
    Friends of mine brought their car over from Germany, they superglued a bit of plastic to the lens of the headlight and that was grand.
    So, glue and a black piece of plastic.


  • #17
    Break all ties
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Break all ties


    CiniO wrote: »
    AFAIK you must comply with the technical requirement of the country the car is registered in.

    That's the main aim of Convention of Road traffic from Vienna 1968.
    Correct.

    While you are visiting you don't have to comply with the requirements of the host country. If you want to then register your car you then must comply with all local requirements. So when I registered my car I had to change the headlights to comply with Bulgarian law.


  • #18
    Esel
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,091 ✭✭✭✭Esel
    Not Your Ornery Onager


    Break all ties wrote: »
    So when I registered my car I had to change the headlights to comply with Bulgarian law.
    They have laws in Bulgaria? :eek: :D

    Not your ornery onager



  • #19
    Break all ties
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Break all ties


    Esel wrote: »
    They have laws in Bulgaria? :eek: :D
    They do! :eek:

    They have 5 times the amount of police per head of population than in Ireland and they are all on traffic.
    Thankfully radar detectors are legal here. :D


  • #20
    Stinicker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭Stinicker


    Break all ties wrote: »
    They do! :eek:

    They have 5 times the amount of police per head of population than in Ireland and they are all on traffic.
    Thankfully radar detectors are legal here. :D

    None of them have a patch on the Albanian rozzers I'd say, they couldn't catch captian slow in the Yugo Mulsanne :D


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