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babyrhino

I've read all the posts on here about switching headlamps of imported vehicles for driving over here and the debates about beam benders etc but I'm stuck!!!!

Our MOT centre people are very pleasant and helpful but are being a bit strict.

We've established that these - sorry 2001 Starline 640 - are projector headlamps where the stickers don't make any difference. Forum entries say that and my MOT man has confirmed it.

The answer is to do the three screw headlamp loosening and turn them round for Uk use. (Bearing in mind in all this that we are off to Europe for a long time in two weeks so this is only interim!)

Every post on here about the adjustment says that it is a very simple system that you can't actually do without being quadruple jointed.

Luckily my fiancee is small ( 5 feet and a half inch - the half inch is like months on your age when you are very young!) and that compensates for a number of joints but despite keeping her pinned under the bonnet for a whole afternoon she has only managed 5 screws. Can't get the staff nowadays but I've got to say that is 5 more than I managed!

So - we have the European nearside swapped round but the offside has a big chunk of metal in the way that stops you getting to the bottom screw. It seems that the only way of getting at this one is from underneath rather than through the bonnet but I think you would have to take off the inner trim that stops mud and road throw hitting important things - probably a technical term for this but can't think what it is. Next problem is that all the screws are gummed up with six years of not being unfastened and access to some of them is not great.

Anyone got any suggestions about getting to the last screw? I've seen posts that say you can get at this one from underneath but the mud protection thing is in the way on ours.

From previous posts I can see that charlieivan says the answer is simple - his post gave all the correct information but glossed over the complications!

I've also seen posts and pictures which were very useful from takeaflight and I think someone else - gerranpassa maybe? made the point about the adjustment screws being the only way. I think guerrero had similar problems but the posts tend to end before the final answer sometimes!

Enough!

Can anyone give guidance to me (OK Di is going to be the small engineer!) on this one?

Regards to all previous contributors and thanks in advance to any helpers that come back on this one.

Brian

vicdicdoc

When you find out - let me know 'cause I'm stumped too Shocked

babyrhino

Cheers mate - let's sit back and wait!

Brian Rolling Eyes

JockandRita

babyrhino

Jock

That's interesting - we were debating whether it was the inner wheel arch thing or the front bumper!

We think that once we have cracked the last screw and done the adjustment we will just leave the difficult ones loose so that we can easily do the others and twist the light around. We only need to do this once a year for MOT but how do people go on who have a RHD and go abroad regularly?

Brian

babyrhino

Hello to vicdicdoc and JockandRita

Eventually succeeded and got the thing through the MOT but ended up breaking off the plastic bracket for the third screw as it was impossible to get at. Tried taking off the inner wheel arch liner but the screws were all gummed up and almost as hard to reach - looking at it, that might not have been enough and outer trim and front bumper could well be needed also. German near side lamp now has only two screws but can't see that as an issue if the other two are nipped up tight.

I'm not large and I couldn't get in to these at all - my partner Diane is small and she ended up lying across the top of the engine fully inside the bonnet to be able to reach the damn things! Hope to have photographic record of this when I get my tour blog going!

The strange thing about the MOT is the fog light issue - I can see why the light needs to be on the British offside so that people don't pile into you thinking you are a motorbike on the inside of the lane but this doesn't need changing over (as far as I am aware) for going abroad. Therefore every British vehicle with one fog light that goes on the continent is creating the problem above.

Why don't manufacturers of expensive vehicles give us one on each side? Obviously too easy! I remember some years ago when reversing lights were only just coming in and a friend bought a new Renault 18 (said it was a while ago!). He noticed that the reversing light wasn't working so he took it back to the dealer. Dealer said that Renault didn't put a bulb in because they didn't have to and it saved costs! This friend had negotiated large discount on list price.....

So, back to subject - if either of you want to hire a small headlamp contortionist I'll make her available for a small fee (haven't told her yet mind you!)

Brian

JockandRita