LHD LED headlights OK for UK?

[MattD]

Looking to upgrade my H4s and found some OEM LEDs but they are from a LHD van - maybe a stupid question but will that work and be good for MOT? Cheers

 

[david173]

No the beam pattern will be wrong as they are designed for driving on the other side of the road.

 

[Bav]

No the beam pattern will be wrong as they are designed for driving on the other side of the road.

Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure I've read on here that when driving a RHD van on the continent, no adjustments are necessary for vans with LEDs - which implies that the beam patterns are the same.

I'll have a search and try and fish out the thread.

 

[Pauly]

They are handed and there is a slight kick up in the beam pattern but it’s minimal so I would say technically they are not right but not sure they would fail an mot ??

 

[Bav]

Okay, so I've just re-read the thread and it seems that if you have factory-fitted LEDs, then you have a "Travel Mode" MFD option, which switches your lights from being suitable for driving on the left, to being suitable for driving on the right (or vise-verse in your case @MattD). Not sure about retro-fitted LEDs - presume you'd get that option if the lights were coded-in correctly.

Europe H4 Headlight Beam Deflectors

What do you good folks do with your lights when driving on the continent? The law is you mustn't blind people. I know that normal t6 lights aren't exactly bright. Do people still use the stick on adjusters or just adjust the beam down with the little adjuster wheel thingy?

www.t6forum.com

 

[Robert]

This is my RHD pattern.


LHD is literally mirrored.

See more details below.

The MOT headlamp aim test is changing - Matters of Testing

Official advice and information about MOT testing from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk

You might be lucky and pass MOT but it is sort of gamble.

 

[MattD]

Thanks for all the help. There doesn't seem like much in it but it's an expensive mistake if it fails the MOT! Might have to give my mechanic a call.

 

[Bav]

Thanks for all the help. There doesn't seem like much in it but it's an expensive mistake if it fails the MOT! Might have to give my mechanic a call.

Might be worth exploring the Travel Mode option. This option implies that the beam pattern is not necessarily inherent in the LED unit itself, but is controlled external to the unit.

 

[Robert]

Travel mode reduces the "range" of lights but doesn't do anything to the beam pattern.

 

[Bav]

Travel mode reduces the "range" of lights but doesn't do anything to the beam pattern.

By range, do you mean a tilt option for when the van's heavily loaded? If that's the case, then there are lots of people on this forum that are using it errantly on the continent, believing it to be a LHD/RHD adjustment.

From the thread I linked above...

I have an option in the MFD for swapping the headlights to be ok for on the continent. Is this only on vehicles with LED's then? Is it the case that @Blgben, @Loz, and @Scruffy, you don't have LED's which is why you need to make a manual change to the lens?

The current thinking stands as follows.
If you have german (LHD) T6 the workshop manual says that driving abroad does not need adjustment on H4 and H7, however the UK variants have the nearside slant up and require blanking (deflecting is too difficult to do correctly). LED light have an option on the MFD to flatten the beam..

 

[Loz]

By range, do you mean a tilt option for when the van's heavily loaded? If that's the case, then there are lots of people on this forum that are using it errantly on the continent, believing it to be a LHD/RHD adjustment.

If you have LED lights, then you have an automatic levelling platform that the lights sit on, which sets the level based on load once at ignition on. Travel mode only lowers the nearside lamp a smidge.

 

[Robert]

Travel mode only lowers the nearside lamp a smidge.

Both lamps.
See my YT video above.

 

[Bav]

So (for my benefit, because I'm now confused), does Travel Mode help with driving on the continent or not?

And (for the OP's benefit), presuming a set of LHD LEDs would not pass an MOT in the UK, would Travel Mode help or not?

 

[Loz]

So (for my benefit, because I'm now confused), does Travel Mode help with driving on the continent or not?

And (for the OP's benefit), presuming a set of LHD LEDs would not pass an MOT in the UK, would Travel Mode help or not?

yes and yes, the MOT does not care about the pattern, only that the beams are not above the vehicle horizontal.

In Germany, you would fail the TUV for an incorrect pattern as well.

 

[Bav]

yes and yes, the MOT does not care about the pattern, only that the beams are not above the vehicle horizontal.

In Germany, you would fail the TUV for an incorrect pattern as well.

Thanks for clarifying

 

[Alster]

Can’t find travel mode on my 6.1

 

[Bav]

Can’t find travel mode on my 6.1

Do you have factory-fitted LEDs?

 

[MattD]

Cheers for the clarifications - appreciate the time.

 

[Alster]

@Bav yes factory fitted LEDs its a 2021 Highline Kombi and I’ve just ha another look and can’t find it.

 

[Skyliner33]

Can’t find travel mode on my 6.1

That's because there isn't one.