Beam deflectors for 1 day?

If I’m travelling there and back in a single day, crossing and returning during daytime hours, will I still need to fit beam deflectors?

You are supposed to have them fitted regardless but as you are unlikely to get them fitted in the right place to actually work and those stupid expensive bits of sticky tape are just that. Cut a couple of triangles from sticky tape and put those on and save your money.

2 Likes

Utterly useless on anything with LED matrix headlights as well.

I would just avoid using full beam.

I went to uk a couple of weeks ago for 10 days, I didn’t fit beam deflectors.

I never bothered with our RHD Saxo when we came here to live, and it passed 2 CTs with the beam visibly fixed to the left on the back wall of the test station. I only changed them myself in the end to better see the edge of the road on country lanes at night.

Has anybody ever been charged for not having beams dipping correctly? :thinking:

Interesting Mat, its dipped beam that usually kicks up isnt it?

3 Likes

I wouldn’t bother.

The main thing is that you don’t dazzle oncoming traffic, as opposed to having the beam kicking up the right (or left) way.

When using my French vehicles in the UK I drop the headlights by one notch on the load adjusters. I then never get flashed by oncoming traffic.

It’s dipped beam which is not supposed to dazzle. Full beam will always be a problem for oncoming traffic, regardless of which side fo the road your vehicles is designed to drive on.

Oooops!

When we moved over with our RHD Peugeot Partner, we went to a garage to have the headlights changed for driving on the right. After they were changed, the CT failed on headlight deflection. Peugeot had supplied new UK style headlights even though they weren’t asked for. When we went back to ask, the garagiste was furious and spent a few minutes shouting down the phone at some poor guy/gal :triumph:. We think it’s because he quoted the vehicle type (etched with the VIN on the windscreen) to Peugeot over the phone. He did however ask for French headlights as I was present when he ordered them.

Lamps with plastic lenses may get damaged by the adhesive.

Headlamps on most recent cars have a horizontal cut-off and not need adaptors.

The offence would be causing dazzle which is subjective. Reports of penalties for not having beam deflectors are mythical

This is short term.

Most, not all and checking is important.

Agreed, never been checked in 23 years neither has anyone I know.

Check with your garage - my Passat has travel setting via dash options to mitigate high beam. Might be the same available on your car - I only found out by sheer fluke reading handbook about something else!

1 Like

RTFM.:face_with_hand_over_mouth:

1 Like

Yep! :rofl:

I bought beam deflectors for my UK vehicle along with a spare hazard triangle and disposable breathalyser kits (remember when we had to provide our own). Carried them on the spare tire in the boot. Never fitted them, never needed them, was never asked about them.

Our Tiguan had it too but the recommendation was to only use it for limited periods. I’ve no idea why. They were LED lights with automatic dipping. Not very good dipping really, it used to end up with a black hole at all the wrong moments. That was a bit disconcerting so I switched it off. The automatic dipping on the i4 is pretty well perfect.

I experienced auto-dip on a VAG car once… turned it off after five minutes! :wink::rofl:

1 Like