CT, headlights and fog lights

Hello all, I’m looking a bit of advice from the collective wisdom of people.

My UK spec car has failed it’s CT on headlights and foglights. It’s its 3rd CT in France so it seems odd. Why now? Perhaps there have been some rules changes or maybe some things are at the discretion of the tester. There was no problem getting the car, a 2009 Volvo, homologated and registered here in France. There was no need to change headlights nor fog lights, and no mention has ever been made of them. So I am a tad baffled.

The headlights have a lever inside them to switch between UK to EU, it’s possible that they’re set wrong. I’ll have to have a look later but (not that I know which way is which!) and, as I say, it has not previously been an issue. Front fogs, no idea - I didn’t even know they were set for a particular side of the road. The rear fog light (and there is only the one) is more cut-and-dried, it is on the wrong side. I can only guess that previous tester has not thought it a serious issue.

Previously, I’ve always used the same CT centre. I know the guy there and he does our other car as well. He’s schedule was full this time so I had to go somewhere else.

This new tester actually told me that the car was not homologated for France. That is clearly nonsense because I have both a bit of paper from Volvo France to say that it is and I have a carte gris! I couldn’t have registered the car if it wasn’t road legal. So I’m wondering if the tester was having a bit of a bad day and making life difficult for me for whatever reason.

If I have to buy new lights, the fogs are maybe not so much of a cost but the headlights are going to set me back a bit - so I want to be absolutely sure they don’t conform before getting my debit card out.

IF I take the car back to the guy that’s previously tested it for its contre-visite, is he duty bound to fail it again if I change nothing? Or can he (again?) exercise his discretion/judgement? I figure I can’t really talk to him first as it puts him on the spot. And if he fails it again, do I simply just get another contre-visite requirement (same timeline or otherwise)? If so, then that course

This whole thing just has me baffled and I really don’t know what to do.

For the fog light - if you have just one fog light on the rear, it could be the side of the car it is on rather than the orientation of the beam.

The rear fog light on my car was listed as a comment but not as a failure.

If headlights can be moved to EU position perhaps get someone to check that you’ve done it right. We just added a single fog light on the left hand side at the back but someone on here suggested brighter bulbs would have done the trick. After checking headlights go back to usual centre. If your french is up to it explain that headlights just needed adjusting. We have never had problems where we go but someone told us the person at Rostrenen was dreadful about their van.

Yes, it’s the side that it’s on - and I have it as a fail. The simplest solution for me is to run a wire from one side to the other and have 2 rear fog lights.

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Its probably worth seeking advice from a Volvo forum as you may well find that the ‘unused’ fog light is already pre-wired and may just need a unit with a bulb. That was the case with my T5R that I had many years ago.

Additionally the functionality of the second fog light may be software controlled.

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That’s what I thought of doing (and my French would be up to it) The usual guy is pleasant and has done all our cars for over 10 years now. I hate to say it but maybe the guy at this different center was just being awkward, because he could be.

Could he have just been plain out wrong? What he said about homologation was nonsense, so that leads me to doubt him. I just don’t know what he’s now set in stone for the retest. Could my usual CT guy just ignore what this guy has said and pass it?

I ran a wire on my CRV and moved the bulb holder from one side to the other.

On MX5 it wasn’t a fail.

Thanks for the pointer, I’d love it if it was just a matter of sticking a bulb in - and it’s make sense if you think of production lines etc.

I have looked at a Volvo forum and it seems there is only one light wired and no software control. I’m going to have a look at the light cluster myself, just to confirm, because it’d make sense for there to be at lease a space for the light.

why not go to your nearest Volve garage and speak with them… they should be able to sort out the lights… all of 'em… doesn’t need to cost you anything… or not a lot…

It’s certainly an option. The nearest one is over 100km away and pricey. I had the car serviced there once, and only once, when I first brought it over from the UK. If I can sort it myself, I’d prefer.

you say “failed” but what is the actual wording…???
the wording/detail should say just what is considered to be “wrong”.
and if you don’t use Volvo, perhaps there is a garage which you trust to take a look… and show them the CT which you have been given (listing the failures… ) so they know what to check…

it’s quite possible that your headlights are just slightly too high… which can occur over time… and quite possibly they need adjusting down… who knows, it’s happened to us before now… without reading your CT blurb I’m just clutching at straws …

The blurbs tend to be generic as they cover a broad range of specific errors. It’s what they say to you that reveals the specific nature of the problem(s).

Headlight fail is 4.1.2.a.2 Orientation outside norms, and the fog light fail is 4.5.4.a.2 Conformity. As I say, he basically said the car’s illegal. I’ve a warning on the front fogs for horizontal orientation.

I do have a local guy who I’m going to see tomorrow as it happens, my wife’s car is going in for some work. I’ll have a chat with him (if he has time, they’re busy there!) and see what he has to offer.

quite possibly just moved over time… as I have suggested… and your local guy sounds your best bet…

Looking at the actual numbers given on the test (which are, it’s fair to say, meaningless to me!) the most notable thing is how different the values are from left to right light (headlight and fog). At the closest value - that is, closest to the range offered - they are not that far out. I would have thought non-conforming lights (e.g. UK ones) would be much further out. It might simply be a matter of adjustment, I’ll see what the garagiste says tomorrow. It certainly makes more sense. But what inspired the guy to start talking of conformity and homologisation though, well that’s another matter.

The rear fog though, that is nailed on wrong. Perhaps the regs have changed pertaining to them.

could be non-conformity with any of the following…

Indeed. That’s why what he said is what I took away.

The more I look at the numbers, and search the web, I think the CT guy went off at a tangent, or was trying to alarm me for reasons best known to himself. It looks to me like the values given on my CT are actually within the range of errors that other (French) road users get. And so within the range of possible adjustment. Perhaps he thought RHD vehicle, UK car, UK lights and started down the line of the car not conforming/not homologated. Believe me, he used those words.

Of course 4.5.4.a.2 is regardless of provenance… I reckon your mechanic will soon sort it.

I had a good chat with the local gargiste this morning. He said it’s possible that previous CTs have ‘waved through’ non-conforming lights before. He has had experience of it and has had to change UK vehicle headlights (that have previously passed CTs) before now. He does think it unlikely in my case though and will see if he can adjust both the dipped beam and fogs. He’ll wire the rear fog for me too, so I have two working rear fog lights (it is simply a matter of running the wire right to left). Then he’ll take the car in for the contre-visite himself, to his guy.

Plus, headlights don’t need to be changed now. Stickers are acceptable. So that’s a relief even if, at worst, the lights are non-conforming.

Did I mention it’d failed on front tyres too? Longer story but to cut to the chase, the garagiste thinks the tyres are fine (I thought so too, but I thought there must be a tracking issue and inside wear I couldn’t see) He said they should have passed.

To have him potentially sort it all for me is a relief in itself. I hadn’t realised how much the CT had upset me, my wife said I was on the verge of tears over it!!

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Ah yes… Beam-benders/whatever … they’ve been legal for some time now … so long as they are correctly fitted !!

(of course, a badly fitted beam-bender is a waste of time, as it won’t do quite what it is meant to do… and will fail the CT…)

Since 2019 the garagiste thought. I don’t know, not my thing.

I know, of things CT related, I don’t now have to take my motorbike in for one. I had a feeling that’d happen, just nowhere was geared up and ready to do bikes. Anyway, that’s another subject.