Mole Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Can anyone advise what I need to do to make my headlamps suitable for a trip to France? In the past I've always bought the stick-on beam deflectors specific to whatever tin-top I had at the time - these usually come with diections on exactly where to position them. I have no idea how to achieve this with the Se7en (or is it a case of re-aligning the headlights for continental driving and then re-adjusting when I'm back in the UK?) SV 52 CAT - the mole is airborne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Just stick some strips of black insulation tape ovr the headlights - I *think* that the lights have a sort of horizontal triangle shape in the glass pattern - this is what you cover. You can get universal plastic lens type things, but these do not stay stuck to the very convex shape of the Caterham lights. Hope this helps! angus New site! mycaterham.com here 42,000 in 23 months! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Septimus Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Twiddle the LH headlamp a bit to the right so it points away from the crown of the road when driving on right. This avoids the need for sticky patches etc and the locals have never objected. OK for coming back from the Cafe de Sport but not doing a ton at midnight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Look at the headlight glass and you will see a triangular shape with the end cut off it, you need to cover all this up. Don't bother with the kits from Halfrauds they ars a complete waste of time, use black insulating tape, I used this last year for 2 weeks in France with no problems and shall be using it again this summer, have a great time. Phil AV02NJO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Great minds think alike Phil ❗ 😬 (see above!) New site! mycaterham.com here 42,000 in 23 months! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 oooopsie, doh, but still smiling 😬 Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole Posted June 25, 2003 Author Share Posted June 25, 2003 Thanks all - looks like it will work a treat! SV 52 CAT - the mole is airborne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsharland Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 don't bother. My father has been going to france 2-3 times a year for between 1-3 weeks and has never stuck the black things on and never been stopped. Drove to le mans without them no probs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Do bother. It is discourteous (and potentially dangerous) to have poorly adjusted headlights. Just because you can see well does not mean that you haven't compromised someone else's visibility. I have similar disdain for people who fit overly powerful lights or drive with "front fog lights" on. Rotters, the lot of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-B Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 peter the first time we took our car to europe we did it. all the cars at night were still pissed off with the intensity/size of our cars' lights. now we don't bother. it's not the light in their eyes IMHO but the vibration that they have that upsets others. and folks from the continent coming here don't do theirs. not to say that two wrongs make a right, but....... Steve 210Bhp Sinister Version-VHPD here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Consider how much you have paid for your car, consider how much you have paid for your insurance, then consider the £4.99 for beam deflectors which may result in lose of a claim in the event of an accident if not fitted or the fine from the French Police person. Sticky tape can work well but it does not tell you where to fix it and as you know there are different qualities of tape and a lot will come off with the heat from your lamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Phil - I think the pattern on the light lens tells you where to stick the tape - although of course that is a problem on the newer type lights which have no lines on the lens or glass cover. ISTR you often have to trim the purchased light converters to these patterns anyway, but youare right about the tape - make sure it is water proof as well! The trouble is that with our very curved light lenses, the stick on light 'deflectors' peel off as they get hot and the adhesive gets sticky. Had the same thing on my old ca,per van withround lights - not many modern cars have such lenses now. In fact, some very new cars have a switch for automaticaly adjusting the light beams for continental driving, a bit like the height adjustment. Talking of round lenses, those on the Elise (original model) are unusually convex - only other car I recall having such lenses was the Renault 4 - I am sure they are the same part!! New site! mycaterham.com here 42,000 in 23 months! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now