Headlight Converters for driving in Europe

Gloomendoom

I thought the breathalyser requirements for France had been postponed.

This month, France's interior minister, Manuel Valls, said fines will not be enforced for the time being and that carrying breathalysers is not 'obligatory'.

Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/583677/french-ministers-u-turn-on-breathalyser-fines#e3YmC1Hwk961IH7D.99

That was February. Have they changed their minds again?

vikingaero

That's what I thought. But I thought that for the sake of 4 quid having a set on me would be better than arguing in another language with a revenue raising gendarme when I have a crossing to catch.

rev_henry

vikingaero wrote: »

That's what I thought. But I thought that for the sake of 4 quid having a set on me would be better than arguing in another language with a revenue raising gendarme when I have a crossing to catch.

Do the breathalyzers have to be those single use ones? I keep a re useable electronic one in the glovebox, would that do?

No intention of going there anytime soon, just curious!

muddyl

OK I don't mean to thread jack but have a question along the same lines.
I may travel to france this/next year.



I've looked but can't find a spare bulb kit suitable if you have hid lights. Has anyone seen one? And does it have to be a an actual "kit" or will a collection of spare bulbs do?

Edit: Just found this http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-advice/9175899/Driving-in-France-what-do-I-need.html which changes things slightly if its up to date but may help.

vikingaero

rev_henry wrote: »

Do the breathalyzers have to be those single use ones? I keep a re useable electronic one in the glovebox, would that do?

No intention of going there anytime soon, just curious!

Not sure. If your electronic breathalyser has the NF code stamped on it then it could be OK.

vikingaero

muddyl wrote: »

OK I don't mean to thread jack but have a question along the same lines.
I may travel to france this/next year.



I've looked but can't find a spare bulb kit suitable if you have hid lights. Has anyone seen one? And does it have to be a an actual "kit" or will a collection of spare bulbs do?

Edit: Just found this http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-advice/9175899/Driving-in-France-what-do-I-need.html which changes things slightly if its up to date but may help.

I imagine all you could do is carry a standard bulb kit for the car and hope the HIDs last out. You can buy HID bulbs from dealers and on eBay but I would be very careful with eBay to ensure you buy ones with the same colour temperature and output as your existing bulbs. But whilst most of us can change a standard filament bulb, would we, or could be change a HID bulb on the roadside?

muddyl

vikingaero wrote: »

I imagine all you could do is carry a standard bulb kit for the car and hope the HIDs last out. You can buy HID bulbs from dealers and on eBay but I would be very careful with eBay to ensure you buy ones with the same colour temperature and output as your existing bulbs. But whilst most of us can change a standard filament bulb, would we, or could be change a HID bulb on the roadside?

I suppose they won't check the bulbs so as long as it at least looks right your OK.

I'm sure I could change a HID on the go but buying replacement, if I go for a like for like manufacturer replacement, is £50 each. Though an eBay a pair can be bought for around £30 (for a decent k rating, not sure what they would be like though).

Iceweasel

No - you do not 'need' headlight converters - nobody does.

There is no law in any European country that says you need to convert anything at all.

Their is a law in France, and elsewhere, that says you must not cause dazzle to other road users -same as in the UK.

In over 40 years I have never even had a comment from anyone in authority about this - although I've been stopped and checked for other things, so they could easily have added 'no converters' to the list of misdeeds.

I drive over 12K miles in Europe every year - and that's much less than I used to.

If I'm going to be driving at night I lower the setting on the load adjusters.

A load of cobblers is put about by folks trying to sell you allsorts of kit that is not required.

In April I had a discussion with a young lad who handed me a leaflet while I waited in the queue for the ferry in Dover docks - I quickly realised that he hadn't a clue, poor lad, he was just being paid to leaflet.

The ferry companies are pushing these beam converter kits and even the now abandoned breathalyzer kits.

The leaflet said they were both 'mandatory'.

Lot's of sellers stocked up on the breath-kits, before the implementation of the French law was permanently suspended, so I suppose they want to offload them.

Even the RAC who sell the cheapest stick-on converters say on the packet that they are mandatory - which is not true!

If you're really worried get a set of RAC stickies for £3.49 and keep them in the glove compartment.

In the unlikely event of being stopped/questioned, I'm sure a display of 'Oh my God, I forgot, but they are right here, officer' will solve the problem.

Do we know of anyone who has actually been fined for this, personally I mean - not hearsay?

What you must have in France for example is:

Vehicle Documents including Insurance Cert.
GB plate if your number plate doesn't have the EU stars.
Warning Triangle.
Hi-Viz vests, accessible in the car.

It would be crazy to put kit in your car for some countries and take it out for others where it was not a legal requirement, so in order to satisfy all the EU countries, you should also have:

First Aid Kit
Fire Extinguisher.
Spare Bulbs - any collection will do.

If you're towing a caravan or a trailer I would carry a 2nd Warning Triangle - especially for Spain, Switzerland and Croatia.

All of these thing are permanently in my car - as they are sensible things to have in this country too - and may well save you money - or even your life.

Strider590

^^^ But UK headlights point left toward the kerb (it's actually just a wider/deeper beam to the left, but whatever). That's why idiots who park facing oncoming traffic LOOK like they're sitting with the main beams on.

If you drive in Europe, your lights will be trained on the oncoming cars, thus you'll dazzle them???

Iceweasel

If those are your headlights shining on the garage door all you need to do is stick a couple of bits of black electrical insulating tape on the parts of the glass where the triangular bits are.

Trial and error will get it right and then your beams will be flat topped.

You certainly don't need to spend £6 odd for some little silvery one-use-only jobs.

Beware glue on plastic lenses!