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Xenon headlight conversion for driving in Europe.


Metalex
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OK, I just had a go at switching the lights and it was all very easy. One thing worries me though...

I found that the right-hand switch was already in the DOWN position as expected, but the left-hand switch was in the UP position. Shouldn't they both be DOWN?

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[ QUOTE ]

OK, I just had a go at switching the lights and it was all very easy. One thing worries me though...

I found that the right-hand switch was already in the DOWN position as expected, but the left-hand switch was in the UP position. Shouldn't they both be DOWN?

[/ QUOTE ]

Anyone? confused.gif

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[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

OK, I just had a go at switching the lights and it was all very easy. One thing worries me though...

I found that the right-hand switch was already in the DOWN position as expected, but the left-hand switch was in the UP position. Shouldn't they both be DOWN?

[/ QUOTE ]

Anyone? confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I will check when I get home tonight.

When you say left side do you mean drivers side or left side looking from the front.

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ive changed mine twice now. first time in france i put levers down and on return journey 2 weeks later was getting flashed all the time. took to vw they said drivers side lever had come loose. just got back from germany and all worked well. easy to change on way over to france but on return to uk couldnt find drivers side lever again. am taking it in monday for them to look at. seems like they are a bit unreliable.

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just been phoned by dealers, said they cant feel the lever but can see it with a mirror. said it is in the correct position. they also said that they should not be adjusted while on the car as this will void the warrenty (as told by vw uk). They say they would have to remove the bumper and then remove then the light to change the settings

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they also said that they should not be adjusted while on the car as this will void the warrenty (as told by vw uk). They say they would have to remove the bumper and then remove then the light to change the settings

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Some dealers are so full of dung.gif

It was my dealer who showed me how to do it in the first place after he had printed the instructions of from his computer. That is what I had included in the PDF.

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I have seen that in ELSA where it says to remove the bumper and the light unit to access the lever.

The head tech guy at my dealers said this was only to make it easier to access the levers but they can be adjusted without this. It also means they can hit you with a large bill for doing the job.

I tried again tonight and can reach the levers with no problems on both sides, maybe I have long fingers.

If you are getting flashed maybe it is just the height of the beam that is the problem as a lot of people had to get them adjusted when new as they seem to come from the factory set too high.

I adjusted mine down slightly using the white plastic screws on the back of the light unit, again going from advice from the dealer.

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thanks mike,

am not getting flashed. i could feel the levers with no problem on the way out but on the way back could only feel one. i think the lever has moved slightly which is why i took it to the stealers. last time the dealer said the clip had come off/loose. this time they only looked at it with a mirror and said it was ok.

just to check the lever is a very small metal clip.

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Well, I'm now back from France and I think I now know how these levers work.

When we were sitting waiting for the ferry at Dover, I decided to switch my lights for the continent. I found that if you look into the lenses of the xenons at a certain angle, you can see what the levers actually do.

It's hard to explain, but when you flick the levers you can see a metal barrier (if that's the right word) move upwards. I assume this blocks a small portion of the light, i.e. the portion of light that would blind oncoming traffic on the continent.

With both "barriers" blocking the light, the levers on my car are set as follows:

Drivers side - UP

Passenger side - DOWN

For normal UK driving:

Drivers side - DOWN

Passenger side - UP

Hope that helps. Any clarification needed, let me know.

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According to the VW procedure from ELSA it is

Both levers down for the UK

Both levers up for the continent.

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That's all very well, but looking at how my levers function and how they were set at the factory, then that info might be wrong. Not to mention that I wasn't flashed once in France.

Have you looked into the lenses to see what happens when you flick the switch?

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[ QUOTE ]

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Have you looked into the lenses to see what happens when you flick the switch?

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.... EEK2.GIF Not to be done at close quarters or without protective eyewear! NONO3.GIF

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Not when they're switched on... obviously. Nobody is that dumb.

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