UKC

I got this as an MOT fail so need to fix it. I know it means one of my light beams is in a European style - but how do I know which is incorrect?

I'm planning to correct it with one of the sticker things but how do I know when it is then corrected?

Seems too simple to take it to a garage but by saying both nearside and offsite it is confusing me.

It's the only thing wrong but I didn't get chance to speak to the person doing the MOT after it was done and it was a council place so they don't do repairs otherwise I guess they would've just fixed it. I need to take it back later this week to get it retested for free so could do with fixing it today or tomorrow.

any advice would be appreciated thanks

In reply to James Malloch:

Can you park it facing a wall and see which one isn't straight? Or maybe it's both?

I thought European headlights were straight but I could be wrong.

In reply to James Malloch:

seems to me it is saying that the nearside headlamp aim is out to the offside ie aiming further to the right than it should be

In reply to James Malloch:

What make and model of car, does it have a manual switch or adjuster for changing between left and right hand drive countries, many modern cars do? Check the bulb is seated properly in the fitting, especially if it has been changed since the last MOT. Did you have the MOT done at the same place last time?

In reply to James Malloch:

Basically, on all European (UNECE) headlamps, whether left or right drive, on the nearside half of the beam (nearest the kerb), the top edge of the beam slopes upward toward the nearside. The top edge of the remaining (offside) half of the beam is straight and level.

The effect of this is to create enhanced illumination of the kerb (possible pedestrians, nearside) without dazzling oncoming traffic (opposing lane, offside).

So British and Irish ones have a wedge of light sloping up toward the left. French or Belgian ones have a similar wedge of light sloping up toward the right.

The test appears to now allow beam converter stickers.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2...

Do not be surprised if a tester fails it for incompatible lamps that comply with no nation's regs. Likewise there may be an offence committed. You need to check!

In reply to James Malloch:

Give the test centre a call and ask them what they mean?

In reply to James Malloch:


Park it facing a wall with the lights on dip and cover them one at a time observing the beam pattern to see which, if only one is wrong.

You can download something called the IVA manual https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5... which details acceptable beam patterns and how to set up the test, if it complies with that it'll pass MOT.


You may just have wonky bulb, poorly adjusted or loose lamp unit rather than a European lamp.
jk

In reply to James Malloch:

MOT fail reasons are a bit woolly at times , and there can be multiple possible options for what is basically the same issue. Sometimes that means you get a very specific and accurate note, other times you get something that's a bit misleading. If it's a UK car then I suspect that the real issue is a headlamp which has had a knock, or something has shifted inside, perhaps when changing a bulb. First test, as others have said, is to park up about 3-5m away from a wall and check the beam pattern. The right hand side should be lowest and reasonably flat with no kick up at the right hand side. The left hand side will normally sit slightly higher and have a kick up at the left hand edge for illuminating the verge on the left. If the kick is on the correct side then I suspect that his note just indicates that the beam is too high on the right, which is easily remedied with the adjusters inside the unit (I'm surprised they didn't just do this and charge you a tenner for it). The other possibility is that if you've replaced the bulb recently it may not be seated correctly, knocking the beam out. If that's the case it should be pretty easy to resolve by simply unclipping it, reseating and replacing the clip.

In reply to Cloverleaf:

I had a similar problem, with cheap ebay bulbs. The car kept blowing bulbs, so while I was investigating the reason for that I used cheap bulbs. It was picked up on the MOT due to beam pattern. I put a fancy bulb back in and checked the pattern (then passed the re-test). It was a cheap bulb causing problems to the pattern, although I'm not quite sure how exactly, and only on one side.

In reply to James Malloch:

The filament in headlamp bulbs needs to be very accurately positioned.

In reply to Jim Fraser:

I'm staggered that beam alignment is even covered by the MOT given the number of cars with badly adjusted headlights I see driving around...

In reply to Ridge:

It is one of the things that the test does quite well (unlike brakes and suspension). This aspect has improved a lot over the years, including just recently. The test for suspension dampers on the other hand is primitive, inadequate, unchanged and markedly different from some other jurisdictions.

In some ways the improvements in lighting have left governments and the ECE in a hard place since Wattage was an easy measure and now lighting efficiency has gone through the roof. Huge amounts of light are being produced by modern lamps and they have no practical way of policing exactly how much.