I have just successfully passed the spanish equivalent of the MOT even though they wanted me to change the headlights so that they dipped to the right and not the left. I fitted beam benders that satisfied the test but the permanence of the plastic stick-ons was in question. I stated that the headlights they wanted were not manufactured and therefore impossible to fit. However as I had superglued the beam benders on they were impossible to remove and challenged them to do just that. The inspectors (three of them) accepted the point and I got my ITV!

Hope I am not too late for those other European imports.

Rgds Tony

- (#11136) Tony Randall, 16 Oct 03 7:47

Nice one Tony. Where there's a will .....

One has to worry about the repeatability of this though. It worked for you but with a different set of testers they could be a lot more arsey perhaps.

- (#11137) Ian Dunse, 16 Oct 03 11:20

Ian, you are right about the consistency of the testers and I will have to go through the same procedure next year. Having superglued the beam benders on they have become very solid and no doubt be very difficult to remove if they are rejected. However, removing the complete headlight I notice that it might be possible to separate the front glass from the reflector casing. If this was done and the shaped plastic of the dipped headlight section is covered in a translucent gel or glue, this would negate the beam bending to the left. Glue on the proprietary beam bender the correct way and voila! we should have a continental headlight. Separating the front glass from the casing however does not appear to be an easy job and come the day of the races I may have to cut them apart. I'll tell you next year!! Has anyone got some spare headlights for me to experiment with?

- (#11234) Tony Randall, 18 Oct 03 9:38

Ian, you are right about the consistency of testers, especially here in Spain. Remember I have to go through the same procedure next year, so in preparation for then I have been looking at the headlights and notice that the front glass can be separated from the reflector casing although it maybe that I have to cut them apart. However, if the 'dip to the left' section of the glass (the part you cover with the beam bender) was covered in a translucent glue or gel' this would negate the effect and then if the beambender was glued on top again I would have a continental headlight!
Comments please and if anybody has some spare headlights for sale I will experiment.

- (#11235) Tony Randall, 18 Oct 03 9:51

Sorry for the repeat, I didn't think the first message went through and hence recomposed the second.

- (#11236) Tony Randall, 19 Oct 03 5:14