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headlamps
serendipity123 - 15/9/05 at 02:39 PM

whats the e number i need for uk spec haedlamps for sva ?


serendipity123 - 15/9/05 at 03:01 PM

no panic its E11 isnt it ?


iank - 15/9/05 at 03:15 PM

According to SVC who occasionaly post here the number just indicates where it was tested. So anything with an E which dips to the left is SVA ok.
It's the arrow (pointing left from behind ) which indicates which way it dips.

paraphrased from this thread:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=25247


serendipity123 - 15/9/05 at 03:47 PM

so i'll be ok with sva as long as they are E marked and dip left

[Edited on 15/9/05 by serendipity123]


Steve @ sVc - 19/9/05 at 02:06 PM

Or, from a previous post when I had a bit more time:

The "E" mark number simply refers to the country where the test was carried out, not the country where the light is to be used, hence Wipac lights made in England are marked E11, and Hella lights made in Germany are marked E1. Lights that are made outside the EC are marked generally for the country who quotes the least to do the test!

I have noticed that a number of companies are trying to sell RH dipping lights to the UK car builders. These are not legal and should not pass SVA or Mot (you could get through Mot if you fit the beam blanking mods you get for UK lights when travelling abroad, but SVA forbids this. They would have to be mirror image to the ones sold for UK cars).

On dip the headlight should have a clean flat topped beam pattern. At the far left of the beam the light should "kick up" at an angle of 15 degrees. The beam is also angled downwards AND towards the pavement to reduce dazzle for on coming traffic..

If your headlight has an arrow pointing to the left when looking from behind the lens, it is a UK specification and will dip to the left. If it has no arrow IT WILL DIP TO THE RIGHT.
If it has an arrow pointing both ways (Hella 90 mm dip lights for instance) you can adjust the light to dip left or right!

OK - so far so good. However I'm sure that if you have a continental RH dipping light, you can't get it to dip to the left by turning the lens a bit in the headlight (as one of the UK suppliers suggests). All you do is to get the small "kick up" area of the dip beam to be horizontal, and the wider part to become the 15 deg "kick up". BUT, and there has to be a big but, your lights will still dip to the right, they can't help it as that is how they were designed.

So, if you want UK legal lights that allow you so see the kerb on dip (and those of you who have driven distances on the Continent with UK headlights that have the dip section blanked of will know that you now can't see the kerb), look for the arrow pointing in the direction of the dip. That way you will have a fully legal car and if you are unfortunate enough to have an accident in the hours of darkness, your insurance company will not be able to say the car was not UK road legal, and so not covered.

Sorry to go on a bit !
Steve @ sVc