Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

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peteroldracer
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Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Aug 19, 2019 12:58 pm

Taking my lhd Toyota to UK on ferry from Santander and getting blank looks trying to buy headlamp adaptors. Do Spanish drivers not drive to uk, ever, or just not bothger about headlamps dazzling UK drivers?
Amazon.uk sell correct ones - but do not ship to Spain (!) and Amazon.es are very unclear about lhd/rhd and some include GB stickers....
Is there a shop at the ferry port selling this sort of stuff or do I just wait until I can reach a Halfords some time after arrival?
I am surprised and disappointed that I cannot press a button to change the digital speedo from kmh to mph, when other buttons change the consumption from l/100kms to mpg on a reasonably sophisticated modern car - it is a hybrid with al the charge info on a display, but not something as useful as speed.
P.S. I travel next weekend!
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby Enrique » Mon Aug 19, 2019 1:28 pm

Hi peteroldrace,

You can get them on Board the Ferry. They do both kinds..........just check you by the correct one.

Have a great drive.......... I did it the other week.........no hold-ups all the way....... :D

Join the R-4 towards Madrid then M-50 ring road to A-1 , at Burgos use A-231(signed León) to the A-67 Santander.
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Aug 19, 2019 2:38 pm

Thanks Enrique - another worry off the list....I have booked a hotel near Aranda del Duero to break the journey from Murcia to Santander, and Brittany seem to have got the Pont Aven back on a revised schedule, running on three engines out of four, but on a shorter route (for them) to Plymouth. This does give me a longer drive to Yorkshire rather than the original Portsmouth, but seems to be a practical solution until they can fit a new engine and get back to speed. I have left any stop on our return until I see timings, but will probably settle on Burgos and take a day out. Fingers crossed that another engine does not go pop!
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby alpineSi » Mon Aug 19, 2019 3:00 pm

If it's got led lights the deflectors might not work / be necessary. My SEAT has what they call tourist lights which mean the beams rise just under the legal limit so no stickers required. There's nothing to do, it's just how they're made. You're not meant to drive long term with them though and are meant to buy local ones if staying. It's in the handbook. The price of new LED lights isn't in the handbook though!

For the speedo, we have to change this in the car settings accessed via the radio / GPS, perhaps yours is the same.
Last edited by alpineSi on Mon Aug 19, 2019 3:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby alpineSi » Mon Aug 19, 2019 3:53 pm

Incidentally, we're doing Santander - Plymouth this Wednesday. I didn't know they had a revised service; that might explain why so many ferries were fully booked. I wonder if a ship with 3/4 engines is also running at reduced capacity.

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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby Enrique » Mon Aug 19, 2019 4:29 pm

Hi peteroldrace,
Just picked this up from Brittany-Ferries site.......................

"Plymouth - Heavy road works throughout Plymouth city centre - for easier entry to and leaving from the port, it is suggested that you use the A386"
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby Devils Advocate » Mon Aug 19, 2019 4:38 pm

We sailed from Plymouth on Pont Aven a few weeks back when we went across to complete on the house. It was the only ferry available at short notice. I was dreading the trip from Lancashire but it certainly proved easier than the shorter route we had back from Portsmouth a few days ago....it was a doddle to get there but I'm surprised at how awkward it is to get to the Brittany Ferries port in the last few miles, it really is messy route through the city and we were thankful it was a Sunday.

Pont Aven performed well on 3 engines and journey was fine apart from 3 million Spanish kids on board that left me with tinitus for a fortnight.

Have to say my fave ferry now is the Cap Finistere......smaller capacity and so quiet. We got that from Bilbao.

Have a good journey Peter.
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:12 pm

We booked through Direct Ferries who sent out emails about the Pont Aven troubles and their solution. If a Wednesday must have been to Plymouth all along - worth checking times though.
First run by car, as only cabins were eight berth at least we should have room and no bunk bed! Will see how it compares to all the Liverpool/Douglas crossings of my youth - force 9 in the Irish Sea was a tad uncomfortable in the 60s!
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby El Cid » Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:29 pm

alpineSi wrote: I wonder if a ship with 3/4 engines is also running at reduced capacity.
It's a simple case of Hydrodynamics. If you have ever driven a twin engined motor boat where one engine fails, it tends to want to go round in circles. The Pont Aven has only lost one of four so the effect will be less, but still there.

What they have done is reduced the capacity on the opposite side of the boat so that it goes in a straight line. That may result in a slight tilt to one side resulting in your Gin and Tonics sliding off the table.

They could disable another engine to balance it out, but it would then only go at half speed. :D

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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby Enrique » Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:34 pm

Hi,
Keeping on the Brittany-Ferries theme...............
The other week came from Santander to Portsmouth on the Baie de Seine économie.
I'm a short lead time booker, so found all the Sailings in August fully booked as expected for this time of year.
The sailing time on my particular schedule was 27hrs........I see from schedules now that has been pulled back to 24hrs.
A quiet ship compared to Pont-Aven less announcements as no entertainment.
A restaurant for hot food, and a snack bar (limited opening) and a self service shop for pre-packed food and drinks (like what garages do !)
Microwaves should you want to nuke your on food....
The "some" on-deck parking is in fact a car deck with one end open facing toward the stern of the ship, so not like some of the lorries out on the uncovered Deck.
The Bay was mirror calm.......unlike the the English Channel which looked choppy but didn't affect the Ferry.
Looking to Book in September, have managed to book toward the end of the month, but a lot of the sailings fully booked and limited choice of cabins on others.

All in all a great trip.

Hi peter , Ferries now light years away from those in the 60's............. :D
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:48 pm

The Isle Man ferries were something else - as were the IoM fairies!
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby Miro » Mon Aug 19, 2019 7:16 pm

We took the Steampacket from Liverpool to Douglas last summer. The biggest shock was the anouncement at 9:00pm that since they operate on IoM laws, the bar would now be closing :shock: Fortunately on arrival an hour later, someone had left a few lights on so that we could find our way along the promenade to our hotel.
(Sorry, off topic :oops: )
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Aug 19, 2019 11:19 pm

When you reach the Isle of Man you go through a time portal that takes you back to the 1950s....was always so and ever will be lol.
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby 1bassleft » Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:53 am

Pity this is too late to help, but purchasing at the ports or Chunnel is about 2x the ebay price and, if UK/EU flitting were a regular thing (for anyone else reading) there is a brand that you place one way up for adapting to UK and upside down for adapting to EU. Downside is that they're not as super-sticky as the std ones. Again, just a suggestion for regular trippers, my UK-reg LHD has UK lights and, rather than constantly pay out for these beam benders, I finally managed to spot a used pair of perspex headlight protectors cheap. From now, I'll keep them off in the UK but quickly snap them on (with once-only-purchase beam benders) whilst waiting to board. Bonus result, I also don't have to scrape that hideous glue that's heat-bonded onto the lenses after use.
Sorry, a bit OTT for your purposes, Peter, but might be an idea for other regular trippers reading.

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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby costakid » Tue Aug 20, 2019 5:24 am

Depending on how old your car is you may be able to flat beam them under the bonnet. This is totally legal for overseas driving. Also a bit of black masking tape is a way of making your car anti dazzle and a lot easier to remove .

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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby peteroldracer » Tue Aug 20, 2019 10:37 am

costakid - a 2016 car....Today's sailing to Plymouth is forecast to arrive at 16.00, so if that is the same next week I may be able to just drive to our granddaughter's house in Leeds in one go - she starts work early and has kids so I do not want to turn up after about 11pm! Anyone know roughly how long they take to let cars off (Sod's Law says I will be at the back of the queue!)?
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby Devils Advocate » Tue Aug 20, 2019 11:07 am

On average I'd say it's 45 minutes to 1 hour before you are off the ferry and through the customs checkpoint Peter. That was the timescale on both our recent sails with Brittany in the last few weeks.
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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby costakid » Tue Aug 20, 2019 12:48 pm

always an hour at Santander end.

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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby costakid » Tue Aug 20, 2019 12:50 pm

peteroldracer wrote:costakid - a 2016 car....Today's sailing to Plymouth is forecast to arrive at 16.00, so if that is the same next week I may be able to just drive to our granddaughter's house in Leeds in one go - she starts work early and has kids so I do not want to turn up after about 11pm! Anyone know roughly how long they take to let cars off (Sod's Law says I will be at the back of the queue!)?
look under the bonnet, if there is a slot on the top of the lamp usually black that you can put a slot head screwdriver you may be able to flat beam.

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Re: Headlamp adaptors for lhd car in uk

Postby markwilding » Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:35 pm

I got stopped in France just before we crossed into Belgium. They asked me some questions such as where I was going and asked me if I was travelling with more than 10,000 Euros. I wasn't until about a week later when we were on the ferry crossing into the UK, did I realise that France requires drivers to have breathalysers. Lucky not to get a fine.


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