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C6 and exporting |
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drummond
 
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   Member No: #238
Location: Aldeburgh |
I'm considering exporting a C6 to France (yes, I know!) However, I don't know whether the headlights need changing, or the headlight glasses. The 2cv needed a switch on the dashboard, turning, and my wife's Scenic had to have e300 worth of LHD lights. This is quite relevant as I'm about to buy a C6...... |
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michaelb
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  Member No: #14
Location: London |
Do a search on these boards we've talked at length about the headlights. They are clearly set up for UK driving: they sweep up to the left and I frequently get flashed by angry oncoming drivers when driving in France. I wouldn't imagine your local Contrôle Technique centre would accept them for a minute. I don't know how much replacement lights are but I suspect they will amount to a pretty cent. Until I discovered this problem I was seriously considering doing the same myself purely to avoid the VED but the potential cost of the headlights and the recent rumours about the reintroduction of a Vignette for the more polluting cars have put me off. Please let us know how you get on. |
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drummond
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Member No: #238
Location: Aldeburgh |
Silly me! Although- Tony did not quite get Citroen to reply....I'll go to Slough tomorrow, and beat it out of them! | ||
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jamesh
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 Member No: #196
Location: Buckinghamshire |
I checked with Citroen about the Xenon headlamps on my old C5, and apparently nothing needs to be done to the headlights for use on the continent. Their response was: Dear Sir
Thank you for your e-mail dated 10 January 2009, regarding your Citroën C5. I can confirm that there is no legal requirement to mask right-hand drive headlamps for use on the continent. This is due to the Z pattern beam that is created by the xenon headlights, fitted as standard on the Citroën C5 Exclusive models, rather than a standard flat beam on conventional headlights. The only stipulation is that the headlamps do not dazzle oncoming drivers and this applies equally to driving here in the UK as to abroad. In addition, the C5 has Hydractive self-levelling suspension and, therefore, there is none of the risk of dazzling usually associated with a heavily laden vehicle. Drivers should have the headlamp adjustment checked before travelling. If still concerned, they could at this time have the height of the headlamp beam set to a lower position. This would reduce the possibility of dazzling even further. It must not be forgotten that any such adjustment would impair the visibility provided by the headlamps at night. Just as with masked headlamps, modifying the headlamp adjustment will reduce the effectiveness and, therefore, driving speeds must always be adapted to take this into account. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me via our Citroën Contact Centre on 0844 463 3500. Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Yours faithfully CITROËN UK LIMITED |
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michaelb
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Member No: #14
Location: London |
Jamesh, They told me the same b0ll0cks about the C6 as well but one drive on the Continent with the oncoming traffic constantly flashing you will tell you how much b0ll0cks it is. The UK configured C6's light pattern does sweep up on the left - this will fail a French Contrôle Technique (MoT) for sure. I haven't sat in a French C6 but I would be prepared to bet the Irish Government's debts that its lights equally sweep up to the right. I can translate that gumf from Citroën as follows: "Whoops, we forgot to install software adjustable headlights to facilitate driving abroad. We probably did this because we never thought we would be selling C6s in the driving-on-the-left markets. To avoid a class action by all our UK customers we have therefore issued this statement saying it should be okay. Fingers crossed." I love the last para: "drivers should check before travelling" - so somehow it is now our fault. |
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RichardKC6
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 Member No: #49
Location: Leicestershire |
See, my old Scorpio had a lever in the back of the projector lights. You reached in, moved the lever, and the mask changed from RHD to LHD. Lots of cars with projector lights had this apparently - though not my RHD-market-only Sera, it had fixed metal masks. |
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drummond
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Member No: #238
Location: Aldeburgh |
Right! I've been to Citroen, Slough, and talked the matter over with their Paul Edwards, service advisor. He referred it to a technician. Simply, all cars with bi xenon lights need only the headlights physically moving (screw behind the headlight) from their English position, which dips to the left, to the French which dips straight down. This adjustment , which has to be done in France because "we don't have tthe beam setting tools for France" takes 0.4hr. It does not require any other changes. The original cars were French versions and converted to English spec. (??) They, er, apologised for the mix up..... |
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drummond
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Member No: #238
Location: Aldeburgh |
Michaelb, one Irish government debt coming your way! French cars dip straight down..... | ||
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michaelb
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Member No: #14
Location: London |
I think I am already shouldering the Irish Government debt - but that's a different story  If that's the case then configuring for permanent use in France would seem to be cheaply available. Although I wouldn't like to be standing in a French Citroën dealer saying in my best French "but honestly, that's what Slough told me, there should be a leetle screw, please just look again". I know Paul well and his colleague Jonathan knew nothing of this screw when I asked. He tried to tell me their technician aimed my car's headlights against the wall in the workshop and reported there is no sweep up to the left. Which of course there is. |
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ChrisHunter
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Member No: #188
Location: Lancashire |
The Citroën CX came with headlamps from two sources, at random, one had a lever for switching between LHD & RHD, the other didn't ... ours, of course, since we were moving to live in Munich, didn't ... | ||
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verycleverman
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 Member No: #65
Location: Northumberland |
michaelb wrote ... I know Paul well and his colleague Jonathan knew nothing of this screw when I asked. He tried to tell me their technician aimed my car's headlights against the wall in the workshop and reported there is no sweep up to the left. Which of course there is. I recently reversed into a parking space at my local paper shop and when I came out and started the engine I saw that the headlight pattern on the wooden fence, about 40 feet in front of me, was perfectly symmetrical. It had the appearance of a 'cupids bow' upper lip shape but no kick to the left. The car was square on to the fence and was level. I have no reason to doubt my own eyes. I must admit, though, that when driving on the motorway the signs on the left hand side of the road are brightly illuminated. Having said that, I have driven extensively on the continent with two C5s and the C6, all equipped with unmasked HID lights, and have never been flashed. Pete. |
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C6Dave
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  Member No: #1
Location: Northumberland |
Pete, reading your posts it's possible that some cars lights are simply set to high initially and lowering them slightly may cure the 'flashing' that some are getting. | ||
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RichardKC6
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Member No: #49
Location: Leicestershire |
I never came across switchable beam patterns on the CX - either on S1 or S2, single or dual optic lights! Now I'm curious! | ||
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drummond
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Member No: #238
Location: Aldeburgh |
I had an "Australian" CX (E654 FTF) and I recall that that had switchable lights. I think that it's still around somewhere. I never bothered to switch them! |
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michaelb
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Member No: #14
Location: London |
verycleverman wrote ... I saw that the headlight pattern on the wooden fence, about 40 feet in front of me, was perfectly symmetrical. It had the appearance of a 'cupids bow' upper lip shape but no kick to the left. Please have a look at the photo of my car's lights in my garage from last year's thread. This must be a distance of around 15 metres. - Click Here - You will see they clearly rise on the left. Bizarrely as I approach a wall they seem to flatten out and when parked up facing a wall they are completely horizontal. |
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