Driving in Europe this summer? Don't pay £9.99 in Halfords for Beam Converters, £3.92 delivered on eBay (discountcarpartsworld)
OK so anyone driving into Europe will need headlight converters to stop their lights blinding other road users. Halfords are the most obvious place to go and buy them - and they know this and take full advantage of it by charging a crazy £9.99 for them. Grab some off eBay with first class post for just £3.92 - a pretty amazing saving and just shows you what kind of mark up Halfords are making!
Also can save tons by buying the travel kits with triangle, bulbs, florescent jacket etc on eBay too. Hope this helps someone :)
All Comments (22)
Jump to unread Post a CommentEdited By: dtemple on Jul 17, 2012 14:19
headlight converters!! lol
I think these are the common requirements for all 'signed up' countries. They are not the definitive requirements determined by each.
Don't forget that if you travel to france after july you have to carry two breathalyzer test kits in your car.
I drove abroad earlier this year and foolishly forgot about this until the last minute + didn't realise how much they cost in Halfords, but had to pay it because I didn't think ahead (Not wishing to start a debate here but I've heard stories about the occasional French policeman not accepting the tape solution [regardless of the fact it is effective], and I'd rather play it safe)
I won't be making that mistake again but if the OPs post stops someone else falling into the trap its a worthwhile post, my two cents.
Don't forget that if you travel to france after july you have to carry two breathalyzer test kits in your car.
No you don't - it isn't enforced until November....then you will risk a whole €11 fine. Considering i have just come back from Germany and did 1600 miles in a week, i saw one German copper....no French, Belgian or UK police....
You can also get some of this stuff much cheaper at a Carrefour or similar once you get there if you do forget....just don't get ripped off by the ferries.
I don't need deflectors though as i have adjustable xenons :D
Edited By: jrw on Jul 17, 2012 17:26
if you ask in any other country in Europe they don't care couse of this convention
you will not for example find shops full of fire extinguishers on polish border for germans to buy when they enter poland
there are also no signs in Dover to tell french guys to adjust their headlights when entering UK
I just said what I know, don't care what you gonna do with your money :p
if you ask in any other country in Europe they don't care couse of this convention
you will not for example find shops full of fire extinguishers on polish border for germans to buy when they enter poland
there are also no signs in Dover to tell french guys to adjust their headlights when entering UK
I just said what I know, don't care what you gonna do with your money :p
So does this mean that you HAVE to have them fitted to your headlights..or are they optional when driving in an EU country, particularly France and Spain?
I say they are optional based on that convention
My pedanticism aside, people can and do get done by the French police for not complying with their (albeit slightly quirky) rules and regulations. Perhaps your French is better than mine, but if I were to get pulled over by a French officer I wouldn't confidently be able to reach into the glovebox, whip out a copy of the Vienna convention, and tell the French officer they're in the wrong!
lovelldr- the most important thing here is to ensure is your lights aren't blinding other users. You don't *have* to use beam bender stickers, you might have symmetrical lights (unlikely), adjustable beams, or you can perhaps use tape. Tape however has the slight disadvantage that it blocks rather than redirects light (reducing the output of your lights, although its not too significant since you don't use too much tape), and I have seen it suggested that tape can also damage lights due to heat buildup. I also read somewhere that the police in France can technically give you a hard time over using tape rather than proper stickers. Although perhaps all these are just scare stories invented by those who sell the overpriced stickers :p
Ultimately, I'll go for beam bender stickers if they're only ~£4 since its not lot of money for the peace of mind. You might well be able to 'get away with it' without taking any action (as jrw above suggested, you might simply not encounter a French policeman). But assuming they're correctly positioned, it means theres less likelihood of having to argue with a French policeman. I'll throw a few quid at eBay for that alone.
if you ask in any other country in Europe they don't care couse of this convention
you will not for example find shops full of fire extinguishers on polish border for germans to buy when they enter poland
there are also no signs in Dover to tell french guys to adjust their headlights when entering UK
I just said what I know, don't care what you gonna do with your money :p
You're absolutely correct; most countries don't focus on this convention because the local laws go beyond it.
I am however deciding to take your knowledge with a pinch of salt if you don't mind; I'm not convinced that "no signs in Dover to tell french guys to adjust their headlights when entering UK" or "not...find[ing] shops full of fire extinguishers on polish border for germans to buy when they enter poland" is evidence that the relevant laws aren't applied and enforced. :)
Finally, it's not a case of whether I decide to spend money; it's a case of respecting the law of the country I am visiting. Not least, I prefer to not antagonise the hosts of the country by blinding every driver I meet.
That's all :)
International conventions override local laws so it's nice what both of you wrote but I will stick to my point