Led Headlamp Beam Deflectors

[MEP's Yaris GS]

So, how does one go about stopping the kick to the left (RHD) dazzling oncoming drivers when driving in France and Germany etc?

As the PiP has 2 LED units in each headlight will I need 2 deflectors stuck on the front of each lamp unit, or are they like some OEM HID units, and have a switch / arm inside to flick and knock the kick down?

[barrycoll]

Having driven down to Spain, in 2 consecutive years, without (I am afraid) any beam deflectors, I can say that any night driving has been met with a total non-response from oncoming French and Spanish.

The 2013 Prius (unlike the IQ) doesn't have any dashboard beam adjusting dial, but seems to cut off sharply enough not to cause any problems.....even with the car fully loaaded

On the other hand, it was mainly day time driving, with a restuarant visits in the evening, after dark

[Joseph D]

So, how does one go about stopping the kick to the left (RHD) dazzling oncoming drivers when driving in France and Germany etc?

As the PiP has 2 LED units in each headlight will I need 2 deflectors stuck on the front of each lamp unit, or are they like some OEM HID units, and have a switch / arm inside to flick and knock the kick down?

What does the Travelspot website recommend for your car? There is information relating to

Eurolites Headlamp Beam Adaptors

Eurolites - Latest Fitting Information

I used Eurolites in Europe and they work well.

The website would indicate that there are Eurolite adapters for the Prius / Plug - in / Plus - 07/2009 on + 03/2012 on.

TWIN Projector headlights uses diagram 137 and for the

DRIVER SIDE: Adapt ‘OUTER’ Projector ONLY

PASSENGER SIDE: Adapt ‘INNER’ Projector ONLY

HTH

[Joseph D]

Having driven down to Spain, in 2 consecutive years, without (I am afraid) any beam deflectors, I can say that any night driving has been met with a total non-response from oncoming French and Spanish.

The 2013 Prius (unlike the IQ) doesn't have any dashboard beam adjusting dial, but seems to cut off sharply enough not to cause any problems.....even with the car fully loaaded

On the other hand, it was mainly day time driving, with a restuarant visits in the evening, after dark

It is not the level cutoff that is the problem, but the fact that the headlamp beam rises on the LHS (for a RHD) to illuminate the pedestrian/road sign area of the road that is the problem. I wouldn't take a non-response as acceptance or that there is no problem.

Please don't do this any more, it is wrong on so many levels. The law is that your beams must be adjusted for day or night, not just night.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

As above Barry, the dazzle you'll be causing on coming road users will not be at all plesant.

TWIN Projector headlights uses diagram 137 and for the

DRIVER SIDE: Adapt ‘OUTER’ Projector ONLY

PASSENGER SIDE: Adapt ‘INNER’ Projector ONLY

HTH

Very much so, ta for that :)

[PeteB]

this is often demonstrated by one of my pet hates: people who park on the 'wrong' side of the road at night and leave their headlights on (this is often seen outside takeaway establishments).

Driving past them can be very unpleasant on the eyes (especially if the road is wet/shiny), and if a pedestrian stepped out from behind their vehicle, it would be easy to miss (seeing!) them.

There is a specific law against using headlights on the wrong side of the road, but an awful lot of people seem to not know or care. And, of course, what few police are out there have 'more important' things to worry about.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

this is often demonstrated by one of my pet hates: people who park on the 'wrong' side of the road at night and leave their headlights on (this is often seen outside takeaway establishments).

Driving past them can be very unpleasant on the eyes (especially if the road is wet/shiny), and if a pedestrian stepped out from behind their vehicle, it would be easy to miss (seeing!) them.

There is a specific law against using headlights on the wrong side of the road, but an awful lot of people seem to not know or care. And, of course, what few police are out there have 'more important' things to worry about.

Don't start me on the number of staggeringly ignorant people on our roads :(

Likewise the above example you've given is a massive pet hate of mine also.

[barrycoll]

my only defence folks, is that the holiday drive to Spain is a daytime run, with only occasional 2/3 km runs to get some supper....mostly the b&bs serve an evening meal.....and Europe is an hour ahead daytime wise

on the other hand my many year past experience of the French, when yellow headlights tints were mandatory, was that they got pretty upset when confronting a car without yellow beams, and I am sure that the national character hasn;t changed too much.....but the yellow plastic covers were pretty easy to fit over most headlights, (unlike present day beam deflectors)

ps dont forget some Euro type blow through alcohol detectors too

[IanIanIanIan]

TWIN Projector headlights uses diagram 137 and for the

DRIVER SIDE: Adapt ‘OUTER’ Projector ONLY

PASSENGER SIDE: Adapt ‘INNER’ Projector ONLY

Does anybody have a copy of "diagram 137" which they can put up on here.

I have the converters and instructions for an older Prius but no idea where to place the converters without the diagram.

[johalareewi]

I use Eurolites on my gen3 prius when i go to europe.

You should be able to find all the latest diagrams on the website.

http://www.travelspot.co.uk/faq.html

http://www.travelspot.co.uk/download/travel-spot-latest-vehicle-listing.pdf

http://www.travelspot.co.uk/fitting.html

[IanIanIanIan]

You should be able to find all the latest diagrams on the website.

You would think so, but the diagrams are not shown on the site. I believe that they are only in the packaging.

[Joseph D]

Does anybody have a copy of "diagram 137" which they can put up on here.

I have the converters and instructions for an older Prius but no idea where to place the converters without the diagram.

From memory all the diagrams come in the packet with the adapters.

[johalareewi]

You would think so, but the diagrams are not shown on the site. I believe that they are only in the packaging.

They have a help line

please email us at help @ travelspot.co.uk if you have any further questions

[barrycoll]

Fitting them to my last Golf Estate was nothing like as complicated as this.....and jogs my memory as why I have been giving them a miss for the Prius

Yes, yes, I know.....off to the stocks!

Interesting why the IQ has a manual healight adjuster, but the Prius doesn't

[PeteB]

...Interesting why the IQ has a manual headlight adjuster, but the Prius doesn't

only the Prius T-Spirit (like yours) and Plugin (which have LED headlights, including main beams) have auto-levelling, the rest (like my T3) have the little wheel under the dash to adjust their level manually.

I think I read somewhere it's a legal requirement for LED headlights, but not 100% sure on that.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

As Pete has said, its a legal requirement on HID and LED headlights to have washers and self leveling systems.

And driving over seas with LED headlights without deflectors is going to be incredible painful for all oncoming drivers when you're using your headlights, even more so than with standard filament bulbs.

[barrycoll]

Having been given a verbal Saudi Arabian type 1000 lashes over my failure to use beam deflectors, I have been carrying out a little experiment recently...

while walking down a busy Muswell Hill at night time, in the opposite direction to the traffic flow, I have been observing the beam effect when I am at approx the eye level of a 'make believe' European vehicle.....so all the approaching cars will be dipping to the 'wrong' side, but, except for the occasional (always) Mercedes Benz, none of the approaching headlights are uncomfortable (or any more uncomfortable than when driving).......???????????

What am I missing here folks, as even this evening when out in my Prius, I notice that the dipped beam is a seriously sharp cut off at leg height to a pedestrian.......but I must be missing a trick somewhere, which I am sure that our ever helpful forum will enlighten me on

Obviously High beam is another topic, but not relevant here

Anyway, I have my crash helmet and flak jacket on, so fire away!

[MEP's Yaris GS]

So that included being in the same seating position as those in an MX5, or other low riding vehicle? Also took into about brows of hills etc.

It isn't as simple as what you think, its just like these people who think they're fine fitting after market HID kits in the Golfs and Saxo's etc left right and center dazzling all and sundry in front of them :(

[PeteB]

I don't know the explanation, I just know that if I pass a car with dipped headlights that's parked on the wrong side of the road, at least 9 out of 10 times it's something from mildly to intensely unpleasant. Unlike someone coming the other way, it's harder to avoid looking through, albeit squinting, because I want to look out for that pedestrian emerging from behind or any other hazards.

[barrycoll]

The pavement Muswell Hill walk was slighly lower than the road surface, so [possibly could equate to MX5 height.....however apropos of height, I found that the big Q7s, Cayennes, and BMWs did make a painful impact, without the need for the brow of a hill...

...although I would say the same about these vehicles, even from the driving seat

.....

[mva]

On 1/2/2015 at 11:41 AM, MEP's Yaris GS said:

So, how does one go about stopping the kick to the left (RHD) dazzling oncoming drivers when driving in France and Germany etc?

As the PiP has 2 LED units in each headlight will I need 2 deflectors stuck on the front of each lamp unit, or are they like some OEM HID units, and have a switch / arm inside to flick and knock the kick down?

I would like to know as well. The travelspot.co.uk website does not mention anything about LED lightning. Only HID / xenon. Did they never hear of cars with LED lightning. So strange.. Perhaps their stickers don't work at all with LED...

With LED there could be a switch in software / under the hood to change for UK / mainland EU. Basically you just need to adjust the software programming of the LED for left and right, should not be too difficult. Other car brands with LED lightning have this as a menu item. Anybody know how this is organised with the Prius?

[RWaggers]

I called the Toyota helpline asking about headlights for a Mk 4 Prius.  This is their e-mailed reply:

Thank you for your call regarding your Toyota Prius.

I can confirm that in the past few years Toyota have moved to fitting Projector Headlamps (halogen, HID and LED) and these light projectors have a flat beam pattern so that they can be used in Europe without the need for beam converter stickers.

To be 100% certain that your project headlamps will not need beam deflector stickers when travelling in Europe you could ask your Centre to check the headlight beam pattern with a beam tester (as carried out in the MOT test), or you may be able to check the pattern if the headlights are on at night, when parked in front of a flat wall/garage door etc.

I checked my light pattern against my garage door and they did, indeed, have a flat pattern.

[mva]

52 minutes ago, RWaggers said:

I called the Toyota helpline asking about headlights for a Mk 4 Prius.  This is their e-mailed reply:

Thank you for your call regarding your Toyota Prius.

I can confirm that in the past few years Toyota have moved to fitting Projector Headlamps (halogen, HID and LED) and these light projectors have a flat beam pattern so that they can be used in Europe without the need for beam converter stickers.

To be 100% certain that your project headlamps will not need beam deflector stickers when travelling in Europe you could ask your Centre to check the headlight beam pattern with a beam tester (as carried out in the MOT test), or you may be able to check the pattern if the headlights are on at night, when parked in front of a flat wall/garage door etc.

I checked my light pattern against my garage door and they did, indeed, have a flat pattern.

Again I don't understand, does a "flat beam pattern" mean that the beam is not asymmetrical?

That is strange since in Europe regulations require cars to have an assymetrical pattern - which the user needs to adjust when moving to UK <> EU mainland vv.

Why can the representative not give 100% certainty, it is the car manufacturer right?

 

 

 

[Heidfirst]

7 minutes ago, mva said:

Why can the representative not give 100% certainty, it is the car manufacturer right?

Because the manufacturer/manufacturer's importer cannot be sure that the car is still in the same condition as when it left the factory ...

[RWaggers]

I've only had the one conversation with Toyota on this so I'm assuming the information is correct. 

They told me that all European Prius' have the same beam pattern so they are suitable for LHD and RHD cars.  As far as I understand it, the flat beam pattern is just that.  The dipped beam doesn't have a higher light pattern on the near side.

I asked the rep to confirm in an e-mail which is what I've copied, above.

We're not due to drive in France until the Spring, so I don't have any 'real world' experience of it yet.