Driving In Europe

defsix

defsix

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Hi all, I'm going driving in europe next year for three weeks. I need to adjst the headlights for driving on the right, I have an A4 B6 Avant with a HID kit, so no manual beam adjustment, so i have a few options, VAGCOM ? Is it possible ? or a garage, what exactly do they do ? do they replace a reflector inside as per piece 11,http://www.vagcat.com/epc/cat/au/A4/2004/249/57/3163120/

Any other options apart from stickers ?
 
I would be interested to know this too, as i am driving to Germany again this year.... and also going to Austria.

I have the same setup as the above post :)

Cheers!
Chris
 
VCDS (Vag.com) will certainly make the necesaary adjustments for continental driving with standard OEM Bi-Xenons. I have done this several times whilst sitting in the Eurotunnel train!

But I don't think it will be able to do anything with aftermarket HID units as the cars control modules know nothing about the light units.
 
h5djr said:
VCDS (Vag.com) will certainly make the necesaary adjustments for continental driving with standard OEM Bi-Xenons. I have done this several times whilst sitting in the Eurotunnel train!

But I don't think it will be able to do anything with aftermarket HID units as the cars control modules know nothing about the light units.
Click to expand...

how would it be done normally then? Surly A4's with standard headlights have been taken out of the uk before..
 
There is a small lever inside the headlight next to the projector that can switch the headlights from RHD to LHD beam pattern projections.
Read this on a forum thread (not sure where??) some time ago - did not believe it at the time until I looked very closely inside a broken headlight unit I had lying around in the garage - yep it's there OK and you can see it flick the light beam collimator (metal filter) to the other side!!

However - don't think it's the sort of thing that could be tackled with the headlights in place - will require them to be removed. Then remove the "bulb" access panel behind the projector, flip the lever, then re-install.

For the A4/B6 they use the same physical light assemblies on Xenons and Halogen set-ups - although Bi-Xenons would be a A4/B7 option I believe and were not available on the B6?

Might be able to post a picture of the RHD/LHD lever tomorrow.
 
h5djr said:
VCDS (Vag.com) will certainly make the necesaary adjustments for continental driving with standard OEM Bi-Xenons. I have done this several times whilst sitting in the Eurotunnel train!

But I don't think it will be able to do anything with aftermarket HID units as the cars control modules know nothing about the light units.
Click to expand...


HELLO!!! What's the code-change required?
 
chrisash32 said:
how would it be done normally then? Surly A4's with standard headlights have been taken out of the uk before..
Click to expand...

Yes of course. My earlier A3s had the small lever to change the halogen lights. Some of the later ones had no lever and I had to use black patches on the headlights or on headlight protectors. But these are not recommended for Xenons and the later type of headlights have no pattern on the headlight glass to indicate where the patches should be fixed.

My later A3s have all had Bi-Xenon headlights are these are changed by a recode with VCDS. The method and code changed are described (by me) in this post http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?t=33492&page=2

It's post no 6 you will require. This is for the current A3 but I'm sure it will be very similar for the A4.

As far as not bothering to do anything at all, a friend of mine was stopped by the police in Germany for speeding on a restricted area of Autobahn and they checked over his car and found he had no method of blanking out the kerb light in his headlights so they issued an on-the-spot fine for both the speeding and the headlights. It is also not unknown for the French Police to check cars before they will let them leave the port of terminal.
 
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h5djr said:
As far as not bothering to do anything at all, a friend of mine was stopped by the police in Germany for speeding on a restricted area of Autobahn and they checked over his car and found he had no method of blanking out the kerb light in his headlights so they issued an on-the-spot fine for both the speeding and the headlights. It is also not unknown for the French Police to check cars before they will let them leave the port of terminal.
Click to expand...

Take note lads, this is a confirmed bit of truth, Also i may like to add that the police are looking Hi-Viz Vests in your car, 1 for every human in the car, so a trip to £Land could save you a load of fines later should you wish to pop over and visit our mates on the other side, :o.k:
 
Turkster said:
Take note lads, this is a confirmed bit of truth, Also i may like to add that the police are looking Hi-Viz Vests in your car, 1 for every human in the car, so a trip to £Land could save you a load of fines later should you wish to pop over and visit our mates on the other side, :o.k:
Click to expand...

So as well as adjusting lights, carrying spare bulbs and luminous vests, is there anything else ?
 
Warning Triangle in France, and you need to have a GB sticker if you number plate doesn't already have one.
 
Don't get caught with a radar detector, the Gendarmes will not be impressed :angrymod:
 
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Gendarmes will issue a €1500 fine for just having a radar / laser / GPS camera detector in the car, let alone plugged in and working!

Aside from the obvious "GB" and headlight conversions, I believe the key things are:
Germany - HV vests and TWO triangles - I think you have to place one 100metres from your car and one near the back of the car.
France - full set of spare bulbs (I think there is an exception for Xenons though) - but please check for yourselves!!!
Spain - insurance docs incl EU green-card, otherwise they impound your car even for minor offences until you can prove insurance.
 
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audi upgrades
WOW - they really don't like Radar detectors in Europe!! They would really hate me (laser, radar and GPS)....
 
lostbok said:
Gendarmes will issue a €1500 fine for just having a radar / laser / GPS camera detector in the car, let alone plugged in and working!
[\QUOTE]

I know radar and laser detectors are illegal in France but I always thought GPS speed camera location units were OK. After all most Sat/Nav units have speed camera detection built in.

The is the wording on the AA website...

Radar detectors are illegal in France whether in use or not. If you are caught with such equipment in your vehicle, you are liable to a fine, confiscation of the device and the vehicle. You should therefore ensure radar detectors are removed from your vehicle before commencing any journey to France.
Click to expand...
 
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lostbok said:
Gendarmes will issue a €1500 fine for just having a radar / laser / GPS camera detector in the car, let alone plugged in and working!

Aside from the obvious "GB" and headlight conversions, I believe the key things are:
Germany - HV vests and TWO triangles - I think you have to place one 100metres from your car and one near the back of the car.
France - full set of spare bulbs (I think there is an exception for Xenons though) - but please check for yourselves!!!
Spain - insurance docs incl EU green-card, otherwise they impound your car even for minor offences until you can prove insurance.
Click to expand...

If you are visiting Germany, then the warning triangle is not compulsory but strongly advised and only one is required not two. Again the wording from the AA reads...

It is not compulsory for visiting UK motorists to carry a warning triangle, but they are strongly advised to do so, as all drivers must signal their vehicle in case of breakdown, and it is a compulsory requirement for residents.

Also for Germany the follow applies, again from the AA website...

It is recommended that visitors equip their vehicle with a first-aid kit and set of replacement bulbs.


Lights:
[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana]It is recommended to use dipped headlights at all times. It is compulsory during daylight hours if fog, snow or rain restrict visibility. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana]Driving with sidelights (parking lights) alone is not allowed. Vehicles must have their lights on in tunnels.[/FONT][/FONT]​

A GPS based navigation system which has maps indicating the location of fixed speed cameras must have the ‘fixed speed camera PoI (Points of Interest)’ function deactivated. The use of radar detectors is prohibited.
 
I stand corrected on the triangles - that was a few years ago and I already had a triangle in the car (E30), plus one in an emergency kit, so I wasn't about to question it...

Only person I know who was fined got caught on a booze cruise with a dead brake light bulb... Gendarmes pulled him over to get that changed (and he had spares), but then he spotted that he had a Neo Snooper S6 (GPS camera locator + laser detector) - it was in the boot and not being used, so he didn't even bother hiding it, but they threw the book at him.
 
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Woorlord said:
There is a small lever inside the headlight next to the projector that can switch the headlights from RHD to LHD beam pattern projections.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not all B6's have the lever. I had 2 B6 S4's - one had the lever and one didn't. So I could move the lever on one, but had to pay an Audi dealer £100 to adjust them before I went on holiday AND £100 to adjust them back again.

Adaptive lights (not a B6 option AFAIK) can be set into "Tourist" mode using VCDS (VAG-COM) which makes them dip straight and hence suitable for the UK and Europe.

lostbok said:
Gendarmes will issue a €1500 fine for just having a radar / laser / GPS camera detector in the car, let alone plugged in and working!
Click to expand...
Not true of GPS systems - they do not "detect" the camera and are 100% legal in France. I've been to France at least once a year for the last 5 years with my GPS in full view on the windscreen.

The AA website has a very good downloadable PDF document listing what is compulsory and advised for most countries in Europe - well worth downloading. Don't forget the reflective jackets that are compulsory for ALL occupants in France...
 
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So does anyone have pictures of what i should be looking for ? I can't check because it hasn't stopped raining since i first posted this...
 
defsix said:
So does anyone have pictures of what i should be looking for ? I can't check because it hasn't stopped raining since i first posted this...
Click to expand...

Pictures as promised of LHD/RHD adjustment lever......

Headlight-Lever.jpg


If you look into the Projector you will see the metal light beam collimator changes with the lever position.
I've taken these pictures on a "broken" headlight assembly I have in my garage - I am assuming UP=RHD and DOWN=LHD based on how I found this headlight.
 
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Woorlord said:
Pictures as promised of LHD/RHD adjustment lever......

Headlight-Lever.jpg


If you look into the Projector you will see the metal light beam collimator changes with the lever position.
I've taken these pictures on a "broken" headlight assembly I have in my garage - I am assuming UP=RHD and DOWN=LHD based on how I found this headlight.
Click to expand...

is this easy to adjust? no clips etc etc before you can move that leaver?
 
Remove the rear plastic cover behind the projector and stick your finger in and flip - that's it - no screws or clips.
The sprung lever keeps it in the relevant up/down position.
 
Woorlord said:
Remove the rear plastic cover behind the projector and stick your finger in and flip - that's it - no screws or clips.
The sprung lever keeps it in the relevant up/down position.
Click to expand...

dragging up an old post here... but how the hell do you get this cover off without removing the headlight?
 
i dont think you can take it off with out taking the headlight out mate but then that only takes 5 mins to do :icon_thumright:
my girlfriend is from czech republic and have been there a few times there law states you need one triangle one bulb kit
one luminous vests and a first aid kit all are a must. as for the lights if its as easy as to changes as above then id change them to be safe all though as said
in some of the othere posts they dont bother when they come here but then are ploice dont stop them and give them fines so thats are bad.
 
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