Car headlights - absolutely nothing sax related!!

[Pyrografix]

I have just found out I've been driving round in a car fitted with LHD european headlights (when dipped, beam points into the road rather than towards verge, with potential to dazzle oncoming vehicles)for the past year since purchasing this vehicle from my local Honda dealer (complete with new MoT issued by same garage). They were very quick to replace the headlights when I pointed out the error - highlighted when put my car in for MoT this year at another garage.

So my understanding is:
the Honda dealer must have given me a MoT certificate based on either an incomplete or false test........
The vehicle wasn't legal......
My insurance would not have been valid.......

What to do about it?? Nothing, as noone was affected? Report to VOSA for MoT gaff? Kick up a fuss on the premises? Any other suggestions.......

Any advice appreciated, especially if you've had success/failure with similar issues!

Cheers,
Amanda

 

[old git]

You could ask yourself "Why did I not notice it?"

I only spent twenty-eight years in road safety, so what do I know about it?

 

[Jeanette]

I have just found out I've been driving round in a car fitted with LHD european headlights (when dipped, beam points into the road rather than towards verge, with potential to dazzle oncoming vehicles)for the past year since purchasing this vehicle from my local Honda dealer (complete with new MoT issued by same garage). They were very quick to replace the headlights when I pointed out the error - highlighted when put my car in for MoT this year at another garage.

So my understanding is:
the Honda dealer must have given me a MoT certificate based on either an incomplete or false test........
The vehicle wasn't legal......
My insurance would not have been valid.......

What to do about it?? Nothing, as noone was affected? Report to VOSA for MoT gaff? Kick up a fuss on the premises? Any other suggestions.......

Any advice appreciated, especially if you've had success/failure with similar issues!

Cheers,
Amanda

Life's too short, no one was hurt, don't get wound up about it. If it helps put it in writing to head office.


Let it go though it's not worth the high blood pressure.

Lets face it most garages are all the same, it is a sad fact of life. (apologies to anybody in the trade who may be in the minority)

Jx

PS Easier said than done I know

 

[MandyH]

You could ask yourself "Why did I not notice it?"

I only spent twenty-eight years in road safety, so what do I know about it?

OG - we bought a car 4 years ago. We went to their factory near Stuttgart to collect it and drove it home. It made a nice little holiday! We took it to the local dealer to change from the German insurance plates and "make it UK roadworthy" 3 years later it failed its first MOT for the same reason - LHD headlights. We complained to the dealership and they re-funded the repeat MOT costs and the correction costs (fortunately the headlights simply have a switch inside the headlight casing to change the direction of the reflectors, so there were no parts costs)

Given that no-one was hurt and there were no problems, I'm with Jeanette - maybe a letter of complaint to the head office, but nothing more.

And we didn't notice that the beams were pointing the wrong way for 3 years - with dipped beam, it's not actually that obvious that you are lighting the white line rather than the curb, and with full beam you want it to be lighting everywhere anyway.
What's more, when we took said car on another driving holiday around Europe, we had adjusted before and re-adjusted after the headlights, so we had driven over there with incorrect beams too!

 

[jonf]

You could ask yourself "Why did I not notice it?"

I only spent twenty-eight years in road safety, so what do I know about it?

I'm with Bill on this. I still remember clearly the time I recovered a stolen German registered LHD Mercedes SL500. It was winter, and dark by the time I got it. I found the lights dipping the wrong way extremely disconcerting. I was lifting the car from a known crook, which often led to confrontation, and even chases, so I was a bit tense to start with, and on unlit country lanes it was very obvious. Much less so once I got back to London, but out in the sticks it was very noticable.

 

[Pyrografix]

Having driven a dilapidated Volvo for many years prior to buying this car, I honestly thought that the lights were just a 'modern' improvement! Live and learn, eh!

 

[Young Col]

I am surprised that it got through MoT. In my experience most garages are pretty assiduous - and happy to charge for corrective work!
But what also amazes me when out at night (usually driving to sax ensemble, just to keep some semblance of relevance to the forum!)is the number of cars with badly adjusted headlights - on down, one up -and those that have only one working. I've even seen cars in built up areas with no lights at all, despite numerous flashings from others. Are people completely unaware of what happens around them?
And on this subject, what is it with people running on just fog lights? Illegal and pointless.

That's better, weekend rant over!
YC

 

[Pyrografix]

It shouldn't have got through the original MoT - which is what leaves me wondering whether the dealers garage actually went through any of the mot, or just signed off the certificate?!

 

[jonf]

It shouldn't have got through the original MoT - which is what leaves me wondering whether the dealers garage actually went through any of the mot, or just signed off the certificate?!

Yes, I strongly suspect the latter. It happens. I once bought a bike with a brand new MoT, and it was riddled with faults. I fixed them and then got it re-tested at a shop I trusted even though I wasn't legally obliged to, just to be sure.