09-08-2012, 06:57 PM
A while back I was searching for info on whether headlamp deflectors were actually required in France, and if so where they should be fixed on the MK2 Berlingo.
I waited until the last minute hoping for a definitive answer, but none came. There was lots of information online, some of it conflicting, but in the end I decided to buy them and hope that the instructions were good enough to tell me the positioning for the Berlingo headlight.
Unfortunately I'd left it too late to order them online, and with no time left to get to Halfords or somewhere similar, we set off for the 06.00 sailing from Plymouth completely confident that we would be able to buy them at service stations. Wrong! There were none to be had in the 3 service stations we tried.
Luckily Brittany Ferries came up trumps, and we had plenty of time to read the instructions on the crossing.
The deflectors were 'Eurolites', and the instructions cover something like 600 models of car on a vast sheet of paper, and are simple enough to follow.
So, there we are parked in Roscoff, and it's time to fit them so here goes.....
1. In all cases the manufacturers recommend that you switch the headlight on to warm the glass (or plastic) both before fixing the deflector AND before removing it, and there are warnings about the use of solvents on plastic headlight 'glass' etc. if any adhesive should remain on the headlight.
2. The deflector itself is roughly teardrop shaped (plenty of images online if you want to look), but in the case of the Berlingo, you CAREFULLY cut off the tapering end of the teardrop, leaving you with a nice round disc.There are perforations that should enable you to tear off the unwanted bit, but my advice is to use a scissors or knife, as the material is very tough.
3. With the headlight cleaned, nicely warmed up, and on dipped beam, squat down in front of the headlight and look into the beam at its brightest point. In my case I found that this was pretty much directly in front of the little 7-sided (heptagonal if you must!) gadget in the headlight. Then remove the backing (again, follow the instructions on its removal), and press the deflector into place. Repeat with the other headlight.
Do they work? Well, I did a reasonable amount of driving after dark and no-one flashed me. The Berlingo seemed to enjoy being in the land of its birth, and romped along the uncrowded roads.
Would a round disk of black insulating tape do the same job? Possibly. I've used it in the past, but would it bake on to todays high-powered lights?
By the way - these cost me about £7 on the ferry. They can be bought much cheaper on Ebay, but beware of buying old stock, as some users have reported the deflector falling off possibly due to old adhesive.
Tried to post a couple of pics but it says....
Error 503 Service Unavailable
Service Unavailable
Guru Meditation:
XID: 2432144425
Varnish cache server
I waited until the last minute hoping for a definitive answer, but none came. There was lots of information online, some of it conflicting, but in the end I decided to buy them and hope that the instructions were good enough to tell me the positioning for the Berlingo headlight.
Unfortunately I'd left it too late to order them online, and with no time left to get to Halfords or somewhere similar, we set off for the 06.00 sailing from Plymouth completely confident that we would be able to buy them at service stations. Wrong! There were none to be had in the 3 service stations we tried.
Luckily Brittany Ferries came up trumps, and we had plenty of time to read the instructions on the crossing.
The deflectors were 'Eurolites', and the instructions cover something like 600 models of car on a vast sheet of paper, and are simple enough to follow.
So, there we are parked in Roscoff, and it's time to fit them so here goes.....
1. In all cases the manufacturers recommend that you switch the headlight on to warm the glass (or plastic) both before fixing the deflector AND before removing it, and there are warnings about the use of solvents on plastic headlight 'glass' etc. if any adhesive should remain on the headlight.
2. The deflector itself is roughly teardrop shaped (plenty of images online if you want to look), but in the case of the Berlingo, you CAREFULLY cut off the tapering end of the teardrop, leaving you with a nice round disc.There are perforations that should enable you to tear off the unwanted bit, but my advice is to use a scissors or knife, as the material is very tough.
3. With the headlight cleaned, nicely warmed up, and on dipped beam, squat down in front of the headlight and look into the beam at its brightest point. In my case I found that this was pretty much directly in front of the little 7-sided (heptagonal if you must!) gadget in the headlight. Then remove the backing (again, follow the instructions on its removal), and press the deflector into place. Repeat with the other headlight.
Do they work? Well, I did a reasonable amount of driving after dark and no-one flashed me. The Berlingo seemed to enjoy being in the land of its birth, and romped along the uncrowded roads.
Would a round disk of black insulating tape do the same job? Possibly. I've used it in the past, but would it bake on to todays high-powered lights?
By the way - these cost me about £7 on the ferry. They can be bought much cheaper on Ebay, but beware of buying old stock, as some users have reported the deflector falling off possibly due to old adhesive.
Tried to post a couple of pics but it says....
Error 503 Service Unavailable
Service Unavailable
Guru Meditation:
XID: 2432144425
Varnish cache server
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