Biff wrote:Ohhh, now I'm really confused!
Are my USA lights (no reason to believe not original) flat beamed?
Do I need to change them at all?
Hi Biff,
Your car in US form will have the "sidelight" position of the light switch wired so that the front indicators (for clarity thats the ones down the recesses in the bumper) front amber side markers and rear red side markers and rear red lights come on.
In US this is legal.
In UK you need to show a white light at the front of the car as a side light, so the US front indicators in amber won't pass an MOT or comply with VOSA regulations.
As Mike said you can either replace your headlights with ones with a pea bulb inside as a side light, fit alternative Lada indicators with a white sidelight or angel eyes. Thats really all options you have. What ever you do it's always best to revert the recessed bumper amber lights to indicators only, not on constant. MOT centres dont like burning amber facing forwards. The side markers are fine, so you can simply leave as is or if you really want to, convert to indicators. Either is MOT acceptable.
The LHD headlights fitted for US cars originally had a pattern molded into the glass that directs the beam to the right, in much the same way as RHD cars direct the beam to the left to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.
Dan's car was the exception as at some point in the past the previous owner changed the lamps for flat beamed or non directional molded glass lens lamps. He had an accepting MOT tester who passed the car in this form.
Odds are your car will have standard LHD directional beam lights fitted, in which case the pattern will throw the light to the Right and it will not pass an MOT.
Hope that clears it all up. We're all time served Delorean owners here and sometimes I understand our banter may confuse the newbies
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