15 replies to this topic

[The Flying Tench]

We're off to france in a couple of days, so once again I have paid about £8 for a couple of bits of plastic to stick onto the headlights to supposedly stop them shining too far to the left and dazzling other drivers.

I have 2 issues with this:

1. I'm not convinced they are very effective, and the instructions are not that clear about where exactly to stick them.

2. It seems expensive to spend £8 every time I go. I only go once a year, but if I went more often.... Has anyone tried saving them and sticking on the same ones several times?

John

[corydoras]

We're off to france in a couple of days, so once again I have paid about £8 for a couple of bits of plastic to stick onto the headlights to supposedly stop them shining too far to the left and dazzling other drivers.

I have 2 issues with this:

1. I'm not convinced they are very effective, and the instructions are not that clear about where exactly to stick them.

2. It seems expensive to spend £8 every time I go. I only go once a year, but if I went more often.... Has anyone tried saving them and sticking on the same ones several times?

John

I'm not sure about re-using them, even the clear plastic fresnel lens type don't take well to being re-applied. They are effective though, one can always tell when a right-hand drive car doesn't have them fitted. One get's dazzled whether they are on full-beam or dipped. If the gendarmes catch you without them being fitted you'll get your ass chewed. Don't forget your spare bulbs and fire extinguisher too

[kirisute]

Didn't you used to be able to buy a temporary paint to do the same? Sure we had such a thing on one of our Vdub camper drivers to Spain. I know you can get the yellow paint still.
Might be more cost effective than the stickers

[corydoras]

Didn't you used to be able to buy a temporary paint to do the same? Sure we had such a thing on one of our Vdub camper drivers to Spain. I know you can get the yellow paint still.
Might be more cost effective than the stickers

Not the same thing. Yellow headlights were banned years ago by a EU directive.

[Andrew]

My mate is a regular visitor to France, he may know.

[Sportsman]

John
don't forget your hi viz waistcoats, in the cabin, not in the boot, and the two breathalyser kits that we all now have to carry.
There has been some talk about Gendarmes targeting UK registered cars leaving the ferry ports and hitting them with on the spot fines, although there is a sort of truce over the breathalysers as no one can find one for sale over here.

[Ian_87]

John
don't forget your hi viz waistcoats, in the cabin, not in the boot, and the two breathalyser kits that we all now have to carry.
There has been some talk about Gendarmes targeting UK registered cars leaving the ferry ports and hitting them with on the spot fines, although there is a sort of truce over the breathalysers as no one can find one for sale over here.

My dad is going to be driving through France this summer and he said he picked some of the breathalysers up in halfords he also mentioned that the French had banned satnav with speed camera alerts

[n4lly]

If you going via Dover, you will come down the M20.

Second roundabout into Dover the Big BP on the left, they sell the breath kits only a few quid for pack of two.

[corydoras]

... he also mentioned that the French had banned satnav with speed camera alerts

This is not new, any kind of speed camera or radar speed detectors have always been against the laws in France.

[Elton]

This is not new, any kind of speed camera or radar speed detectors have always been against the laws in France.

I think Ian was referring to the sat-navs that have the fixed-position cameras programmed in on their maps, rather than the 'Snooper' style radar detectors. Over here, the radar ones were always a bone of contention, but the programmed-in ones are standard practice now, so a UK-driver may unwittingly fall foul of that law, if that is the case.

Personally, if I was driving in France, I'd just make sure I was a good boy, full stop