It is well known that the headlights on right-hand drive vehicles are designed in such a way that part of the light beam is directed to the left and up. It is impossible to eliminate this problem by simply adjusting the headlights, and without this it is impossible to pass instrumental control. In addition, driving with such headlights is not safe in itself, since the headlights, when adjusted in this way, dazzle oncoming drivers.
If "crystal" headlights are installed on your car, then it is easiest to replace them with similar European headlights. To date, there is only one known way to successfully remake such headlights. This is how sopka describes it in the Japanese Cars conference:
“You can easily convert it to roadside lighting and maintenance. The fact is that in such headlights a special mask sets the shape of the distribution of the light beam. It is easy to make it yourself from an aluminum sheet like the one in the headlight. The most difficult thing is to get to this mask. To do this, heat the headlight in the oven until the sealant becomes very pliable.Then very carefully separate the plastic from the glass.When adjusting the light beam, it is useful to use a 6-8 volt power supply: the distribution of the beam is visible and does not burn your fingers.Let me remind you of the shape of the beam : horizontal border on the left and 15 degrees up - on the right. I did everything myself and for the third year without any problems I go through official maintenance. I just don’t advise everyone to shout about an independent design change to everyone in a row - this is prohibited by the rules. Although, you can do everything so that the expert does not dig under And it will shine no worse than the factory headlight."
If your car has ordinary, not "crystal" headlights, then it is much easier to solve the problem of a light beam. This can be done in three main ways.
The first way, as in the case of "crystal" headlights, is to purchase and install European-style headlights. This method is not always possible, extremely simple and quite expensive, so we will not describe it.
The other two methods do not have a simple and understandable explanation for everyone, but they allow achieving positive results, which has been repeatedly tested in practice.
The first of these is to seal a certain part of the headlight glass with an opaque film, thereby covering that part of the light beam that shines to the left and up. The photos show how it was done on a Toyota RAV4.
However, this method, to put it mildly, does not improve the appearance of the car, not to mention the fact that these pieces of film can fall off or be torn off by the pioneers.
Therefore, the most practical is the method in which the change in the light beam is achieved by rotating the H4 type bulbs around its axis. If you look at the headlight from the reverse side, it is easy to see that in all right-hand drive cars the bulb is fixed in the headlight not strictly vertically, but is turned clockwise at a small angle. In practice, it has been repeatedly verified that turning the light bulb at the same angle, but in the opposite direction, allows you to achieve the desired result, i.e. eliminate that part of the light beam that shines upwards to the left and blinds oncoming drivers.
Since the light bulb is fixed in the headlight with the help of three antennae, to turn it, it is easiest to cut off these antennae with ordinary scissors, and then insert the bulb into the headlight, turning it in the opposite direction at a similar angle. Due to the friction force, the light bulb is held in the headlight quite reliably, however, if you are still afraid that it may turn during operation, when cutting off the antennae, do not cut them off completely, but leave about 0.5 mm from each antennae. These remnants, pointed with scissors, will cling very well to the plastic housing of the headlight and will not allow the bulb to turn.
The following photos show how the bulb is located in the headlight before turning it, and after cutting off the antennae and installing it in a new position. For clarity, the antennae on the base of the light bulb are painted over with a red marker.
However, on some Toyota models, the light bulb mount in the headlight is designed in such a way that there is no support flange in the headlight housing, and the light bulb is held only on the antennae themselves. Accordingly, if they are cut off, then the light bulb will simply fall into the headlight.
This problem can also be solved in several ways. The first is to make new recesses for the antennae in the headlight housing, allowing you to fix the bulb in the correct position. This method is very time consuming and requires special tools and equipment, such as a drill. But on the other hand, it does not require alteration of the light bulb itself and makes it easy to change it in the future.
Another way is to solder new light bulbs to the base instead of the cut off antennae. It is also quite laborious, since the base is made of metal, which is not so easy to solder, in addition, it is not always possible to be sure that this soldering will hold on for a long time and reliably.
The third way is to make a simple strip with antennae on the base of the light bulb. To do this, you need to prepare a piece of tin, for example from an old tin can, no less than 6x6 centimeters in size. And you will also need a two-ruble coin, nail scissors, pliers, and some kind of scriber or marker.
Having attached a two-ruble coin to the center of a piece of tin, we circle it with a marker. We pierce the tin with scissors and cut out a round hole according to the circled line. We put a piece of tin on the back of the base of the light bulb and circle the outer contour of the base along with the antennae. We remove the tin from the base and next to each antenna we add exactly the same, but shorter by one third.
And what are the frightening facts about the possible elimination of right-hand drive cars as a class on the roads of Russia. But perhaps the most difficult thing is to pass the scheduled maintenance and remain a welcome road user.
japanese light
And the point here is not at all the “handiness” of the car (it has long been proven that the location of the steering wheel has no effect on the accident rate). And in their design features. Most of the inconvenience falls, of course, on the share of the owner. But there are also larger-scale troubles that hurt the "neighbors" downstream.
According to GOST
First of all, it concerns the headlights. Or rather, the direction in which they shine. Many drivers complain that at night on the highway they are literally blinded by the low beam of the Japanese, who are configured for left-hand traffic. Yes, and motorists themselves sometimes suffer because of the "dark" turns.
So you can do
In addition, if you go through MOT on your own, then ... you, of course, do not go through it. The stand at the station will immediately show your "beam" of the wrong light, with which you will be sent to hell for non-compliance with GOST R 51709-2001. If we translate an official document into the familiar Russian language, we get the necessary requirement for lighting the road, the roadside and signs, of course, right ones. In fact, Japanese optics cope with this perfectly ... That's just the roadside of the Japanese to another "right".
Homemade
How to solve a problem? There are several popular ways. They are massively advertised in all the media, but no one really checked whether they really work, and the most diverse opinions roam. A year ago, when the order "from above" was given a ban on maintenance of cars with unadjusted headlights, the head of the traffic police of Novosibirsk S.V. Shtelmakh introduced an indulgence, because the service stations were absolutely not ready to provide high-quality services to car owners. We will evaluate how the situation is now and what methods are being used, dispel a couple of myths and try to point out the right path.
So, the first and easiest way. If your car has a European counterpart, then the headlight unit is simply replaced. Yes, it is, of course, expensive, but forever and without any problems. We will return to this method at the end of the material. And now we are talking about those whose European analogues are simply not produced.
These are stickers on the headlights, the so-called "light corrector" lenses. About two years ago, when such stickers first appeared in Russia, motorists considered the problem solved. By gluing a “reflector” in a garage way, the driver freely received a MOT ticket. Now the employees of the State Technical Supervision Authority put spokes in the wheels of those who decided to save money. Because the British invention does not fit into the norm established by GOST. Some inspectors even declare: such stickers are changes to the design of the lighting device, and therefore its operation is prohibited in the future. The films may reflect a beam of light, but at the same time they darken the headlight, which neither the maintenance master nor the driver himself will like.
The third method, garage-manual, and therefore "unofficial". There are several subtypes here. If the headlight has a “shelf” for a light bulb, then the matter is simplified. The light bulb is deprived of the "antennae" and rotated at the desired angle. Then the lamp curtain closes the desired side of the lamp to reflect, directing the light in the desired direction. And if the lamps in the headlights of your car with the base are not soldered, then you can deploy them directly in the base. It is more difficult for those whose light bulbs come out of the concept of standard ones. But for them, they came up with a special way. A corrector ring with new tendrils is cut out of metal and installed almost in place of the old one - only, of course, at the right, “left” angle.
This method, invented by Novosibirsk masters, does not always give a 100% effect, but it will allow you to pass MOT. Sometimes such an action can only straighten the “beam” of light, and not give it the opposite angle of inclination.
You can do this at home: there are a lot of clearly demonstrated ways scattered around the World Wide Web.
On the left is the distribution of the light of the converted headlight, on the right - no
Checking the headlight distribution is easy. We stop 2-3 meters in front of a vertical plane (for example, a wall or a garage door) and turn on the dipped headlights. The light should fall in such a way that there is a horizontal border of light and shadow at about the height of the headlights. And this border, starting from the center (which is determined by the center of the headlight) should rise up and to the right. If it doesn't rise, it's not so bad. But if it rises, but in the other direction, then - forward, to the master!
Exit price
What do we have? A few not too reliable ways that, with sin in half, provide us with light and the coveted TO ticket. Why not very reliable? Because the beam of light "to the left" is directed not only by reflectors and curtains. The headlight glass itself is “lined” from the inside in such a way as to form a stream of light in the right direction. And neither "artisanal" headlight adjustment, nor any stickers solve the problem of "left light". Therefore, if there is a European analogue, do not regret this amount spent on security. If there are no "twins", then it is better to use the technical method - cutting off the antennae and installing their substitutes.
Many car owners do not even think about the issue of replacement, simply because the coupon is obtained by workarounds. But maybe you should take responsibility for the safety of other road users and stop blinding them when cornering? Bad tone, you know...
We remake the lamps on the Nissan Wingroad
Wing made about five versions of the curtains, until the result was satisfactory. Headlight reflectors have a rather complex, moreover, asymmetrical shape. The ideal curtain, which will shade everything that is needed, and at the same time nothing superfluous, should be no less complex in shape. But we are not a design bureau, so we settled on a simple trapezoid.
The first version of the curtain shaded the sector, tinted yellow in the figure. But this was not enough. After several attempts, it turned out that the green sector also needed to be closed. Thus, the curtain became wider and wider, simultaneously taking on a conical shape.
japanese headlight adjustment
The petals of the curtain wrap around each other in the form of a lock. The letters "ICHICON ..." on the lamp base, apparently, all the same lamps are located in the same place, so I post a photo where you can determine the position of the curtain
A little technical tip: when you remove the lamp, put a paper condom on it (wrapp it with paper) so that you can safely work with it. A hand-stained lamp will not last long.
As a result, a beam shape was obtained, horizontal along the upper boundary. Which is what was required. In the photo on the left, the distribution of the light of the converted headlight, on the right - no. The result is there. japanese headlight adjustment
P.S. Some manage to replace their native Nissan light bulb with a common H4 type bulb. By cutting the base and turning it to the required angle, you can achieve an almost correct beam of light.
The quality of a comfortable ride in any car depends on the correct setting of all its main systems. If some parameters are very easy to check and correct yourself, then most of them require the intervention of specialists.
To receive a full service of services, you should contact Kosta-Service. The specialists of this organization will diagnose all systems, which will correct most of the shortcomings.
Easy way to adjust
Lighting plays a huge role when driving a car during the dark period of the day. Moreover, the safety and safety of other road users depends on it.
According to the standard, the lighting should be adjusted in such a way that the left headlight does not blind oncoming motorists, and the right headlight illuminates the roadside a little, allowing them to see moving pedestrians and the roadside.
But many Japanese cars have a radically different setup, as they use left-hand traffic. One of the easiest options for adjusting the illumination of such cars is simply to glue the unnecessary part of the headlight.
You can do it right by following a few simple steps:
- In order to identify unnecessary segments, we put the car close to the wall and turn on the light.
- The dimming sector is in most cases located in the lower corner of the headlight. To do this, simply find it and seal it with dark tape or special foil.
Working with lamps
Another option to correct such a defect is to adjust the lamps. To do this, simply turn the product counterclockwise, which will slightly expand the flow of light.
To carry out such a procedure, you must first bend the antennae with which the lamp is attached. If after that it falls inward, you need to provide a home-made way to secure it.
When H3c lamps and lenses are used in cars, then the adjustment is carried out using special screws that will shift the light beam in a certain direction. However, do not try to twist such products, as in most cases this will not work, because there are no reflectors.
If you are not sure that you will do such a procedure correctly, then it is advisable to entrust it to specialists. They will preliminarily carry out all the main measurements and set the optimal level of lighting, in accordance with all major standards.
The technology for adjusting the headlights of "Japanese women" can be found in this video:
For owners of right-hand drive cars, an article on how to properly adjust the headlights on Japanese cars with your own hands will be useful. It is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous for any driver to continue driving when a car with incorrectly adjusted headlights is moving towards. Their light blinds the driver and contributes to the creation of emergency situations on the roads. In such cases, it is best to slow down and pull over to the side of the road.
Do-it-yourself headlight adjustment on Japanese cars is quite accessible to drivers who are “friendly” with tools and will not be afraid of minor difficulties that arise during work. This is required because right-hand drive cars have slightly different light beam adjustment, unlike European cars, which leads to blinding drivers of oncoming cars.
What is the lighting difference?
It is so accepted that literally from the first days after the appearance of the first self-propelled carriages, in some countries they are driven on the right side of the road, while in other states this happens on the left side of the roadway. In accordance with this, cars are produced with a right or left steering wheel. For the same reason, the luminous flux of such machines is directed in a special way.
The design of the head lighting of cars is designed in such a way that one of the headlights illuminates the passing side of the road. If the movement is carried out on the right side of the road, then it is necessary to illuminate the right side of the road so that passing vehicles and pedestrians moving towards the car are clearly visible. From here it becomes clear that when driving on the left side of the roadway, the left side of the road, its shoulder, needs improved lighting.
Now you can imagine what happens at night when you meet right-hand drive cars on our roads. The stream of light that should illuminate the roadside is directed towards oncoming cars and creates problems for their drivers. Traveling with such lighting can lead not only to unpleasant communication with traffic inspectors, but also to the creation of an emergency.
What can be done in such a situation?
There are different approaches to solving such a problem, but it depends only on the capabilities and imagination of the owners of such machines. Some owners try to avoid driving at night, other drivers are looking for ways and opportunities to re-equip their cars. However, both have their own advantages and disadvantages. So, for example, it is almost impossible to completely refuse to travel at night, and contacting services for alteration will require some amount of money to pay for the completed order.
There are also car owners who try to positively solve such a problem on their own. Some of them are trying to install headlights on their cars from the same type of left-hand drive cars, having found them at car showdowns, others are trying to remake them on their own.
How to remake?
As already mentioned, on the "Japanese" with the right steering wheel, the stream of light is directed to the left side of the road and up. It is almost impossible to eliminate this and adjust the lighting according to new standards, so there are big problems when passing technical inspections. Right-hand drive car owners try to solve such problems on their own. Two methods are most widely used, this is a sticker of a special mask on the glass of the headlight, which closes the flow of light to the left side and turning the lamp in the cartridge. That's what we'll talk about.
It is not difficult to make such a mask, it is cut out of a thin metal sheet, approximately the same that is already in the headlight. It is much more difficult to install it on glass. The problem is in disassembling the headlight itself. To do this, it is heated in a heating cabinet until the mastic softens so that it can be carefully removed. A mask is glued on the removed glass and everything is assembled in the reverse order. As a drawback, the spoiled appearance of the car is noted, and the possibility of peeling off the mask.
It will be more reliable to make a new lamp base so that it can be rotated in the cartridge to adjust the luminous flux. On the headlight removed from a right-hand drive car, you can see that the lamp is installed, not strictly vertically, but shifted at a slight angle to the right side. If you turn it in the opposite direction, then the direction of light to the left and up is practically eliminated.
To do this, you need to remove the three antennae on the lamp base with scissors or sharp wire cutters. For better fixation, you can leave about 0.5 mm on each antennae, the remaining sharp ends of the antennae cling tightly to the plastic of the headlight housing and prevent it from turning freely around its axis.
As you can see, the ingenuity of drivers knows no bounds and they proved that do-it-yourself headlight adjustment of Japanese cars is feasible without any special material and physical costs. If headlights with lenses are installed on the car, it is quite easy to upgrade, you can change the flow of light by simply rearranging the curtain in it. If you doubt your abilities, then contact the experts.
Required if the car has a right-hand drive. Correctly adjusting is not so easy, although it is necessary. First, you do not pass those. Inspection. Secondly, and more dangerously, drivers passing by can be blinded, thereby creating a dangerous situation.
It consists in changing the direction of the light beam. After all, part of this beam shines to the left and up. The easiest way is to change the headlights to a European counterpart. But it won't come cheap.
Another way to adjust the headlights on Japanese cars is to seal the “unnecessary” section of the headlights with a light-tight film. Cheap, but there are downsides. The film can come off, or someone can tear it off. In addition, the appearance of the car does not improve.
Another way to adjust the headlights on Japanese cars is to turn the bulb to a certain angle. First you need to establish what type of light bulb is on your car. We disassemble the headlight and look. It turns out that the bulb in the headlight is turned clockwise and stands at a slight angle. Its position is fixed by three antennae. We cut off these antennae, but so that approximately 0.5 mm remains. After that, we insert the light bulb into the headlight, before turning it to the same angle, only in the other direction. The remains of the antennae will catch on the plastic and the lamp in the headlight of a Japanese car will be securely fastened.
