UK Formentor Abroad

[steel_tsunami]

Hi All

Apologies for what is probably a stupid question but I cant seem to find an answer and even the manual (apparently they exist) isn't clear. We are going to France for our annual holiday and I'm driving. I just wanted to check, I have a Formentor VZ1 E-Hybrid, if the headlights, will automatically adjust to being in France, to save the need for the dreaded sticky reflectors.

If anyone can take pity on what is probably very obvious, I'd appreciate it!

Many thanks

 

[DEAN0]

The owners manual says :

Driving abroad
The light beam of the dipped beam lights is asymmetric: the side of the road on which you are driving is lit more intensely.
When a car that is manufactured in a country that drives on the right travels to a country that drives on the left (or vice versa),
it is normally necessary to cover part of the headlight bulbs with stickers or to change the adjustment of the headlights to avoid
dazzling other drivers. In such cases, the regulations specify certain light values that must be complied with for designated points
of the light distribution.
This is known as “Tourist light”. The light distribution of the headlights allows the specific “tourist light” values to be met without the need for stickers or changes being made to the settings.

 

[Aajt95]

Hi All

Apologies for what is probably a stupid question but I cant seem to find an answer and even the manual (apparently they exist) isn't clear. We are going to France for our annual holiday and I'm driving. I just wanted to check, I have a Formentor VZ1 E-Hybrid, if the headlights, will automatically adjust to being in France, to save the need for the dreaded sticky reflectors.

If anyone can take pity on what is probably very obvious, I'd appreciate it!

Many thanks

Hi, did you manage to get an answer to this question, do the lights automatically change/adapt to the country your in?

 

[DEAN0]

Hi, did you manage to get an answer to this question, do the lights automatically change/adapt to the country your in?

As stated above.


The owners manual says :

Driving abroad
The light beam of the dipped beam lights is asymmetric: the side of the road on which you are driving is lit more intensely.
When a car that is manufactured in a country that drives on the right travels to a country that drives on the left (or vice versa),
it is normally necessary to cover part of the headlight bulbs with stickers or to change the adjustment of the headlights to avoid
dazzling other drivers. In such cases, the regulations specify certain light values that must be complied with for designated points
of the light distribution.
This is known as “Tourist light”. The light distribution of the headlights allows the specific “tourist light” values to be met without the need for stickers or changes being made to the settings.

 

[bounderboy]

The owners manual says :

Driving abroad
The light beam of the dipped beam lights is asymmetric: the side of the road on which you are driving is lit more intensely.
When a car that is manufactured in a country that drives on the right travels to a country that drives on the left (or vice versa),
it is normally necessary to cover part of the headlight bulbs with stickers or to change the adjustment of the headlights to avoid
dazzling other drivers. In such cases, the regulations specify certain light values that must be complied with for designated points
of the light distribution.
This is known as “Tourist light”. The light distribution of the headlights allows the specific “tourist light” values to be met without the need for stickers or changes being made to the settings.

Clear as mud that..

But I think it says you don't need to do anything..

 

[dbbloke]

Before I bought my Cupra, I asked a lot of questions about this

1 - I asked about tourist mode to Cupra directly, there is a link on the website you can email them for questions.
The manual talks about tourist mode BUT from memory it also states this is only for temporary use !! And that if you are staying abroad for a while you will need to take it to the garage to get adjusted for permanent abroad! Yes, you can have a RHD in LHR country permanently, I've done it.. anyhow..

2 - I also asked about matrix lights, and if they might be better!

The local UK Cupra official person who called me, ended up asking someone in Spain I was told, they didn't know! And that to ask the dealer (who didnt know, hence why I called Cupra direct). In fact the dealer could not even tell me if the car had matrix headlights, I ended up not buying from that dealer!

3 - When I got my Cupra, I had to get from a showroom or wait a year etc.. the battery was flat. It turns out if this happens for a long time, the Matrix headlights need reprogramming, What this means is a specialist 80k machine that detects light patterns on the wall. It talks to the matrix camera module etc! The matrix lights then give themselves a 'CALIBRATION'.....

I guess if you live abroad permanently, this calibration will be different and specific.
Plus it seems the lights work abroad fine. If you got pulled over by the police and they took you to a TUV test centre or whatever and used a very specialist machine then you might be in trouble. Not found out for sure.

My car ended up going to a friendly Audi garage and getting some borrowed time on their expensive headlight machine. But before this, it was considered to take to a specialist VW places with such machine.
I guess you can call specialist VW company to really know, maybe someone will reply here with secret headlight calibration knowledge?

Are matrix better than std abroad or worse ? Other than being much brighter, No idea, interesting they have a special calibration which can be forgotten that's all I know!

 

[Pritxz]

Hi

Before I bought my Cupra, I asked a lot of questions about this

1 - I asked about tourist mode to Cupra directly, there is a link on the website you can email them for questions.
The manual talks about tourist mode BUT from memory it also states this is only for temporary use !! And that if you are staying abroad for a while you will need to take it to the garage to get adjusted for permanent abroad! Yes, you can have a RHD in LHR country permanently, I've done it.. anyhow..

2 - I also asked about matrix lights, and if they might be better!

The local UK Cupra official person who called me, ended up asking someone in Spain I was told, they didn't know! And that to ask the dealer (who didnt know, hence why I called Cupra direct). In fact the dealer could not even tell me if the car had matrix headlights, I ended up not buying from that dealer!

3 - When I got my Cupra, I had to get from a showroom or wait a year etc.. the battery was flat. It turns out if this happens for a long time, the Matrix headlights need reprogramming, What this means is a specialist 80k machine that detects light patterns on the wall. It talks to the matrix camera module etc! The matrix lights then give themselves a 'CALIBRATION'.....

I guess if you live abroad permanently, this calibration will be different and specific.
Plus it seems the lights work abroad fine. If you got pulled over by the police and they took you to a TUV test centre or whatever and used a very specialist machine then you might be in trouble. Not found out for sure.

My car ended up going to a friendly Audi garage and getting some borrowed time on their expensive headlight machine. But before this, it was considered to take to a specialist VW places with such machine.
I guess you can call specialist VW company to really know, maybe someone will reply here with secret headlight calibration knowledge?

Are matrix better than std abroad or worse ? Other than being much brighter, No idea, interesting they have a special calibration which can be forgotten that's all I know!

Hi dbbloke,

I'm Currently in a situation myself regarding getting these headlights adjusted/tourist mode on mine aswell. currently been to 1 cupra dealership who charged me 100 EUR and we haven't managed to resolve the issue... are you able to shed anymore light on how you got them to do the RHD and LHD options on tourist mode? my tourist mode seems to be Greyed out. the garage says they can try something but only 50% chance they might be able to sort it..... but still want me to pay 300 EUR feel like they're mugging me off out here! Currently in Munich Germany if that helps.

 

[Pritxz]

Hi

Hi dbbloke,

I'm Currently in a situation myself regarding getting these headlights adjusted/tourist mode on mine aswell. currently been to 1 cupra dealership who charged me 100 EUR and we haven't managed to resolve the issue... are you able to shed anymore light on how you got them to do the RHD and LHD options on tourist mode? my tourist mode seems to be Greyed out. the garage says they can try something but only 50% chance they might be able to sort it..... but still want me to pay 300 EUR feel like they're mugging me off out here! Currently in Munich Germany if that helps.
View attachment 41115

Long Story short I need a TUV to get the car registered on german plates as I'm here for more than 6 months... (Only 9) but can't get insurance on UK Plates I'm told also .... if anyone here can get me a passed "TUV" i'll take it as i know the lights aren't causing problems as nobody's flashed me and the beams quite straight naturally on these lights!

 

[DEAN0]

To my knowledge and according to the owners manual - you do not do anything for "Tourist Mode"

Tourist Mode is built in to the lights when they are designed - it means you can go to other countries without any changes to your lights.

 

[Pritxz]

To my knowledge and according to the owners manual - you do not do anything for "Tourist Mode"

Tourist Mode is built in to the lights when they are designed - it means you can go to other countries without any changes to your lights.

Unfortunately doesn't seem to be the case and the TUV (MOT) Centre failed the car on the lights

 

[DEAN0]

Unfortunately doesn't seem to be the case and the TUV (MOT) Centre failed the car on the lights

So you do not need "Tourist Mode" - you need the car to comply with left hand drive German spec.

I believe to do that - it needs the car to be told it is a German car rather than a UK car.
The problem with doing that is that the rear lights will be incompatible with German functions ( rear fog light changes side for lhd vehicles )