chemist Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Tasman has Hella twin headlights that can be coverted to continental use by removing unit from vehical turning dipped light etc. Can anyone explain how the units come out , even after removing the bolts they are held by a plastic fitting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 If they are the ones fitted to many A Class vehicles, they don't remove, they rotate in situ after a bit of screw loosening (and the screws are sometimes, depending on vehicle, difficult to access). You may find the following post (and its onward reference to Motorhomefacts) useful, especially the pictures referenced in the latter. http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=20561&posts=5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Chemist Hella made a 'kit' to convert the standard single-unit headlamps fitted to 05/2002 to mid-2006 Boxer//Ducato/Jumper headlamps to a twin-unit arrangement. Details are on: http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=7093&posts=9 and there's a photo of the twin-headlamp product at the start of Page 13 on this .pdf http://www.hella.com/produktion/HellaUSA/WebSite/MiscContent/Download/SpecialOE/Caravan_en.pdf The Hella kit was fitted to certain Pioneer/Autocruise models like the "Tasman". As Robinhood advises, it will be possible to change the dipped-beam headlamps from a left-dipping pattern to a right-dipping one without removing the headlamp-units from their mountings, but whether you can actually gain sufficient access to the rear of the headlamps to effect that change easily on your Tasman is another matter. The photos in the MMM supplement suggest that you might well need to remove the complete twin-headlamp unit (which looks like it might be a straightforward enough task) before being able to reach the back of the headlamps to change the beam pattern. The MMM supplement said: "The Hella lights are supplied set up for left hand drive vehicles. Swapping to the dip pattern needed for RHD is a tweak covered in the instructions, consisting of a simple unscrew-and-rotate operation on the main lights' lens/reflector units. At this stage, the newly painted shrouds were fitted to the backplates." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemist Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 I was hoping someone had the practical experiance of getting the units out! I can get them almost out but there is a plastic fitting which is holding them and I do not see how it comes out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 No disrespect, but if it is that much of a hassle why not just stick some deflector pads over the lenses? For the price, about a fiver, it will satisfy the legal side and make life easier. I have noticed that the police in various countries are starting to check more carefully UK vehicles whether or not you have beam deflectors fitted. Even if you do adjust the light units there is no way the Police will know they are fine, except by stopping you and check. The plastic stickers at least are an obvious check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 chemist - 2011-08-18 10:53 AM I was hoping someone had the practical experiance of getting the units out! I can get them almost out but there is a plastic fitting which is holding them and I do not see how it comes out I'm not familiar with your van, but if it is based on a pre X2/50 Fiat Ducato (or Peugeot Boxer), I am familiar with removing the standard headlights on these. I am assuming the Hella units use the standard fittings. There are two bolts to each headlamp, top and bottom, and a "clip-in" retaining lug on the outer end of the headlamp unit (the end nearest the wing). There is a "clever" connector behind the headlamp that should first be disconnected. You have to open a sliding safety catch on the plug, before you can remove the connector. With both bolts removed, and with the connector unplugged, insert a piece of webbing, or card, into the slot between the outer end of the headlamp and the wing. This is purely to protect paint/plastic as you do the next bit: :-) it should ideally, fill the slot from top to bottom. Then, GENTLY, pull the headlamp towards the front or the van, allowing it to rotate on the hidden clip, until it is squeezing the card/webbing, and then just carry GENTLY on so that the headlamp levers against the wing, and the bulb shaped spigot on the lamp will pop out of its socket by the wing. You may find the whole item comes away, in which separate the socket from the bulb on the lamp and re-fit into its place against the inner wing. It should all begin to make sense as you do it. However, do proceed with the levering very cautiously, as Hella may have modified the fixing system from the standard. If this is true for the Hella units, re-fit by engaging the bulb into its socket, and then give the front face of the headlamp unit a firm slap with the flat of your hand, to knock it back fully into place, before fitting and tightening the bolts. You should find that the fixing bolts have left pinch marks on the headlamp unit, so that the the original alignment can be maintained. Can't say if this will give the correct alignment for right dipping, but it would seem the intention. Don't forget to adjust them back at MoT time! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Brian Kirby - 2011-08-18 4:43 PM chemist - 2011-08-18 10:53 AM I was hoping someone had the practical experiance of getting the units out! I can get them almost out but there is a plastic fitting which is holding them and I do not see how it comes out I'm not familiar with your van, but if it is based on a pre X2/50 Fiat Ducato (or Peugeot Boxer), I am familiar with removing the standard headlights on these. I am assuming the Hella units use the standard fittings. There are two bolts to each headlamp, top and bottom, and a "clip-in" retaining lug on the outer end of the headlamp unit (the end nearest the wing). There is a "clever" connector behind the headlamp that should first be disconnected. You have to open a sliding safety catch on the plug, before you can remove the connector. With both bolts removed, and with the connector unplugged, insert a piece of webbing, or card, into the slot between the outer end of the headlamp and the wing. This is purely to protect paint/plastic as you do the next bit: :-) it should ideally, fill the slot from top to bottom. Then, GENTLY, pull the headlamp towards the front or the van, allowing it to rotate on the hidden clip, until it is squeezing the card/webbing, and then just carry GENTLY on so that the headlamp levers against the wing, and the bulb shaped spigot on the lamp will pop out of its socket by the wing. You may find the whole item comes away, in which separate the socket from the bulb on the lamp and re-fit into its place against the inner wing. It should all begin to make sense as you do it. However, do proceed with the levering very cautiously, as Hella may have modified the fixing system from the standard. If this is true for the Hella units, re-fit by engaging the bulb into its socket, and then give the front face of the headlamp unit a firm slap with the flat of your hand, to knock it back fully into place, before fitting and tightening the bolts. You should find that the fixing bolts have left pinch marks on the headlamp unit, so that the the original alignment can be maintained. Can't say if this will give the correct alignment for right dipping, but it would seem the intention. Don't forget to adjust them back at MoT time! :-D The photos in the MMM supplement I referred to earlier show the Hella twin-headlamp unit with and without its plastic front 'shroud'. The MMM description of removing the Boxer's original headlights comprised removing the vehicle's radiator grille (4 Pozidriv screws), undoing the lights' 4 mounting bolts ( 2 per light presumably) and unplugging the electrical connectors. The replacement Hella light-units "fitted on to the original headlamp mountings and could be put in place once the units' various plugs - for the electrical feeds to main and dipped beam, indicator and sidelight bulbs, and to the beam-aligning motors - had been connected". I had thought initially that "chemist" was somehow attempting to remove the dipped-beam light from the the front of the 4-headlamp backplate, leaving the backplate bolted to the vehicle, and clearly, that wouldn't work. I believe your explanation of how to remove the standard headlamp clarifies the situation that, having removed the 2 obvious retaining bolts per light-unit, the unit will still be secured by a "clip-in" retainer on the wing-side of the light-unit. (there's no mention of this retaining fitting in the MMM article) and that judicious force will be needed to separate light-unit from retainer. (To avoid paintwork damage and facilitate removal/replacement of the Hella units, I'd be very tempted to follow MMM's lead and remove the radiator grille before working on the lights.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemist Posted August 19, 2011 Author Share Posted August 19, 2011 Thank you Derek and Brian ! Thats the info I was after, now to try again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemist Posted August 19, 2011 Author Share Posted August 19, 2011 Success! Once I had been told that fittings on the wing side pulled out all was OK! WD40 and a large scewdriver was all that was needed! (the fitting is like a large popper) Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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