Driving in France

Hi I have a RHD face lift 996 and am going to France at the end of this week. I understand that there is a "tourist" setting on the headlights to adapt them for driving on the continent. 2 Questions: 1. Can someone point me to some instructions for doing this please? 2. With this done, would I still need to put the masking stickers on the headlights i.e. is it a case of do either or, or both. I've looked at the FAQs, technical articles and searched the net without any good results. Any help appreciated. Thanks

From what I've read, if you have Litronics, there's something you can tweak to get them to dip to the other side. If not (like me), you'll need to apply something to blank out the bit of the beam that shines to the left - I use insulating tape - take a look at some of my pics in the running reports to see where to stick them!

Hi I don't have Litronics so it is sticky tape for me in that case. Thanks

Hi Yoda, Dont forget your breathayser kit! http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=breathalyzer+for+france&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=11146625100&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6735276641300770932&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_5596h6kgob_e

Thanks for the reminder - have breathalyser + triangle + hi vis vest + bulbs + ............ I'll need a bigger car soon to carry all the compulsory kit! [ ]

thats for all the dodgy driving - its also the law that you have to stop to provide first aid . halfords sell some kind of tape - gaffe tape is cheaper

I have a feeling there are some headlamp masking templates in the workshop manual. There are definitely some for the pre-facelift. I'll check it out tomorrow when I get to my PC.

Love driving in France, the A roads are so nice! The traffic jams and non stop incidents near Paris are not! As others have said, bit of sticky tape does the trick

Nothing specific in the manual for facelift headlights, but the pre-facelift ones might work. 'Scouser' put a dimensioned templete on this thread, which is probably more use than the one in the manual: http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/5020-how-to-mask-rhd-headlamps-for-right-hand-traffic/#entry24930

Hi Richard, Don't suppose by any chance you have a template for Boxster headlights, specifically my 987.2 Spyder? Off to the Le Mans Classic on Wednesday next week, yippee! Hope all is well and that you are enjoying your Cayman.

Templates, you are joking? For 987 Boxster/ Cayman there is a simple procedure to switch the headlight beam angle to centre for continental driving. Your local OPC can do it, 10 mins a side and may or may not charge you if you have influence, or DIY if you are brave enough to risk breaking expensive lights. There have been several posts on this subject on here.

Seeing as we are on the subject, how can the litronics be adapted for driving on the continent ?

Careful of the tape -aren't 996/7 lights plastic? B*ggered the lenses on my old Shogun doing this with rather sticky tape....[&:] TBH, I've never bothered since......[8|] And Feroz, enjoy roads with 25% vehicles per km that we have and a respect and appreciation of nice cars we don't have here.......[ ]

Okay, I am puzzled, confused or just dumb ( I expect the latter) I have a 2004 model, so face lift and with standard lights. In my Driver's Manual on page 209 it describes how to change lights from left to right-hand traffic. It makes no distinction for the process applying only to Bi-Xenon (Litronic was only used upto 2001). Procedure is to remove the light unit and turn an allen socket from "O" to "T". I have just taken a light unit out of my car, and sure enough there is a small plastic allen socket which turns and does something. I have to admit I did not check to see whether it acutally dips from left to right - maybe you can check. This procedure is also described in the 996 Essential Companion, again with no distinction for type of light. Some confusion as it also talks about masking, but for Xenon Or have I missed an essential point, ie does not apply to standard lights. ??

987/997 lights, both halogen and xenon, can be switched to the Touring position, and the procedure is shown in the owner's handbook. 986/996 Litronics and xenons can also be switched, and again it it shown in the manual. 996.1 halogens cannot be switched, and need masking of some sort. Porsche do masking films, but they are about £20 a pair, and single use only. I'm not sure about 996.2 halogens, but I was under the impression that they weren't switchable, but MacOlaf's handbook seems to suggest that it is possible. Porsche don't make a masking film for 996.2 halogens, so maybe that is the case.

Sees odd that the 996 halogens are not switchable when the 993 halogens were??

Completely serious. I really can't be arsed taking the car's headlights out in the queue at the ferry port or packing The requisite tools to do so. Bit of black vinyl can do the job, would help to know where to put it!

Dont forget you need 2 triangles +fan belts also your original insurance cert licence in all 10 items, each 1 not carried earns the FRENCH 150 EUROS and the need it. I was pulled 6 times going to and back to SPAIN in MY beutiful 3.2 Targa sport Paul

Not according to the AA or a couple of other google searches. 1 x triangle, 0 x fan belts, 1 x high vis jackets, 2 x breathalyser (not enforced until November), 0 x radar detectors either! Hoping not to get stopped at all though!

There is a thread in the 997 Tech area showing how to change the Litronic headlamps over.. Rob they can be done prior to leaving home as it just removes the left hand kick up of the headlight pattern (you end up not lighting the left hand hedges when in the UK [ ]) so no panic doing it on the ferry or chunnel. With experience they only take about 5 minute to do. garyw

Yes, but definitely a job for your local dealer, don't kid yourself you can DiY in 10 mins, that's how long the dealer takes per side. Why not give them a call, since you have bought a new car from them, they may well do it for nothing.

And if escaping the gendarmes takes you into Germany, delete the camera positions for Germany from your sat navs! Most countries also insist on winter tyres between certain dates and if venturing into Austria there is €120 annual charge for using their motorways payable at the border so use the country roads.[8|]

And everyone comes to the UK and does sweet FA. But we couldn't possibly do anything because that would not be good for tourism or our relations with other countries. Now long since in Spain they had the laws about Hi-vis jackets etc I have hired cars but not had these things in the car ? So would the customer be excepted to take them with them?.

Thanks Gary and Chris. I remember watching my trusty local mechanic taking the headlight out of my 996 to replace the sidelight bulb - I'm sure there's a knack to it once you've done it before but it was a fairly awkward process! My car is booked in on to OPC on Monday for the third attempt at fixing the fuel gauge problem so I would hope that the beam could be re-directed by them then. I just sometimes get the feeling that some things are best left alone! I only intend to drive at night on the Sunday night for the short distance from Caen centre to the port hence why I was happy with a quick fix by way of sticky tape. Does anyone know definitively if there is a fixed penalty in France for failing to divert the beam during daylight hours when the headlights are not being used or can you only get done for this at night?

I'm sure they will do the swtich over as long as you ask them in advance. My advice is to get them done as it only cuts off the left beam and they will pass the UK MOT with them left in the continental position. Having had mine swapped and driven at night since, I am quite happy to leave mine set that way and they will be OK for next year's MOT too. The point about getting them changed is if your UK set headlights were to cause dazzle and an accident resulted they would throw the book at you. Also the French use their headlights during the day as soon as the sun goes in, unlike many Brits who drive in halflight and even darkness with no lights on at all.

Fully understand the 'not using the car at night' but the law states if its raining then dipped headlights (we should have that in this country![ ]) - but it won't rain obviously [ ] One of our guys did use a sticker to solve the issue recently and as far as I'm aware they did come off OK but can indeed leave a sticky residue and mark the plastic headlamp surface. You could get the OPC to do it and drive around in the UK for a while without too much trouble. garyw

Good point, hadn't factored in risk of rain!! Obvious solution is to do the job properly. Thanks again.

Don't forget a beret worn at a jaunty angle and a string of onions too. It's de rigeur as they say in France and the gendarme frown at you if not worn at all times. See you at CLM. If you spot a white 964RS come and say "Mange tout".

Rob has a 987 Boxster so his lights should be reset for continental straight ahead. What kind of trouble do you mean, I just explained that my OPC MOT man says it will pass the MOT like that?

So considerate when the French and Spanish all drive round with the high beams on too. Maybe its just me, I love there roads but there driving Sucks. There fatality rates are awful yet there population is less (Spain*) the maths speaks for itself.

[ ] Will do, toute de suite, bonjour, bonjour. Will watch out carefully for Les Flics, and make sure my passenger is eating garlic and wearing the high-vis jacket at all times so that it is inside the cabin - there is no storage space inside the Spyder, not even door bins. Have a good journey down.

Come on guys, does not need OPC to do this If all else fails follow the instruction in the handbook. I took out the LHS , played with the toggle and put it back in less than 10 minutes first time. There is a tool in the roll, and being a Porsche the whole job is well designed. No wires to disconnect as it self plugs in on re-insertion. Why anyone would want to stick on black tape is beyond me, when you can do a proper job

My point is that Rob has a new 987 Spyder not a 996. Whether he can do it himself is not my point, as he has just bought a brand new car and it is booked in at the OPC for other work to be done under warranty they can and will do it for him. I was going to do mine but a local OPC who I did not buy the car from offered to do it free of charge to get my service business. Agreed putting stickers on a 987 is ridiculous.

ChrisH, apologies I was thinking about the 996, and as it is in the Owner's manual then an owner ought to be able to do it. It really is a simple job

Its in the 987 owners manual too, Donald. Some people just don't do DIY. When we bought our last house, when it came to moving in, the previous owner said that 3 or 4 light builbs had blown. He apologised that he hadn't had the opportunity to get the electrician in............

LOL. Who did he call when he needed the toilet?.

Richard, I disgaree. I watched the technician do mine with the handbook open and he said the photos did not resemble the lights as each side is different. He had difficulty finding the switch and used a special long thin screwdriver to click it over. Also if you dont put the light back on the mounting tray correctly bits break and fly everywhere according to a 991 owner on here.Im sure the cost of a new zenon headlight is close to 1k and I would rather not risk breaking it. PS Yes I can change light bulbs

Chris, we don't disagree. On the first page of my book I say ".....never attempt any operations unless you feel both able and comfortable about completing the task without danger to yourself or the vehicle". I think that sums it up, as there are degrees of DIY tasks, ability, and what you feel comfortable about tackling. I'm a mechanical engineer, and brought up on a diet of things like rebuilding cars out of interest as much as necessity. But I fully appreciate that others don't have the same interest or capability. Probably why I was always pit crew, and never the driver.......

Richard, agree we dont disagree, I am also trained as a mech, engineer but experience has taught me not to attempt things where there is risk of damage / cost or getting stuck. I remember as a teenager changing my first set of points on a Triumph Herald and not putting the insulating washer back first and we had to get the dealer out to get it started!

I once tried to jump start a double decker coach from a double decker bus. The coach ran a 24 volt system. The double decker ran a 12v system - until I attached the final jump lead - BOOM! [ ]

After did the coach go slower and the bus went faster?[8|]

After, the bus went nowhere for a while [ ]