Technical 2009 fiat 500c LHD lights and Speedo

[lemontaz]

Hello,
I have a French 2009 LHD fiat 500c convertible which I will bring over at some point. I understand that to pass the MOT here there must be RHD headlight lenses (sticker deflectors fail the MOT) and a MPH Speedo fitted. I have two questions that I hope someone can help me with:

1. Is there any way to adjust the beam without getting entirelly new units? Is there any mechanical function to switch the beam? Will it definitely fail MOT with the sticker deflectors?

2. Is it possible to just change the numbers on the Speedo unit (switch 100 for 60 etc) rather than replace the entire unit? I guess it’s quite easy to remove the plastic screen to access the plate below?

Thanks a lot in advance for advice on this.

 

[jrkitching]

Hello

Hello and welcome to the forum.

You can buy a stick on replacement dial for the speedo, but it needs to be translucent so that it illuminates correctly. Not cheap, but this would appear to do the job. A secondhand one may not cost a lot more, but make sure the odometer reading is less than yours - they can be adjusted up, but not down.

Best bet for the headlights is probably to source a secondhand pair of RHD units from ebay or similar.

IIRC @typecastboy may be breaking a 500 soon, so get your request in first!

 

[typecastboy]

Headlights have up and down movement electrically but side to side movement I believe is done with a flat head screwdriver in the adjustment screw on the back of the light so it should be easy enough I believe. Most MoT stations will adjust them for you at no cost while doing the MoT.

I am beginning to break my 2009 sport tomorrow. I will have a speedo. It has 136,000 miles on it though so your car will show that. You can increase mileage using MES but you can’t reduce it. Due to the mileage showing that high I will be selling it for £25 including postage. You can have first refusal if you want it.

 

[306maxi]

Headlights have up and down movement electrically but side to side movement I believe is done with a flat head screwdriver in the adjustment screw on the back of the light so it should be easy enough I believe. Most MoT stations will adjust them for you at no cost while doing the MoT.

I am beginning to break my 2009 sport tomorrow. I will have a speedo. It has 136,000 miles on it though so your car will show that. You can increase mileage using MES but you can’t reduce it. Due to the mileage showing that high I will be selling it for £25 including postage. You can have first refusal if you want it.

Adjustment won’t make up for a LHD light on a RHD road.

 

[jrkitching]

Adjustment won’t make up for a LHD light on a RHD road.

That.

The adjustment screws are for fine tuning, not compensating for the (significant) difference between LHD & RHD beam patterns. Think for a moment about the difference in beam spread between nearside & offside.

RHD headlights for the pre-facelift models (excepting the bi-xenons) are readily available new in both aftermarket & OEM versions from shop4parts for a reasonable price. A new aftermarket pair will cost a little over £100 with the forum discount.

Xenons and post-facelift headlights for 2015 and later cars are also available, but they cost silly money.

 

[typecastboy]

That.

The adjustment screws are for fine tuning, not compensating for the (significant) difference between LHD & RHD beam patterns. Think for a moment about the difference in beam spread between nearside & offside.

RHD headlights for the pre-facelift models (excepting the bi-xenons) are readily available new in both aftermarket & OEM versions from shop4parts for a reasonable price. A new aftermarket pair will cost a little over £100 with the forum discount.

Xenons and post-facelift headlights for 2015 and later cars are also available, but they cost silly money.

I stand corrected, didn’t realise there was such a thing.

 

[Ralf S.]

Aye.. buy second-hand stuff. There must be thousands of speedo's and even a few headlights on eBay from cars being broken.

You can sell the LHD parts in France, to get some money back.

You might have to synchronise the speedo' with the Body Control Module (the mileage will flash until you do .. but it will "work" - just the mileage showing will be that of the new unit, not the car's original mileage)... but you can set the correct mileage and stop the flashing when you synchronise it.


Ralf S.

 

[typecastboy]

The flashing mileage shouldn’t happen. It’s only when you change an ECU I think. But Multi ECUScan will do it if it does. If anyone is near you with it, I sure someone will oblige.

 

[lemontaz]

Dear all - thanks so much for your replies and help, sorry for my very late reply! I will be importing the car in the new year so this is a huge help, especially for the translucent stick on Speedo thing.

I was reading the the mutual recognition document where it says a garage needs to issue a statement saying the vehicle conforms to U.K. standards which includes having RHD lights and MPH Speedo fitted. Does this mean a garage will have to do the changes or can I do it and then just take it to the garage for their approval and letter which the vehicle certification authority requires to issue registration? It does say the statement needs to make clear the garage has worked on *or inspected* the vehicle, so I’m guessing it’s ok if I do the changes myself?

Also, not sure if anyone can advise, but when it comes to getting U.K. plates after receiving the V5C, would there be a way to keep the French plates? Do they just give me UK plates and I fit them or do I have to go somewhere to have them fitted and they insist of taking the old French plates away? Thanks in advance!

 

[typecastboy]

I once bought a brand new Ford Focus in Belgium to full U.K. spec and it had to have a certificate of conformity to say it was for U.K. use and had been built for U.K. laws of the road. Without that I would not have been able to tax it. I think the same applies. As long as it’s been done i guess someone (a garage) has to verify it has, I don’t see that means you can’t do it yourself.

 

[jrkitching]

Also, not sure if anyone can advise, but when it comes to getting U.K. plates after receiving the V5C, would there be a way to keep the French plates? Do they just give me UK plates and I fit them or do I have to go somewhere to have them fitted and they insist of taking the old French plates away? Thanks in advance!

In the UK, once you have done what is necessary and submitted your documentation, you will be assigned a registration number by DVLA. It is then your responsibility to go and get a set of plates made, and you can fit them to your vehicle yourself. As far as the UK is concerned, it's up to you what you do with the old plates.

You've likely found this website already; it tells you all you need to know.

 

[lemontaz]

Thanks both! That's good to know. I will try and source the parts and change them myself then go to a garage for headlight beam adjustment and their inspection to then give me the statement requires for the mutual recognition.

Has anyone installed a stick on replacement dial for the speedo before? Couldn't find any step by steps but I'm guessing I would need to remove the front plastic screen on the dial?

 

[typecastboy]

Thanks both! That's good to know. I will try and source the parts and change them myself then go to a garage for headlight beam adjustment and their inspection to then give me the statement requires for the mutual recognition.



Has anyone installed a stick on replacement dial for the speedo before? Couldn't find any step by steps but I'm guessing I would need to remove the front plastic screen on the dial?

Not sure you can take the plastic bit off the front but if you can you would have to take it out to do it in which case you might as well just get one on eBay and swap it over.

 

[lemontaz]

Not sure you can take the plastic bit off the front but if you can you would have to take it out to do it in which case you might as well just get one on eBay and swap it over.

Hmm so it doesn’t seem a simple task. Are there any how-tos out there that could show step by step how to change the dial? I’m wondering if I should buy the dial and take it to a garage for them to do, but maybe getting whole Speedo unit for them to install would cost less labour wise?

 

[typecastboy]

Hmm so it doesn’t seem a simple task. Are there any how-tos out there that could show step by step how to change the dial? I’m wondering if I should buy the dial and take it to a garage for them to do, but maybe getting whole Speedo unit for them to install would cost less labour wise?

It’s easy to change, I can give you step by step instructions.

 

[lemontaz]

It’s easy to change, I can give you step by step instructions.

Great thanks! I prefer to do things myself and learn if I can. So do I just pop off the plastic screen to the speedo and stick the below over the existing KPH one?

Just had a thought, I'm assuming the odometer showing KMs won't be an issue especially for MOT when they record the 'mileage'?

 

[typecastboy]

Don’t think that’s an issue for MoT.

As I mentioned earlier I don’t know if you can remove the glass but I do have a faulty one I can look at and see if there’s a way.

 

[typecastboy]

You can take them apart. I’ve just done it.

You have to take it out, turn it over and you’ll find 4 screws. Take them out and you can then prise it apart allowing you to stick the sticker in place.

As for odometer I think you can change it from Km to miles in MES.

 

[lemontaz]

Wow thanks a lot for trying that. Would it be possible with the Speedo still in the car? If not, is removing the Speedo from the dash easy?

And what is MES?

Thanks again!

 

[Italian Job]

I think you will have to change over the rear fog ligt and reverse light. I had to do the same a few years back.