Hi All,

My Barchetta is going to Spain in May to live, i'll be following in our Seat Leon in July with my wife. You can drive around with English plates and stickers on your headlamps for 6 months then you really should re-register with Spanish plates.

To re-register in Spain the headlamps need to have a permanent conversion done. Given the fact that hundreds of Barchettas' have been imported from Germany etc you would think there is a big stash of 'drive on the right' headlamps kicking about gathering dust. Does anyone know where that big pile of headlamps is or have I got to spend a fortune on replacements here.

Oh and do i just have to change the insides over as the glass on Barchetta headlights is smooth without light refracting patterns (god I sounded really clever then)

This subject has probably come up before but i'm new here!
Cheers Mark

Mark

Spain require Euro plates as soon as, I went over there and all they wanted ASAP was the EU flag on the number plates (WHY??), then you must register as you said and get an ITV. There Mot station, man the car can be falling apart and it will still pass.

OK head lights, you can do it yourself some how, ask a UK MOT Station if it possible as they will have the settings or do a Google search for DTR Sports in london, they convert / replace them for you. May have some old units in stock. if not keep an eye on E-Bay.

hasta luego mi corlaga. espana muy bonita. :worship:

Muy Bien Gracias Nino

Thanks for that, i have contacted DTR SPORTS and i'll find out soon how much it is. They convert Euro spec into uk spec headlights and speedo as a package for 149.50 so buying a couple of used Euro spec headlamps ...you would think should be a snip! I'll let you know what it cost.

Adios amigo

you may also be interested in this thread

Hi Mark,

I to am looking to take my barchetta to Spain, been doing a bit of research and it seems a pain to do. I believe that you can use the car for 6 months if you do not become a spanish resident. You then have to apply for green plates and pay some kind of import taxes, take the car to get inspected by fiat and then pass the ITV. It seems quite a complicated process I'm trying to get hold of a spanish gestor who can do it all for you.

Regards
Rob

Chulito said:

Hi Mark,

I to am looking to take my barchetta to Spain, been doing a bit of research and it seems a pain to do. I believe that you can use the car for 6 months if you do not become a spanish resident. You then have to apply for green plates and pay some kind of import taxes, take the car to get inspected by fiat and then pass the ITV. It seems quite a complicated process I'm trying to get hold of a spanish gestor who can do it all for you.

Regards
Rob

Click to expand...

I am going to Spain in march and i shall be seeing a mate who has registered about twenty cars in Spain as he helps people do this after they have purchased houses he sells. I get him to write it all down and i'll post it on here. He says its really easy and not to pay anyone else to do it for you as they charge loads for not doing a lot so if you have time hold tight and I'll see what he says...infact sod waiting I'll email him and let you know the exact way to do it

Thanks Mark that would be great, any help or advice in taking my barchetta to Spain would be fantastic.

cheers

Rob

Guys

Depends on where you live weather you can get away with it or not. I had a right hand drive 306 for 4yrs and got pulled twice, £20 and your done. However a Fiat B is left hand drive, just get the number plates made up with the Euro flag and try it for a while. I lived in the South.

hi there i live in malaga and have a barchetta did yiu find out how to re-reg a car here if so do you think you could let me know how
regard gary

Hi Gazport,

I spoke to an English friend living in Spain who has re registered a few cars in Spain but he told me the system has changed again and he wasn't sure how to do it at the moment as he is looking into it. Anyway my Barchetta is out there now with English plates and my wife and i are moving there permanately 27th July and i'll be taking our English registered Seat Leon over. I have two cars to re register, so as soon as i am familiar with the new system I'll post it on here for you. I believe its still 6 months allowed on English plates then you have to register ...to register, the car needs to pass its safety test and that includes new headlamps not temporary stickers on headlamps.

as soon as I know the correct system I'll let you know

thanks for reply i heard its 30 days from when the car comes into to spain within that time you have to go to the brithish consulate it so hard to get a final answer out here if i find any more will let you know

I spoke to DTR today - they will convert headlamps for use on the continent. You can post lights to them and they will charge £100 for the conversion and return.. Sounds pretty good -- if you can live without your lights for a while!:worship:

I'm soon to be driving to Spain, through south France. Do I have to mod the lights to drive there, even tho just on holiday for a few weeks?

Prob won't be driving too much at night anyway.

Any other advice I need to know? I know about hi-vis jackets and spare glasses!


DJ OD

To set to europe the projection units need to be turned about 20 degrees but don't know if this is possible to do yourself.

repeated from elsewhere
hi, errr this is actually quite easy to do, and ive done it twice!!! bugger.
first i moved from germany to england, then england to sweden thats why i did it twice. You will need to remove both headlamp units, a space alien or capuchin monkey is hand to access the bolts (otherwise you need to take the bumper off, or have lots of extensions for access.
Be gentle on removal cos this can chip the paint around the headlamps.
You will notice in front of the headlamp is a metal plate shaped like ___/ except the ramp is not so steep as i have typed. This has to be reversed. choose your way to do this, i filed mine down and then riveted a new plate for the ramp bit, but use metal cos it has to cope with the heat!!
The main thing to do is measure (or better still make a cardboard template) of the ramp before you cut it down (duh!). then flip it around , balanced on the centre axis of the bulb.

This got me through the uk mot and swedish bilprovningen so it defo works and was perfect on the reflected wall lines. ben email me if u get stuck [email protected]

Just an aside. Ive imported my Barchetta into Spain, passed the ITV and everything and I was using (and still have) those stick on beam deflectors you get from Halfords.Admittedly they thought about failing me for the ITV cos one light was a bit high but then they changed their mind (a bit too much hassle I guess).

The Highvis vests are a must (they dont have hard shoulders on the motorway here and it is a bit hairy if you break down) and having an English numberplate attracts the car jackers, of which there are a scarily high number. Never stop for anyone who tries to tell you your car is in trouble and if someone indicates they are plain clothes cops, stay at the wheel of your car with the engine going. I know 2 people personally who have been pulled over by car jackers. Otherwise, if you are driving reasonably, you will probably only ever get pulled by the police in one of their checkpoints and they are not normally that interested in you if you are sober or not stoned.

As another aside The only place I have ever had my car broken into in Europe happened to be in Madrid Took a small pair of binoculars out of the glovebox, my mates leather coat and a copy of FHM......W**k*rs

At the risk of making Spain sound like a hot bed of crime, the other thing you have to look out for is at the motorway services. We have had to have our locks changed at work twice in the last 12 months as on two separate occasions colleagues of mine have had all their bags stolen from cars parked at motorway services. We guess that there is a gang with those frequency scanners which can pop open cars locked with remote controls as in neither case was there any external evidence of a break in (and so the drivers didnt notice until they arrived at their destination). This happened both times on the AP2 between Barcelona and Zaragoza. The car jackers work the AP7 from Girona to Tarragona and the peripheries of Madrid.

Finally, you will see a lot of heavily neon lit buildings beside the non-toll paying motoways, often at the services, mainly called "Club" but sometimes called "Hotel". If they are lit up like a rather crass light display you are welcome to spend the night there, as many unsuspecting British tourists have, but bear in mind they are actually brothels....

Viva Espana