Headlights, fog lights and the speedo

A car built for the Gulf is set up for driving on the right, in kilometres, in a climate where fog is rare. UK roads want the opposite on all three counts. So before the DVLA will register the car, the lights and speedometer have to suit the UK.

This work is checked at the IVA test for cars under ten years old, and at the MOT for older ones. We do it in-house at Castle Donington, as part of preparing the car for its test.

Headlights

On a left-hand drive car, the dipped beam kicks up towards the right-hand kerb. On a UK road, that is straight into the eyes of oncoming drivers. The beam has to be changed so it dips to the left.

On most modern cars that means re-aiming the units or re-coding them, not buying new ones. Some flat-beam LED headlights need nothing at all. Main dealers often quote for new headlight units, which is rarely necessary and always expensive.

Some cars in the Gulf were built to American specification. These can need more lighting work, as American cars often use red rear lights that act as both brake light and indicator. UK rules want amber indicators. Our guide to GCC spec explains how to tell which you have.

The rear fog light

This is the conversion almost every import needs. UK law expects cars first used from April 1980 onwards to have at least one rear fog light, and a car built for Dubai or Riyadh may well have none.

The rules are precise:

• One or two rear fog lights, red, carrying an approval mark
• If there is only one, it must be in the middle of the car or on the right-hand side
• Between 25cm and 1m above the ground
• At least 10cm away from any brake light
• It must not come on with the brakes, and needs a warning light on the dashboard

Some Gulf cars come with a pair from the factory, and those are usually fine as they stand. A single fog light on the left is common on cars built for driving on the right, and it does not comply here. It is either rewired to the right or a new approved lamp is fitted.

The speedometer

UK speed limits are in miles per hour, so the speedometer must show mph. A dial showing both mph and km/h is fine.

There are three ways to get there, and we always try the simplest first:

• A setting. Many modern cars switch to mph in the menus or the onboard computer, and need nothing else.
• A new fascia. On cars with a printed dial, we fit a replacement face that reads in both mph and km/h.
• A heads-up display. Where a fascia is not possible, a display can show the speed in mph. Every one we fit is wired in, because a plug-in unit could be switched off or removed, and would not pass the IVA test.

One thing worth knowing before you ask: a speedometer conversion changes the speed reading only. If the odometer counts in kilometres, it carries on counting in kilometres. That is legal, and the car is registered with its mileage as it is.

What happens to the old parts

Anything we replace stays with the car. Headlights and fog lights we swap are left in it for you, and so is the original speedometer fascia, if it survives coming out. Some don't, as they were never designed to be removed.

Window tint, while we are on the subject

It is not lighting, but it catches out more Gulf drivers than anything above. UK rules on front window tint are much stricter than the Gulf's, and heavy front tint usually has to come off. Our guide to window tint and the UK rules has the figures.

What it will need

The work depends on the car: its make, its age and how it left the factory. We check from the VIN and photos before it ships, and the quote lists the conversions your car needs, so there are no surprises at the test. Ask for a quote with the make, model and year, and we will tell you.