Light bulb kit and driving in France etc - Advice Needed

[benjaminD]

Hi folks,

Driving to France and Spain next year and need some advice here please

As a new eclass owner, I need help with two things:

1. I need a spare light bulb kit - seen some on ebay
2. Can you change the lights so they do not blind drivers in France and Spain

Not sure if these would be good? Need some pointers please!

Cheers,

Ben.

 

[whitenemesis]

Car, make, model, year?

 

[GeeJayW]

You may have all this down already, but since you asked...

- Have at least two breathaliser kits, (an unused functional unit must be available at all times, so must have at least two in case French plod asks you to use one);
- Hi-viz for all occupants (keep these in the passenger compartment not the boot, so they can be accessed without having to exit the car first);
- The headlights will be adjustable, but as mentioned, Year and Model will help get accurate info.
- Spare light bulb kit, however it's unclear to me how they (the French) deal with drivers that have cars with Bi-Xenon HID or LED light clusters. Are there any 'real' light bulbs on a modern Mercedes?
- GB sticker on the back
- Having speed camera warnings active on your sat-nav is illegal in France.
- The Autoroute speed limit is 130 km/h in the dry, but drops to a lower limit (can't remember the actual number) in the wet. I have in the past seen French police wearing camouflage gear whilst operating laser speed cameras at the side of the autoroute, radioing to colleagues a few kilometres down the road that chase down offenders.
- I think that tyre tread depth needs to be above 3mm.
- Avoid staying in the overtaking lane for extended periods (unless overtaking of course),
- It's common for drivers to leave their left-hand indicator flashing whilst in the overtaking lane. Don't know if this is a legal requirement though.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[clk320x]

The Autoroute speed limit is 130 km/h in the dry, but drops to a lower limit (can't remember the actual number) in the wet

110 km/h in the wet

 

[gaz_l]

Good point about the speed camera warnings - the gendarmes are very hot on this and the fines if you're caught are huge. Better to stick to the limit!

TBH I've never bothered adjusting the headlights when I've gone overseas and I've never been done for it..

Cheers,

 

[clk320x]

Good point about the speed camera warnings - the gendarmes are very hot on this and the fines if you're caught are huge.

You can use Waze, it doesn’t tell you exactly where the cameras are. Instead it tells you when you enter an ‘enforcement zone’, which is legal.

 

[Benzmanc]

You don't need the breathalysers. There is a legal requirement to carry one but there is no penalty for not doing so.

Depending on the year of your car will determine how the headlights are changed. My old 2010 A207 had a small lever inside each light that masked off the upper part of the beam. My current car does it in the computer as does the newer E class

When returning to Calais don't exceed the speed limit for at least 20 miles before the last tolls (if on the toll road), the Gendarmes have regular speed traps along this stretch and will pull you over at the last toll booth

 

[rf065]

You may have all this down already, but since you asked...

- Have at least two breathaliser kits, (an unused functional unit must be available at all times, so must have at least two in case French plod asks you to use one);
- Hi-viz for all occupants (keep these in the passenger compartment not the boot, so they can be accessed without having to exit the car first);
- The headlights will be adjustable, but as mentioned, Year and Model will help get accurate info.
- Spare light bulb kit, however it's unclear to me how they (the French) deal with drivers that have cars with Bi-Xenon HID or LED light clusters. Are there any 'real' light bulbs on a modern Mercedes?
- GB sticker on the back
- Having speed camera warnings active on your sat-nav is illegal in France.
- The Autoroute speed limit is 130 km/h in the dry, but drops to a lower limit (can't remember the actual number) in the wet. I have in the past seen French police wearing camouflage gear whilst operating laser speed cameras at the side of the autoroute, radioing to colleagues a few kilometres down the road that chase down offenders.
- I think that tyre tread depth needs to be above 3mm.
- Avoid staying in the overtaking lane for extended periods (unless overtaking of course),
- It's common for drivers to leave their left-hand indicator flashing whilst in the overtaking lane. Don't know if this is a legal requirement though.

Enjoy your trip.

Or, breathalisers? Don't bother, a law that was a farce from start to finish and it was easier and quicker to change the law to one that doesn't carry a fine than it was to repeal the law!
Spare bulbs? Your choice, but with LED lights on mine I'd need spare light units for headlights, tail lights, indicators etc etc, simply impossible.
TomTom do safety zones instead of speed cameras to keep within the law.
Tyre tread depth is the same for the whole of Europe, 1.6mm.
No legal requirement to keep indicator on, as at home, use it to change lanes is all that's required.

 

[benjaminD]

Car, make, model, year?

2015 e class

 

[Benzmanc]

2015 e class

If it's not an option in the cluster then there will be a small lever inside headlight

 

[benjaminD]

Thanks for all the sweet answers folks!

I have driven in France and spain before what do you think of this:

H1 Emergency Light Bulb Fuse Car Kit Spares 30 Pc 233 Ba9s 382 380 1156 1157 55w 5038673814759 | eBay

 

[clk320x]

2015 e class

Won’t all your bulbs be LED then?

 

[GeeJayW]

Or, breathalisers? Don't bother, a law that was a farce from start to finish and it was easier and quicker to change the law to one that doesn't carry a fine than it was to repeal the law!
Spare bulbs? Your choice, but with LED lights on mine I'd need spare light units for headlights, tail lights, indicators etc etc, simply impossible.
TomTom do safety zones instead of speed cameras to keep within the law.
Tyre tread depth is the same for the whole of Europe, 1.6mm.
No legal requirement to keep indicator on, as at home, use it to change lanes is all that's required.

Thanks for the correction....

 

[Tensofbenz]

I don't think the bulbs actually have to fit, it is just a box ticking exercise for the police.
It is also a legal requirement (unless i am very much mistaken) to have the same tyre brand on each axle pair of your car.

 

[benjaminD]

Won’t all your bulbs be LED then?

That is what I am unsure of

 

[Daveuk]

Everything will be LED apart from main beam bulbs as they are the same headlights as mine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[benjaminD]

t is just a box ticking exercise for the police.
It is also a legal requirement (unless i am very much mistaken) to have the same ty

lol yeah feels like that!

 

[benjaminD]

Everything will be LED apart from main beam bulbs as they are the same headlights as mine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks mate, yeah I basically know nothing as yet!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

110 km/h in the wet

Your post reminded me of this

 

[Neiltodd]

I don't think the bulbs actually have to fit, it is just a box ticking exercise for the police.
It is also a legal requirement (unless i am very much mistaken) to have the same tyre brand on each axle pair of your car.

Can you have one brand on one axle and a different one on the other axle?
Are there any extra requirements for Spain over France?