car lights
 

I am thinking of bring 2 cars over from the uk when we move out and I have heard that putting the deflectors on your lights will no longer be enough for it to pass the MOT/get registered and that EU left handed lights need to be fitted. Just got this costed and it would cost £527 all in from my local Honda garage!!! didnt really want to pay this if not required. Any had to ge this done?

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Right hand drive cars here are valueless. Why not sell them in the UK and buy cars when you arrive here (no import fees).

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No import fees, but much more expensive :D

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Yep, there have been many posts on the process and costs of matriculating UK (RHD) cars in Spain.

Don't forget that it's not only the headlights - in theory, if you have a single reversing light and a single fog light then these too will have to be changed (to the other sides). This may will mean new rear light clusters.

Unless the cars are of special 'value'to you (classic or similar) then I would recommend selling and buying over here.

Like you, I tried to bring two over with me. In hindsight, I shouldn't have done. The first, a Shogun, was a nightmare. despite being quite standard the technical engineer told me that I had to cut off the running boards, remove the front bull bar etc. etc. These are all standard factory fit but he was having none of it and would not issue the necessary paperwork. I sold the cehicle and bought Spanish.

The other was my wifes peugeot 307 - she loves it. We did get it matriculated but with the costs for lights, plates and then tax, I'm not sure it was really worth it. We now have an expensive RHD, Spanish registered car with no resale value - but she still loves it :thumbsup:

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You can say that again.
When I first moved to the Canaries 16 year back,I could buy a brand-new basic run-around car for little more than half the then UK price,(purchase tax there was only 4% which also helped a lot).
I do many more miles now on the Peninsula and around Europe, so prefer something bigger and more comfortable now, and quite fancied a new Citroen Crosser exec.
Spanish price(and most of the EU),is almost double UK price,..16K to 18K,..more!

Fairly confident I could get by with a UK RHD, if it was not for the toll road paypoints and tickets, as I often travel alone, so it would mean constantly jumping in and out to walk around the vehicle and also probably upsetting the frustrated queue behind.
Pity there is not one standardised automatic pay system for all of the EU.

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Don't take too much notice of all the doomsayers advising not to bring your car over with you..

We moved over in June this year bringing with us my Merc ML which is now sitting on the drive wearing Spanish plates. In the UK the car cost me half of what it would have done in Spain and personally I have no problem driving RHD over here, in fact in many ways I prefer it to our LHD car.

Matriculation was a breeze as I paid a gestor to do it on my behalf. The additional cost of emplying a gestor over doing all the running around yourself was under 200 euros. Their total bill was a shade over 600 euros most of which was payments for ITV, Engineers report, road tax, number plates etc that you would pay anyway.

I had to change the headlights, although I'm pretty sure the originals could have been adjusted for over here. However Merc garage insisted that they couldn't be so I had a new pair. I did sell the old units on ebay so net cost was around £150 for the lights.

The only thing the engineers report noted was the tint film on the rear wondows which had to be removed. Didn't complain about the side steps.

Would have sailed through the ITV first time had I not forgotten about the rear fog light. Half an hour job for a mechanic to switch a wire over and that was sorted.

Pretty much the only thing that I had to do was go to the British Consulate in Malaga to get a baja consular, a declaration that I am now living in Spain and therefore will not have to pay any import duty on the car which would have been around 1800 euros on a 2003 Merc ML270.

As I said the whole process was a piece of cake and in my case eminantly worth doing.

As to the commonly espoused RHD cars having no value in Spain. I don't intend to sell the car so that is an irrelevance.

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Dont just take your main agents price for headlights as the only option , there are hundreds of makes/models covered by pattern types, try several motor factors.

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Thanks for the info, the cars are 5 years old but fully serviced and I know the history and dont really want to get a second hand car or new over ther (both very expensive)

might just bite the bullet and go through the process.

Thanks again all

Re: car lights
 

From Wikipedia

Due to the number of deaths and injuries caused by cars with rigid metal bullbars (in 2000 some 2,000 deaths/year and 18,000 serious accidents/year in Europe [1]), the sale of metal bullbars was banned by a European Union Directive.[2]

and yes you still see them on sale.

Re: car lights
 

You are allowed to leave them on if they are shown on your ficha technica ,after may this year no more can be fitted legally except for use on private land/off road competitions,maybe these are the ones youve seen for sale,potentially big fine from traffico if fitted illegally .

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If you are moving to Galicia I personally would not import a Honda because there are not so many service agents around here. The nearest is either Lugo or Ourense. Too far to travel if the car does not work!
There are several breakers around in Monforte, Ourense or Lugo. Maybe if you are desperate try your luck at one of those. And do not forget your rear fog lamps!

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I understood that this was a European law that came in on 1/1/2002

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Considering the amount of LHD cars in circulation in the UK I would imagine you could get a good deal buying a set of lights from a LHD specialist in the UK or maybe on ebay.

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we need to change the lights on our Honda CRV but have found them very difficult to find online - e-bay, parts sites etc. No breakers that I know of in our area but maybe some around Malaga?

My OH wants to keep our RHD as he feels safer on the bendy country roads with sheer drops as he is able to see the edge - I, however, am not so keen to be stuck in the middle of the road with lunatic overtakers approaching :eek:

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I wanted a Chevrolet Astro Van and there was one on sale here for 7,000 euros. Far too expensive. Found a left hand drive van in the UK for £3,000 so I caught a flight to Heathrow 70 euros, £22 coach fare, then £260 on the ferry. OK there were incidentals such as petrol c.50 euros and munchies but I still saved money.

And NO I will not be transferring onto Spanish plates. The Guardia Civil have told me not to worry! So long as the car is insured they are happy.

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I'm sure that there'll be some who won't agree with this - but we've driven our English plated car in Spain for six years now with no problems. We drive back to the UK once a year for MOT and tax and insure it there. We've never been stopped by the guardia and we live in a small village where we certainly don't disappear into the crowd!

As battlezone says - as long as we're taxed and insured they seem happy :)

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Tin hat at the ready I hope. :)

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Well - I am new here but I do - kind of - know what to expect :D

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And I'm afraid you'd deserve it as well ;):)

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Why :confused:

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.... because you're breaking the law!

I don't really want to start up this old chestnut again but I couldn't be looking over my shoulders all the time just in case I got stopped and then done for driving an illegal car.

Also, if you were to have an accident, would the insurance company pay out if you were truly honest about having been resident in Spain for 6 years?!

I know some would claim to have 'got away with it' but why take the risk - life's too short!

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Because if you come to live in Spain you should obey the law like most of us do. If you break it, and then come on the forum bragging about it then you are setting yourself up

Frankly I'm somewhat fed up of people thinking they are above the law :);)

And telling us that the local police are happy with it doesnt actually endorse what you are doing or make it any better in the eyes of law abiding ex pats in this country

You did ask! :lol:

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Not implemented in Spain until may 2009 and only enforced in the UK this year.

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Some ebay lights are not "E " marked and will not pass an ITV ,Spain is generally cheaper for headlights due to logistics.

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:thumbup: Well said that man ,the way Spanish Police are tightening up now it is only a matter of time anyway ,around our way they are s**t hot at the moment , I know loads who have been nicked recently for the slightest misdemeanour and I have no sympathy ;)

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I took my UK Lexus over with me when we moved in May as frankly for what I'd have got selling it (it was 4 years old but in mint condition and low mileage) I couldn't possibly get an equivalent spec/quality of car here. I used a specialist company here to do all the import etc work for me and it was well worth it as they knew what to do and did all the running around paperwork etc. They also use a guy near Benidorm who specialises in sourcing (and fitting if you want) replacement headlights. All in all I was very pleased with the process and costs. I understand I can't post links here to the relevant websites but if anyone's interested in their services just PM me.

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I had an Audi TT and was surprised to find it had the facility to change the direction of dip built into the headlight units.
:thumbsup:

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I don't actually think that I was 'bragging' in my post - just stating some facts.

We're not residents and don't live in Spain full time at the moment. We still have a home in the UK, pay council tax (as well as all due taxes in Spain) and only use the car when we're over in Spain - apart from, as I said, one week per year when OH drives it over for MOT & tax. The rest of the time it's off the road and we've spoken to the Guardia who are perfectly happy with the situation :D

When we do move to Spain full time and become residents then we will change the situation with the car accordingly!

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;) Your previous post seems to indicate to me that you live in Spain as does your profile depict :)

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How so :confused:

Which previous post are you referring to? - and apart from the location of my home in Spain I don't see anything in my profile that indicates my living arrangements :confused: :confused:

Writing this in my flat in Nottingham, looking out at the grey clouds and wishing I was in my Casa with OH right now :D

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:) Post #16 tells me you live in Spain and your profile says you live in region of Andalucia ,nothing tells me you live in Nottingham !!:D

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You are breaking the law, please don't encourage others to do the same :wub:

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But missle you have missed something, look at the above and you will see that lunacrout is not the only one around here driving a UK plated car. None of us on this forum are the Guardia Civil all we can do is say it is not abiding by the law. But hopefully no one comes back here and says I have been fined etc etc. Then they will not have a shoulder to cry on.

Re: car lights
 

If you read post #28 again I think that explains my living arrangements quite clearly - I put Andalucia as my location on my profile as this is a Spanish forum and I thought that that was all that was relevant - I'll happily add Nottingham if it keeps folks happy ;)

As I said, the Guardia are happy and I fail to see how I am encouraging others :confused:

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Thank you - I know that I did 'stick my head above the parapet' but I wish people would actually read what I've written and not just jump in. :ohmy:

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I don't think I am missing anything and I am not claiming to be whiter than white.

traffico regularly impound illegal UK cars. Try telling them :rofl:

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Missile, you singled out one person when they said that they were driving an illegal car. of the posters who said that they drove UK plated cars are breaking the law and they know it. But I cannot understand why pick on one of the posters, to me this was very unfair. But I agree with what you are saying they should not encourage this sort of thing.
Both should note that when you speak to one officer it does not make you legal when you meet the next.

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:) But that is my point ,prior to that I had no idea you were in Nottingham ,I, as could others only assume you were in Andalucia permanently and therefore assumed you were driving around for 6 years on English plates

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Thank you - I didn't want to point out the other poster in the similar situation but maybe the fault is with the Guardia for giving false reassurances - if, indeed, they are.

A friend of ours was being given so much conflicting advice that he went into the main Trafico office in Malaga and was told that as long as he wasn't a Spanish resident and his car was legally taxed and insured in the UK that he was fine - this further reassured us that what we were doing is OK. Maybe we'll call there next time we're in Malaga and get it in writing :)

Re: car lights
 

How do you define an illegal car?

As I understand it, the legality of keeping a UK car in Spain,goes with the location of the Owner/Driver,(the only legal user), at any given time or period, and not with the location of the car itself,subject to the car being off the road when the Owner/Driver is not in the country and subject to him abiding by the legal periods of time in and out the country.