Sorento headlamp adjustment for Europe

[RayS]

Sorento XS has a double headed curved line symbol in the trim just above the headlights with L on one side and R on the other. Can anyone advise please to which adjustment this refers - is it just for beam setting or does it permit adjustment for left hand drive.

The only obvious adjustment mechanism is a cross head screw on the back of the headlamp unit. Handbook and dealers not much help.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

 

[SteveW77]

The headlights on a Sorento cannot be adjusted to left hand drive.

You have to use a mask, however as the lens is plastic, if you stick a mask directly to the lens it could develope cracks, you should use lens protectors and fit the mask to them. A real pain I know, but its not as expensive as been done by the Gendarmes, been there, done that.

Steve W

 

[Lutz]

Sorento headlamps are adjustable. The Sorento forum should be able to help you how to do it.

 

[SteveW77]

Hi Lutz,

I have owned two Sorentos, the original & the facelift model and i can assure you that the headlamps cannot be adjusted to the continental beam pattern on either model.

Steve W

 

[Lutz]

I appreciate that the Continental beam pattern may not be achieved, but it should be possible to adjust the UK beam pattern more to the right. That would be adequate to prevent dazzle.

 

[SteveW77]

If the only criterion is not to dazzle, just lowering the headlamps by the control fitted to the Sorento will achieve that, however it will not make it legal in France and possibly in other countries on the continent. I have personal experience of the diligence of the French gendarmes with regard to headlamp alignement, fine collected at the point of a gun when I vociferously tried to argue my way around the problem.

Steve W

 

[Lutz]

Obviously the gendarmes that you encountered were a bit overzealous because the law in all countries requires no more than that the headlamps must not dazzle oncoming traffic.

 

[SteveW77]

More likely they were short of pocket money I think. But It's their country and their point of view that wins the arguement, unless you want to spend hours in a French police station.

Steve W

 

[darren_374234478]

Hi,

On our recent holiday to france with our new x trail which has Zennons we did nothing to adapt the lights and had no probs at all. before we left i asked our dealer about converting the lights and it turned out that there is no adjustment at all as they are self leveling, and not to fit beam converters on the lens covers as they are zenons. So off we went for nearlly 3 weeks and all was fine.

Darren

 

[SteveW77]

It has been a few years since my run in with the French Gendarmerie and technology has moved on, HID, Xenon, self levelling systems. Hopefully so has the Gendarmerie, but I still don't trust them, so I fit headlamp protectors and beam converters. One bitten and all that.

Steve W

 

[Lutz]

Headlamp protectors and beam deflectors must not be used on xenon headlamps. With this type of lamps they can actually cause more dazzle, not to mention physical damage they can do to the headlamp units themselves due to potential overheating if the lenses are covered.

 

[SteveW77]

Hi Lutz,

I am aware that Xenon light units should not be covered by anything, but the original post was about Sorento headlamps and the Sorento does not have Xenon or HID units fitted as standard, only as aftermarket additions, which presumably are not covered by the manufacturers warranty.

Steve W