I just moved to the UK from the USA and there are several items that need changing in order to pass inspection.
1. My Zenon headlamps have to be replaced, no problem there except these puppies are not cheap! But I got a new pair on eBay and saved a bundle. Yes they are genuine BMW/Mini Zenon headlamps with the washers. The headlamps should be here early this week.
2. I need to replace the exterior turn signal bulbs, (the Brits call them "side repeator lamps"). The US spec bulb is white, the Brit spec bulb is orange. No problem there and they aren't expensive, in fact I found a supplier last week and now have the replacements.
The problem I have is I cannot figure out how to access the back of the housing to replace the bulbs, does anyone have any experience with this that could tell me how to replace the "side repeator" bulbs.

I am sure once getting access to the rear of the housing it's just a plug in and go type of install but getting to the rear of the housing or "popping out the lens is the difficult part.
Thanks

 

???

Why do the Xenons need replacing - maybe they only need re-alignment?

And English cars don't have the side repeaters fitted at all so I don't quite understand why you have to change them to comply - maybe you can just remove or disconnect them?

 

The side repeators need to glow orange not white. And the heaflamps need replacing because the cars drive on the other side of the road and the adjustments are not adequate enough to compmensate for that increase in angle.

 

Why drive a LHD car in a RHD country? Would have been better to sell your MCS here in the USA and get a new UK spec car?

 

Absolutely not! The cost of living over here stinks! And I mean the cost of everything you need to live on including cars. The exchange rate today is $1.83 to the pound and a new JCW S Mini Cooper is about 26,000 pounds doing the math that equals $47,580.00. I love my JCWS but not $48,000.00 worth. For that much money I would buy a new Lotus Elise.

The best thing I could do was to bring mine over here and eventually sell it for more than I bought three years ago. I can sell mine right now and make almost 10 grand and that's after 23,000 miles and three years of ownership.
With the money I make I can go out and buy a that Lotus Elise!

London is the most expensive city to live in today I really do not understand how people live, grow older, raise families and retire. I think all Amercans should be required to live overseas for a few years, you don't know how lucky we are, the standard of living in the USA is light years ahead of the rest of the world no matter what stones you may throw at it.

 

You should be able to replace only the headlight housings and retain your existing bulbs, ballasts and other internals. Left-hand drive cars have beam patterns that look like this from inside the car:

__/_ __/_

RHD cars have to look like this so as to not blind the people in the other lane:

_\__ _\__

As for the side repeaters, even though the lens might be white, all the installed bulbs should be amber. Simply replace the bulbs if for some reason they are white. The side repeater in the fender pops out from outside, the socket, bulb and wiring come out with it. Remove the socket from the little housing and replace the bulb. If for some reason the lens needs to be amber too, simply get one from a MC and put it on the MCS.

 

That's almost exactly what I did! I just got a pair of orange spec bulbs to replace the white spec bulbs. I found a set of Zenon UK spec headlamps on eBay for a few hundred bucks, new ones would have set me back almost $1,500.00!

Do you know that a cup of Starbucks that costs $1.70 in the USA costs $2.80 here. A roundtrip flight from New York, JFK to London is around $660.00. That same identical flight in reverse London to New York is $1,058.00 why the extra $400.00 go ask the Queen!

 

I went to Canada a few weeks ago and most everything was cheaper upthere than in the USA.

Actually, for what I have read, Canada has a higher standard of living than the US.

I have been to Europe before and have put plans to visit again on hold until the exchange rate becomes more favorable. Right now going to the UK is tooooo expensive IMO.

 

Ask our president! Our money is worth Jack overthere!

 

As far as Canada having a higher standard of living than the USA I think it depends on what it is you are comparing. I have traveled quite a bit to Canada over the past 20 years and on occaision it has been a good place to vacation, cost wise but that's hit and miss it's not all the time and it's also important to factor in "value" what you get for what you pay from everything like housing to healthcare to education to investing. It's certainly possible to compare from a short period of time the differences and find that one country maybe better cost wise than another but after traveling around the world as much as I have over the past 30 years I believe America does provide more "value" for the dollar you spend, at least on the things that are important to me, that said our healthcare system has been going down hill for years now and I am sure there are better systems out there.:smile: