Failed MOT for left hand drive headlights

[Phil_Parsons]

My first post; hello all. I brought an 2003 FL roadster earlier, this year and so far it has been great. The MOT was no big concern and I asked the garage to adjust the headlights slightly. Turns out that the lovely new headlights the previous owner fitted are from a left hand drive car. The garage suggested fitting beam benders which tourists use to use LHD cars on UK roads. Due to the powerful bulbs(I fitted) these still allowed light to pass through. So, black tape was the only solution.

Toyota on ebay are selling the lights at £260 each. I checked these forums and a past poster suggested that the Toyota, ebay site has sold LHD headlights to several owners. So I am reluctant to buy from them as I suspect this is where my current lights are from. Toyota Parts Direct is £235 each. Part numbers are 8117017230 and 8113017230. Anyone know if these correspond to RHD numbers? My second option is to convert the lights to RHD; a company in the Netherland can do this, but maybe there is a UK company who can do it? Third, I could buy from a breaker. I may try TCB, but maybe there is another reliable one. Breakers can be pricey, selling cloudy lights for near new prices.

So any help would be well appreciated.

[The Other Stu]

My first post; hello all. I brought an 2003 FL roadster earlier, this year and so far it has been great. The MOT was no big concern and I asked the garage to adjust the headlights slightly. Turns out that the lovely new headlights the previous owner fitted are from a left hand drive car. The garage suggested fitting beam benders which tourists use to use LHD cars on UK roads. Due to the powerful bulbs(I fitted) these still allowed light to pass through. So, black tape was the only solution.

Toyota on ebay are selling the lights at £260 each. I checked these forums and a past poster suggested that the Toyota, ebay site has sold LHD headlights to several owners. So I am reluctant to buy from them as I suspect this is where my current lights are from. Toyota Parts Direct is £235 each. Part numbers are 8117017230 and 8113017230. Anyone know if these correspond to RHD numbers? My second option is to convert the lights to RHD; a company in the Netherland can do this, but maybe there is a UK company who can do it? Third, I could buy from a breaker. I may try TCB, but maybe there is another reliable one. Breakers can be pricey, selling cloudy lights for near new prices.

So any help would be well appreciated.

If you want new, Paul Pridham at TCB spares is your man. He won't sell you LHD lights.

For secondhand, give J Spec a shout. I'd be surprised if they're anywhere near retail price. Even ask for their absolute cheapest ones that need a good clean and follow the guide on here on how to clean even the worst yellowed headlights.

Or you could do worse to start here..... it's usually the driver's side that yellows the most and is the hardest to get.
This fella wants £85 for this


Post is here
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10229853849117672&set=pcb.1515982805897129

[barchetta_ms]

from here: https://www.spyderchat.com/threads/uk-vs-j-spec-headlamps.28319/post-451969

For the record:

Pre 2003, European cars:

81130-17180 LAMP (RH, RHD)
81130-17190 LAMP (RH, RHD, RH TRAFFIC SPEC)
81170-17180 LAMP (LH, RHD)
81170-17190 LAMP (LH, RHD, RH TRAFFIC SPEC)

Post 2003 European cars:

81130-17230 LAMP (RH, RHD)
81130-17240 LAMP (RH, RHD, RH TRAFFIC SPEC)
81170-17230 LAMP (LH, RHD)
81170-17230 LAMP (LH, RHD, RH TRAFFIC SPEC)


Interestingly, the "RH TRAFFIC SPEC" part numbers are the same as the part numbers listed for LHD cars, so it appears that you can buy LHD-spec headlamps from Toyota in the UK under a specific part number. Strange, but true.


For pre 2003 Japanese cars:

81130-17160 LAMP (RH)
81170-17160 LAMP (LH)

Post 2003 Japanese cars:

81130-17210 LAMP (RH)
81170-17210 LAMP (LH)

[Phil_Parsons]

Thank you for the replies. That is exactly what I need to know. I'll explore the new parts from TCB, first as it is a car that I think I'll be keeping for some years. I did try TCB a while back, but I only used their website, the headlights were not listed. So, I'll give them a call and see if they have them.  J Spec, is another good shout and I'd forgot that I'd signed up already for the Facebook, sales page. That used light looks good.

The part number system is very odd. I would have thought that the part numbers would be unique for every part. The idea that different headlights (parts) have the same part number is very weird. No wonder whoever sold the lights to the previous owner got wrong footed. I've been sold wrong parts in the past for previous cars. Ordering online is okay, but having somebody to talk to that knows their stuff is better. I'll report back my results.

[Jay]

Quick question on those part numbers if anyone can answer - what is the difference in European and Japanese headlamp units?

Thanks for any insight 

[Gaz mr-s]

Toyota on ebay are selling the lights at £260 each.

The error was Toyota's.  I was party to discussions about this on a facebook group.  Toyota has an ebay shop, & last year when ebay had discounts, Toyota were in it, so a good reduction on lights was on offer. Then somebody realised they'd got 1 (or two....not sure) LHD light.  It happened to others too.  The direction of the beam cut-off is denoted by arrows on the lens, pointing to the verge.  There are two 'levels' of arrows on the lenses,  low down, & slightly higher up.  The upper one is the one that indicates the beam cut-off.

Somebody in Toyota must have screwed-up the part no' info......

I only know about the ebay lights, - whether Dealers or TCB were affected, I don't know.

Whether Toyota would swap them?

If not, try advertising them in Europe.  The cars in Europe cost much more than they do here, if that applies to spare parts too?

If you have to buy new, TCB will be cheapest. Paul has told me that there isn't a lot of discount available for lights though, - the mark-up is low. Toyota are no longer in ebay 'offers'.

So there's a possibility your car seller didn't know.....

[Alex Knight]

Apparently, the only difference between the JDM lights and UK lights is the 'E' marking.

[paulj]

Apparently, the only difference between the JDM lights and UK lights is the 'E' marking.

Makes sense as the Japanese drive on the same side as us

[Phil_Parsons]

Thank you to those that replied. All of the replies were useful. So, I ordered the headlights and decided to go new. The car is in excellent condition and I feel is worthy of new headlights. I suspect, buying used ones may mean they need to be replaced again, in the long run. The cost was £475, which made me wince, but is relatively low compared to what they cost for many cars these days. Best price, (with stock) was from Fish Bros Toyota, trading online as Toyota Parts Direct. Hopefully there is nothing fishy about these lights. I'll try and sell the "old" LHD lights, abroad, using the boxes from the RHD lights.

[Alex Knight]

Christ almighty. I got a new set last year for £290 from Toyota Dundee.

[Gaz mr-s]

Christ almighty. I got a new set last year for £290 from Toyota Dundee.

FL?

[Alex Knight]

FL?

Ah, no. PFL.

Still quite the difference!

[Phil_Parsons]

Yeah, the PFL, are still way cheaper. Will be interesting to see what the old LHD lights fetch.

[Gaz mr-s]

Ah, no. PFL.

Still quite the difference!

You still got a bargain.  I think with 20% off on ebay, their shop were selling the FL's for £400, & the pfl £300. And, you were quite lucky to get them.  Supplies ran out, & they said they couldn't get them for several months.

[The Other Stu]

Thank you to those that replied. All of the replies were useful. So, I ordered the headlights and decided to go new. The car is in excellent condition and I feel is worthy of new headlights. I suspect, buying used ones may mean they need to be replaced again, in the long run. The cost was £475, which made me wince, but is relatively low compared to what they cost for many cars these days. Best price, (with stock) was from Fish Bros Toyota, trading online as Toyota Parts Direct. Hopefully there is nothing fishy about these lights. I'll try and sell the "old" LHD lights, abroad, using the boxes from the RHD lights.

out of interest, how much did TCB quote?

[Phil_Parsons]

TCB worked out about £495, but said they would need to be ordered. The ones I ordered were on "sale." I'll be checking part numbers carefully.

[Phil_Parsons]

I have some new headlights and would like to fit them. I would like to check if the headlights I have are actually the correct part. I figured the part number would be obvious but I just can't find it on the new lights. Does anyone know where it is located, or how to tell the difference to an LHD headlight?

Having played spot the difference, the LHD headlights have a 17-41 etched on the lower part of each lens. The new headlights have a 17-40 etched. The boxes show correct part numbers; but that is just a box.

[mr2garageswindon]

Plug them in, turn on dip beam, hold a piece of card or paper in front of lens.
You should see a "Kick up" to the passenger side at the top of the pattern.
If the "Kick up" goes to the drivers side then its lhd headlamp..

[Joesson]

My recollection of changing  RH drive lamps to LH drive for trips abroad, involved  blanking out a section of the lens pattern. On that basis the lens pattern may change RH drive to LH drive.
I believe you mentioned that you had some LH drive lamps. Maybe if you compare the lens pattern with your new , hopefully RH drive lamps, there should be a different pattern.

[Gaz mr-s]

I have some new headlights and would like to fit them. I would like to check if the headlights I have are actually the correct part.

See post 5

[Phil_Parsons]

Thanks Gaz, I missed the bit about looking for the arrows; all a bit subtle. Too subtle for Toyota themselves it would seem. Surely, putting the PN on the lights would make more sense. I did fit the headlights today. Not massively difficult. I did find some minor crash damage, probably a parking accident in the past, with some of the crumple zones which the left headlight attaches to damaged. So we'll see if the lights line up okay.