Other headlight solutions?

[elbosque]

Thank you Glenn for your quick response. This whole thing around the lights has been a major head ache. People have had lots of problems with Gov Commercial Inspectors saying that E coded lights were not legal. I would feel a lot safer if this were in writing, as Mr. Wood's inspectors have told others that they were not compliant.

As I said in my post, my vehicle passed inspection at one of the more reputable inspection businesses, the Surrey Inspection Centre. I knew nothing of this issue and assumed that if I bought a vehicle that had been inspected it was all legal and ready to go. Not so! It had no DRL. My headlights were not changed and were only reaimed. They have no E, SAE or DOT marking on them. Before I bought the vehicle, I had a mechanical inspection done by another licensed government inspector. He mentioned that I needed a high mount stop lamp but that was all. I have since bought new head lights for my vehicle. Now am I suppose to also be worried that my other lights are not legal? They did pass inspection at a gov certified inspection station. I wonder what else they missed?

I, as are many JDM vehicle owners, are very concerned (and some are pretty angry) about the lack of clarity and consistency from the government commercial inspectors and the government certified inspectors. That is why we need it in writing. What happens if someone you sold a vehicle to gets pulled over at a highway check in the interior and is issued with a ticket and inspection order, or worse, has their vehicle towed away? It is clear that an inspection sticker means nothing. If I do not have it in writing in my truck, then I am at the mercy of the inspector. Everything else is hear say.

I know if my vehicle gets pulled off the road, then somebody is going to get sued: the government, their inspection agents and the licensed dealer for not doing their jobs for which I paid good money. I am sure there will be others owners who will group together and do the same. Lets hope it does not have to come to this, as most dealers were doing their best to ensure their vehicles were up to standards. As you are probably well aware, there is a coalition of owners and dealers trying to work together and with government to prevent this and the BC governments plans to have TC extend import vehicle age extended from 15 to 25 years. As they say, "if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem." I hope everyone joins the coalition.

Cheers, John

[Kuan]

Thanks Glen for the information. Thats really helpful information.

John, I agree with what you say. We need to have it in writing and also it needs to be sorted out so that the standards are enforced. Its completely ridiculous actually. As a vehicle owner, I should not have to know all the details of what needs to be done. Thats why we go through inspection. As long as its inspected and passes, thats all I should have to know.

It definately should not be on the consumers plate, especially after the inspection process. Why do we pay for inspections?

Since Mike Woods is available for contact, perhaps you could phone him John since you seem to be the most knowledgeable and articulate about the issues.

When I have some time (and money) I will head up to CCAuto and have my DRL and all that stuff done - not because I am afraid of getting pulled over but because I think there is a good reason for it. Safety. The standards are there for safety and if the inspections agencys are not enforcing that then I think we have a problem.

Thanks all for making this a great community!

Kuan

[ccautos]

I was an MOT inspector in the UK for many years before emigrating to Canada eleven years ago . In the UK we would inspect every car on the road every year for safety . Part of this inspection was to check headlights for both alignment and correct beam pattern . What is happening on the vehicle inspections here in Canada is that the headlamp is only being checked for alignment and not for correct pattern . This is why the headlamps are passing inspection as they are aligned correctly . There is no test procedure set out in the BC inspection manual for testing beam pattern and so the lamps meet the test parameters except that they are not clearly marked DOT or SAE but who can tell if they meet the standards ?? I have previous experience with beam pattern problems in the UK having european vehicles entering all the time , but here it is still a relatively new experience for most inspectors to see a vehicle with left bias headlamps hence why so many are being passed . Does anyone know of equipment available in North America to check pattern ? I sure cannot find any locally available . Almost every shop has a level style aligning tool to check the direction that they point but not how the beam pattern angles . These German E-code headlamps are clearly marked with the E-code and the beam pattern is correct for North American use . If anyone can find the technical document #108 I mentioned previously Mike Woods stated that it clearly says E-code meets Canadian standards then we can all rest in peace with our Delicas not blinding oncoming traffic !!! (this document is not supplied to inspection stations or inspectors)

[elbosque]

I searched the ministry web site but could find no reference in any hits to 108 and headlights or lights or any combination of them. Glenn do you have the exact name of the document?

Searching the MVA I did find this version of the MVA Jan 1, 2007: http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/M/M ... _division4. Interestingly in Table 1 it does refer to "This standard is based on S.A.E. standardLighting Inspection Code and recommended headlamp tolerances for E.C.E. lamps
supplied by the Road and Motor Vehicles Safety Section, Transport Canada."

However, within the act itself it still states the following: General lighting requirements
4.02 (1) A vehicle on a highway must only be equipped with and use lamps, reflectors or other illuminating devices authorized by this Division or authorized in writing by the director.

(2) A vehicle on a highway must be equipped with lamps equivalent to those provided by the original manufacturer in accordance with the requirements that applied under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada), or a predecessor to that Act, at the time of vehicle manufacture.

(3) All lamps, lamp bulbs and reflectors required or permitted by this Division must comply with

(a) the approved standards established by the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada) and the applicable SAE standards,

(b) the conditions of use described in this Division, and
(c) the requirements of Table 1 of the Schedule to this Division.

I am not sure where that leaves us. I can't believe they would speak about ECE standards in the table but not refer to it in the updated MVA. It looks like someone messed up. Glenn, I hope you can help us get a copy of this doc, as it does not show up anywhere on the site. Thanks, John

[Kuan]

Found the documents on Transport Canada site

[url]http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/mvstm_ts ... rev3_e.htm

Check out section 7.

[elbosque]

Found the documents on Transport Canada site

[url]http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/mvstm_ts ... rev3_e.htm

Check out section 7.

Sorry but I did not find it. Could you cut and paste the pertinent section into a post. Thanks. John