RHD Headlights

[Betweenthewheels]

Good morning folks - I am looking to 'Anglicise' my 1998 2.0 Petrol French Series 2 XM and am looking for a pair of good, complete headlamps - can you help?

Any assistance would be most grateful.

Regards, Ultan

[Dieselman]

Are yours the type with no internal lens, or with?
If with, just flip the lens round by swapping from one unit to the other.

[Betweenthewheels]

Hi Dieselman - not sure which to be honest. How can I check? Is it obvious just by looking directly at them?
Thanks

[Dieselman]

If your lamps have clear glass, with just a few vertical bars and an internal plastic lens for the dip beam (outer lamp), they are early type.

Later Lhd lamps have the dip beam lens cast as part of the outer glass.

[Stickfinger]

Quick question if you do not mind the interruption chaps, did RHD headlamps maintain the lens insert throughout production ?

[Dieselman]

Yes
No change to Rhd lamps.

[xantia_v6]

I believe that S1 and S2 lamps have slightly different mountings due to the changed shape of the front bumper.

[White Exec]

John (xmexclusive) has written extensively on the forum about headlight differences, changes and compatibility.
Do a Search to pull up the posts.

Later LHD headlights had no fresnels (as said above), but the slots for the plastic lenses do exist in the reflectors, and so they can be fitted to convert them to RHD (dip-to-left).

I have tried a pair of late-type LHD units in the S2 here (Spain), but found them to produce too much of a low-down bright spot to be acceptable. Switched back to the car's original RHD units, but with the fresnels 'flipped' to give the required LHD (dip-to-right) pattern.
This was the best combination obtainable, and producing a good, even 'apron' of light on dip. Still in use today.

Using the fresnels has the advantage of an even spread of light on dip, and the option to choose L or R dipping. The later fresnel material stayed free of the UV yellowing/browning which the early type suffered from. Using the better H1 bulbs (Philips X-treme or Osram Nightbreaker Silver*) makes a noticeable difference, too.

* The 'Silver' version has no blue tint.

[Dieselman]

I believe that S1 and S2 lamps have slightly different mountings due to the changed shape of the front bumper.

S1 units have a spacer block added for the nosecone/grill to mount onto.
S2 nosecones had the fixing moved, so no spacer required.

Either type of lamp will fit with appropriate modification.

[EathanR]

I have a pair of RHD headlights from a Series 2 XM, one of the few bits I still have. Can send some pictures of them if you message me your e-mail address