Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

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elaine
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Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by elaine »

Thanks for the welcomes, you seem like a friendly and knowledgeable bunch, which is what I need! I have a right hand drive 66 plate DS5 (31/12/16). We purchased it as ex demo model from big UK dealer. Told them moving to France and would headlights be easy to adjust for European driving. They wanted to sell car, so said YES. Fast forward to last week. It is due the first MOT in France. We turn up at Centre and OH remembers the headlight stickers he still hadn't attached as we never go out in the dark. Show them to the MOT guy, ask if okay and we get back fat NO as a response. Off we go home to ask help of a friend who is more car savy than OH (not difficult!). He tells us he had same problem with his Audi and he had to swap out complete headlight assy. Ouch! He says not to buy from Citroen as very expensive and to buy from other manufactuer. After some research (looking at forums mainly) he thinks that after 2015, it isn't possible to use other manufacturer headlights and have to buy from Citroen. Even bigger ouch! I contact DS5 France for a quote, who have come back with an absolute ridiculous sum of money to change them. So here are my questions - 1) Does anyone categorically know whether it is/isn't possible to use other manufacturer headlight assemblies in a DS5 of this age? 2) Does anyone know if other Citroen cars have the same headlight assemblies that we could use instead? 3) Or does anyone have any other outside the box ideas that we've not thought about. If anyone can help me, I will be so very very grateful. Elaine
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by mickthemaverick »

Not knowing exactly where you are Elaine makes it tricky for me to take this further but I would suggest you look for a secondhand pair from a rear damaged car in French salvage yards. This link will give you a list of places but you'll have to select the closest and work your way through them until you find a rear end damaged DS5 Good Luck: :) :)
https://www.europages.co.uk/companies/F ... parts.html
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by elaine »

mickthemaverick wrote: 05 Jan 2021, 15:32 Not knowing exactly where you are Elaine makes it tricky for me to take this further but I would suggest you look for a secondhand pair from a rear damaged car in French salvage yards. This link will give you a list of places but you'll have to select the closest and work your way through them until you find a rear end damaged DS5 Good Luck: :) :)
https://www.europages.co.uk/companies/F ... parts.html
Thank you for the link, that idea had crossed my mind too. I appreciate your input. BTW, I am in The Charente, 40 mins north of Angouleme, 1 hour south of Poitiers, 1.5 hours west of Limoges, 2 hours north of Bordeaux. Thanks again. Elaine
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by mickthemaverick »

I have asked the seller if this pair is from a LHD or RHD car, I'll let you know. :)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-CITR ... SwN21f2nKS
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by mickthemaverick »

He has replied and they are the same as you have so no good!! I'll keep browsing now I know where you are!! :)
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by elaine »

mickthemaverick wrote: 05 Jan 2021, 15:48 He has replied and they are the same as you have so no good!! I'll keep browsing now I know where you are!! :)
Okay thank you very much for checking, this spurred me to look at Ebay France, but nothing and then I went onto a well known French selling site and there are 2 listed by 2 different sellers (1 left and 1 right), however, I am not sure what questions to be asking. The left hand one states "front left XENON headlight from 2015 to 2016 (don't know if it is correct for our car with first reg date of 31/12/16). The right hand one states right XENON complete with ballast and doesn't mention any age. Any idea what the ballast is, and any idea what other questions I should be asking? Thanks ever so Elaine
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by mickthemaverick »

I'm not certain about this but I believe the ballast in this case is some electronic wizardry which allows you to adjust the beam height as well as a voltage regulating device to fire up the lamps gently. You will need it but you may be able to use your existing ballasts with the new lights. I don't know but hopefully someone that does will be along soon. I am guessing you are somewhere round Ruffec then Elaine so I'll bear that in mind while browsing!! Good Luck with it. :)
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by elaine »

mickthemaverick wrote: 05 Jan 2021, 17:05 I'm not certain about this but I believe the ballast in this case is some electronic wizardry which allows you to adjust the beam height as well as a voltage regulating device to fire up the lamps gently. You will need it but you may be able to use your existing ballasts with the new lights. I don't know but hopefully someone that does will be along soon. I am guessing you are somewhere round Ruffec then Elaine so I'll bear that in mind while browsing!! Good Luck with it. :)
Thanks, I will check with my friend to see if he knows anything about the ballast too. And yep, spot on with Ruffec!
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by Iansel »

elaine wrote: 05 Jan 2021, 15:41
mickthemaverick wrote: 05 Jan 2021, 15:32 Not knowing exactly where you are Elaine makes it tricky for me to take this further but I would suggest you look for a secondhand pair from a rear damaged car in French salvage yards. This link will give you a list of places but you'll have to select the closest and work your way through them until you find a rear end damaged DS5 Good Luck: :) :)
https://www.europages.co.uk/companies/F ... parts.html
Thank you for the link, that idea had crossed my mind too. I appreciate your input. BTW, I am in The Charente, 40 mins north of Angouleme, 1 hour south of Poitiers, 1.5 hours west of Limoges, 2 hours north of Bordeaux. Thanks again. Elaine
Hi Elaine, I guess you must be located near Ruffec based on your comments above. Sorry I cant help with your problem but i have a place in Nanteuil en Vallee which i hope to get out to sometime this year! DS7 looks quite at home parked in the drive. :-)
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by mickthemaverick »

I came across these which may fit your car. They are specified as LHD dip but the year is 2017 so you will have to confirm your reg number with the supplier. Not much else around I can find so off to cook some dinner now!! :-D
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bi-Xenon-Pro ... SwDK9ca5mb
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by myglaren »

If Xenons are already fitted then the ballasts should transfer, the adjustment motors too, but will need telling that they are driving on the wrong side of the road.

I could be mistaken but am reasonably sure that the ballasts control the striking of the xenon bulbs.

https://www.powerbulbs.com/blog/2016/10 ... ballast-do

I accidentally bought a pair of Xenon headlights and the ballasts were attached.
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by elaine »

mickthemaverick wrote: 05 Jan 2021, 18:55 I came across these which may fit your car. They are specified as LHD dip but the year is 2017 so you will have to confirm your reg number with the supplier. Not much else around I can find so off to cook some dinner now!! :-D
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bi-Xenon-Pro ... SwDK9ca5mb
I really appreciate all your effort, thank you. I've forwarded this to my friend, who I think will say they won't work. He has now discovered that when DS had the Citroen badge that Citroen parts manufactured en masse were used and so any manufacturer part would work. But when DS went out on their own, the headlight changed and now they can only be purchased from DS (at a ridiculous price!). As our car is 31/12/16 he has reiterated that I MUST get secondhand 2017 onwards in order for them to fit. I am currently sending emails to breaker yards, but not holding out for much luck. Only other option I see is send it back to UK and sell it there :x
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by elaine »

myglaren wrote: 05 Jan 2021, 21:30 If Xenons are already fitted then the ballasts should transfer, the adjustment motors too, but will need telling that they are driving on the wrong side of the road.

I could be mistaken but am reasonably sure that the ballasts control the striking of the xenon bulbs.

https://www.powerbulbs.com/blog/2016/10 ... ballast-do

I accidentally bought a pair of Xenon headlights and the ballasts were attached.
Thanks for the info. Elaine
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by RichardW »

What lights are actually in it? Halogen, HID or LED? There was a change for cars built after 20/01/2013 - which yours will be, but even the older ones are showing as replaced by the later ones, so any set of the correct type should fit. There seem to be different trim details, but that's probably secondary if you can get a set.
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Re: Headlights for RH Drive 2016 DS5 for Europe

Post by furriegurrie »

Just something that crossed my mind, depending on the type of lights fitted couldn't it be as simple as a setting in the software of the car?
If it's got self levelling and directional projector type lights this might be something that's possible.
Or otherwise maybe there is a lever somewhere on the lights that could be set for left or right hand drive?
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