Hey forum!

We have a 2006 Alphard...took the decision to move to Switzerland for work late last year. We are going through the process of officially importing the vehicle and the requirement is for the headlights to be changed to be left hand drive country appropriate. Now, seemingly merely adjusting the headlight beam is not allowed (not tested this yet, but that's what the official department documentation says and what our local garage says).

My question is...has anyone been through this before, or anything similar, and been able to find a work around which is accepted by the authorities? Or are there any matching left hand drive headlight parts which fit the 2006 Alphard? (Of course we know that the 2006 Alphard was never released in left hand drive countries).

Thanks so much for anyone that has any ideas. We desperately don't want to have to sell the car (now a campervan).

Pete

There are no left hand drive headlamps, but luckily the lights don't lift up on the left. They have a flat beam and only light straight ahead at the same height. How you would explain that to the Swiss authorities I, do not know.

Yeah, thank you. We have been told they won't approve but it might end up being the only option and keep our fingers crossed. It seems so silly...logically we shouldn't need to replace, but they are sticklers for beaurocracy. Thanks for your reply.

Oh, that sounds like a real headache mate

It's always a bit of a faff when you're dealing with different country regulations, especially when it seems a bit over the top. Bureaucracy can be a nightmare sometimes, can't it? I haven't personally had to deal with importing a car to Switzerland, but I've heard similar stories from folks bringing cars into other European countries.

Sometimes, even if the beam looks like it might be okay, they have specific checks.

Have you had a chance to speak to any specialist importers out there who might have encountered this before? They might have some clever workarounds or know exactly which parts you'd need. !