Info: Which additional lighting is allowed on the car?

Reading time 6 Min.

The lighting on the car is a real eye-catcher, especially in the dark, which is why many drivers like to take their vehicles with them Additional lights spice it up. Some additional lights are also beneficial for safety, which is why the automotive industry and the legislature agree on the legal regulations on the subject of car lighting at regular intervals. And one thing is clear, it's creativity Limits. In the following article there are a few tips on how tuners can upgrade their lighting system so that it remains within the legal framework.

Don't be blinded by Hollywood

Movies like The Fast and the Furious make the hearts of tuning fans beat faster. Here are the fantasy no limits. And so, pimped-up cars with powerful engines, flashing paintwork and extremely creative lighting rush across the canvases and screens in the living rooms to the threshold of the impossible. Drivers should be aware, however, that this is almost always just fiction and with reality - at least in Germany - has little to do. And that's often a good thing, because if everyone could make their vehicle blink and blink at will, that would be bare Chaos preprogrammed on our streets.

front lighting

Headlights and indicators have at the front of the car to be available and function. Often the headlights are still there today Bilux pears that allow you to switch between low beam and high beam. Up until the 1980s, the headlights were round or square.

Since then, they have taken on different shapes and are now a lot more complex. The accessories trade offers complete replacement parts for numerous models, some of which are visually different from the original.

• Attention! Like all lights, headlights and indicators must have an engraved test number (ABE, Teilegutachten, E-labeling etc.) carry. This is required by law. If the test number is missing and the component is installed, the vehicle loses its operating license. This even applies to the small additional indicators on the side of the vehicle.

Tuners match the Turn signals or turn signal glasses like to the overall impression of the vehicle. So if the car is painted black, the indicators are often black or at least darkened. The luminosity of the indicators and the transparency of the cover glass must, however, still be high enough for the indicators to function properly still guaranteed is. The supplier of the parts must ensure this. His products must have the aforementioned test number in order to be able to use them legally. By the way, you should forget one right away foiling or Painting the turn signal / headlight.

Cornering lights and daytime running lights

Curve and daytime running lights are innovations that have been added to the front of the vehicles. Various Retrofit kits There are lots of additional lights for these additional lights in the accessories trade and are often tailored directly to the vehicle type. In most cases, they can simply be installed in the recesses provided on the front bumper. Many models already own standard built-in daytime running lightsas this has been required by law for a number of years. According to the law, the following additional lights may be installed:

• Fog Lights
• daytime running lights
• Headlights

If the additional lights have a Certificate and Check number have, are correctly installed and function optimally, the TÜV approvedt. It is true that a additional pair of high beam headlights be installed at the front, but this has a lot to do with cars in daily traffic (no off-road vehicles) usually hardly any real use. The situation is different for small vans or pick-ups. Additional headlights can enormously increase safety here, for example on dirt roads.

But here is the Reference number of particular importance, which is assigned to each lamp and engraved on the cover glass. The sum of all reference numbers on the front is allowed Do not exceed 75. By the way, the wiring is usually simpler than expected: the necessary plugs and wiring harnesses, including switches, are usually located for the interior there.

Side lighting - options are limited, but make sense

There are only a few ways to spice up the car with lighting on the sides. There is predominantly an additional indicator on the fender, which is indicated by a Flashing light integrated in the exterior mirror can be added. In exchange for the factory indicators in the fender, there are black / white indicator glasses or complete components for the exchange. And one too Conversion to LED is possible on the side. However, it is always important to note one Approvals must be present. And some also add reflective side strips. But there are only reflectors on the vehicle flanks Rescue and fire fighting vehicles as well as police cars Reserved. The light strips are strictly forbidden for normal cars. It is also prohibited illuminated rims.

Hardly any accessories for the rear lighting!

As far as the lighting at the rear is concerned, most cars are already so well equipped as standard that an optimization is not necessary. Also the "Third Stoplight“, Which was a popular tuning feature just a few years ago, is now part of the basic equipment of the lighting system or was implemented directly by means of a continuous Light strip replaced. Were in the 1980s additional brake lights really trendy. Today they are hardly in demand and are used by the third brake light in the Rear spoiler or trunk lid replaced. Only that in Nebelschlussleuch May be retrofitted, but in many models it is already available as standard and often with a more modern one LED technology equipped.

But there is one highlight that triggers storms of enthusiasm among examiners: that self-luminous license plate. The number plate is evenly illuminated by LED lights in a light box. This increases the legibility of the license plate even in the dark improved. There's another glimmer of hope for the rear lights. The industry is always working on new ideas for the visual design of the rear lighting. For a few years now, Audi or VW have been replacing the classic flashing light with a chaser. And the accessories trade already has this running light on offer as a retrofit indicator / complete headlight. But also here applies: Note the test mark!

It all depends on the light source!

Not only with the components (the headlights), but also with the Illuminants In the interior of blinkers & Co. you should pay attention to what is allowed and what is not. The classic filament lamps are actually a thing of the past and are often worn out LED bulbs replaced. These have a longer lifespan and are therefore more sustainable and easier to see. They also react faster. There are differences in construction and luminosity. Luminaires that comply with legal requirements should always be installed. An exchange of Halogen lamp versus LED is only possible in a few cases.

The blacklist!

There are some additional lights that are strictly prohibited. These include:

• Signal lights of all kinds
• Unterbodenbeleuchtung, even when the vehicle is stationary
• Light strips on the sides

As well as all additional lights without function. Even lights that radiate outward from the interior are are not allowed. So the little LED Christmas tree on the dashboard should be better be waived.

A tightrope walk for tuners!

Great lighting on the vehicle is of course a feast for the eyes, but tuners should always make sure that the legal regulations be respected. After all, what use is the fancy lighting system if it tears a large hole in the wallet and the car with high fines loses the operating license? Even within the legal limits, there are still options for hobby mechanics to individually design the vehicle lighting.

Of course, that wasn't the end of it.

tuningblog.eu has a lot of other articles on the subject of auto & tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. But also planned changes in the law, violations in road traffic, current regulations in the field of STVO or on the subject inspection we would like to inform you regularly. Everything you can find in the category "Test sites, laws, offenses, information". Following an excerpt of the last information:

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