Registration of a tuning lighting: the information!

Thomas Wachsmuth June 20, 2022 Test sites, laws, offenses, information

Reading time 4 Min.

Tuning lighting - when do you have to enter it? The rules for lighting systems on vehicles are quite easy to handle in this country. For the lamp is it required, to have a visible E-number / E-mark. The test mark must exist on every lighting unit on the outside of the vehicle. So for example at the front of the headlights, the indicators and side indicators, the taillights, the rear fog light & fog lights, on separate reversing lights or on the daytime running lights. The E number means that the lights meet European and German standards. However, it does not mean that they are legal in Germany. However, an entry is possible in this case - if you no special report or ABE for the lamp.

Retrofitting xenon headlights - what needs to be considered?

The Retrofitting with xenon headlights is usually easy, as is replacing the bulbs or ballast. However, “legalizing” is a bit more complicated. With xenon headlights above a certain luminosity, a Headlight washers as well as the automatic headlight range control required. Xenon can quickly dazzle drivers in oncoming traffic as soon as the headlights are dirty or are incorrectly adjusted. Automatic headlamp leveling or "level control" detects the vehicle's lean angle using sensors located on the axles and automatically adjusts the headlights to the height of the vehicle.

And why is this necessary? With manual height adjustment, you can forget about adjusting the lights if, for example, the vehicle is heavily loaded. This greatly increases the dazzling effect of xenon headlights. However, there will always be one E-mark required for registration. With xenon headlights, however, E-marks are still relatively rare in accessories from third-party suppliers. We therefore recommend to be on the safe side Original xenon headlights to retrofit or directly to switch to LEDs.

Headlight conversion on an import vehicle

For an import vehicle that is to be registered in Germany, the following must be observed: As an imported vehicle, many cars are significantly cheaper than here directly on the market. If the desired vehicle was never available from the manufacturer in Europe, then the headlights can be adapted to the German standards by a specialist company with the help of a new one DE lens, which has an E-mark. If the vehicle existed within Europe where there was also right-hand traffic, then you are legally obliged to European headlights to have installed. Here's a remodel verboten, because there is already a direct legal variant. This eliminates the possibility of special acceptance.

Rear fog lamp – Mandatory

A rear fog light (NSL) is in Germany mandatory. For example, if you buy a German vehicle in Japan and import it, it is possible that no NSL is installed. And that even with modern vehicles. You should therefore always check whether there is a rear fog light and retrofit it if necessary.

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

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