Hi!

I have recently moved from the UK to Switzerland and I'm trying to import and register my RX8. It is a RHD (which is not a problem on its own), but to pass the initial inspection, the headlights need to be converted so the beam is skewed to the right rather than left. As far as I know there is no (easy) way to adjust the current headlights and LHD ones need to be installed.

New parts are available but expensive. There are some used ones on eBay, but most (all?) are for the 03-08 model. Even though my RX8 was produced in 2008, it is an R3 (must have been one of the first, BHP checks out, Bose speakers are there) so this qualifies it as a 09-12 edition I guess.

Question: Do headlights differ before and after the refresh? Can I just go for the 03-08 used ones?

I would appreciate any insight.
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You need to get the series 2 headlights as yours is an R3. The series 1 headlights are completely different and will not work. Good thing you asked before you made an expensive mistake.

 

Thanks a lot! Indeed, this would definitely be a disaster.

Does anyone know if converting the existing lights, i.e., the lens, is a viable option? I found a number of places offering such a service. How risky is it? Eventually the car will have to pass a technical inspection and I imagine they check whether the beam meets certain standards, rather than whether the parts were produced as such by looking at serial numbers and markings.

 

I mean, if buying LHD headlights isn't in the cards at the moment, you're a little bit on your own, but its a pretty simple system that can be hacked. What exactly is the inspection looking for? Just that the left beam is offset lower than the right? The headlight mounts with 3 bolts and we're only looking for what, 1 degree of change? A couple of washers on the lower mounts on the left ought to give you that, and you can similarly shim the top mount on the right if you need more difference. There's more to how the beams are shaped, but if *all* they're looking for is the cutoff height, it's worth a shot.

You can even put it back to stock between inspections if the angle is too noticeable. I doubt it would be.

 

You *can* open up the headlights and change the beam pattern/cutoff, but it's a fiddly PITA and can be easily messed up. My car's headlights aren't quite right from someone opening them up.