Subtle yet important difference between RHD & LHD headlamps

If this is reversed, then the kink will cause light to be cutoff on the driving side and illuminate the opposite side.

BHPian Gorkey recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I recently went to Alibaba to search for aftermarket headlights for my Polo since its something that almost everyone upgrades to due to the poor visibility of the stock headlamp.

So I am browsing through different headlights and I stumble upon a nice looking dual projector setup pics which I'll post at the end of this. So I go on and enquire about the product to the seller and the first thing he asks me is whether my car is a RHD or LHD. I told him its a RHD and he immediately replied that the headlights which I was enquiring about is for LHD vehicles only. So I am like what does your steering configuration have to do with headlights? After which, he sends me a photo of the throw of light in case of LHD and RHD.

So now I am in a dilemma on whether to order the headlights or not and as far as I know, all aftermarket headlamps for Polo usually come from Taiwan or China where it is LHD and people are still using them. Will it affect cars coming in the opposite direction too much or just a little bit? The attached pictures will maybe make this a little bit more clearer. Please let me know if I am making any sense.

Here's what BHPian audioholic had to say on the matter:

I think there have been a lot of discussions in this regard, especially with projector upgrades. I do not recommend using the opposite configuration in your car. This will lead to the low beam being wrongly directed and would cause glare to oncoming vehicles even without using high beam. The correct cutoff for left hand side driving is like \_ \_ or for projectors it is -_ -_ and the upper kink is exactly what will cause the illumination to be limited to the side of driving. If this is reversed, then the kink will cause light to be cutoff on the driving side and illuminate the opposite side.

Hence avoid doing this if you are planning to. Check with a different supplier if he can provide the right configuration. I have managed to get it for projectors when I was retrofitting it into my bike.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:

Imagine driving through a nice winding country road in the night and it starts to rain heavily (can happen). That's all you need to know the difference.

If the head light has the wrong beam pattern, you may go off the road.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.