QP 6 - Headlight changeover UK to Europe

[Nickmch]

Hello everyone, new to this forum and wondered if someone could help answer my question. Ive got a Right Hand Drive (RHD) UK spec M156 QP6 S from 2015 with Xenon lights and adaptive beams. Im moving to Europe and will have to register the car in Switzerland. As part of the process it has to pass a number of conformity checks including ensuring that the beams are suitable for driving on the Left hand side of the road.

I took the car to a mechanic (non-maserati) today. I am aware that there is a function in the lights setting called Headlight Dip (Traffic Changeover). (shown below on a Ghibli but same as my QP6).

We had the light alignment box set up and turned this feature on and off and no change was seen. Does anyone know if there is any further steps that need to be taken to enable this feature (OBD tool?) or any other setting that must be enabled to make this work? Also, will this feature 'flatten' the beam pattern (not acceptable by the Swiss authorities) or will it change the pattern to be the same as if it was a LHD spec (acceptable).

If I have to get new lights, will LHD spec lights physically fit on a RHD car?

 

[MarkMas]

The manual seems to say that if you switch this option on, then when the car goes to the LHD country, it will somehow know this has happened (GPS?) and will automatically switch over at that point. So you can only test/use this when the car is in continental Europe.



@MrMickS probably more about this, based on his Ghibli experiences.....

First trip abroad with the Ghibli

www.ghibliforum.com

 

[MarkMas]

Would it not be better all round just to buy a QP6 in Switzerland, if you are relocating for more than a year or two?

 

[Nickmch]

Would it not be better all round just to buy a QP6 in Switzerland, if you are relocating for more than a year or two?

Thanks Mark, it's a possibility, but id rather stick with my car, especially as the second hand cost of a similar car in Switzerland is 2 - 3 times the cost. Im not bothered about driving on the other side of the road with a RHD car as I used to have a LHD car in the UK and it became normal for me. I might just have to bite the bullet or look at 'upgrading' to a LED set and selling the HiDs

 

[Nickmch]

The manual seems to say that if you switch this option on, then when the car goes to the LHD country, it will somehow know this has happened (GPS?) and will automatically switch over at that point. So you can only test/use this when the car is in continental Europe.

View attachment 118283

@MrMickS probably more about this, based on his Ghibli experiences.....

First trip abroad with the Ghibli

www.ghibliforum.com

Thanks Mark, I thought this was the case, but nothing has happened with the lights either by selecting traffic changeover or automatically as the car is already in Switzerland and the GPS is functional. I also had to change the battery which was completely flat and the clock set itself back to local (Swiss) time automatically , so the car know where it is. I was thinking that maybe there is a code in the computer that may need to be resent or the headlights may need to be recalibrated ??

 

[CatmanV2]

The manual seems to say that if you switch this option on, then when the car goes to the LHD country, it will somehow know this has happened (GPS?) and will automatically switch over at that point. So you can only test/use this when the car is in continental Europe.

View attachment 118283

@MrMickS probably more about this, based on his Ghibli experiences.....

First trip abroad with the Ghibli

www.ghibliforum.com

Call me a cynic, but I reckon that's lost in translation. If it could detect when you were in a LHD country (and really there's no reason that you can't), why would the option even exist? The lights would just change....

C

 

[Nickmch]

Call me a cynic, but I reckon that's lost in translation. If it could detect when you were in a LHD country (and really there's no reason that you can't), why would the option even exist? The lights would just change....

C

Agreed, I don't really understand myself - needless to say the car is here in Switzerland and the lights cannot be changed to 'continental ' mode whether manually through the Lights controls in the computer or automatically (and the car knows it is in Switzerland)

 

[MarkMas]

Would it not be better all round just to buy a QP6 in Switzerland, if you are relocating for more than a year or two?

Or just buy this beautiful QPV (which I think is in France or Spain)...

 

[MarkMas]

Call me a cynic, but I reckon that's lost in translation. If it could detect when you were in a LHD country (and really there's no reason that you can't), why would the option even exist? The lights would just change....

C

Ah, sorry that was no help. How aggravating.

Well, maybe not lost in translation, but perhaps just a 'feature' that just doesn't actually work!



.

 

[P R]

Although there was no change on the light pattern was it incorrect for lhd?
I have used the feature both on my previous ghibli (hids) and current ghibli (leds) and I assumed it worked (never got flashed by oncoming traffic).


Sent from my SM-S906B using Tapatalk

 

[CatmanV2]

Although there was no change on the light pattern was it incorrect for lhd?
I have used the feature both on my previous ghibli (hids) and current ghibli (leds) and I assumed it worked (never got flashed by oncoming traffic).


Sent from my SM-S906B using Tapatalk

I think this would be me: Hit the 'switch', and carry on

C

 

[Doohickey]

My Jaguar did this automatically when we went abroad earlier this year. Presumably the GPS detects where you are.

 

[MrMickS]

Never had any issue in either the Ghibli or Levante when overseas. The headlights pointed in the correct place. I'm not sure if it's linked to GPS or a feature of the AFS headlights doing beam shaping. The AFS lights really are very clever bits of kit.

Edited to add YouTube link