307 headlamps

[Expertamateur]

Well, I took a leap into the unknown and bought a 2006 307cc. This will be the newest car I've ever owned, and in fact the newest I've ever even sat in. The cost of second hand cars here in France is totally crazy and since my good experiences with cars here in the last 20 years have been Pugs I went for another. This one was chosen due to price. Being RHD it was way cheaper than LHD and looks like it has been well looked after. Apart from a few battle scars the only thing that concerns me so far is there is a lot of water inside one of the headlamps. I tried the Search function here but nothing comes up. As much as it would be cool to get a goldfish or two and make a feature of it, it makes more sense to try to fix the issue. Do these units come apart? I was thinking if they do I can just open it up, dry the inside and then reassemble it with sealant. I don't think dampness inside will do the bulb sockets any good and like everything else, new ones will be expensive.

Any suggestions?

[PaulC5]

From the build sheet on your other topic it has halogen bulbs so I would remove the light, tip all the water out with the bulbs removed and then dry it with a hair dryer. Possibly it might need sealant around the outside or a bulb rear cover might not have been sealing/put on correctly.

[GiveMeABreak]

In my experience it's a lost cause trying to reseal these. Once the seals have been compromised it's near impossible to reseal them. I'd be looking for a replacement - but here is the issue - being a RHD, there are different headlamps used for RHD and LHD vehicles, so that may make local second hand spares an issue.....

If you need the part number, provide the VIN and whether it's the left or right headlamp that's required. At least you can use the correct part number to search on.

[Expertamateur]

Yes indeed. I have had only RHD vehicles here since 2001 and I'm aware there may be differences in specified parts between RHD and LHD, not just with headlamps. This 307 still has the original lights on it and the ex-owner applied the conversion stickers to get through the French MOT. This is something I don't recommend because not all testers here are keen to pass them. I assume that I should have no trouble fitting LHD ones (either new or from a breaker) because the mountings in the body will accept either sort of lamp assembly. I did a simple swap for LHD units on both my old 406 and my recently defunct Expert van. Eye-watering prices new (here) but sensible from a local breaker's yard.
Thanks to you both for getting my brain working again.

[Vic Evans]

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with your 'new' car.

[Expertamateur]

So am I, Vic. Still battling with the paperwork that the French embrace so dearly. Not like the UK where you tear off a bit of the registration document and hand the rest to the new owner. That would be way too simple. Here we have to fill out forms signed by both parties and then go to a registration website that often isn't working or to an agent miles away to get it done for a fee. I had eight pages to sign to get my insurance cover sorted. That was only three less than when I bought my house!

[Oldpug]

Have seen these? https://carmodshop.co.uk/product/lhd-pr ... 307-01-05/
If you get a pair if lamps from a breakers they may be as “good” as the ones you remove?

[Expertamateur]

That's a decent price for a pair of new ones but by the time you add shipping to France (which they don't quote) and import duty the total cost is off the scale. But thanks for your input.