Hella H4 left/right or both?

[Epic]

Hi Brains Trust.

Today I purchased a pair of H4 E4 headlights. I am aiming to use these to replace the original ones that are in pretty poor condition.

 

Upon getting home, I noticed that they appear to both be identical. As in not a specific left or right. there is a little hole on the back for I assume a park light sitting in the lower left position on each light.

 

So the question is, should there be a left and a right? And have I got two rights?

 

Thanks

[VWJake]

They are the same lens left or right

[AustrianVespaGuy]

Just turn them on, shine them at the wall, and look at the beam pattern.  The pictured one is labeled for left-sided traffic (Links-verkehr), but I don't think it matters whether it's installed on the drivers or passengers side of the vehicle.  They will probably both have an uptick on the LH side of the beam pattern to help illuminate road signs, whereas right-driving versions would have the uptick on the RH side instead.  That's just my guess though, but should be pretty easy to confirm by shining them at the wall to check!

Edited May 19, 2020 by AustrianVespaGuy

[Mike Self]

Used to be, many years ago that Euro bulb headlights had a little lever atop the bulb holder; by moving the lever you could set the headlight for left or right drive.  I know the Lucas units had 'em so that Brits traveling to the continent could set their headlights so they wouldn't dazzle oncoming drivers when they drove on the left.  Cibies and Marchals had those levers too.  

 

Now I guess they make separate units for LHD and RHDj.

 

mike

[TobyB]

Ha!  Mike, I found those levers on some aftermarket headlights I pulled

out of the e39...

 

t

[Epic]

So I have a right hand drive car in Australia. I see what you mean about the up tick on the lense but I can't quite figure out how that would illuminate a road sign. Some sort of reflective sorcery?

 

There is an arrow on both lenses saying R with an arrow pointing right if you're facing the lights head on. The pattern is the same as what is on my car anyway so I guess that its all OK.

 

The little park light offset to the left on both had me thrown but all good thanks chaps.

[HBChris]

This a LHD Hella H4.  As you can see, there is a wedge shaped opening in the lens on the outer edge which allows reflected light from the housing to shine towards passenger side of car.  Yours should be the opposite. 
 

[Henning]

11 hours ago, AustrianVespaGuy said:

 left-hand drive vehicles (Links-verkehr)

 

Ahm... Small correction here:

Left-hand drive vehicles are cars with the steering wheel on the left side like in continental Europe or in the US. This is Linkslenkung (left-steering) for driving on the right, so for right-traffic (Rechtsverkehr), not for Linksverkehr.

Linksverkehr means left-traffic for cars with the steering wheel on the right side like in GB, Australia or Japan. Cars there have right-steering or are right-hand drive.

Confusing enough?

 

h

 

 

[maharaja]

One more question"\, the ribs in the lense in the last photo are not perpendicular to the ground.

I recently installed a set and the are also listing . Is this a proper installation?

[HBChris]

2 hours ago, maharaja said:

One more question"\, the ribs in the lense in the last photo are not perpendicular to the ground.

I recently installed a set and the are also listing . Is this a proper installation?

My iPad may have been a bit crooked but they only fit in the bucket one way.

[RH002AJ]

[AustrianVespaGuy]

12 hours ago, Henning said:

Linkslenkung (left-steering) for driving on the right, so for right-traffic (Rechtsverkehr), not for Linksverkehr.

Damnit, thanks Hennig, you are of course 100% correct I shouldn't try to type faster than I can think! Edited to correct!