Headlights issue

the_tired_one

Hi.  With the nights getting longer, my journey home from work is in the dark.

And I've noticed that I'm struggling to see more than 10 metres ahead of me on the motorway .

The angle of the lights seems all over the place.  I've posted an image



The. Bulbs are very tricky to access, requiring removal of front grill etc.

I'm happy to pay someone to resolve, what I do t want us to take it to someone who just replaces the bulbs and not fix the problem.

Who should I be taking it to and is there a mechanical term for this issue?  Thanks

Grumpy_chap

I take you have checked the bulbs are all working?

Does the car have headlight adjustment to compensate for load?  If that is a wheel and set for "load" but you are driving "empty", then the projection will be short.

What car is it?  Is this a common comment on specific forums?  I ask because I had a 2014 Toyota Auris fitted with "flat" headlamps, supposedly offering the benefit of not needing to use sticky pad beam adaptors if driving to Europe.  The brochure did not mention that these "flat" headlamps did not offer the benefit of illuminating the road ahead when driving in UK.

the_tired_one

Grumpy_chap said:

I take you have checked the bulbs are all working?

Does the car have headlight adjustment to compensate for load?  If that is a wheel and set for "load" but you are driving "empty", then the projection will be short.

What car is it?  Is this a common comment on specific forums?  I ask because I had a 2014 Toyota Auris fitted with "flat" headlamps, supposedly offering the benefit of not needing to use sticky pad beam adaptors if driving to Europe.  The brochure did not mention that these "flat" headlamps did not offer the benefit of illuminating the road ahead when driving in UK.

Yes,all bulbs are working fine.  The right light doesnt seem to point straight ahead, it crosses the left light and beyond.

I've tried the headlight adjustment and can just about manage my drive home now but it is still pretty bad in my opinion.

Was absolutely fine last winter

Richard53

That pattern looks OK to me. Both bulbs have a 'kick up' to the left to illuminate the road side, so the weird angles you see are not a fault. It seems that the beams are set too low. Do you have a beam adjuster in the car (usually a little roller close to the light switch)? If so, you could play with that to see if you can bring the beams up. Most have about 4 settings, and the default setting for driver only is usually 0. Check the manual for details. If that doesn't work, ask a competent garage to do a beam alignment check and adjust the levelling accordingly. Cost would be minimal, even free if they are nice people.

the_tired_one

Richard53 said:

That pattern looks OK to me. Both bulbs have a 'kick up' to the left to illuminate the road side, so the weird angles you see are not a fault. It seems that the beams are set too low. Do you have a beam adjuster in the car (usually a little roller close to the light switch)? If so, you could play with that to see if you can bring the beams up. Most have about 4 settings, and the default setting for driver only is usually 0. Check the manual for details. If that doesn't work, ask a competent garage to do a beam alignment check and adjust the levelling accordingly. Cost would be minimal, even free if they are nice people.

I do have a beam adjuster but I find those dark angular blocks disconcerting and make night driving difficult and even dangerous.  Not a single car that drives past me has this...they have a clean, well lit path in front of them.  Like I said I didn't have this issue last year.

It's almost as if my headlights have cataracts!

When I'm in the left lane of the motorway, my lane is poorly lit, the hard shoulder is lovely and bright!

I'll try my local garage, but I've never met a nice mechanic!

Richard53

Adjusting the headlights (provided it is a simple adjustment and nothing more involved) is the kind of thing any decent garage will do for free to a regular customer. It's literally 30 seconds' work.

If the hard shoulder is well-lit and the lane ahead is not, that suggests that the beams need adjusting right-to-left, not vertically. That is slightly more involved, but still something trivial for a decent mechanic. I'd get it checked out as soon as you can. I'm sure it won't be expensive.

Dr_Crypto

When I'm in the left lane of the motorway, my lane is poorly lit, the hard shoulder is lovely and bright!

Is there are setting somewhere that allows the car to be used on the continent? Mine has some kind of button that you press when driving in left hand drive countries. I wonder if you’ve activated that somehow? 

Dr_Crypto

When I'm in the left lane of the motorway, my lane is poorly lit, the hard shoulder is lovely and bright!

Is there are setting somewhere that allows the car to be used on the continent? Mine has some kind of button that you press when driving in left hand drive countries. I wonder if you’ve activated that somehow? 

AdrianC

the_tired_one said:

Hi.  With the nights getting longer, my journey home from work is in the dark.

And I've noticed that I'm struggling to see more than 10 metres ahead of me on the motorway .

The angle of the lights seems all over the place.  I've posted an image



The. Bulbs are very tricky to access, requiring removal of front grill etc.

I'm happy to pay someone to resolve, what I do t want us to take it to someone who just replaces the bulbs and not fix the problem.

Who should I be taking it to and is there a mechanical term for this issue?  Thanks

That's exactly what you should be seeing.

The kick up to the left, the kerb, is to illuminate the verge and not dazzle oncoming traffic. The heights look the same. It's hard to see if they're dead-ahead from the image, but I'm assuming so. Remember, Mr MOT checks the light alignment every year, and they don't change unless somebody changes them...

Are the lenses clear and bright from outside, or are they a bit cloudy and yellowed?

neilmcl

the_tired_one said:

Grumpy_chap said:

I take you have checked the bulbs are all working?

Does the car have headlight adjustment to compensate for load?  If that is a wheel and set for "load" but you are driving "empty", then the projection will be short.

What car is it?  Is this a common comment on specific forums?  I ask because I had a 2014 Toyota Auris fitted with "flat" headlamps, supposedly offering the benefit of not needing to use sticky pad beam adaptors if driving to Europe.  The brochure did not mention that these "flat" headlamps did not offer the benefit of illuminating the road ahead when driving in UK.

Yes,all bulbs are working fine.  The right light doesnt seem to point straight ahead, it crosses the left light and beyond.

I've tried the headlight adjustment and can just about manage my drive home now but it is still pretty bad in my opinion.

Was absolutely fine last winter

The lights are not supposed to point straight ahead, they are meant to point to the left in this country so as to illuminate the nearside where road signs and any potential dangers may lurk such as pedestrians attempting to cross the road etc, and not dazzle other traffic.

neilmcl

Dr_Crypto said:

When I'm in the left lane of the motorway, my lane is poorly lit, the hard shoulder is lovely and bright!

Is there are setting somewhere that allows the car to be used on the continent? Mine has some kind of button that you press when driving in left hand drive countries. I wonder if you’ve activated that somehow? 

If that were the case then they'd be seeing the opposite effect with the beams pointing to the right. By default car headlights point toward the nearside in their country of intended use.