LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

The other day I did a day trip to Cornwall with a 3 hour drive back from 9pm and got home at 12. I can't believe how bright some of these lights are when travelling along a quiet motorway. It's not the on-coming headlights that are the issue, it's the ones behind. The worse for me is just as a car is coming to over take and their lights reflect in your wing mirror. So stupidly bright, what's the point?? I noticed it on a Corsa, Jaguar and a Land Rover. IMO it's bordering on dangerous. its effectively almost as bright as a main beam when it reflects just at the right angle off your wing mirror as they come to pass.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

If you have them in your own car, you won't be complaining lol.
They are very nice to have, visibility is great and they must meet a certain criteria so nothing wrong with them.

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

I have xenons in my current car and in my previous car. Yes they're nice but they've become too bright in more modern cars, in my opinion. Stupidly dazzlingly bright......

David Lock

Doesn't your central overtaking mirror have a "dip" facility which solves this problem?


dl

dpb

i can hardly believe these things are for real and useful ( and totally annoying ) , as opposed to to impress the owner / buyer of the vehicle

hodgy0_2

I have commented on this before

Some seem insanely bright

I have to admit as I get older my night vision gets worse

I used to be able to do night drives without an issue - now I find I tire much faster

And these really bright blueish lights are a nightmare

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Auto dimming mirror FTW.

Skoobie Dhu

iTrader: (3)

Or maybe the self levelling isn't working like my Saab aero estate....
Sorted now, but only after replacing the front sensor, front cable and rear sensor - and yes they were all duff.
While sorting it we had to take a 300 mile round trip in the dark - on the way back we seriously pi55ed off every lorry driver between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and they didn't just flash us, their main beam was on full time till they passed - oops..
That forced me to order the rear sensor to sort it

For some reason even failing to the low position it was blinding lorry drivers but not cars - can only assume the light was reflecting from the bottom of the light unit?

My old legacy GTB had 400 w on main beam, rubbish reflectors but impressive on main beam

Turbohot

Yes and yes. They may be providing better visibility very nicely to the ones who have them on their cars, but they're blatantly blinding to other road users. They may meet the criteria but it should be reviewed imo. In addition, they hardly look great. Instead they look quite tacky for being so intimidating and attention seeking tbh.

Paben

iTrader: (5)

Just as bad are those total **** who insist on having their rear fog lights on in the rain; dazzling, dangerous and should be an indictable offence.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

You won't believe how many cars have incorrect beam aim. So many in fact I wonder if other MOT testers know how to use a beam aim tester. It's a 30second job on most cars (unless the adjuster is fecked or the bulb has been shoved in upside down by a gorilla-brain).

Ill ask tomorrow what our fail stats (it's all logged on line) are for headlamp aim. I think it's top of the list alongside blown bulbs.

I have +70% night breaker HIDs...brighter than standard OEM HIDs, Not been flashed by anyone.

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

My rear-view mirror is an auto dimmer and that's fine, it's the wing mirrors which dazzle me when these bright xenon headlamps overtake me on the motorway. I suspect on more modern cars you can also get auto dimming wing mirrors now?

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

I'd agree with the poor aim on new cars. I'm fortunate enough to get a new company car every 3/4 years and each time I find that the beam is far too high. The cut off point is crazy high! It can clearly be seen lighting up the entire back of any car I'm driving behind. Some oncoming traffic have flashed at me too. I adjusted them down myself, problem solved.

malevolent_sti

HID's are so 1998....


http://www.osram.com/osram_com/news-...logy/index.jsp

ccsimpreza

iTrader: (1)

Great, now going to be dazzled by laser beams.

Turbohot

If it's about the incorrect beam aim, then having so should be classed as illegal. No road user should be causing a visibility hazard to other road users with their incorrectly set beams. It's out of order. I see many of these on our North Wales twisties and I know how nonsense these stupid, chavvy lights are.

malevolent_sti

That's one reason that all aftermarket "HID" systems will make cars fail a straight MOT test. Doesn't matter how many watts, lumens, or even colour range (k) an HID headlight is making if it's pointing in the right direction than it won't blind other road users.

WRXrowdy

iTrader: (2)

Not just HID's, I find the worst vehicle for dazzling headlights at the moment is the newest shape Transits (not the connect or custom), and I think they are normal halogen bulb headlamps. Every one of these ******* near blinds me, I think the headlights on these are just mounted too high in the first place, they certainly look higher up than previous generation transits.

Geezer

Anyone had experience of LED headlights? My next car may have them.

hodgy0_2

sure, they are a great bit of kit (don't think my new car has it though)

but it is not just the lights when behind you - you can always manually flip the mirror

I have had to slam on the brakes - on tight single lane A roads, when I literally could not see a thing as a car came round the corner

lozgti1

Clarkson made me smile with his 'look like a council house light display at Christmas'lol.

Don't like the bluish ones...always looks like the police are behind you

I've got them...apologies to everyone I blind