Head light level

[wildtapholer]

This might sound like a daft question but what position do you set the headlights at when it has a 0-5 setting, I was always under the impression you set it to 0 on normal loads and lower the lights as you loaded up. The reason I ask as this is the first car we have had with Exons, well they look like Exons and at 0 everyone is flashing us and the MOT is due shortly, I've given the car a look over and the lights move up and down freely with the switch.

[Roy124]

Try a lower setting and see if your light coverage does not degrade. 

[daimler.driver]

Interesting Question I had the same experience when driving our Yaris Cross (with LED headlights ) for the first time in darkness, I lowered them to 2 and it seems to have stopped the problem. 

[wildtapholer]

I have lowered them to what I call ok(stops people flashing) but what should the setting be, in the past I've took cars with the adjustable lights and found the testing site have adjusted them because they were low, instead of on the dash, plus I might have been carrying something heavy in the back and not put them back. The last car I owned they were self leveling so it didn't matter but I've not had them on a Yaris, did have a look to see if there was a thread about this but couldn't find one, have to try and find the hand book and see if this can shed some light, Haha

[Stopeter44]

16 minutes ago, wildtapholer said:

... find the hand book and see if this can shed some light, Haha

Yes, there's a table in there somewhere, the Yaris IV suggests 0 for 1 person in car and 0.5 for two.

Knowing how I was easily dazzled by on coming lights, I'm inclined to think that there are many people with vision problems, notably astigmatism, and are unaware of the consequences. I say this, because I've had cataract surgery with precisely calibrated replacement lenses, and I don't suffer from oncoming lights dazzling me anything like the way they did when I was younger.

[Roy124]

Wild, as I was hinting and Daimler supported, adjust the beam until it gives you satisfactory illumination. 

Take the obvious point, if you could adjust the lights to plus 2 or 3 you might illuminate the hedgerow and trees and hardly the road.

Bring them down until it maximises illumination of the road from near to as far as is useful. 

[wildtapholer]

The problem will still exist when the MOT examiner checks the headlights, I don't know of any, that checks the dash for the position of the switch first, they always reach for a spanner to adjust first

[TonyHSD]

Well the garage I usually go for mot tester does check the level switch first and then check the lights with the machine, but never saw  him to do any adjustments, only checks and my lights are projecting light as they should. I noticed that the cars with led tend to blind oncoming cars easier than cars with standard halogen bulbs., it looks like these lights are set too high and they are a bit too bright., or perhaps they have auto levelling function that doesn’t work good enough 👍

 

[Guest]

I don't know whether the adjuster control is checked by the place I have M.o.T. and service but set at "0" there's never been any comments or problems with them or oncoming vehicles in the dark.

I agree totally with Tony re some of these retina searing l.e.d. headlights. The auto dimming rearview mirror in my car can't cope with them either! I think too, that some so-called auto-levelling systems are just poor and react too slowly, e.g. over the brow of a hill.

A lot of problems do seem to occur when aftermarket l.e.d. lamps are fitted retrospctively into reflector housings in an attempt to be "cool" and "trendy".

[Roy124]

mrp, are you sure your rear view mirror is set to auto dim? I didn't know it was switchable until I asked about the green light below the mirror. 

Regarding your headlight problem, pop in to the MOT Testing site and ask the question. 

[Starensis]

The switch should be set to 0 with driver & no load in rear of vehicle. If rear is loaded, then switch should be set to 1-5, depending on how even the load is. xenon headlamps also have auto-levelling by-law. If you have a manual levelling wheel, then you have LED headlamps.

Rule of thumb is:-

0 = Driver only/Passenger, No/Moderate load in rear

1 = Driver only, light load in rear

2 = Driver only, moderate load in rear

3 = Driver only, Average load in rear

4 = Driver only, Heavy load in rear

5 = Driver only, Very Heavy load in rear

Much depends on how even your load is in vehicle. If you get flashed, its either because you have decent LED headlamps or you have a load in back, which raises headlamp beam. 

NOTE - The above are my take on headlamp levelling ( and normal Manufacturer guidelines ), others may have differing opinions.

[wildtapholer]

Thanks all, MOT booked in for tomorrow morning so I'll see how it goes.

[Bernard Foy]

Adam has answered the question according to the handbook. As my car is never or very seldom loaded and hardly ever has a passenger/s my lights are on 0 but you can always get the oddball who will flash you anyway.

[bathtub tom]

4 hours ago, Starensis said:

 If you have a manual levelling wheel, then you have LED headlamps.

 

Have you missed a 'do not' inbetween 'you' and 'have'?

[Roy124]

2 minutes ago, bathtub tom said:

Have you missed a 'do not' inbetween 'you' and 'have'?

If you have xenon headlights with legally required auto levelling and you have a manual levelling wheel, which you Do Not have with LED, what headlights do you have? 

[Starensis]

46 minutes ago, bathtub tom said:

Have you missed a 'do not' inbetween 'you' and 'have'?

No, LED headlamps do not need auto levelling. xenon are different. xenon are gas filled, LED are Light Emitting Diode.

UN Regulation No. 48 requires an automatic levelling device (HLD) that automatically compensates the headlamp beam pitch if the headlamp has a light source emitting a luminous flux over 2000 lm.

[Cyker]

41 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

If you have Xenon headlights with legally required auto levelling and you have a manual levelling wheel, which you Do Not have with LED, what headlights do you have? 

I think bathtub tom is saying that if you have a manual adjustment wheel then you don't have LED headlights, implying that LEDs should also be auto-levelling like xenons.

However, they aren't in my Mk4 - Mine has LED beams but has a manual adjustment wheel! 

I suppose as they are both so bright they really should both be required to be auto-levelling, but I've stopped caring - It seems like very suddenly almost every car has super-bright headlamps now and half of them are mis-adjusted so why even bother!

[Starensis]

2 minutes ago, Cyker said:

I think bathtub tom is saying that if you have a manual adjustment wheel then you don't have LED headlights, implying that LEDs should also be auto-levelling like xenons.

However, they aren't in my Mk4 - Mine has LED beams but has a manual adjustment wheel! 

I suppose as they are both so bright they really should both be required to be auto-levelling, but I've stopped caring - It seems like very suddenly almost every car has super-bright headlamps now and half of them are mis-adjusted so why even bother!

Xenon’s emit a more intense light then LEDs. Auto-levelling is a problematic system anyway, so would rather have the manual adjust.

[Roy124]

Cyker, I think it is Bathtub who is confused

[bathtub tom]

1 hour ago, Roy124 said:

Cyker, I think it is Bathtub who is confused

Correct, I hold my hands up. I read (Auto Express IIRC) that LEDs required self levelling and some cars were fitted with self levelling LEDs. It appears self levelling is required if the light output is above a certain level - 2000 lumens as stated by Adam.

[Starensis]

As a final thought - within manufacturing, if they don’t set the levelling to 0 prior to adjusting headlamps via beam setting facility, this may give you an incorrect beam height. When level is eventually reset to 0, headlamps will set higher than normal - I think.

Best get dealer to check beam set - with levelling set at 0.

[Roy124]

Starensis, too easy to assume that your car, designed but commitee constructed by robots will be perfect 😉

Sweden used to drive on the left but switched to the right however many still preferred RHD.  Headlights dipped right. Someone tipped me off that some imports into Cyprus dipped the wrong way.  I checked; they were right. 

It so happened the Chief Engineer was visiting and my car happened to be in for a check.  Never, he said, and then saw the evidence. 

What I liked best was his pale blue linen safari suit 😁

[Starensis]

1 hour ago, Roy124 said:

Starensis, too easy to assume that your car, designed but commitee constructed by robots will be perfect 😉

Sweden used to drive on the left but switched to the right however many still preferred RHD.  Headlights dipped right. Someone tipped me off that some imports into Cyprus dipped the wrong way.  I checked; they were right. 

It so happened the Chief Engineer was visiting and my car happened to be in for a check.  Never, he said, and then saw the evidence. 

What I liked best was his pale blue linen safari suit 😁

As Headlamp fit is a legislative requirement and must assure they dip according to market, many Manufacturers will pokeyoke fit. This will be by barcode scan linked to auto pick or sequenced in from supplier ( who will have their own failsafe systems ). Even if sequenced in from supplier, Toyota will still barcode scan ( by law ) to check headlamps fitted are correct ( at that PIT ) for market. Headlamp setting equipment will also check headlamp flare for market of car. Therefore, I couldn’t see incorrect headlamp fit as being the issue.

The setting to 0 on levelling wheel though, is a manual check and can sometimes be overlooked.

[GBgraham]

10 minutes ago, Starensis said:

As Headlamp fit is a legislative requirement and must assure they dip according to market, many Manufacturers will pokeyoke fit. This will be by barcode scan linked to auto pick or sequenced in from supplier ( who will have their own failsafe systems ). Even if sequenced in from supplier, Toyota will still barcode scan ( by law ) to check headlamps fitted are correct ( at that PIT ) for market. Headlamp setting equipment will also check headlamp flare for market of car. Therefore, I couldn’t see incorrect headlamp fit as being the issue.

The setting to 0 on levelling wheel though, is a manual check and can sometimes be overlooked.

A very optimistic view in expecting a perfect world in car manufacturing #Starensis. Having had xenon headlights on my last two cars I find the LED headlights p*** poor, even on '0' I feel main beam is far too low for country roads.

When it goes in for it first service I will get them checked and hopefully tweaked. I also find the auto dip mode far too sensitive to spurious lights that has nothing to do with other road traffic. I have even had the car dip because of it's own headlights shinning on a reflective road sign, the auto dip switch now always remains in the off position.

While I'm having a bit of a whinge, out of all the vehicles (inc. some basic models) we have had since the early 2000's have had oil level shown to the instrument cluster. Not a welcomed exclusion for me by Mr Toyota.

In general we enjoy the car, the exclusion of ducted air and lack of USB points is about it after having driven 6000+Kms

 

[Starensis]

4 hours ago, GBgraham said:

A very optimistic view in expecting a perfect world in car manufacturing #Starensis. Having had xenon headlights on my last two cars I find the LED headlights p*** poor, even on '0' I feel main beam is far too low for country roads.

When it goes in for it first service I will get them checked and hopefully tweaked. I also find the auto dip mode far too sensitive to spurious lights that has nothing to do with other road traffic. I have even had the car dip because of it's own headlights shinning on a reflective road sign, the auto dip switch now always remains in the off position.

While I'm having a bit of a whinge, out of all the vehicles (inc. some basic models) we have had since the early 2000's have had oil level shown to the instrument cluster. Not a welcomed exclusion for me by Mr Toyota.

In general we enjoy the car, the exclusion of ducted air and lack of USB points is about it after having driven 6000+Kms

 

Nothing or no one is perfect!