Low beam stays on when high beam selected - normal? 2wd 110bhp

[Futurama]

I have noticed the dashboard headlight indication shows that the dipped or low beam stays illuminated when switching to full beam. So both the green dipped light and the blue full-beam dash lights are on together. I regularly drive on unlit roads. Is this normal or do I have a fault? 2wd 110bhp 2009/10 Skoda Yeti.

Thank you.

[Urrell]

Yes, it's normal.

[Futurama]

Just to be clear, both filaments (high and low beam) are actually on when high beam is selected. That's a lot of power and heat. The bulb is an H4 (472) 60/55W, so both together is 115W!

Please confirm that both actual lights on is normal, not just the dashboard indication.

Thanks.

[Llanigraham]

No that is not correct.

[Urrell]

What year is the car?

My Fabia had both on on hi beam but they were separate H7 bulbs.
My Yeti has both on on hi beam but they are bi-xenon.

[Llanigraham]

As it has H4 bulbs it is pre-facelift, and in that case both filaments should not be lit.

[Frenchtone]

My original car had this facility , indication that the lights were on, high beam caused the blue indicator to illuminate with the green also on, my 2nd does not have the green indication although it is a pre fl car built 2013!

The  cars  are both non xenons, but with both, high and dipped beam are never on together apart from when flashing - ok, off to the corner again its beginning to feel more like home than home! 

: -   )))

Edited 20 November, 2015 by Frenchtone

[longedge]

It's on my list of things to do to try and adjust the main beam somehow. If I keep my dipped height at a level where I don't constantly get flashed, then when I put my main beam on I get an annoying dark band between the two beams which irrtates me.

[Brijo]

OP seems to be referring to the dash lights rather than the lamps themselves.  AFAIK this is right and I posted this pic a while back, without anyone commenting. 

 

[Frenchtone]

^as above, green not present in current car, a late pre fl

[Llanigraham]

Just to be clear, both filaments (high and low beam) are actually on when high beam is selected. That's a lot of power and heat. The bulb is an H4 (472) 60/55W, so both together is 115W!

Please confirm that both actual lights on is normal, not just the dashboard indication.

Thanks.

 

 

OP seems to be referring to the dash lights rather than the lamps themselves.  AFAIK this is right and I posted this pic a while back, without anyone commenting. 

 

 

 

Are you sure about that?

See the quoted post at the top here.

[Brijo]

Are you sure about that?

See the quoted post at the top here.

 

You're right - I'm wrong. I didn't register Post #3.  Sorry. 

[Llanigraham]

In the Dunce's Corner, boy!!!

 

Or would you prefer "The headmistress""!!

Edited 20 November, 2015 by Llanigraham

[Brijo]

In the Dunce's Corner, boy!!!

 

Or would you prefer "The headmistress""!!

 

Well, I did consider offering to visit Bob's, but that seemed a bit extreme for the circumstances.  And it was a nice pic.  But if the Headmistress is going to be there...

[freedie]

@ Futurama. Is it possible that you just THIINK both lights are on because of the way the dashboard lights work?

[Tomo1971]

I have noticed the dashboard headlight indication shows that the dipped or low beam stays illuminated when switching to full beam. So both the green dipped light and the blue full-beam dash lights are on together. I regularly drive on unlit roads. Is this normal or do I have a fault? 2wd 110bhp 2009/10 Skoda Yeti.

Thank you.

 

As said the dashboard lights showing like this is normal on a pre-fl yeti. The FL yeti's don't have the dipped beam light, so they will only see a blue main beam light.

 

I always believed that both the filaments in a H4 bulb lit on full beam - both my cars have xenon's so cant check that one though - #edit#, just did some google'ing and see that the low and high filaments on a H4 operate independently of each other - guess its due to the 55+65W output if they were to be on together. However, i think that they do operate together on a headlight flash as generally wont be on for extended periods of time - I say this as on previous cars I have noticed the beam pattern is different High Beam vs High Beam flash.

 

FYI Xenons on the Yeti only have one filament, the high beam is operated by a shutter within the headlight assembly. Some cars have xenon dipped beam and a separate halogen bulb for high beam. 

 

I believe on cars with separate bulbs for dipped and main, both stay on when on high beam

Edited 21 November, 2015 by Tomo1971

[Llanigraham]

Having driven home from Swansea last night in the dark in a H4 equipped Yeti, the both filaments of them do not stay on when main beam is on.

It is very obvious, since the area that was lit by the dipped beam is no longer illuminated to the same degree.

 

As far as I can tell, in "flash" mode it is the main beam filament that "flashes" and not both of them. That would be logical as you can "flash" when the dipped beam are on.

[Banjobach]

I must concur with Graham for once.

[muddyjim]

From what I can make out the legal 'type markings' on the headlight units should tell you what they are designed to do: If the marking includes  a 'CR' it means both filaments can be on simultaneously, if the marking includes a 'C/R' they must not be used simultaneously (except for flashing).

 

*CR Low and high (dip and main) beam headlamp, Class-A (usually tungsten filament)

 

*C/R Low and high (dip and main) beam headlamp with low and high beams not to be operated simultaneously, Class-A (usually tungsten filament)

 

 

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/codes/codes.html

 

http://www.intermobil.com.tr/eng/pdf/hella/Light%20is%20Technology.pdf

 

 

As my car has xenon headlights, they have different markings anyway.

 

Jim

Edited 22 November, 2015 by muddyjim

[weasley]

This just in...

Just got back from driving my pre-FL, halogenated Yeti in the dark - I specifically tested the lights and they work as Tomo1971 proposed, and as all H4-equipped cars I have had have. That is:

Dipped beam = dipped filament only and green dash light

Main beam = main filament only and green and blue dash lights

Flash = both dipped and main filaments and both dash lights.

Perfectly normal.

[fabiamk2SE]

This just in...

Just got back from driving my pre-FL, halogenated Yeti in the dark - I specifically tested the lights and they work as Tomo1971 proposed, and as all H4-equipped cars I have had have. That is:

Dipped beam = dipped filament only and green dash light

Main beam = main filament only and green and blue dash lights

Flash = both dipped and main filaments and both dash lights.

Perfectly normal.

Just how a h4 set up usually works (:

[Futurama]

Thank you all for your contributions to my query, especially to those who know technical differences due to different lighting systems or early/later models.

I do have an electrical issue with my Yeti and am in the process of looking for additional symptoms. I was wrongly convinced both headlight filaments were lit but this not the case on my Yeti (2009/2010 early model 2wd SE 110bhp). As pointed out, when driving at night on country roads with the high beam on, the ground areas that were lit with the low beam are on dimmer. Also note as already pointed out, with this model, the dash lights do simultaneously show a green dipped and blue high beam when high beam is selected.

Again thank you all for helping out. Please take a look at my post for an electrical dashboard problem.