Hi,

Ive got Xenons on my car (Skoda not a retrofit) and keep getting flashed by other drivers.

Have checked the alignments by lining up marks on garage door made from another car with xenons in which I don't get flashed and they are below thos marks.

The only difference is I have the perspex headlamp protectors on the lamps. Could these be causing the glare for other drivers? Has anyone else come accross this?

I have found the adjusters - can I just "tweak" them down a bit further myself or is this dealer only?

Thanks

Tom

Tweaking the Xenons is not possible unless you have VAG-COM.

They will re-adjust themselves to the last point as soon as you turn them back on.

I suggest you get your dealer to have a look at them.

Like you, I strongly suspect that the cover is causing glare.

Personally, I would ditch the covers. I ve never heard of headlights being damaged..so what are they for? Cosmetic/Aesthetic reasons?

I think it would take a crash to break Octavia headlamps............get rid of the covers.

I have run without covers for more than 91K miles, and the headlamps are still like new. I am not even sure skoda recommend using covers on the xenon lights either. The first thing my brother did when he bought his 2nd hand car was ditch the headlight covers fitted by the original owner as the seemed to affect the light output.

On my Fabia, I had xenons and the protectors, never had any issues!

Polycarbonate headlight shields became unnecessary when clear glasses came in, because these are polycarb anyway!

And theoretically yes, the extra air-polycarb-air interfaces could cause a lensing effect that throws a "sliver" beam at oncoming traffic.

That said, I got flashed this morning, for the heinous crime of accelerating up one side of a brow (so car very "tail-down" relative to them) whilst someone was on the other side!

Hi,

Ive got Xenons on my car (Skoda not a retrofit) and keep getting flashed by other drivers.

Have checked the alignments by lining up marks on garage door made from another car with xenons in which I don't get flashed and they are below thos marks.

The only difference is I have the perspex headlamp protectors on the lamps. Could these be causing the glare for other drivers? Has anyone else come accross this?

I have found the adjusters - can I just "tweak" them down a bit further myself or is this dealer only?

Thanks

Tom

Remove your protective covers from the lights. They are most likely scattering the light. They will have different refractive index than the glass of the headlamp and in any case will act as an additional lens. The reason why HID lights have power washers is because tests showed that dirty lights cause glare. That indicates to me that the protectors are more likely to be the problem.

Edited 29 January, 201016 yr by Anthony 1

Thanks guys,

Have removed the covers (never liked them anyway) and we will see what transpires over the next week and 1000miles.

I might get the delaer to check them on next service or sooner if I get ****ed off with other people flashing me.

I think they are a little high but its difficult to say as I've moved to the octavia from a van with retrofit xenons anyway.

Tom

I have been running headlight protectors for the last 7 years and I have to say they are a godsend. I have one currently with a nice big stone chip in it...I would not have been impressed if that was a xenon lens that has chipped. Also last year I had one smashed to pieces by a noob in a lorry coming the other way who thought it would be fun to churn up all the snow and ice in the middle of the road.

I will be getting protectors for mine unless you can prove that they wont chip or crack by road debris?

I am a sales rep and drive in all conditions on all types of roads, I have 290,000kms on my Octy and there isn't a mark on the unprotected lenses. I think since lenses stopped being actual glass, these protectors have been made obsolete.

I am a sales rep and drive in all conditions on all types of roads, I have 290,000kms on my Octy and there isn't a mark on the unprotected lenses. I think since lenses stopped being actual glass, these protectors have been made obsolete.

i done a 117000miles in my mk1 Leon and there not a mark on them, bumper and bonnet stone chips galore and had a windscreen replaced but for some reason not a mark on me headlights.I got a friend with headlight protectors on and there cack, got moss and alsorts growing behind them.