Headlight main beam assist. It's pants or is it me?

[tigermad]

We haven't had a good go of the headlight assist due to light evenings until this week. Bought the car in June. We have been going down country lanes with the main beam on but they don't turn off automatically until the car is right in front of you. When I manually do the main beam I can see the cars lights approaching before he reaches me so can dip them well in advance.

Everyone seems to rave about this feature but I can't see the point. When there is a central reservation you end up doing it manually anyway otherwise the car on the other side fishes you. I assume the reservation barrier is in the way so the sensors don't detect the other cars headlights.

[Mence]

Mine seems ok.

Admit that the only real test it has had recently was a run home from Midhurst which is about 25 miles along country roads.

That night, the light assist worked as I would have hoped, only getting caught out a couple of times in situations you can hardly criticise it for.

To be honest, my car was specced for someone else, given a choice I probably would not spend the extra on it.

[jthyssen]

Works fine with me albeit only a few tests due to light evenings. I have set it on the most aggressive option where it turns off very early

[Neily03]

Mine works great, faster then I can react.

[tigermad]

Works fine with me albeit only a few tests due to light evenings. I have set it on the most aggressive option where it turns off very early

Didn't know you can change the option. Will test it out.

[tigermad]

Mine seems ok.

Admit that the only real test it has had recently was a run home from Midhurst which is about 25 miles along country roads.

That night, the light assist worked as I would have hoped, only getting caught out a couple of times in situations you can hardly criticise it for.

To be honest, my car was specced for someone else, given a choice I probably would not spend the extra on it.

It's standard on an octy 3 isn't it, or just the elegance model?

[Mence]

Might be right there!

[themanwithnoaim]

Yep, standard on Elegance, mine seems ok but, having lived in Bedford some of those country lanes you're on about are pretty quick roads with many interesting turns so, the mainbeam assist may have trouble keeping up with your road conditions.

[tigermad]

Yep, standard on Elegance, mine seems ok but, having lived in Bedford some of those country lanes you're on about are pretty quick roads with many interesting turns so, the mainbeam assist may have trouble keeping up with your road conditions.

I'm in the lake district at the moment so the lanes are ridiculous here.

[jthyssen]

Didn't know you can change the option. Will test it out.

From the manual (amundsen):

[pipsyp]

From the manual (amundsen): image.jpg

Sure this just changes the sensitivity of the light assist and not the high beam assist function. This can just be turned on or off. May be mistaken though.

[Yogi-Bear]

Sure this just changes the sensitivity of the light assist and not the high beam assist function. This can just be turned on or off. May be mistaken though.

 

Looks like it to me, too.

 

Although I'm sure there have been posts about enabling the headlight assist using VCDS, and also altering the sensitivity...

[Matt Pez]

Pip is correct, I used the high beam assist quite alot last winter, only time I got flashed for not dipping was if I was travelling downhill towards a dip in the road and with the other car also heading downhill towards the same dip so the sensor did not pick up the oncoming headlights until the very last few seconds.

[treendale]

I think it's up there with automatic rain-sensing wipers i.e. a gadget. Is it that hard to do it manually?

 

Then again, I think manual gearboxes are the way to go too.. 

[Stuski]

I think it's up there with automatic rain-sensing wipers i.e. a gadget. Is it that hard to do it manually?

 

Then again, I think manual gearboxes are the way to go too.. 

For me rain sensor has become a must have on a work hack. Maybe different in Sunny aus

However the light assist properly sucks on my octi. It does not react quick enough at all. Get constant flashes from other drivers

[pipsyp]

I find mine varies, it gets caught out again on v long stretches of road where cars are so far in front it cannot pick up the tail lamps (and the drivers would be cursing and dipping their rear view mirror), also picking up cars on bends can be a trifle slow sometimes. I have had the very odd occasion where reflection from a traffic sign sends it into a fit but rarely occurs.

I tend to find it dips just moments before a passing car decides to flash anyway.

I dont use my main beams alot anyway. A nice to have but I certainly wouldnt pay 300 notes for it

[jthyssen]

Didn't know you can change the option. Will test it out.

Sorry I misunderstood the manual.

Anyway, the automatic main beam seems to work fine for me. I have only had one oncoming car flash me - he came down a hill around a corner.

The only thing I have modified with VCDS is that it is on by default.

[accobra]

I activated mine with vcds and used the settings xpower suggested on the high beam assist thread and it works perfectly.

Never had to manually override even with very old cars with poor head lighting.

I wouldn't pay £300 for it though.

[Keith64]

For me rain sensor has become a must have on a work hack. Maybe different in Sunny aus

However the light assist properly sucks on my octi. It does not react quick enough at all. Get constant flashes from other drivers

Rain sensor ++++

 

High Beam assist...same as you, not quick enough to react...get flashes...I disable it as soon as I remember.

[Mr Grump]

I activated mine with vcds and used the settings xpower suggested on the high beam assist thread and it works perfectly.

Never had to manually override even with very old cars with poor head lighting.

I wouldn't pay £300 for it though.

 Nice one, I have been in contact with my software man, and He will be enabling it soon. I wasn't aware it could be done so thank you

[Lxi13]

Hello! Old thread but I need to write off my frustration. I've got a new 2019 superb with 45000 km on it at his moment. The high beam assist is garbage. All it does it blind people. I live in Sweden and at this moment it's really long nights and and it'd be awesome if that thing worked. But it does not and as I said - it's garbage.

 

Thank you.

 

Roger

[Plantman]

If you have or know someone with VCDS it might be worth having a tweak:

 

You can also change the LUX settings for the sensitivity on  01 Light/High Beam Assist in the A5 unit
On an Octavia 3 the defaults are
Night vehicle detection activation brightness - 3 lux
Night vehicle detection deactivation brightness - 20 lux

I have reduced mine to 2 lux and 15 lux - it comes on a little later and goes off a little earlier like that.

You can also change the urban area detection setting, high beams will then come on in areas with street lights

 

This is all from AndyVee from this post: https://forums.ross-tech.com/showthread.php?4830-Enable-High-Beam-Assist-2016-VW-GTI-USA-w-DAP/page3

Page 3.

[PetrolDave]

16 minutes ago, Plantman said:

If you have or know someone with VCDS it might be worth having a tweak:

 

You can also change the LUX settings for the sensitivity on  01 Light/High Beam Assist in the A5 unit
On an Octavia 3 the defaults are
Night vehicle detection activation brightness - 3 lux
Night vehicle detection deactivation brightness - 20 lux

I have reduced mine to 2 lux and 15 lux - it comes on a little later and goes off a little earlier like that.

You can also change the urban area detection setting, high beams will then come on in areas with street lights

 

This is all from AndyVee from this post: https://forums.ross-tech.com/showthread.php?4830-Enable-High-Beam-Assist-2016-VW-GTI-USA-w-DAP/page3

Page 3.

That's fine if you have the A5 camera, but with the 20 camera (that also enables HBA) those settings don't exist:

Quote

;SW:5G0-857-511-D   HW:5G0-857-511 ---  High Beam Assist.
 

IDE03885-Speed threshold for high beam recommendation off, 28 km/h
IDE03886-Activation speed for high beam assistant, 58 km/h
IDE03887-Location recognition mode, Standard
IDE03888-Left-/right hand driving, Left

 

[TDIum]

It's only an assist system, and it doesn't work perfectly. 

Half way through my first winter with it and I live in the sticks. It works OK in most normal situations  where oncoming traffic comes round a bend, but fails in others such as where there's a tee-junction. The really annoying thing is where you go to override it to dip, and it just beats you so you end up flashing the other car. 

These days it seems half of all cars on the road have ****ed up headlights, either one not working or both dazzling you or main beams left on. 

[Plantman]

I agree, its a bit of a gimmick really. It does work reasonably well a lot of the time, but of course it cannot 'prepare' for a car coming around a corner and dip early like we can for instance. It relies on seeing enough light input before it will switch and sometimes my lights in the 'auto mode' will give a brief moment of full beam to the other driver....with Xenons too..... Argh! Sorry!

 

On mine I notice it's not as reactive as I would be since I try to change early as soon as I see some light ahead so that by the time the car is visible I am on dipped.  It's like the proper thing to do in driver etiquette 

 

Saying that, if you are 'pushing on' it can take a bit of extra load off your concentration.  It is one of those things where I might use it on unfamiliar roads in the dark.

I wouldn't have paid for it as an extra.