Led headlights.. Beam throw length...

[RickTT]

Just got a new mk3 octy with LED headlights and I'm finding the headlight beam throw is not as far as my previous 2016 superb.

 

While the light output is great, the headlights really could do with just being that bit higher to light the road a bit further afield. Is this just how these units are or can they be adjusted? Thanks

[mdk1]

Interested also, could do with a few extra feet in beam length to my eye line.

[ScoutCJB]

Would'nt this surely just potentially blind on coming drivers??

[BigEjit]

Have they not got the 2x white screwdriver/allen key adjusters in the back of the housing? One for lateral and one for vertical adjustments?

[brettikivi]

.. they should have. And the gradient is marked on the headlight, so 1% = over 1m, 1cm down when the car is on a level floor, then they won't blind oncoming drivers.

 

 - Bret 

 

[RickTT]

1 hour ago, ScoutCJB said:

Would'nt this surely just potentially blind on coming drivers??

 

Not really as I'm not talking lifting them up beyond a normal light throw, the beam throw is way less than my 2016 mk3 Superb which had halogens 

1 hour ago, brettikivi said:

.. they should have. And the gradient is marked on the headlight, so 1% = over 1m, 1cm down when the car is on a level floor, then they won't blind oncoming drivers.

 

 - Bret 

 

Will take a look.. Thanks 

[brettikivi]

actually, I see one. Just been outside for the first time today into the (fresh) snow and there's a single white hex on both sides. That should be vertical adjustment.

 

 - Bret

[JulieD]

With xenon headlights you need to use diagnostics to put the car into a learning mode before physically resetting the beam alignment.  If you don’t do this there is a danger you’ll damage the adjusters when the car goes through it’s self check when you put the lights on (ie where the lights lower and then raise to usual height).  I suspect LED headlights will be the same.

[langers2k]

7 hours ago, brettikivi said:

.. they should have. And the gradient is marked on the headlight, so 1% = over 1m, 1cm down when the car is on a level floor, then they won't blind oncoming drivers.

 

1% is 0.6° which would give a ~1.74cm drop over 1m.

 

16 minutes ago, JulieD said:

With xenon headlights you need to use diagnostics to put the car into a learning mode before physically resetting the beam alignment.  If you don’t do this there is a danger you’ll damage the adjusters

 

This is a common myth and not true.

 

Having seen the inside of various VW/Skoda xenon headlights, the adjusters only move an outer frame. The headlight aim motors sit inside this to aim the projector, the two systems are completely independent and cannot interfere or damage each other.

 

The diagnostic kit is to reset what the car thinks is 'level' from the suspension ride height sensor(s).

 

6 hours ago, RickTT said:

Will take a look.. Thanks 

 

A better plan is to find a local garage that's still open and have them adjusted properly using the correct kit to ensure the aim is within spec. This is even more important given how bright LED systems are and their potential to cause glare.

[misor1994]

Visit your dealer to set the height of the lights. Fuel tank should be full and the tyre pressure should be set according to the sticker at fuel tank lid.

[xman]

The LED lights have AFS Adaptive Frontlight system. Their height varies with speed. So if you incorrectly mess with them so they just meet what you think are MOT requirements when the car is stood, its likely they will be be pointing well above the horizon once they self adjust to country mode above 80kph iirc and even higher in motorway mode.

 

 

[brettikivi]

oookay, so.... 

1% is still 1%. I'll refer to this: https://www.hella.com/techworld/au/Technical/Automotive-lighting/Headlight-adjustment-835/ --> 

 

Quote

Finally, set the "forward inclination" on the device. This corresponds to the tilt angle of the headlamp cut-off line. The forward inclination is given in % and can normally be found on the headlamp, see Fig. 6.
For example, 1% means that the low beam is at an angle of 10 cm at a range of 10 m. The aiming screen is set to the correct percentage using the scaled wheel, see Fig. 7.[/quote]

 

*if* you have a level floor and a straight wall, this will tell you if the aim is massively off or not. At 1, 2 or 5m, it's easy to do the math and work out how much lower than the measurement point it is. It's also relatively simple to tweak a half-turn. I've seen the difference it makes with a bulb change on H7 and though LED is different, there's a non-zero chance the lights are poorly set from the factory.

 

With the AFS: yes, but this all starts from the baseline of the lights in their standard position with the car on a flat surface. If they point too low when the car is stood still, they will still point too low when they're in "autobahn" mode.

Yes, the correct way to do it is to call up a garage or in this country wander over to an MoT station and ask them to check. It'll probably cost close to nothing and it will get the correct results. Understanding how far out they are is not a bad starting position. Comparing to another car in the same position is also probably not a bad idea. I've spent too many hours fiddling with Aux lamps to get them right, and especially on Xenon it's worth playing. But the effort was significant because of all the directions you can push them, the range involved and therefore the minimal distances on the support bars. With the headlights built as they are, it's a single tweak up and down. 

 

Still wouldn't recommend worrying about it until quarantine's done.

 

 - Bret

 

 

Edited 31 March, 2020 by brettikivi

[silver1011]

This is a relatively common complaint, especially from those coming from halogens.

 

There is no hard cut-off in the beam with halogens, there is quite a bit of light bleed i.e. there is light projected beyond the cut-off.

 

The cut-off with LED's is very abrupt, so beyond the cut-off it is pitch black. This can create the impression that their throw isn't as far as their old lights as you're focusing more on where there is no light, rather than where there is lots of light.

 

I was the same with the LED's on our Kodiaq, but quickly got used to them.

 

Also as mentioned the beam pattern varies depending on speed etc. so the faster you go the further they project.

 

It doesn't take much adjustment with LED's for them to go from bright to dazzling to other road users so I'd be tempted to use proper headlamp aim equipment rather than a screwdriver and your garage door.

 

Some interesting content here...

 

https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/the-mot-headlamp-aim-test-is-changing/

[BigEjit]

It’s not hard to nudge the position of the beam up slightly to get a touch more range. You don’t need to wind them up more than a half turn at a time to notice a difference. If you are already sensitive to the beam cut off and position relative to the horizon, you are more than capable of knowing where you need the dip beam to sit to achieve what you want.

 

I tweaked my xenon not long after buying my O3 around 4 years ago and it’s just passed its second mot 3 days ago with the changes I made. They were way too short and wouldn’t illuminate the tyres of a vehicle ahead on a motorway at 70mph and 2 second gap. Even the hedges on the left side are now better illuminated with the beam lifted slightly.

[RickTT]

1 hour ago, silver1011 said:

This is a relatively common complaint, especially from those coming from halogens.

 

There is no hard cut-off in the beam with halogens, there is quite a bit of light bleed i.e. there is light projected beyond the cut-off.

 

The cut-off with LED's is very abrupt, so beyond the cut-off it is pitch black. This can create the impression that their throw isn't as far as their old lights as you're focusing more on where there is no light, rather than where there is lots of light.

 

I was the same with the LED's on our Kodiaq, but quickly got used to them.

 

Also as mentioned the beam pattern varies depending on speed etc. so the faster you go the further they project.

 

It doesn't take much adjustment with LED's for them to go from bright to dazzling to other road users so I'd be tempted to use proper headlamp aim equipment rather than a screwdriver and your garage door.

 

Some interesting content here...

 

https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/the-mot-headlamp-aim-test-is-changing/

 

Thanks all for the replies..  Much appreciated.. 

 

Silver 1011, I think you may of called something out here....First off, thanks for the note about halogens bleed, useful to know...

 

Let me explain the scenario, a nation speed limit b road road that I would normally travel 50mph down at night / darkness, no street lighting (drove it a million times,) I felt nervous going faster than 35mph due to the limited beam throw, (full beam fixed the issue) but at 35mph I thought there is no chance I can go quicker due to the dipped headlight beam length... Are we saying that if I was travelling at 45mph the lights may of adjusted the beam throw further afield?  (some Testing needed) 

 

I think a key element of my 1st post is missing, maybe I should say if I'm travelling at 35mph, I don't think I can drive the same road at 60mph safely with the limited beam length if that makes sense. 

 

 

I'm going to read your link now... 

 

 

Edited 31 March, 2020 by RickTT

[RickTT]

2 hours ago, xman said:

The LED lights have AFS Adaptive Frontlight system. Their height varies with speed. So if you incorrectly mess with them so they just meet what you think are MOT requirements when the car is stood, its likely they will be be pointing well above the horizon once they self adjust to country mode above 80kph iirc and even higher in motorway mode.

 

 

 

Thanks. 

 Just mentioned a moment ago that I was travelling at approx 35mph on a road I would normally travel quicker on but didn't due to the limited light length, but watching that video suggests that the lights were in "city" style mode due to the speed, so if I travelled quicker they would adapt..

 

Thsnks 

[silver1011]

That doesn't sound right to me, perhaps there is an issue. It certainly sounds as though it would be worth getting their alignment checked out.

 

There are four modes that alter the cone of light...

 

 

Unfortunately I can't find the speed at which they change between 'urban', 'remote' and 'motorway' modes.

 

There are some videos in this thread of behind the wheel of a MkIII Octavia with the LED headlights at night. I wonder how yours compare?

 

 

[RickTT]

11 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

That doesn't sound right to me, perhaps there is an issue. It certainly sounds as though it would be worth getting their alignment checked out.

 

There are four modes that alter the cone of light...

 

 

Unfortunately I can't find the speed at which they change between 'urban', 'remote' and 'motorway' modes.

 

There are some videos in this thread of behind the wheel of a MkIII Octavia with the LED headlights at night. I wonder how yours compare?

 

 

Thanks.. Yes, this makes sense.. Mine are like the low beam on the first video of 35mph, fact is I'm not driving any distances at present, cars only been on the motorway once on day 2 of ownership in day light..(had it 3 weeks) and only 270 miles on it... Bloody lockdown social distancing! 

[Rodge]

On 31/03/2020 at 23:21, silver1011 said:

Unfortunately I can't find the speed at which they change between 'urban', 'remote' and 'motorway' modes

Whenever it's previously been discussed here the required speeds mentioned have been ridiculously high. On a dark road you want the maximum legal range at any speed above about 30 mph.

[Guest]

On 31/03/2020 at 23:04, RickTT said:

Let me explain the scenario, a nation speed limit b road road that I would normally travel 50mph down at night / darkness, no street lighting (drove it a million times,) I felt nervous going faster than 35mph due to the limited beam throw, (full beam fixed the issue) but at 35mph I thought there is no chance I can go quicker due to the dipped headlight beam length... Are we saying that if I was travelling at 45mph the lights may of adjusted the beam throw further afield?  (some Testing needed) 

 

I think a key element of my 1st post is missing, maybe I should say if I'm travelling at 35mph, I don't think I can drive the same road at 60mph safely with the limited beam length if that makes sense.

 

Just to be clear ( no pun intended!  ) you say that full beam fixed the problem. Are you saying you wish to drive down an unlit road at night at 60mph safely without using full beam?

Edited 3 April, 2020 by Guest

[RickTT]

3 hours ago, Scot5 said:

 

Just to be clear ( no pun intended!  ) you say that full beam fixed the problem. Are you saying you wish to drive down an unlit road at night at 60mph safely without using full beam?

 

Yeah, if it feels safe to do so depending on other road users and visabilty. 

You know like you drive down an unlit motorway at 70mph without full beam on....