Full Matrix Headlights

[Soko1982]

There is actually, blue or white icon. There is no indicator for "partially full" (when its on full but dips just a small  portion of the beam) 

[GiantKiwi]

If you are able to pick when speccing your car, consider this. Skoda in the UK have told me that a replacement single unit is £655 + VAT and requires 1-1.5 hours technician work to fit at £120 -180 + VAT. Add in that currently, they are not stored on shelves in a warehouse like the non-matrix headlights are, they are made to order. So if one dies, you are looking at a minimum of 2 weeks to get the part ready for installation.

 

I would jump at the chance to have them removed from my car in favour of the standard LED lights at 1/4 of the overall price, alas not an option.

[RsDub]

No issues whatsoever with the matrix lights on my RS. Absolutely amazing technology. Makes night driving a cinch.

[CurryKoola]

25 minutes ago, RsDub said:

No issues whatsoever with the matrix lights on my RS. Absolutely amazing technology. Makes night driving a cinch.

That’s good to hear considering its a RHD version of the car as usually they are the ones that have more problems. 

[Novascape]

I hate the full matrix headlights on all cars. Get blinded all the time. They are terrible in recognising oncoming cars. Should never of passed safety regulations.

 

Work OK if your the only car meeting one on a straight flat road. But God forbid if your behind another car as they only track the first car, second gets blinded, on an uneven road or corner. 

 

 

[MiniNinjaRob]

I’ve been in so many different cars recently, all of them had some sort of auto high beam headlights, some with matrix ones - all different makes and models - and none of them work very well. 
Stick with the standard lights - the ones on my SEL/Style are excellent I reckon. 

[RsDub]

Definitely wouldn’t go back to standard lights, the difference is night and day literally even when you compare matrix and led. Mate has an Audi with Matrix and they work perfect when behind cars or approaching, same with my RS 🤷‍♂️

[J.R.]

I can tell you another situation where the matrix headlights dont work as they should, & when you consider it they never could, it is really dazzling and dangerous for oncoming drivers.

 

I first noticed it about 18 months ago and now a lot more oncoming vehicles fitted with them are blinding me, probably a result of all the new cars ordered during lockdown.

 

It is when you are driving on a motorway or autoroute with the central divider set at the regulation height which stops correctly adjusted dipped beam normal headlights from impeding the forward vision of oncoming vehicles on the other carriageway. There will always be someone coming the other way on main beam or with an overloaded vehicle who hasn't adjusted the headlight level control, most of us will have done it at one time or another. Usually the transgressor will dip their lights after a second or so, others carry on regardless.

 

Now it happens much more frequently and when you flash them the dazzling stops even before your own eyes & nervous system has registered the flash from your own main beam, except when you look carefully the next time (& it will be within minutes 🙄) the oncoming lights are not dipping, the beam matrix is changing.

 

These effing stupid latest "must haves" 'for selfish uninvolve drivers) cannot see the oncoming correctly adjusted dipped headlights over the barriers so will not adjust the matrix until the oncoming driver has flashed their main beam

[zetzet]

19 hours ago, J.R. said:

I can tell you another situation where the matrix headlights dont work as they should, & when you consider it they never could, it is really dazzling and dangerous for oncoming drivers.

 

I first noticed it about 18 months ago and now a lot more oncoming vehicles fitted with them are blinding me, probably a result of all the new cars ordered during lockdown.

 

It is when you are driving on a motorway or autoroute with the central divider set at the regulation height which stops correctly adjusted dipped beam normal headlights from impeding the forward vision of oncoming vehicles on the other carriageway. There will always be someone coming the other way on main beam or with an overloaded vehicle who hasn't adjusted the headlight level control, most of us will have done it at one time or another. Usually the transgressor will dip their lights after a second or so, others carry on regardless.

 

Now it happens much more frequently and when you flash them the dazzling stops even before your own eyes & nervous system has registered the flash from your own main beam, except when you look carefully the next time (& it will be within minutes 🙄) the oncoming lights are not dipping, the beam matrix is changing.

 

These effing stupid latest "must haves" 'for selfish uninvolve drivers) cannot see the oncoming correctly adjusted dipped headlights over the barriers so will not adjust the matrix until the oncoming driver has flashed their main beam

Obviously they don't work well on divided roads, that's why the manual warns you to not use the function in that case. People are just being idiots if they use them on highways.

[Joss1733]

i have drove my sons car with matrix headlights down england then down from northern spain and back and i think i only got flashed 1ot 2 times so not bad for over 2000 miles.

[liveseytowers]

I've had my vRS a couple of weeks and they work alot better than the lights on my old A4. I was always getting flashed with the A4 lights, but the vRS lights seem to just dance around the cars around me and no flashes so far. It was ready interesting to see them working in the fog. 

[J.R.]

3 hours ago, zetzet said:

Obviously they don't work well on divided roads, that's why the manual warns you to not use the function in that case. People are just being idiots if they use them on highways.

But a short jaunt to Spain and back does not count 😆

 

Being flashed one or two times is one or two times too many and if that does not tell the driver something then two thousand flashes are not going to either.

 

I am not an RTFM person but I do have empathy for the drivers of oncoming vehicles & would never let a vehicle make  the decisions for me & sod anyone else.

[Joss1733]

well what can i say?have you never been flashed for not dipping your lights?to me driving that distance and letting the car do its job and only getting flashed a few times show you they do work.i know they are bright but they give great vision.i cannot wait  to get my rs with matrix lights after driving my sons car that distance.

[J.R.]

On 09/02/2022 at 23:03, J.R. said:

most of us will have done it at one time or another. Usually the transgressor will dip their lights after a second or so, others carry on regardless.

 

[East_Yorkshire_Retrofits]

Worth noting with matrix headlights, it's absolutely crucial that you keep the headlight lenses clean 

 

Also important that people don't try adjusting the height of the lights themselves as the calibration is far more complex than just height

[fox2319]

I had these fitted on my Octavia and they were awful. They were faulty / incorrectly set and dazzled other drivers all the time. On dipped, they didn't provide sufficient light on the road ahead. It took much longer than it should have to confirm the fault with the dealer because they just weren't trained. When I sent it in, they'd park it up on a MOT test wall and declare them as fault free. In the end, I refused to drive the car at night as I didn't feel it was safe.

 

I've since rejected the car for this (and other faults) and now drive a VW Tiguan which also has matrix LED fitted. The difference is night and day (pardon the pun). I've had the car for 9 months and driven it in a wide variety of conditions and can't remember ever being flashed. Visibility is excellent, at least as good as the Xenons I had in my Yeti, When done properly, they are a genuine improvement. I've noticed other cars with them and, after my first couple of encounters, I barely notice them now. 

[Joss1733]

just maybe you were unlucky to have faulty headlights,am just stating what experience i had driving with them.it does take a while to get used to them.i was worried i could be blinding other drivers but as i said before i found no problem with them.

[timster]

1 hour ago, fox2319 said:

I had these fitted on my Octavia and they were awful. They were faulty / incorrectly set and dazzled other drivers all the time. On dipped, they didn't provide sufficient light on the road ahead. It took much longer than it should have to confirm the fault with the dealer because they just weren't trained. When I sent it in, they'd park it up on a MOT test wall and declare them as fault free. In the end, I refused to drive the car at night as I didn't feel it was safe.

 

I've since rejected the car for this (and other faults) and now drive a VW Tiguan which also has matrix LED fitted. The difference is night and day (pardon the pun). I've had the car for 9 months and driven it in a wide variety of conditions and can't remember ever being flashed. Visibility is excellent, at least as good as the Xenons I had in my Yeti, When done properly, they are a genuine improvement. I've noticed other cars with them and, after my first couple of encounters, I barely notice them now. 

That  is still strange to read since i think the matrix lights are one of the best things in new octavia.

[zetzet]

38 minutes ago, timster said:

That  is still strange to read since i think the matrix lights are one of the best things in new octavia.

The early models had all kinds of issues, one of them was the alignment and programming of the matrix lights, but they fixed them pretty early in the production. I haven't seen many new complaints lately. Mine work perfectly too.

[J.R.]

It's not the drivers who will be complaining.

 

If they RTFM'd and switched the function off on autoroutes & motorways with central dividers neither would I.

[GiantKiwi]

4 hours ago, timster said:

That  is still strange to read since i think the matrix lights are one of the best things in new octavia.

 

If you are in a LHD car they work as designed - if you're using a RHD car they are useless 90% of the time.

[RsDub]

26 minutes ago, GiantKiwi said:

 

If you are in a LHD car they work as designed - if you're using a RHD car they are useless 90% of the time.

 

Absolute rubbish 🤣🤣

[J.R.]

Dont be too quick to dismiss, on the Autoroute des Anglais (A26 Calais to Troyes) where I get dazzled by far the most by oncoming matrix headlights at the hours I am travelling the majority of vehicles are RHD UK registered.

 

The set up will be for oncoming vehicles to be on the right of the vehicle not the left, maybe it adapts if told or through the GPS, maybe VAG will design & test their software properly, maybe pigs will fly.

[Joss1733]

jr how do you know they rhd cars that you are getting dazzled by?when i drive at night you cannot see the other driver going the other way .

[Joss1733]

cars with matrix lights can change from left hand to right hand driving.