How do you raise the lights past the unladen position?
Mine only allows for adjustment (downwards) when laden, not upwards past the unladen position.
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How do you raise the lights past the unladen position? Mine only allows for adjustment (downwards) when laden, not upwards past the unladen position.
under the bonnet there are 2 knobs on each light unit that allows adjusment horizontally and vertically
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I just raised the lights past what they should be and I seem to be getting on better.
"Past where they should be" ?? Probably at the expense of dazzling oncoming motorists !!
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Possibly.
But they still do not light up the road as well as a LandRover Defender. No-one has flashed me yet (I didn't raise them too high), and now the beams stretch more than the length of 1½ cat's eyes that they used to.
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Not everyone has these Xenons yet! So the rest of us are having a more difficult task driving against ever brighter (and all too often mis-aligned) lights, also some lights seem ok but throw stray light well away from the dip pattern. I'm not counting those drivers who have hung their handbags on the front foglights switch. Or is it my Mondeo heated screen wires playing tricks with my vision?
Sorry! Slightly off the thread, must be the approaching hour change.
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Percy,
I agree, the new lights dazzle far more.
There should be no need for Xenon lights if a) decent lights are fitted and aligned in the first instance and b) the driver's eyesight doesn't suffer from "nightblindness".
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There should be no need for Xenon lights if a) decent lights are fitted and aligned in the first instance and b) the driver's eyesight doesn't suffer from "nightblindness".
Sort of agree that there is no real need for xenon as it definitely is more dazzling than normal lights but
(1) it is progress and why stand in the way of progress
(2) it is a chargable extra. I am sure that manufactures make a few hundred quid out of it which is a decent percentage of overall profit.
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These lights are a real pain.
They are MUCH brighter and they irritate the hell out of me. Luckily, the kind of cars they are fitted to make sure that they soon get past.
Anyone who pays extra for these must need a brain scan, they are second only to idiots who alter so called "private plates" with black screws and tape etc. This also includes illuminted washer nozzles, neons, dustcaps and number plate screws.
Even worse are the fog light brigade. People seem to think that its alright now to drive on side lights just so long as they have their fog lights on. It doesn't seem to matter what time of day or night either.
If one of these cretins gets behind me I waste no time in putting on my rear fogs which I have had upgraded just for this purpose.
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These lights are a real pain. They are MUCH brighter and they irritate the hell out of me. Luckily, the kind of cars they are fitted to make sure that they soon get past. Anyone who pays extra for these must need a brain scan, they are second only to idiots who alter so called "private plates" with black screws and tape etc. This also includes illuminted washer nozzles, neons, dustcaps and number plate screws. Even worse are the fog light brigade. People seem to think that its alright now to drive on side lights just so long as they have their fog lights on. It doesn't seem to matter what time of day or night either. If one of these cretins gets behind me I waste no time in putting on my rear fogs which I have had upgraded just for this purpose.
Richard ~ I couldn't have put it better myself. You and I are obviously kindred spirits. The only thing I can add is to say can we please include in your list of cretins the people who drive on main beam in broad daylight.
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When you say main beam, you really do main beam and not dipped headlights don't you?
I personally would like to crush the cars of the cretins who drive in reduced visibility/fog/dusk with just their sidelights on. They don't seem to realise that for me to see their sidelights, they have to be so close that I can just about see the car anyway. What is the point of that in thick fog? Also, my mate reckons that this is how he was taught, "if it's just a little bit dark, then just put your sidelights on no need for headlights". And that little gem came from a BSM instructor!
Rant over. :)
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When you say main beam, you really do main beam and not dipped headlights don't you?
You mean to say that you haven't noticed the main beam (yes ~ main beam, not dipped) in daylight brigade yet ? Mainly motorcyclists, but there is an ever increasing number of car drivers taking up this insane habit. I regard it as an arrogant and egotistical practice. Sort of "Look out, it's me coming, how dare you be on the same stretch of road as me".
Heaven forbid that those with xenon lights ever start doing it, although I fear that this is almost inevitable to happen when xenon lights become more common.
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I have Xenons on the MV6 and am very impressed with them. There appears to be a sharp delineation (?) to the beam which avoids them directly dazzling people, so I think it is the intensity of the light which causes problems for people. It's certainly a very white light.
And of course there is the advantage, as mentioned above, that many lane 3 hogs (or even lane 2 hogs) move out of the way as you approach...not sure whether it's cos the lights are irritating them, or whether they think Plod is on their tail...
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No, its the lights irritating us.
How much do these babies cost when they blow ?
Do they even blow like normal lights, I do hope so. I'll bet they are expensive however you have to replace them.
All cars will have these sooner or later I guess, and then we will all be able to blind each other. How about these wierd lights and fogs at the same time, I have seen it.
As mentioned, a friend upgraded my rear fogs to the brightest ones he could find, I must have blinded quite a few people by now who roar up behind with the equivalent of Blackpool illuminations on. They soon turn them off.
I think front fog lights are the most irritating thing since mobile phones came along ;)
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I drive over 20K miles a year, including country roads and I hardly ever get to switch to main beam.
On the few occasions I do get to use my standard main beams they illuminate adequately for me to travel at the speed I would in daytime.
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I'm never bothered by Xenons but perhaps some people's eyes are drawn to them by the white light. Much more likely to be dazzled by badly adjusted conventional lights in my experience.
I have them on my car and they are definitely a good safety feature with their broad intense beam. As Smokie said, the cut off is very sharp and they should not dazzle, especially as they are self-levelling.
Cost of new 'bulbs' is about £100 each for BMWs - say £200 each including labour but they are designed to last the life of the car.
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My Audi is fitted with them as standard. I think they are a huge advance on standard halogens. They are brighter than standard lights but the cut off is much sharper so provided you aren't in the beam they should not inconvenience you. When driving with them first impression is that all the road signs have been cleaned, the white lines have had a dab of tennis shoe white and the cats eyes replaced with small high intensity bulbs. Definate improvement in road safety. Cyclists peddling around in the dark are nicely lit (provided they have at least a reflector or some light clothing about their person).
The problem seems to occur when the car goes over a speed bump or driving up to a ridge. The lights will self level over a period of a few seconds, but a short term pitching movement brings the cut off line (which is incredibly sharp) up into the eyes of oncoming traffic. I notice it most over traffic calming. Very rarely I will get flashed by a driver who is distracted by the higher intensity lights.
Now if I could mount a xenon light with a telephoto lens at the rear I could shine directly at those pesky foglight fashion freaks!
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I was thinking of using cooking oil in my oil lamps.
Does anyone know if it works?
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"I was thinking of using cooking oil in my oil lamps."
Oh, dear....
Just don't upgrade to acetylene, or there will be another row!
Tomo
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I know as I grow old disgracefully I need better lamps..I no longer can see the girls lining up for a lift:-)
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Just did about 150 miles through France at night with caravan attached on mixture of Autoroute and RN - didn't look like I was dazzling anyone and wasn't flahed once. I had intended to change the dip from L to R using the switch at behnd the lamps (as per handbook instructions) but hadn't bargained on removing battery for nearside access and multitude of plumbing obscuring offside (not mentioned in handbook)whilst awaiting Ferry at Portsmouth.
This on Omega estate with self levelling suspension.
Robin
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I've had them for the last couple of years and will never, ever, go back to Halogen. Last time I drove a Halogen equipped car I actually ended up stopping and checking both lights were working.
However, a few comments:
(a) Xenon lights for the driver do take some getting used to. The beam is generaly more defined than Halogen and the cut off is sharper. The different colour lights take a while to get used to.
(b) The correct aiming of them is crucial both for effective visbility for the driver and on-coming traffic. Although they auto-adjust, they still have to be set to the right height in the first place (usually there is a manual adjuster) and I wonder how many dealers actually do this in a PDI?
(c) I don't find them blinding on on-coming vehicles. I think part of the problem is that because they are still in the minority there is a tendency to stare straight at them.
(d) The frequency of Xenon lights "excites" the phosphur in luminous objects far more than Halogen hence the brighter signs, white lines and often cats eyes. This to me seems even more noticable on the continent with the road markings - I wonder if they contain more luminous materials in the white paint?
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"I wonder if they contain more luminous materials in the white paint?"
I think that you can get either reflective or non-reflective white paint. Betting is that our local authorities go for the cheapo non-reflective stuff.
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(c) I don't find them blinding on on-coming vehicles. I think part of the problem is that because they are still in the minority there is a tendency to stare straight at them.
Read somewhere that if you're being dazzled, and in fact generally at night, it's best not to look directly at sources of light.
By that I don't mean that you should drive around with your eyes closed, even/especially when traffic is approaching, or look the other way.
Apparently the sensors at the back of the eye (mainly colour) are very sensitive, can't handle high contrast, and are very susceptible to dazzle.
The receptors to the side (mainly black and white) can handle high contrast and so are much less susceptible to dazzle.
So if you "look" towards the pavement, but "focus" on the road, you will be seeing oncoming headlights with the sensors that are less susceptible to dazzle.
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Coming along the A57 last night I saw one of the worst I have ever seen.
Old tin can BMW 318 or whatever (that hideous shape which came out around N reg) with one headlight out and badly adjusted fog lights blazing.
The remaining headlight was about 5 times as bright as it should have been (probably some kind of wiring fault) and the fogs were literally blindingly bright.
Owner seemed oblivious, after all he drives a BMW, yawn.
What a W****R
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if you're getting dazzled then close your right eye (in the uk), left eye (if you're on the continent).
err, don't do this if you're blind in one of them!!
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Coming along the A57 last night I saw one of the worst I have ever seen. Old tin can BMW 318 or whatever (that hideous shape which came out around N reg) with one headlight out and badly adjusted fog lights blazing. The remaining headlight was about 5 times as bright as it should have been (probably some kind of wiring fault) and the fogs were literally blindingly bright. Owner seemed oblivious, after all he drives a BMW, yawn. What a W****R
Richard, is that the stretch of A57 between Markham Moor and Drinsey Nook ? If so I'll keep an eye shut for him !! (Ref. the suggestion from mike1)
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