euroStyle

does our tsx have auto leveling headlights?
because, HIDs are illegal here in usa without autoleveling. on my friend's lexus, i can cleary tell they do adjust, but i cant really tell if our tsx does adjust.
anyone know?

majin ssj eric

They do not auto-level (and I have never heard of any such law here in the states).

SPUDMTN

Not autoleveling = not illegal

Acura wouldn't be importing an illegal product. None of the Acura vehicles have autoleveling...so I'm pretty sure it's not illegal.

euroStyle

hmm. guess im wrong.
i was told they couldnt sell aftermarket kits because it didnt have auto leveling.

sauceman

That is a different issue. Since last year, Aug 15 to be precise, aftermarket kits are banned in the USA because the NTSB (I believe) was getting many complaints because people were installing aftermarket HIDs in sealed beams that weren't designed for it, and the result was poor alignment and many got blinded by the light. (though in my opinion, 9 out 10 times the problem really was that people stared directly into these lights)

biker

The new RL will probably be the first Acura to have auto-level HIDs.

Lots of HID equiped cars out there have no auto-level.

Xtremespeed2102

yeah only a few just got the new feature and theyre around 40 or 60 k if i rememeber correctly.

SPUDMTN

Umm...not really...

BMW, Lexus, Audi, Mercedes, and other manufacturers only do auto-leveling xenons. Even on their entry-level cars, like the 3-series, IS, A4, C-class, etc...

1SICKLEX

You wouldn't believe the extra cost of those auto-leveling lights....

skilit

I know this my first post, I don't have a TSX, but really like the car. I think the autoleveling issue is for Europe. You are not allowed to have HID's in Europe w/o some sort of autoleveling. The autoleveling can be either adjustment of the light (in the case of BMW's) or through self-leveling suspension(in the case of Mercedes Benz). The reasoning is if load the car down the headlights do not put an light down on the road.

skilit

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

In all honesty, the auto-leveling capbilities right now, I feel, are hardly useful. Their reaction time isn't fast enough to compensate for every rise and dip in the road and for most situations, they still blind other drivers. Until auto-leveling technology can provide near instantaneous adjustment, they will be just another gimmick to jack up the pricing of cars.

Lung Fu Mo Shi

But they aren't designed for every dip in the road. They are designed to compensate for more rear seat (or trunk) loading, tilting the front of the car up.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Right, but the marketing people try and promote it as though it were designed to handle every dip in the road, which gives people the wrong impression. If they didn't market it as such, then people could make the right decision based on proper information.

1SICKLEX

Marketing has NEVER done that from BMW, BEnz, Audi or Lexus. Lung Fu Mo Shi is correct, it is about the rear load from passenger or/and stuff in the trunk.

What you have seen is marketing for adaptive headlights that swivel in the direction of your turn.

biker

Wrong and wronger. You can get HIDs in just about any car (even in an econobox VW Golf) that have no autoleveling.

skilit

Is that true for Europe? I know in the U.S. you don't need autoleveling. I did a quick search on the United Nations of Economic Commision for Europe for HID in the transport section and found this document:

http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29...oc/47inf06.pdf

if you search through the document for automatic on page 19 it has the following line:

"More recently, as a condition for allowing HID headlamps
in Europe, these lamps must be installed only when automatic leveling (aiming) and automatic low beam
washing and/or wiping is installed."

so I don't think I was wrong or wronger

biker

That was from a 2001 document in which some US guy was providing info about European issues. All I can go by is what I see on the streets around here. There are cars with HID that have no Auto leveling and no spray/wash feature.
Look at any European product list and you'll see the headlight washer as an option not standard/required.
It could be that for marketing/product reasons most newer models (like 5 series) come with autoleveling but there are many without.