I feel kinda stupid for asking this question. But I'm so confused right now. I've been driving with my headlights set to 2 clicks. It displays the headlight is on icon. I assumed if the highbeam icon was displayed, then it must mean that my highbeam is on. Is the highbeam the main headlight? Cause I've been driving without the highbeam on at night and have been flashed. The other day, I turned the highbeam on and numerous people flashed me. It is really bright which is probably due to it being HID.

So the question is, which lights should be on while driving at night?

 

I'm not in my car so take this with a grain of salt...

The green headlight icon that is above the speedo indicates your lights are on. When I first got the car I thought that was the 'brights' indicator, but it's not. The 'brights' indicator is more towards the center and is blue. Then there's another one that indicates your fogs are on, it is green, above the tach, and looks like the same icon that's on the fog light switch.

FYI, Getting flashed by people is not necessarily an indication of your brights being on, there are people who are confused by the brightness of the HID low beams. It happens to me less now (?) but when I first got the car it was nearly a nightly occurrence.

IIRC, the high beams are not HID.

Oh - I guess I didn't answer your question. Use the lights that are most appropriate for your particular situation. The HIDs should be used most of the time.

 

If they're flashing you with your high beams off, your HID's might be aimed too high. Or, you have too much stuff in your trunk, causing the car to point higher than normal.

As long as you don't have the blue high beam light, you should be fine.

No one ever flashes here in cali. One reason is because we're all used to it already. The second is because long ago, flashing lights could trigger a gang attack (not an urban legend for here...we have gangs everywhere...they even visited us in the library and caused problems).

 

Some people see the white lights and just flash you...I get flashed all the time...I just pull the stalk back and give them a full dose of both high and low beam (you can kind of tell when someone is having a real problem with your lights or just being a jerk).
It also happens when going over a rise or something where your car is pointing upwards a little bit...but there is nothing you can do about it (even regular old headlight will be annoying in that situation).

 

2 clicks = your HID low-beams. they are used for night driving.
2 clicks + flick = your high-beams activate (should not be used for normal night driving because they blind others)

many people in toronto don't use their lowbeams at night because we have DRLs and they assume that their lights are on.. idiots!

 

i get flashed all the time too. its just b/c the HIDs are really bright. if your high beams are on then the blue indicator for ur highs will be on. they flash you just flash back. they'll get the point.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Good to know I've been driving with the right lights on. Now I have another question. As seen in hunterk1's avatar...is the middle orange light supposed to be on when you turn just your brights (no high beam) on? Never paid attention to these kinds of things before. *shrugs*

 

yeah man the third click is your standard light. 2nd click is parking lights... very low voltage. i was confused with that too when i first started driving man. they should have an auto light option but they don't. oh well.

and in response to your second question... no, the center orange lights are off while your brights are on.

 

I get flashed by oncoming cars often but not everyday. and I drive with headlights and fogs on everytime day or night (2006). my version of DRL.

People just aren't used to HID, I guess. I flash them back with the brights.

 

ha yeah man i drive with my fog and regular lights on all the time too. people are always trying to race me haha. i just like the look of the fog with the reg.. it looks so fresh

 

I used to get flashed at almost daily with my Jeep after I put in halogen lights in. That was in teh 1980s, 1990s. One factor was that my 1987 Jeep with larger wheels & tires actually put the lights higher off the ground than other cars ... thereby putting them more in the same height with conventional car drivers. So I ensured I had them aimed a bit down, and the left one a bit in (to the right).

Of course, I usually ignored peoples' initial flash, not wanting to blind everyone trying to give me a suggestion. Those who did it again and again, or again when they got good and close, were treated to a quick dose of my high beams, which were ... well, aircraft landing lights are brighter, but not much else. (My fog lights would also extinguish with the high beams, like ours.)

With the growing popularity of halogens, and then HIDs, people stopped flashing at me. Interesting how my "fancy" 1987 Jeep became "archaic."

The CR review of the TSX noted the extreme "cut-off" of the HIDs and how they bounce a bit while you're driving (a minor distraction). It's one of the first things I confirmed when I got mine, and disliked. I've gotten over it. ... I believe the left HID is aimed a bit lower than the right. If you don't see a little drop-off there in the middle, ask your dealer to check that the lights are properly aimed.

Here in RTP, there are so many cars with HIDs, when I'm on I-40, I see a variety of lights on the opposite side. Like a big Xmas tree. Usually white HIDs, and the occasion blue HIDs (which I think look :ghey: ). I'm sure out in the Styx, I'd get flashed once in a while.

Circustricks03, my is to go park in front of, and aimed at, a store after closing time, and look at your lights in the glass doors/windows reflection. You'll quickly see what lights are what.

 

You can always get a great headlight from here:2005 TSX Headlight.