I've searched the forum and found out how to realign my HIDs, but I want to know how many of you were fine with the alignment of your HID system from the factory.

I am fine with the stairstep effect of the left light being lower, but I am not fine with the fact that the actual light just drops off after what seems like 30 feet! It's like daylight, then it drops off into a black hole. At 60 mph on a road I know I have had a couple close calls on small items in the road that I couldn't see until the last second. They don't even light up the bumper of the car in front of me when I'm sitting right behind it at a stoplight. I get a great view of their undercarriage, but I can't even read their license plate!

I know you are supposed to be able to see farther with these, but I feel like they are more dangerous than the crappy halogens I had before!

Am I overreacting or do I have an issue that no one else has?

(BTW, the two dealers in town just keep telling me that's the highest alignment allowed by law. I'm thinking of taking one of them for a fast drive down a dark road and see what they think then!)

 

There's something wrong with you HID's if you can't see them off the bumper of the car in front of you. You should get them checked out at the dealer.

Matt

 

repoint them to make sure that it isn't screwed up.

 

Get your lights checked out. There is no noticable difference in height between my left and right headlight on my TL.

 

it is very easy. pull up to a garage or wall in the dark, pop your hood and insert a screwdriver and turn. it will raise and lower the beam cutoff, but makesure they are both level. i raised mine for the same reasons, i wanted somemore light on my foreground.

 

Make sure you know what you are doing when you align them because you really will blind other drivers.

 

stepp...I got the similiar problem as I paid more attention on the front light past several nights. My 07 TL is brand new and it just hit the road less then a month. When I first picked up the TL, the front light was so bright and the color is super cool white. However, recently I noticed that the light is getting weaker and the color changed to orange like those halogen bulb. I pulled my car facing close to the wall and test it, and found out that the color was super bright when the HID start, but then it will turn it to yellow automatically after 10 seconds. Tonight, When I stopped in front of the red light, there was a old Civic and some old truck on my side, and my light was light weaker then their old light bulb. I was so pissed and will rush to the dealer on MOnday.....

 

that should not be happening, my tl is 3 yrs old and the lights are still a blueish purple.

 

Just so you know the left headlight on our car is pointed lower than the right one is so it doesn't blind oncoming traffic.

 

I addressed that in the first post...

 

I want to proof that I was wrong. But I showed to my friends tonight and they all noticed the color change after few second. When it starts, the light is clean white color.

Also, I happened to pass by a 04'-06' TL tonight, and so obvious that mine headlight color is weaker and the color is completely different. I am kinda mad about the quality of this TL, this will be my second visit for servicing in a month and I only own this TL for less then 30 days....

 

i got a problem with my headlight too. one of the bulbs is burnt out i guess...it turns a purple color as soon as i turn the light on, and shuts off within a minute.

should i just buy a bulb and replace it? where should i buy it and how much does it cost?

 

Woah woah woah guys.. chill.

To the OP, the HIDs have a very sharp cut-off. The contrast between the light and the darkness on the TL is striking. It is possible that you have misaligned HIDs, or you may just not be used to the way HIDs light up the road. It is a mistake to think you can see FURTHER with HIDs.. they don't reach any further than halogens. They provide a wider range of light side-to-side and all the light is more intense. You can have your alignment checked but chances are they are fine. Raise them up slightly if you need a bit more light, but not too far - they are blinding.

To the guy with the 07 TL claiming weak HIDs:

First off, Acura quality and HID quality are not related. The HIDs are not built by Acura. Second, new xenons are a yellowish color while they are new. When they break in, after about 100-200 hours of usage, they will turn the blue color you see on some of the 04-06 TLs running around. There is nothing wrong with your HIDs whatsoever. This is the nature of them. Should you ever have a real HID problem, you will know it - they either work, or they don't. There is no inbetween.

Hope that helps.

 

Before you spend any money on a HID bulb, do this:

Swap the bulbs in your car. Put the one that keeps shutting off in the side that works, and vice versa. If the problem follows the bulb, you need a new bulb. If the problem stays where it was.. you need a ballast/inverter.

 

Thanks... If this helps paint a better picture, I took the TL in today and they gave me a TSX as a loaner. I took it out tonight to compare headlights, and the TSX is what I would have thought HIDs were supposed to be. It's much further and wider than what I have on my TL.

What pisses me off is the service department probably didn't even check them and thought I was just another idiot complaining about the lower left light and the stairstep pattern.

I KNEW it had to be the lights. It's too bad that service departments are too lazy to do their jobs. I realigned them myself and they are still a little lower than what the TSX has after cranking the crap out of 'em!

 

Which car has more miles, your loaner TSX or your TL?

 

stepp...I got the similiar problem as I paid more attention on the front light past several nights. My 07 TL is brand new and it just hit the road less then a month. When I first picked up the TL, the front light was so bright and the color is super cool white. However, recently I noticed that the light is getting weaker and the color changed to orange like those halogen bulb. I pulled my car facing close to the wall and test it, and found out that the color was super bright when the HID start, but then it will turn it to yellow automatically after 10 seconds. Tonight, When I stopped in front of the red light, there was a old Civic and some old truck on my side, and my light was light weaker then their old light bulb. I was so pissed and will rush to the dealer on MOnday.....


TRY AND GET THE BALLASTS CHECKED OUT

 

The TSX has more miles... Not sure what that has to do with anything.


The headlights are more than bright enough. They are just aimed too damn low! If you are driving my TL you can only see about 20-30ft in front of you, and street signs above and ahead are not illuminated by my headlights.

The TSX presented a wide light array as well as the forward illumination that is required to see clearly.

 

Stepp, As others have mentioned the cutoff is abrupt and can be quite disconcerting on twisty roads or in the mountains. There is not much you can do about it, but can't you use your fogs as driving lights to fill in the foreground ? Just asking since we don't have fogs on the Can 04-06TLs but DRLs instead.

 

The fogs fill out what is already there, but it's mostly noticable higher on the sides. I cranked the adjustments to bring them up a little and I'm still not high enough to blind other drivers. I am much more comfortable with it now.

Still have the abrupt cutoff, but now it's much further out. No problems with other cars flashing their high beams yet!