Hello folks,

Not quite sure if this belongs in electronics section or modification, but here it goes.
Does the 4G's HID headlight have the auto-leveling feature, or is it manually adjusted?
Just wondering if it needs to be re-adjusted after making a change in vehicle height.

Thanks,

Dan

 

I don't think 4G has auto leveling headlights.

 

the only way to adjust them is with a screwdriver under your hood.

 

yea they can only be adjusted with a screwdriver under the hood unlike bmws which are auto leveling....

 

I see.
Thanks for the info, guys.

Dan

 

Mercedes Auto-Leveling are the best of all.. the new E-Class auto levels both horizontal and vertical (my sister just got one)

 

Is it just me or do the low beams seem to be a bit too high? I'm not used to such bright low beams, and at times I think that other drivers find them a bit too much. I've only driven it a couple of times at night and have already been "flashed" while driving with low beams on.

When I saw this thread I thought that maybe I should get my low beams adjusted down a bit. But would that move the high beams also?

 

High beams and low beams are two different bulbs all together. Low beams are D2S bulbs and DRL which also act as high beams are 9005 bulbs I believe.

 

too high??? i think mine are waaay too low. cant really see the reflections on street signs.

 

It's a good idea to get it re-aligned. You guys should all see the headlight/wheel alignment process at the factory.
It could be out of spec.

Dan

 

Auto leveling and aiming are 2 separate issues.

Most cars aiming system require using a screw driver or twisting motion of some kind to aim the head lights.

Auto leveling is done on the fly to minimize glare to uncommoning cars (especially if your trunk or back seat has heavy contents).

IMHO auto leveling does nothing. The cars that I find blind me the most:
1) Cadillac
2) BMW

 

I was always curious how effective the auto-leveling systems are.
The first car I saw this feature working was my parents' Hyundai XG. Upon initial start-up of the car, the headlight goes up and then down to the correct level depending on the load of the cabin/trunk.
But how does it effectively level itself when you're parked on a hill?
Because I'm quite sure it didn't level itself while driving.

I see your point. This feature could be less effective than it's designed to be.
I also find the caddys to be blinding me a lot.
But what I HATE the most is those people putting in aftermarket "HID kits" into their halogen bulb designed reflector housings. Not only they're not effective as regular halogen bulbs, it scatters reflections all over the place that it poses a potential danger to oncoming traffics as well.

Dan

 

Agreed. The most blinding are the idiots that put HID kits into halogen reflectors. I did this with my last car (before I knew better) but instantly realized that I was lighting up every street sign and all the trees. I had to aim the headlights so low that it defeated the purpose. I eventually ended up with Lexus LS430 projector retrofitted.

Amazing light output.
Not my ride but same car and same retrofit.

 

^^ You had a Lincoln LS? I ask as I know the guy from another forum that this picture belongs to .


I love the LS430 projectors so much so that when I was buying a secondary car I had to make sure that the headlights will be big enough for an LS430 retrofit , ended up getting a Lexus GS.





output shots from zam2000's E class







BTW the TL WILL at some point have auto leveling or at least the option of adjusting output height. I know this as the headlights have a provision in them that can accommodate the leveling actuators used for most other headlights that have headlight level control. I think down the road Acura will introduce that feature. I'll take pictures of what I am talking about next time I get a set in for work.

 

Wow, that's some clean light output. Probably better than most stock headlights I've seen.
Yeah, when I had my old car back in 2002, I put in those 10000K HIDs in stock housing. I've learned since then and decided to never do that again.
Seeing those cars on the roads w/ illegal HID kits make me fringe.
Hope they learn the same thing one day.

JnC, that's an interesting find.
It could be either they're planning on putting it in in the future, or they decided to remove that function during their development period and the supplier decided to keep the old housing design due to tooling costs.
My friend works at an automotive company that designs and supplies OEM headlight assemblies and that's a very likely case.
It'll be good to see Acura putting in more features in the headlight though.

Dan

 

JNC dude! Small world. I had the Lexus GS. I had the retrofit done professionally and I think it was your pics I sent to them!! I still have my headlights in the garage. Haven't parted with them yet.

 

Yeah I gotta agree with you. I had installed Philips Ultinon 6000K, one with the purple hue and with that hue I could tell the light throw declined downwards fast.

 

It's a cool gimmick but all I can think about is the repair cost for when the sensor breaks. Talk about throwing a few bills down the drain.

 

Most of the cars nowadays are source from the same automotive companies. The few that are from different companies are the expensive cars which are hand built in the factory. Hence why if you look at nissan, acura, lexus on some of the door handles the lock switch is placed in the same exact place. Look at the push button starts in most of the cars noways they all look the same because most come from the same company. I think if someone did a study they would be surprised how many different car manufacturer parts come from the same company.

 

^^ I have worked with Japanese headlights for over 8 years now and it turns out that they keep the provision in the main shell if it needs to be used later down the road.

For instance the current model Honda Accord sedan headlights have opening towards the bottom for a HID ballast but in its 2 or so year run the accord has never been offered with HIDs . The JDM inspire (USDM Accord) is offered with HIDs though. So the shell is the same but the JDM headlights actually use the HID ballast mounting spot where as the USDM ones dont, at least not yet.

May be we should check with our lone Japanese 4G TL owner on the board to see if they get auto-leveling feature.


Small world indeed, I knew I had seen your screen name somewhere else before, I am on ClubLexus as well and remember you posting your set up a while back. Let me know when you decide on doing something with the 4G headlights

 

The 2G RL is known for having a less than reliable AFS system.