Terrible low beam distance (Bi Xenon)

[MR LR]

Hi all,

Something that has been bugging me lately (it's ski season so I am doing a lot of night driving around other vehicles and animals) is the low beam on my 2012 RRS seems to cut-off after about 60m, which honestly is just not enough when you are travelling at 100km/h or more. You quite literally out-drive the available light and it's only sheer luck that stops a kangaroo strike in those conditions.

High beam is great... don't see a need for aux lighting, but what have you done to improve the quite frankly garbage low beam penetration? (hasn't been changed since the car was new).

Adjust the lights up? That's what I'll probably have to do... but don't want to be too discourteous to other motorists.

Cheers
Will

P.S. Bi-Xenon is severely over-rated, give me back my D2a headlights any day...

[Jetfisher]

I agree the bi xenons seem overrated. My 2010 RRS TDV8 Lux is OK at night but low but I would like to improve them. I understand that they deteriorate over time but,
Has anyone changed the globes to something other than OEM? (Aftermarket manufacturers seem to have lots of variations at Repco etc)....If so what brand and is it a simple replacement or are other mods required?

[Rob king]

My '07 has them too.
I've replaced them thinking it might improve things but not really. I drive a lot at night with the foggies on too, it helps light up the verges. No-one seems to complain.
I went on line and sourced some new globes from china, same phillips globe, same part numbers numbers etc, it was just a straight swap.
The originals were 5000K from memory and I went for a whiter 6000k spec but it's made little difference.
Mabe going up to 8000K might help but they'll be very blue.
FYI, I got a packet of 2 philips from ali express, delivered for $11-...
LR wanted $90 each fitted. It took me about 10 mins, taking my time.
Not sure about your later vehicles, but mine had a lever in the headlight to enable the bias to be swapped when crossing boarders and moving from left to right side of the road.
I also see the new Velar is quoting matrix LED so the bi xenon obviously wasn't a success.
regards,
Rob

[101RRS]

My RRS originally had halogens and later I upgraded globes in the projectors (low beam) to 4300K HIDs. The lack of distance is exactly the same with both (though the light is more intense with the HIDs) - it is the design of the lights themselves - the cutoff is inbuilt into the projector and changing the type of globe makes no difference to the cutoff - hence range.

Now I actually think low beam is fine - for my halogen vehicle it is hi beam that is poor - at least with the BiXenons you have your HID hi beam as well as your Halogen fill in Hi beam.

garry

[Graeme]

Whilst not the same headlight but my L322 is fitted with 50W globes whereas the D3/D4 has 35W globes so perhaps the L320 also has 35W. My L322's low beam illuminates to the cut-off quite well although the lights were originally aimed too low and did not illuminate the legally-required minimum distance. I've fitted 50W HID to the high beam fill-in lights for decent distance illumination.

Driving with fog lights on when no fog is illegal and the glare from most of them is annoying to me at least.

[justinc]

I'm very happy with my 06 l322 xenons. Not happy that they serm to have ruined a good headlamp in later models😞

Jc

[Rob king]

I'm afraid I agree with Mr LR. At 110km/hour you're doing 30.5m/ second so a 60m throw is less than 2 seconds. Definitely asking for a roo strike or at least a headache over-concentrating on the way to Thredbo.
Sorry Graeme about the foggies, it's self preservation. They are only 27w cast out and down. I personally don't don't have an issue approaching them on other cars as they're not aimed at me or bright.
But that's interesting about the L322's, yes the RRS are also 35w as you can see in my pic. The headlight is the same so why not upgrade the globes to the 50w?
You might have solved our problem.
Cheers,
Rob

[Rob king]

My RRS originally had halogens and later I upgraded globes in the projectors (low beam) to 4300K HIDs. The lack of distance is exactly the same with both (though the light is more intense with the HIDs) - it is the design of the lights themselves - the cutoff is inbuilt into the projector and changing the type of globe makes no difference to the cutoff - hence range.

Now I actually think low beam is fine - for my halogen vehicle it is hi beam that is poor - at least with the BiXenons you have your HID hi beam as well as your Halogen fill in Hi beam.

garry

Garry,
I've looked into these HID's and read a few reviews.There are two wattages offered; 35 + 55w
I wonder when you converted from hallogen to HID, did you install 55w globes? Graeme seems happy with his L322 low beam as well and he's on the higher wattage, so perhaps that's the issue.
Mine are definately only 35w / 6000K so I looked some up on line today and ordered a pair of 55w bi xenon 6000K.
I'll do some before and after pics once they arrive and post the findings.
At $20.70 delivered, it's worth the exercise.
cheers,
Rob.

[101RRS]

I but in 55w HIDs in my to replace the 55w Halogens. I could be wrong, but with HIDs, within and particular heat range, I understand the globes are the same - it is the ballasts that provide the wattage ratiing - so "55w" HID globes matched to a 30w ballast means you still only have a 30w system.

Also in my view 6000k are too white - everything looks washed out with the eye observing little in the way of contrast as things (like roos) are missed. Really 5000k is the whitest you should go in headlights - 6000k might be whiter but not better.

As I said above, in my view changing to bigger and better globes in the low beam will not increase range - the cutoff is in the design of the projector not the bulb. Adjusting the the headlight assembly might help.

My 98 Freelander had manually adjustable headlights from the dashboard - 4 settings I think - I wonder why it was not carried over to other LR models as it worked well.

Garry

[Rob king]

Thanks Garry,
That might explain things, I have wondered why the saturation isn't better (compared to my previous statesman which was excellent).
It seems 55w should be the spec. Perhaps my first replacement globes were incorrect, but I went from the philips part number.
I've ordered 55w globes with balast. http://s.aliexpress.com/RbAN7vuE (http://s.aliexpress.com/RbAN7vuE)
Point taken over the range, I did see while I was shopping that there are a number of projector lenses also available.
Will give this a go first...
I also noticed a number of insanely powerful LED replacements for the H4 hallogen high beams too... they have braided leads and onboard fans though so the heat in a sealed light unit worries me.
It's not like the plastic lenses are replaceable on their own. I've seen too many go milky and the only option is an expensive entire assembly replacement.
The temperature colour is difficult. you may well be right, but as I have 6000K now, the comparison will at least be be apples with apples.
Another set of 5000K is no real expense.
I'll post the results in 2-3 weeks when they arrive.
Rob.

[101RRS]

The hi beams are not H4 but are H7. There is a thread in the Fat RR section on LEDs - basically in Hi Beam they push out plenty of light but range is still not quite there so if you have bi xenons or halogens stay with them but go with the hi output plus series of halogens for hi beam in the halogen lights or the same hi output plus globes for the filler lights on the bi Xenons.

Garry

[101RRS]

I've ordered 55w globes with balast. http://s.aliexpress.com/RbAN7vuE (http://s.aliexpress.com/RbAN7vuE)


They indicate that they are D1S format where the Bi Xenons in the RRS are D2S so not sure if the ones you are getting will fit.

Also with these having the ballast inbuilt on the globe I am not sure they will fit with the weather cap in place. I have HIDs in my low beam with the seperate ballast which fits inside the light housing housing - indeed when I also had HIDs in my Hi beams the ballast for them also fitted inside the housing.

Garry

[Rob king]

Garry,
As mentioned earlier, I already have these HID's in my headlights. Just 35w not 55w.
They fit the socket perfectly and have plenty of clearance to the weather cap.
Dont know why I'd want a separate balast floating around in there.
Rob

[101RRS]

Ok - thats great - seeing it works for you I might also give it a go as my HIDs have been in for a long time and light output is not what it used to be. Having halogen housings I will have to get the H7 version.

Cheers

Garry

[Fatso]

Does anyone know how to lift the distance of the beam cut off point , this must be a design factor irrelevant to what type of globes are in the headlight , it looks as though a barrier is blocking the beam lenght like a half pulled down blind ?? .

[Tombie]

My '07 has them too.
I've replaced them thinking it might improve things but not really. I drive a lot at night with the foggies on too, it helps light up the verges. No-one seems to complain.
I went on line and sourced some new globes from china, same phillips globe, same part numbers numbers etc, it was just a straight swap.
The originals were 5000K from memory and I went for a whiter 6000k spec but it's made little difference.
Mabe going up to 8000K might help but they'll be very blue.
FYI, I got a packet of 2 philips from ali express, delivered for $11-...
LR wanted $90 each fitted. It tool me about 10 mins, taking my time.
Not sure about your later vehicles, but mine had a lever in the headlight to enable the bias to be swapped when crossing boarders and moving from left to right side of the road.
I also see the new Velar is quoting matrix LED so the bi xenon obviously wasn't a success.
regards,
Rob

The higher in temp you go the worse your vision will get.

And prime temp is 3,800-4,200k

[Graeme]

Does anyone know how to lift the distance of the beam cut off point , this must be a design factor irrelevant to what type of globes are in the headlight , it looks as though a barrier is blocking the beam lenght like a half pulled down blind ?? .
Bi-xenons have a shutter that is raised for high beam use. There are adjustment screws to properly align the beams but both the bi-xenon assembly and high beam fill-in reflectors are adjusted as 1. Adjusting the low beam cut-off upwards adjusts the assembly rather than the shutter.

[Rob king]

Bi-xenons have a shutter that is raised for high beam use. There are adjustment screws to properly align the beams but both the bi-xenon assembly and high beam fill-in reflectors are adjusted as 1. Adjusting the low beam cut-off upwards adjusts the assembly rather than the shutter.
Graeme,
A friend of mine has a problem in his '07 SC sport, the drivers side high beam can take up to 15 seconds to drop. Do you know how the shutter is operated? and whether a 'sticky' shutter is common?
(His also has adaptive cornering - so may be more complex)
thanks, Rob.

[Graeme]

The shutters can get sticky, usually from lack of use where lots of high/low beam selection seems to be the cure. Adaptive lighting shouldn't be any different as far as shutter operation is concerned.

[Rob king]

The shutters can get sticky, usually from lack of use where lots of high/low beam selection seems to be the cure. Adaptive lighting shouldn't be any different as far as shutter operation is concerned.

Thanks Graeme,
I'll pass that on. - Yes, he hardly uses it. Too many choices.
We wondered if it might be a spring return issue or in need of some lubricant.
Will get him to cycle it a few times and see if that fixes it.
cheers,
Rob.

[Fatso]

Bi-xenons have a shutter that is raised for high beam use. There are adjustment screws to properly align the beams but both the bi-xenon assembly and high beam fill-in reflectors are adjusted as 1. Adjusting the low beam cut-off upwards adjusts the assembly rather than the shutter.

I only have halogen lights H7 Bulb i think , the low beam is nearly usless for forward range as it is just cut off to short .

[101RRS]

I only have halogen lights H7 Bulb i think , the low beam is nearly usless for forward range as it is just cut off to short .

Remembering of course that is what low beam is all about - longer range means going to high beam but these days there are just too many oncoming cars. I find low beam is fine for driving around town but not so good anywhere else.

Garry

[Fatso]

Remembering of course that is what low beam is all about - longer range means going to high beam but these days there are just too many oncoming cars. I find low beam is fine for driving around town but not so good anywhere else.

Garry

My Volvo or previouse falcon does/did not end in a dark line about 50/60mts in front on low beam , there is just no deph . I live in a rural area and most of the time on low beam due to traffic and most of the time it is hopefull that nothing is in the dark section above what you can see , might pull the headlight apart and see if i can see what actualy cuts the beam off about half way where it should be .

[Rob king]

Just an update...
The new HID's I ordered turned up and I planned a scientific 'before and after' set of pics from both inside and in front of the car with yellow markers at 10m increments.
I opened the box yestrerday to find I had been sent 35w not the 55w globes I selected!.. One of the perils of doing business on-line I guess.
I've ordered another set from a different supplier and included a very concise message to to the supplier trying to ensure it doesnt happen again.... but we'll see.
(The second vendor's name come up as 'ISIVE sex products store' so that hardly instils confidence)
I opened a dispute over the first set and sought a refund... again, we'll see....
Sorry folks, I'll update you as the new set arrives.
Rob.

[Tombie]

They indicate that they are D1S format where the Bi Xenons in the RRS are D2S so not sure if the ones you are getting will fit.

Also with these having the ballast inbuilt on the globe I am not sure they will fit with the weather cap in place. I have HIDs in my low beam with the seperate ballast which fits inside the light housing housing - indeed when I also had HIDs in my Hi beams the ballast for them also fitted inside the housing.

Garry

Garry,

From everything I’ve learnt that “box” is not the ballast..
The ballast is underneath the light assembly.

[101RRS]

Yes - I don't know - it was just that Rob said the Box was the ballast. My only experience with HIDs has a separate ballast that fits inside the headlight assembly held in place with velcro dots.

Cheers

garry

[Rob king]

That was my understanding, but it looks like you're right Tombie.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/10/78.jpg
Sorry for the bum steer.
Rob.

[Rob king]

It's like ground hog day.... the saga continues.
I ordered a new set, made sure I contacted the supplier first to ensure they send 55w, package arrived today, ....opened with much anticipation... 35w![bawl]
Another dispute opened with Ali Express and another refund requested.
Seems I'm massing a bit of stock in the process... if anyone's interested in a pair of 35w 6000k, HID D1S globes let me know!..

Will try again, perhaps 3rd time lucky. starting to wonder if 55w actually exists beyond the advertising.....
Rob.

[MR LR]

In the end I adjusted the headlights up, which works great for me, but every now-and-then I get a flash from a car coming the other way if I'm cresting a hill or something where the lights are pointing up even more.

Unfortunately for them, I'd rather annoy 1 in 1000 people coming the other way than hit a kangaroo...

Can't help but feel there are a lot of backwards steps in this automotive progress... my Disco 2 was much more relaxing to drive.

[Rob king]

In the end I adjusted the headlights up, which works great for me, but every now-and-then I get a flash from a car coming the other way if I'm cresting a hill or something where the lights are pointing up even more.

Unfortunately for them, I'd rather annoy 1 in 1000 people coming the other way than hit a kangaroo...

Can't help but feel there are a lot of backwards steps in this automotive progress... my Disco 2 was much more relaxing to drive.

In my research to date, it seems to be a product of the projector shape and shutter settings.
Apparently the 35w and 55w HID's are the generally the same item. They respond to the ballast. So more lumens being emitted from the 55w may give a brighter and longer high beam, and maybe more low beam saturation, but they don't extend the low beam range which is governed by the shutter in the projector..... which is the problem!
Adjusting the stops in the shutter mechanism if possible to give another 20m or so would be an improvement.
Rob.