Headlights - Is it me or are they useless

S

srhutch

Legend
 East Sussex, UK
Non Xenon Z4 headlights are they useless on dipped beam or is it just me?

I can only guess that they are lower to the ground than most cars and as a result they cast less light due to the angle they need to be set at to reduce dazzle to other drivers.

Can I do aything about it?
 
nope your rite they are pretty useless on dipped beam,my wife and i were discusing this the other day,ok on full beam but pretty chit on dipped
 
BlackSapphireZ said:
try raising them up. they tend to go down after time. it's plenty bright
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Sounds like that could be the problem as I had no complaints on 2003 Zed which were Non Xenon.
 
i had the same problem and the dealer raise then up

now they are ok but the lamps are a little weak
 
Let me go against the trend and say mine are pretty good. Z4 seem to be similar in performance to the X5

They do however tend to have the beam cut to throw too much up and left into the hedge rather than straight ahead.

Main is actually the issue on mine when on dark roads. The reflections back from roadside signs are so bright as to blind, again perhaps as we're low??
 
Mine were also bad on my old 2003 Z4

I asked the dealer to raise them and never had a problem since - in fact I would say they were pretty good

mitch
 
I'm happy with mine as well but as cj said, on high they do tend to cast more to the left and right. A bit more ahead wouldn't hurt but at the same time, doesn't bother me at all.
 
I had to raise the aim on my headlights on both my 335i and M Coupe, MUCH better. The adjuster just needs to be turned clockwise a few revolutions with a HEX wrench (be careful not to raise them too high so as to blind oncoming traffic).
 
Think I will try and raise them, if it blinds drivers coming the other way I can use the electronic adjuster to lower them, will let you know.
 
i agree with this i hate driving mine in the dark down country roads the lamps are just so weak. wish i could change for zenons
 
Just dump a couple hundred pounds into the trunk, that'll lower your rear and raise your front end. Failing that, you could always have them adjusted up. I did mine right after I got the car and they're fine.
 
enfield said:
I have become used to bi-xenon's and now I find the other headlights useless. Am I becoming a headlight snob?? :oops:
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What do you think of the xenon lights on your FX45? I was so used to the xenon's on my Z4 and was shocked by how useless the xenon's were on my G35 coupe when I bought it. :( I often have to double-check to make sure the headlight lever is at the on position.
 
GP20 said:
enfield said:
I have become used to bi-xenon's and now I find the other headlights useless. Am I becoming a headlight snob?? :oops:
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What do you think of the xenon lights on your FX45? I was so used to the xenon's on my Z4 and was shocked by how useless the xenon's were on my G35 coupe when I bought it. :( I often have to double-check to make sure the headlight lever is at the on position.
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There was a recall on the bi-xenon's on my FX45. The new ones are better than the old. The BMW's are just a wee bit better still. I have manual control from inside to level the lights on the FX. I have 3 manual levels and then the top beams. The manual leveling system helps with towing and also when I want more visibility when not towing.
 
just uhm because i'm a keep it simple kinda guy....i know alot of UK models have that tilt thing for the lights....it's up right?
 
You can try Osram silverstar(50% more light output) or Philips blue vision plus (50% more light and whiter colour)
 
Aebous said:
just uhm because i'm a keep it simple kinda guy....i know alot of UK models have that tilt thing for the lights....it's up right?
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Most halogen light equipped UK cars have a knurled adjuster close to the light switch or near the stalk to raise or lower the beam. Usually has 3 marked positions but is variable anywhere between. Idea is simply to compensate for heavy loads. We can actually fail our annual test for lights being too low so it's always a game with them.

Xenons - it's my understanding that they have to have a fully automatic adjustment system fitted, hence no internal adjusters. Actually one of the reason correct retrofit xenon is so expensive as all the sensors have to be built into the suspension system, not just lights and ballasts dropped in
 
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