Headlights are way too dim since car was new.I have other vehicles and don’t drive the edge at night whenever possible. I noticed other similar complaints on your website so I am convinced this to be a problem.
Not sure what that means. Are you saying you avoid driving at dusk and dawn, b/c that’s when visibility seems the worse?
Most complaints about new-vehicle headlights we get here, at least a few years ago, they are too bright, rather than too dim. Overly bright headlights makes it difficult for other drivers. Haven’t noticed as many complaints lately about overly bright headlights, so maybe manufacturers are making them dimmer now, and that’s what you are noticing.
If you think your particular car’s headlights are too dim, possible causes you could ask your shop to check
- Battery/alternator
- Headlight assy’s
- Headlight electronics/relays
- Headlight connectors
- Headlight grounds
Are you SURE you are not driving with the daytime running lights (DRL)? At night with the engine running, walk around the car, if the tail lights are not on then you are only using the DRLs. Turn on your lights! Set the headlight control to Auto or ON.
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It might be worth checking the aim to make sure it’s correct. Are the headlight lenses perfectly clear and clean inside and outside?
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Join the crowd.
Tester
In-laws had a Volvo S70 with chronically dim headlights. We replaced the relay and cleaned every electrical contact we could find, to no avail. After about 15 years, we tried a cheap HID headlight retrofit kit. Sister in law was thrilled with the improvement. No one ever flashed high beams at her so they must not have been too bad. They didn’t trigger any dash warning lights.
I find that my 20+ year old BMW headlights get so old that even regular polishing does not take the yellow out of the headlight covers and the lights start to look dim and yellow,. Aftermarket LED bulbs make them look like new car headlights. They are not legal of course, and they do trigger warning lights on the dash if I don’t install parallel resistors in the circuit, but drawing extra current defeats some of the reason for using LEDs. I am not greatly concerned about causing an accident because I have compared them side-by side, and in spite of the wild claims made by the LED manufacturers, they are not noticeably brighter or sharper than new halogen bulbs with new plastic covers.
I’ve checked the aim, cleanness inside and out of the lens. I’m going to verify if the correct bulbs are installed. When I called the service shop the service person stated the correct bulbs were installed, if not they would not work at all. He hung up.
Phillip R Cooper Jr
Simplest option is to put in Sylvania Silverstar bulb (assuming yours are halogens). Are they?
I think they are. Will verify when the vehicle returns.
Phillip R Cooper Jr
The NHTSA website addresses this issue. Many cars have headlights that do a poor job. Sometimes different trim levels of a car have different levels of headlight performance. If you find that on this website about your car, it might be possible to have the better ones installed on your car.
Consumer Reports included headlights in their ratings for a while, but no more. I will look at NHTSA ratings next time I am looking for a new or newer car - with luck, not until prices and availability have recovered.