Headlights too low?

[Segmeister]

Hi- great forum, new member and looking for some help?

I've had my GTI since March 1st and absolutely love it! But recently it has developed a few issues.  The first two I have found some answers on here for. A loud dashboard noise (worse in Sports mode but now happening in normal) and a knocking noise coming from the rear. But I cannot see anything for the headlight issue I'm having?

Until now haven't driven the car at night in an area with no street lights.   Now I have, I can hardly see in front of me!! The headlights seem to be set too low in the road and it appears you cannot adjust the height?  Has anyone experienced this?

[andrewparker]

Common complaint unfortunately. Can't say I've experienced it, but I don't think I've driven mine in the dark yet!

Seems daft to go to the lengths of developing very attractive bi-xenon lights that fail in the one thing they should be best at.

[Phil 117]

Same problem buddy. When it rains in the dark. Well it's an accident waiting to happen with those lights and wipers.

[Segmeister]

Oh! I thought these headlights were meant to be much better?    I need to book in anyway to get the noises sorted, can the dealer adjust them?

[mcmaddy]

The lights in the dark are brilliant so something must be wrong with the calibration of the lights. Dealer will sort no problem.

[monkeyhanger]

I've found that the distance range isn't amazing on mine, but the lit areas on the road in front of me are all strongly lit with very little fade towards the outer edges. I wonder how the LED headlights that Audi and Seat can spec compare with Xenons.

[mjh_056]

I've found that the distance range isn't amazing on mine, but the lit areas on the road in front of me are all strongly lit with very little fade towards the outer edges. I wonder how the LED headlights that Audi and Seat can spec compare with Xenons.

Suppose there is a little of what you were used to before that comes into this as my previous experience was standard lights that were really poor. As someone described better than me in being no more than candles to the night.

So these Xenon to me are a major uplift and the dynamic and cornering lights both do their jobs really well and something take as the normal now though.

Distance Range is not amazing though as you state and you cannot adjust them like would in past, but what is lit is bright and clear and once used to the distance limits you drive to them.

Maybe due to brightness the distance limit has had to be reduced to stop blinding oncoming drivers?

Seen the LED on road now and they look really bright as come towards you but be interested to see how much brighter they are? and if distance is compromised as a result.

So for me there is a huge difference

One thing have noticed is they must get pretty hot as no matter the wash jet you are left with a thin layer of baked on dirt around lamp centers that go a little yellowy if left.

[dubber36]

Distance Range is not amazing though as you state and you cannot adjust them like would in past

Obviously there is not switch on the dash for height/range adjustments of xenon lights, but surely there are adjustment screws on the lights themselves? If so, would it not just be a matter of tweaking them up a bit when shining against the garage door then going for a drive to see if they are better?

[VWcezGTI7]

Coming from a guy that lives in an area with barely any street lights at night, I have seen and been in much worse. The GTI's Xenons are acceptable in terms of vision and light intensity when getting used to dark rides. The edge of the light on the road seem to perfectly line up under an incoming driver's head so that it doesn't cause any dazzling. I think VW did a great job preventing that and at the same time improve the zone of vision. You just have to get used to driving in those dark nights for it not to be an issue. I wouldn't mess around with the height of the lights IMO (wouldn't want a car to be dazzled with my lights and possibly cause loss of vision putting myself in danger), although I drive with high beam on most of the time when nobody is around. I just like to see the beams twist and turn whenever I'm going through corners!

[mjh_056]

Distance Range is not amazing though as you state and you cannot adjust them like would in past

Obviously there is not switch on the dash for height/range adjustments of xenon lights, but surely there are adjustment screws on the lights themselves? If so, would it not just be a matter of tweaking them up a bit when shining against the garage door then going for a drive to see if they are better?

Think they can be calibrated if they are aligned outside the specified center on a level surface.

But as these lights adjust to whatever the condition either bending left to right dynamically as turn or up and down depending on gradient then manually adjusting them should not be something attempted.