[mestes1999]

I'm really surprised the DOT/NTSB/whoever doesn't require HID headlights on every new car after a certain year for better visibility/safety purposes, the same way they did with ABS, airbags, etc.

[bmwmnation]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

I don't know about all this stuff....but I do know that my LEDs are bright and white as hell and people flash me all the time. I see better with these headlights than with any other car I have owned.

My wife's car is a XC60 with bi-xenon and when I drive her car now, I say why are these headlights so dim and yellow.

Ya this sounds like crap to me...

[bmwmnation]

Originally Posted by ZGirl07

And the Toyota Prius scored the best. I heard this on the news yesterday. I guess we're driving the wrong cars.

I mean do you want to drive a camry over a 3 series because of some lame article on lights? Lol if so go ahead...

[larrysing]

Originally Posted by cjmcdonald86

Are we sure they're not talking about the Hallogen lights? Because, they're sooo horrible!!!

They did specifically mention the Halogen lights. "Among the 44 headlight systems earning a poor rating, the halogen lights on the BMW 3 series are the worst."

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

BMW has had issues aiming their lights for awhile now. This is nothing new. The Xenons on the e9x were aimed way too low.

[larrysing]

Originally Posted by Mo@BMWofFairfax

BMW has had issues aiming their lights for awhile now. This is nothing new. The Xenons on the e9x were aimed way too low.

This. ^^^^

I had to adjust the aim upward on both of the E90s I bought.

[firedown31]

Originally Posted by CanadianGatorBacon

So for people who want to address this issue in their cars, better to code it euro spec (if able) or adjust headlight aim?

Code them to euro specs, absolutely.

Originally Posted by CanadianGatorBacon

As a note on adjusting headlight aim, it seems from the tests that high beams worked fine for the most part, and that low beams were the real problem. So will adjusting the low beam to point higher mean lighting up the tops of trees instead of roads with the high beams?

Yes, there isn't a separate aim for low and high, both will now be higher.

[guydude]

Originally Posted by TBN54

I drive around with my high beams all day and night.

halogen headlights huh? sux

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by ZGirl07

And the Toyota Prius scored the best. I heard this on the news yesterday. I guess we're driving the wrong cars.

The people who run the tests all drive them, so go figure.

[KGB_123_99]

I find that the xenons on my car are inferior to the xenons on my wife's Audi. There could be some truth to this...

[rjd598]

i've been saying this for years, but i still don't understand why we get halogens on base model bmws. why does a 428i come with xenons standard and a 328i with halogens?

i have leds on my f30 and they are great. the angel eyes alone are very bright and now with the led fogs the lighting is amazing. idk why they got such bad reviews. what other headlights are considered better?

[3M TAPE]

Funny, just did a 2-hour trip in a new 2016 328i xDrive Sport Line loaner car with LED low beams.
The headlights were very bright and I loved it.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by bmwmnation

I mean do you want to drive a camry over a 3 series because of some lame article on lights? Lol if so go ahead...

The "difference" between those two vehicles is shrinking.

[3M TAPE]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

The "difference" between those two vehicles is shrinking.

You're kidding right?

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by BigMacMeal

You're kidding right?

Not at all. Big difference in the E46/less so with the E90 vs. the Camry at the time...but the current version with 276 BHP or whatever it is doesn't feel that different to an F30 3 series.

It is just that the Toyota has gotten "better" in certain areas and the BMW has moved more mainstream.

[CntryClub007]

I'm still trying to understand why Xenon's (and future LED) aren't standard on every BMW hitting the United States. In foreign markets, I completely understand why halogens would exist (price point), however BMW is a luxury brand in the US, which should have luxury standard features equipped.

It's similar to appointed surface treatments, you can't really get a BMW in the US with cloth. You can only get fake leather (Sensatec) or leather. 99% of non BMW enthusiasts don't really know the difference, it just elevates the consumer experience (Sensatec or leather). They just assume it's leather because it's a BMW.

There is nothing uglier than seeing a 328i M-Sport with Fixed Piston Calipers, Staggered Wheels, Navigation, and Halogen headlamps. Talk about buzzkill on the lights.

[Beartato]

As someone who picked up his car with the headlights basically pointed at the ground, and after having the dealer "fix" them still is disappointed, I'm not surprised. The headlights are so bright the cut off creates a line which I can't see past. I live in an area too that doesn't have a lot of streetlights too.

[CntryClub007]

Originally Posted by mestes1999

I'm really surprised the DOT/NTSB/whoever doesn't require HID headlights on every new car after a certain year for better visibility/safety purposes, the same way they did with ABS, airbags, etc.

Couldn't agree more. Wasn't there a back up camera mandate for 2015+ or was that Honda offering it in every new 2015+ model?

Just bake the cost into the cost of the car as a standard feature and people are going to pay it.

[X3paul]

Originally Posted by TBN54

I drive around with my high beams all day and night.

I use front AND rear foglights too!

[CanadianGatorBacon]

I think some people are confusing the point of this report. Yes your headlights may be bright where they shine. So your LEDs or xenons may look bright. But, the problem is how bright they are where they shine, it's where they aren't shining. The problem is more with where the beam puts the light, and according to the report, BMW low beams for the 2er and 3er (no matter which type of headlight you have) are not putting the light out far enough in front of the car.

It doesn't really come down to how can my super pricey LEDs be worse than the halogens on a Toyota?!?!? The LEDs and xenons light themselves are far more likely than not categorically better than many of the other lights that scored better, it's just the BMW isn't using them properly.

[sq86]

This doesn't surprise me. I don't know how BMW can offer inadequate halogen lights on a car in this segment when their competitors offer xenon headlights as standard equipment. What surprised me even more was when they offered LED as an upgrade to the halogen instead of offering xenon as the base.

Also the headlight level as delivered from the factory is far too low and requires you to adjust them upwards. I find it dangerous to have them pointed so low. As the study indicated most people don't know how to adjust them.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by BigMacMeal

You're kidding right?

No, he's not kidding - he drives a PORSCHE