:showbutt:

I was coming home yesterday afternoon and my attention was immediately attracted by a candy apple blue fast and furious body kitted JDM special. It had so many aftermarket fake panels on it that I couldn't even see what it used to be. It also had no visible front plate. What really attracted my attention was the aftermarket HID's. In spite of it being in very bright afternoon sun the brilliant blue colour and blinding glare was almost unbearable. I can only wonder what it must be like for other road users after dark. It's a local car and I will be looking for it again to get it removed from the road. I really wonder why idiots do things like that. They must have been flashed at night and I can't imagine having it drive towards me...or have it following me. :failed:

I worked last night...and had a beautiful F250 follow me from Cowichan Bay into Duncan....at 11:30 pm. A nice truck...except for the aftermarket HID's which lit up the inside of the bus like it was the movie set of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"! And, of course, reflected from my rearview mirrors and basically made it impossible for me to see the dark road ahead! But, there was a fix for it! :fullofwin:

I reached out to my drivers side mirror and adjusted it so that the light reflected directly back to the driver. These lights were so bright I could see the reflection again in the grill of the truck....and I knew when I had the mirror at the proper angle. If you have power mirrors...it's much easier to do! Well...the driver must of caught the hint...because he pulled over and let me get quite a ways ahead of him before he continued. What I can't understand ...as you mentioned....would a vehicle owner want to put up with OTHERS not appreciating those HID's? I know...some just don't care.....

That is almost as effective as the pair of rearward facing Remmington Brushmasters i was trying to rig up. :D

I knew having HID's in my last car (installed by the previous owner) was a problem when the US Border guards were yelling at me to shut off my headlights when they were asking the usual questions. I didn't know how to shut them off other than turning off my car. because they were just wired into the existing halogen system. I got rid of them as soon as one of the bulbs died a week after my last trip. Speaking of the States, the ricer crowd down there LOVES their HID's, especially the purple-hued ones.

That aside, being followed (tailgated) by lifted trucks with the brighest HID's possible is a major pain in the ass since I can't see anything out of any of my mirrors even if I get out of their lane. I have no idea why they would install them other than out of ignorance arguing "I can see more of the road, therefore it's safer". Not when the drivers around you can't

but even the cars that i know come with stock hid's (or at least the ones that i know that have a stock housing ) like the newer cars, sometimes they blind the shit outta me too..

Are vehicles with HID headlamps required to have an adjustment dial inside the cabin to raise and lower the headlight aim?

No. No luxury/regular car I know of have this. Most high end cars have autoleveling projectors, which aim the light accordingly.

I know on the E46, if you have the factory HID system, your lights are autoleveling.

Right - and if it is not auto levelling then there must be a manual adjustment dial, right?

Well yes, but its not inside the cabin. It's on the back of the headlight, even auto leveling cars have it, it sets the range within which they can level or adjust.

Even older cars have it. Most sensible people who put HID's into reflector housings aim them way down so they don't piss off other drivers, but some people refuse to acknowledge the existence of such a feature on their lights.

I've been in a few non-luxury cars where there is a dial on the dash to adjust the aim of the lights.

It's to compensate for the higher aim when there is weight in the back of the car. I swear that there is some requirement for a way to adjust the aim, either automatically or manually from inside the cabin. You can't expect someone to fiddle with adjustment knobs under the hood when they put their fat children in the back seat.


IMO, if a light is on the verge of being so bright that it needs adjustment when there are passengers or cargo in the back of the vehicle to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, they shouldn't be permitted.


Most sensible people don't put HIDs into reflector housings.

Sorry Bro, your headlights are so bright I didn't realize you were behind me when I braked. So, want to go through ICBC? :troll:

The more sensible of the senseless people lol***


It is a requirement for them to be adjustable depending on road condition, I've read that too (on this forum). I never knew there were cars with dials inside the cabin for adjusting headlight aiming, though.

Your right there is a dial inside some of the non-premium cars...especially those that don't have auto leveling headlights, and those without projectors have them for sure

something like this http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forum...s-too-dial.jpg

What factory bulbs do most high end cars use? 4300k or 6000k? I'm thinking about doing an install for my is250, but i don't want be a douche by installing the super bright kinds.

iirc, 4300K is the stock temp on all hid units
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