Is something wrong with my lights

Magio

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Jul 30, 2016
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Hey guys as some of you may know I recently bought a 2016 Honda Accord Coupe Touring with the LED headlights. While they are super bright and definitely the best headlights I have ever driven with, for some reason the beams from both headlights look weird. The passenger side headlight is noticeably dimmer straight ahead than the driver side, and the driver side seems to have a weird flare up right over the hotspot.

When I first bought the car the driver side was aimed much lower than the passenger side and was almost pointed at the ground. I brought the driver side up to where the hotspot is visually level with the passenger side( yes I'm aware that they should be professionally aimed but there is no need to be professionally aiming defective headlights) but that weird flare up has me worried now that I'm blinding oncoming traffic. Just wondering what you guys think of how these beams look shining on a wall, and should I take it back to my dealer and complain?



 

Grizzman

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There's not much light dispersion feedback I can offer through the Internet.

I don't know if you should take it back to the dealer and complain, but I'd take it back to the dealer to have them checked...mentioning that one of them seemed to have been aimed low and you adjusted it yourself.
 

jzchen

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Or turn it back to the way it was and just say something seems amiss. (They might blame you if anything is currently wrong as you adjusted it.)
 

SubLGT

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Ask your Honda dealer if they have an optical aimer.
Have other drivers been flashing you?
 

Magio

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I have not been flashed per se but I have had quite a few other drivers that were in front of me pull over let me by on multiple occasions. When I bought the car the driver side was pointed to the ground and the highbeam on that side was useless as it didn't reach hardly any farther than the passenger side did on lowbeam. So then I brought the driver side up level with passenger side and the highbeam is much more effective now like it should be and the reach of the lowbeam is about where it should be too. The problem is that flare up just above the driver side hotspot. It is pointed up above horizontal and quite clearly shining in other peoples eye now. I'm almost certain that flare up shouldn't be there and its not there on the passenger side light either. I'm just afraid that if I take it back to the dealer they just gonna look and see that the lights are working and tell me thats how its supposed to be, just to get out of warrantying it.

And like I said earlier the second issue is that although it may not seem that way from the pictures the passenger side is very noticeably dimmer than the driver side. I might just try taking it back to the dealer to see what they say but I know I'm not going to get any where. Just gonna get stuck with a diagnostic bill and no work performed. Waist of money. If I had something concrete to tell them I might have better luck, but I have no way to prove the lights are defective. Maybe if someone else had a beam shot of how their lights look I might could take it by the dealer and show them how mine looks different or something. I might need to ask for beam shots on the Accord forums. Might have better luck than asking for them there rather than here.
 

-Virgil-

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Well, don't convince yourself they're going to say "No" until they actually do. The first step has to be going in and complaining about it. You could always take another car with the same headlamps for a test drive after dark and see what you see.
 

Alaric Darconville

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I'd compare the lens markings very carefully between one another. If you didn't buy the car brand-new, maybe one of the lamps was replaced after a minor collision. Or, there was a minor collision without visible exterior damage on the lamp and it only reveals itself when the lamp is lit.

Obviously, if you see TYC or DEPO on either lamp, that's a no-go at this station.
 

Magio

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Well, don't convince yourself they're going to say "No" until they actually do. The first step has to be going in and complaining about it. You could always take another car with the same headlamps for a test drive after dark and see what you see.
I'll mention it when I take it in for service. Not going to take time off work and pay the shop just to tell me there's nothing wrong with them.

I'd compare the lens markings very carefully between one another. If you didn't buy the car brand-new, maybe one of the lamps was replaced after a minor collision. Or, there was a minor collision without visible exterior damage on the lamp and it only reveals itself when the lamp is lit.

Obviously, if you see TYC or DEPO on either lamp, that's a no-go at this station.
VOR Stanley on both headlights. I bought the car at 7K miles. No reported accidents, and no slightly missaligned panels or touchup paint marks to indicate a minor fenderbender.
 

Alaric Darconville

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When I bought the car the driver side was pointed to the ground and the highbeam on that side was useless as it didn't reach hardly any farther than the passenger side did on lowbeam.
Also, 7,000mi seems to indicate it was a rental vehicle. Maybe someone monkeyed with it, or the car was abused (nothing performs like a rental car!).
 

Magio

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No the vehicle was not a rental car. Also the adjustment screws for the headlights are surrounded in plastic and there were no scuff marks to indicate that someone had tampered with them. After I adjusted the one I could see scuff marks on it. I see no evidence whatsoever that the previous owner caused any kind of damage to car or the the headlights. Car is in pristine condition. After I take it to the dealer I'll report back with what they said.
 
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Magio

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I took another photo of the lights this time on highbeam and I noticed that the highbeam is misaligned too, especially on the passenger side headlight. So the driver side has issues on lowbeam, and the passenger side has issues on highbeam....think I'm going to try taking it to the dealer this weekend and see what they say. I've driven plenty of times at night and never was suspect of the highbeams, but the wallshot reveals there's definitely something wrong.
 
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Magio

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Took it to the dealership and showed them those photos. They said they didn't see anything wrong in the photo but they took the car in the back to check it anyway. Came back and told me everything was good and within Honda spec. I can't argue with them because I don't know how they should look either. None of the dealerships in my area have Touring Coupes( coupe's headlights look different from the sedans) so I would have to drive a long ways to find another dealership that has one in stock. Didnt charge me anything.
 
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