2008 Hid Lights - Adjustment/leave On?

[Genoz World]

TO ALL of you that are technically well versed, i would like to ask you about the HID headlight system on my 2008 #6 prius.

#1) is it safe to leave these lights on all the time as i drive? using it as a DRL option? safe meaning will it significantly shorten the life of the HID system? i mainly drive in the daytime, approximately 40-70 miles a day, depending on work loads.

#2) when i do drive at night, i feel the HID system points too far DOWNWARD, it's not too bright for me. i would like to adjust the system a bit higher, but i do realize there is a self-leveler. Do i adjust the leveler or manually adjust the lights.

forgive me in advance if this is a multiple post, i tried to research HID, but nothing significant showed up.

my car being black, i'm noticing people NOT being able to see me as much as the lighter/brighter colors. i have to also admit that i'm a bit afraid to get hit or cutoff.............................our cars are very rare to purchase now!

[qbee42]

1) It is safe to leave them on all of the time, but capsule life will be shortened. The capsules are fairly expensive to replace if you do it yourself. If the dealer does it, they are outrageous.

2) The downward aim is mostly a function of the brightness and sharp cutoff of HID lights. Most of us are used to normal headlamps, which spill a lot more light down the road and into the eyes of oncoming traffic. Good HIDs have a very sharp divide between the light and the dark. Yours are probably adjusted the way they should be. If you really need to adjust them, there is a screw adjuster on each lamp assembly.

Tom

[Genoz World]

QBEE - thanks tom, are the adjustment screws easy to find? i haven't taken a look, but if i manually adjust them, will the self leveler compensate for this? for example, i aim it a bit higher, the leveler automatically compensates. will this be the case?

[Bill Merchant]

The auto-leveler for the HID headlamps compensates for the attitude of the car. If you load weight in the back, so it sinks lower under the weight, the front of the car points upward and the HID lights could blind oncoming drivers. The screws on the back of the lights set where the lights point and the auto-leveler keeps them pointed at the same spot with a load.

Don't go blinding other drivers.

[Genoz World]

BILL - i have no intentions of blinding other drivers. as i said in my OP, i have problems seeing at night with my HID system.

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Gene,

The more that you use the HID headlights, the more quickly the expensive bulbs will fail. However if you feel that having them on during the daytime is a helpful safety measure, then peace.

Regarding headlight aim, I assume your car is under warranty, so why not have your dealer check the aim and correct it if necessary. Maybe the auto-leveling mechanism is not working, which causes the aim to be too low.

[galaxee]

as others have said, you will burn out the bulbs more quickly by having them on all the time. stick a couple bucks away every month into a bulb replacement fund and you'll be fine. as an unexpected expense, it's a bit of a shock.

since HIDs are so bright, a professional adjustment is safest. DH does not even give out instructions for adjusting these, because the cutoff line for blinding other drivers is so fine.

[Genoz World]

NOW that makes sense.

Thanks for the constructive help. i'll bring it to the dealer - make sure the lights are pointed in the right altitude. i doubt they are correct because my daughters #2, standard bulbs, light up the street - making it easier for me to see. This can't be right with the HID's.

[sdtundra]

Originally Posted by Genoz World

NOW that makes sense.

Thanks for the constructive help. i'll bring it to the dealer - make sure the lights are pointed in the right altitude. i doubt they are correct because my daughters #2, standard bulbs, light up the street - making it easier for me to see. This can't be right with the HID's.

the stock ones light up more than the HIDs? If your daughters lights are anything like mine, then id say your HIDs ahve a problem. My Package 2 has such dim lights that you cant even tell they're on.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by Genoz World

NOW that makes sense.

Thanks for the constructive help. i'll bring it to the dealer - make sure the lights are pointed in the right altitude. i doubt they are correct because my daughters #2, standard bulbs, light up the street - making it easier for me to see. This can't be right with the HID's.

Standard lights often "light up the street" better than HIDs. That's because they throw light all over the place, even on low beam. HIDs are much brighter, but keep the light where it should be. Many driver's don't like this, as they feel they can't see far enough down the road. That's what high beams are for.

Take your car out at night onto an empty road, and switch between high and low beam. If the high beams give you good illumination down the road, then the lights are adjusted properly. Most likely it's just a matter of you not being used to the sharp contrast of bright and black caused by the sharp cutout of the HID low beams. That's the way they are supposed to work.

If, on the other hand, your high beams are pointing down, then take your car to the dealer to get the lights adjusted.

Tom