Headlights - does your car have a levelling switch / dial?
Headlights - does your car have a levelling switch / dial?
Author
Discussion

CoolHands

Original Poster:

23,513 posts

225 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
Answer with yes / no and the make, maybe type of lights (halogen / xenon / LED / laser. Another thread (the headlights too bright one) seemed to think most cars do.

Mini - (xenon) - No (has a levelling gauge on the suspension which auto adjusts the lights according to weight / suspension settlement)
Nissan note - (halogen) - Yes (a dial)

Krikkit

27,938 posts

211 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
Why? The answer is:

Halogens - very probably yes it has a switch. I've never seen an auto-adjusting Halogen but I bet there is one...
Xenons/LEDs etc - no

CoolHands

Original Poster:

23,513 posts

225 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
Just interested, Maybe some makes do more than others

Byker28i

91,922 posts

247 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
don't most newish cars have dynamic headlight levelling now?

spitfire-ian

4,226 posts

258 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
CoolHands said:
Just interested, Maybe some makes do more than others
As Krikkit has said above. Cars with halogens will have one, cars with xenons/LEDs won't.

gt40steve

1,425 posts

134 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
I believe it is a requirement that xenon or similar headlamps have to be fitted with automatic levelling.

If you have not got a levelling switch on a modern car there will probably be a sensor on the rear suspension.

Sorry for out of sequence reply! see answers above. edit.

Edited by gt40steve on Wednesday 20th December 09:33

Puddenchucker

5,885 posts

248 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
EU regulations require that headlamps over a certain brightness/luminousity (typically HID & LED) must to be fitted with an automatic levelling system.

IanH755

2,802 posts

150 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
2008 Audi RS6 - Xenons - Auto-levelling.

2007 Citroen C1 - Halogen - Rotary Swtich levelling.

Generally I don't find driving at cars with halogens and/oe xenons to be an issue unless one light is obviously misaligned. However the newer LED and/or Laser lights, even when working correctly, I find to be excessively dazzling most of the time, far more than other types, and the increased amount of "taller" cars on the road with SUV, 4x4 etc makes it worse too.

That's all just an opinion though.

John Strangways

13 posts

34 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
IanH755 said:
2008 Audi RS6 - Xenons - Auto-levelling.

2007 Citroen C1 - Halogen - Rotary Swtich levelling.

Generally I don't find driving at cars with halogens and/oe xenons to be an issue unless one light is obviously misaligned. However the newer LED and/or Laser lights, even when working correctly, I find to be excessively dazzling most of the time, far more than other types, and the increased amount of "taller" cars on the road with SUV, 4x4 etc makes it worse too.

That's all just an opinion though.
I'm with you there, and as a glasses wearer its awful when its raining and dark, even with anti glare/polarised filters on my driving glasses.

parabolica

7,016 posts

214 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
Krikkit said:
Why? The answer is:

Halogens - very probably yes it has a switch. I've never seen an auto-adjusting Halogen but I bet there is one...
Xenons/LEDs etc - no
My 2023 Kia wagon has LEDs with a manual level dial; my Volvo before it also had LEDs but no manual dial.

ETA I'm in the Netherlands if that makes any difference; might be a UK specific thing for mandatory auto-levelling on LEDs.

Edited by parabolica on Wednesday 20th December 10:24

LandieMark

1,936 posts

178 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
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My L200 has Xenon lights and a manual levelling switch.

MattyD803

2,420 posts

95 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
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Interestingly, HIDs also require headlight washers (as well as the auto levelling)....yet LED headlights (which seem to be even brighter) do not need the washers? Must be something to do with light refraction / dissipation / glare?

Aunty Pasty

786 posts

68 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
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My previous Golf GTI (2017) had Xenons and auto levelling
Current 2023 Kia Niro EV has LEDs and a manual dial. They don't seem to be as bright.

Triumph Man

9,609 posts

198 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
Two of our cars (Discovery 4 and Mini Countryman) have Bi-Xenon headlamps, with auto levelling so no switch. With the mini you can see the headlamp beam "bounce" as they auto level.

The other car, a 1995 5 series, has halogen headlamps and therefore has a levelling dial. Amazingly this still works!

520TORQUES

13,672 posts

45 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
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My car has factory HID dip and a manual adjustment 3 position switch. It's a JDM model. UK/EU version didn't have HID's due to EU law.

The UK/EU model received HID in later years, when they incorporated an auto sensor on the rear suspension link.

No washers on my HID lights.

Edited by 520TORQUES on Wednesday 20th December 10:33

5s Alive

2,831 posts

64 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
Krikkit said:
Why? The answer is:

Halogens - very probably yes it has a switch. I've never seen an auto-adjusting Halogen but I bet there is one...
Xenons/LEDs etc - no
Kona EV, LEDs, rotary switch levelling,


lemonslap

1,027 posts

185 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
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Ford Fiesta 2021, LED dipped beam with manual levelling

RazerSauber

2,908 posts

90 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
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Just thought on my that my HID car doesn't have it, and I'd never noticed until now.

I wish manufacturers would look at something to aid in headlight misalignment. It's all good the car adjusting them automatically but if it's got no idea that the light is pointed directly into my retinae then it's all a waste of time. It's even worse with the stadium grade lighting that modern SUVs are coming with.

Otispunkmeyer

13,778 posts

185 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
Car 1:

No. Toyota Rav4 Hybrid (2018) Design Trim with LED projector headlamps. These are self levelling.

Car 2.

Yes. Kia EV6 Air/Wind (2022) with LED reflector head lamps. These have a dial for manual adjustment. Which I was quite surprised about this car having a manual adjustment. I guess with batteries being so expensive they need to nip costs elsewhere.

Byker28i

91,922 posts

247 months

Wednesday 20th December 2023
quotequote all
John Strangways said:
IanH755 said:
2008 Audi RS6 - Xenons - Auto-levelling.

2007 Citroen C1 - Halogen - Rotary Swtich levelling.

Generally I don't find driving at cars with halogens and/oe xenons to be an issue unless one light is obviously misaligned. However the newer LED and/or Laser lights, even when working correctly, I find to be excessively dazzling most of the time, far more than other types, and the increased amount of "taller" cars on the road with SUV, 4x4 etc makes it worse too.

That's all just an opinion though.
I'm with you there, and as a glasses wearer its awful when its raining and dark, even with anti glare/polarised filters on my driving glasses.
Yup - if I'm driving the mx-5 or TVR and most other cars seems to be SUV's so are really bright and high