2008 (2003-2008) Honda Accord 2.4 tourer - HID headlight aim

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Tue 8 Feb 2011 12:47
2008 (2003-2008) Honda Accord 2.4 tourer - HID headlight aim - Glenview09

I entered this as an HJ question but was told it was a technical matter and to post to the back room.

Last week I bought a 57 plated Tourer (VW dealer). When I collected it I felt that the OE HID headlights were set a bit high, a proportion of oncoming road users flash me and I was dazzling a guy in an MX5 that I was following.

On level ground the beam throw is more or less horizontal, slightly down. On unduating roads this means that oncoming vehicles get the full blast.

The manual says the aim is set automatically on the HID versions.

Car came with a full 12 month MOT and I took it back for the workshop to recheck. They say that it is set correctly.

What do I do? Take it to a Honda garage in the same group who may have more idea about this car?

Maybe there are vertical adjusters in the headlight assembly but I don't really want to twiddle while it is still under warranty and it would require quite a lot of adjustment to make it point at the ground.

Any suggestions?

David Watkin

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Tue 8 Feb 2011 13:48
2008 (2003-2008) Honda Accord 2.4 tourer - HID headlight aim - TeeCee

Part and parcel of HIDs I believe. Being very bright, oncoming road users object to them. I know I do.

I had a Rover 75 on hire a few years ago which had HIDs. About 30% of oncoming vehicles flashed me and I understood why it was that when I picked it up it had the aim adjuster (yes it had one, even with HIDs, very odd) set all the way down so the lights were pointing at the floor. I made a mental note not to buy anything so equipped in the future.

The undulating road problem is well known. HIDs self-level, but not quickly enough to cope with humps 'n bumps. The poor prune coming the other way gets a faceful not dissimilar to a conventionally equipped car with its main beams on.

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Thu 10 Feb 2011 08:54
2008 (2003-2008) Honda Accord 2.4 tourer - HID headlight aim - Glenview09

Thanks for that response. I guess I have one or 2 cars flash me every day so I guess that is maybe 1% of drivers that have sufficient annoyance to want to flash me back.

It is perfect on level roads such as motorways. It is the undulating country roads that are problematical.

Obviously all car headlights point in the air when going over undulating roads so I guess it is the extra brightness that makes them unacceptable.

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Fri 11 Feb 2011 17:20
2008 (2003-2008) Honda Accord 2.4 tourer - HID headlight aim - Steven Quas

It does seem a common problem with xenon lights. They are just that much brighter that even if the adjustment is the same as a halogen car, you will get flashed. The problem is even worse in SUVs. I think you just have to live with the occasional flash as they are likely to be set correctly since they have now been checked again.

There is usually a simply adjuster that can be altered with a screwdriver from above the light unit, but my suggestion is to live with them as they are for a few months at least.

Steven Quas

Hamburg

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