I'm getting flashed... and not in a good way either!!!

[DM]

Like others, I've found that some drivers flash at Xenon's and a quick blip of high beam is enough to avoid confusion. I did find that High Beam Assist was too slow to reduce main beam on another vehicle so I disabled it but I haven't tried it on the T6 at all. Just to be clear, T6 LED headlights are Xenon's with daytime running lights (LED headlights haven't made it to the T6 yet and it's cheeky of VW to call them LED headlights!)

I haven't driven extensively at night yet (T6 with LED) but so far I have found high beam assist to be very effective. It reacts very quickly and doesn't get distracted chatting to the passenger or fiddling with the stereo .

 

[DM]

try the travel mode in settings menu which will drop the beams height a bit.

I have not had any problems with T6 LEDs either.

Travel mode will not make any difference in the UK as it only lowers the beam pointing to the left - which will be the verge in the UK.

 

[X4 VWC]

Uh oh ... my mistake, the T6 LEDs are 'proper' LED headlights as well as the LED daylight running lights. I dug around on a couple of T6 forums and there was similar confusion but a couple of Caravelle owners who ordered them say they that the main lights are definitely LED. Apologies for the confusion, delighted that I have these coming!

 

[X4 VWC]

This was bugging me so I checked the UK options list. In Sept 2015 code 'PXE' stated "Bi-xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights" but in Nov 2015 the (non-coded) UK options list clearly states "LED headlights with LED daytime running lights". So that may be where some of the confusion has come from.

 

[T6 CFO]

It was very easy to be confused. I wanted the LED and have them ordered with my Cali. Printed order form still said Xenon/LED. Phone call was made by dealer who crossed it out and wrote in LED/LED and initialled.


Mike

 

[X4 VWC]

Thanks for confirming, Mike.

 

[AlanC]

They do, but T5 with Zenon and T6 with LED headlights have Automatic Self Levelling headlights. The trouble is the system just cannot cope with any undulations in the road quickly enough to maintain a level beam.

As I understand self leveling headlights, this system only compensates for the vehicle load and then lock off. Hence the reset dip movement they do when you turn on the ignition.

I don't think they are intended to adjust to the undulations in the road.

Alan

 

[WelshGas]

As I understand self leveling headlights, this system only compensates for the vehicle load and then lock off. Hence the reset dip movement they do when you turn on the ignition.

I don't think they are intended to adjust to the undulations in the road.

Alan

Thats why they are problematic for other drivers then.!

 

[Julian_Camper_Man]

Who cares? Trying to cope with neurotic drivers is part of 21st Century driving so stay chilled and keep on cruising with those bright babies!!

 

[WelshGas]

Who cares? Trying to cope with neurotic drivers is part of 21st Century driving so stay chilled and keep on cruising with those bright babies!!

Do you drive a BMW as well?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bmw driver

 

[AlanC]

Thats why they are problematic for other drivers then.!

No. I think it is just that they are brighter than the standard halogen version, although I assume they can be set up wrongly just as easily.

Halogen lights can dazzle if they are set too high. How often have you driven past a vehicle with one headlight set higher than the other?

Alan

 

[Volkywagen]

Hi Folks,

I have a T6 with LED headlights and have noticed that they appear to be dazzling drivers in the opposite oncoming lane. They are self-levelling so I can't adjust them... They are extremely white and bright - great for illumination; maybe not so great for others?

Its worse on undulating / hilly roads and I'm receiving very angry flashes and/or full on high beams from the drivers that are obviously being blinded by me (not on purpose obviously). As the ride height in the T6 is elevated I'm not too affected. Thoughts? Solutions? J.

Hi jason. I’m having the same problem with mine now. Had a few flashes and shouts of abuse recently on these dark nights. Did you manage to sort a solution. I think that Vw might have to plug mine in and sort. Travel mode doesn’t even do anything at all, even on the left side no movement. Please let me know if you sorted it and how. I can’t be bothered messing about running it back to Vw! Cheers in advance.

 

[JohnGuppy]

My LED lights seem to self level very quickly , but under street lights and as cars approach they dip themselves quicker than I can , but under street lights you cant turn on main beam or as cars approach
one more thing to worry about

 

[Volkywagen]

My LED lights seem to self level very quickly , but under street lights and as cars approach they dip themselves quicker than I can , but under street lights you cant turn on main beam or as cars approach
one more thing to worry about

Ah, you will have the auto dip, that I don’t have. I can see them adjusting from when turning the ignition on but the settling beam is far too high, you can see it in a clear line with LEDs on either side of the road quite easily and it’s definitely too high. It’s also blinding drivers of cars in front, as well as in coming traffic. I don’t fancy someone broadsiding me and blaming my lights because they couldn’t see anything.
I wonder if there is an adjustment screw under the bonnet for them? Then again it’s not an 80s vehicle so probably has to be plugged into a computer......

 

[jason.oneill4]

Hi jason. I’m having the same problem with mine now. Had a few flashes and shouts of abuse recently on these dark nights. Did you manage to sort a solution. I think that Vw might have to plug mine in and sort. Travel mode doesn’t even do anything at all, even on the left side no movement. Please let me know if you sorted it and how. I can’t be bothered messing about running it back to Vw! Cheers in advance.

Hi Paul.
Been back twice to VW and they have said on both occasions it was fine. There has been a software update and maybe that may fix it /improve it. They say the lights are just very very bright... Yikes! J.

 

[Amarillo]

I had concerns with my lights yesterday. I was driving in Spain, Andorra and France, having recently had a service in Spain.

The beam pattern on the road looked like the lights were reversed, so when we pulled into a rest area I checked they were in travel mode. They were. I then speculated that during the Spanish service, someone had set the lights to continental standard, making travel mode suitable for the UK. I turned off travel mode. I was then repeatedly flashed between Foix and Toulouse until I turned into a service station and turned travel mode back on. No more flashing.

OK - a bit of a non-story. But it does show how you cannot easily tell what your lights are doing by the beam pattern on the road.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[iDandelions]

I was getting flashed a lot when I first had mine, I thought the LEDs were just too bright, but I adjusted the beams down, a little at a time, until oncoming traffic stopped flashing me.

 

[WelshGas]

I was getting flashed a lot when I first had mine, I thought the LEDs were just too bright, but I adjusted the beams down a little at a time until the flashing stopped and it's been fine.

How did you carry out the adjustment?

 

[iDandelions]

How did you carry out the adjustment?

On the back of the light unit, facing up, is a small plastic yellow adjuster. Turn it with an allen key or screwdriver to adjust the height of the light. I park facing the garage door with the lights on and you can see how much you are moving the light up and down. I just lowered both lights a bit each day, until on coming cars stopped flashing.

 

[Volkywagen]

I took mine back to Vw on Saturday. They had it in the ramps and sorted it in 15 mins. Apparently the level sensor arm on the rear axle had broken.....it’s only two weeks old??
Anyway, I spoke to the guy in the workshop and he said that the LEDs shouldn’t really have to be manually adjusted, no matter what weight you have in the back, so if you suspect the beam is too high then I’d suggest you run them back to Vw. When booking tell them there’s a levelling fault with the headlights and they will pre order the part and fix quickly. I suspect it must be quite a common fault as they knew straight away what it was with mine.
No more burning other peoples retinas out now for me.

 

[pjm-84]

I thought they were self levelling.

I came back from Wales late last night and was flashed a few times.

 

[T6 CFO]

I took mine back to Vw on Saturday. They had it in the ramps and sorted it in 15 mins. Apparently the level sensor arm on the rear axle had broken.....it’s only two weeks old??
Anyway, I spoke to the guy in the workshop and he said that the LEDs shouldn’t really have to be manually adjusted, no matter what weight you have in the back, so if you suspect the beam is too high then I’d suggest you run them back to Vw. When booking tell them there’s a levelling fault with the headlights and they will pre order the part and fix quickly. I suspect it must be quite a common fault as they knew straight away what it was with mine.
No more burning other peoples retinas out now for me.

So far so good with mine in U.K. and in mainland Europe. Didn’t get flashed but expected to as they are so bright. Good to know where the fault is likely to occur.

Mike

 

[WelshGas]

I thought they were self levelling.

I came back from Wales late last night and was flashed a few times.

They are self levelling if the sensors on both axles are working and they were properly set up to begin with.

 

[pjm-84]

I can see them self levelling. Don't seem to have much of issue around this next of the woods. I suspect its more related to those who are not used to LED.

Similarly I find LED lights coming towards me as being quite bright but recognise the light.

If I can tweak mine down I will do so.

 

[Volkywagen]

I can see them self levelling. Don't seem to have much of issue around this next of the woods. I suspect its more related to those who are not used to LED.

Similarly I find LED lights coming towards me as being quite bright but recognise the light.

If I can tweak mine down I will do so.

The best way to test them, is to park around a meter away from a wall, and activate and de-activate the travel mode in your lights and vision setting. The left hand beam should move up and down around an inch or two. This didn't work for me last week, but now that VW sorted on Saturday it works. Thinking technically, if the auto leveling isnt working then the lights must go to a default setting, which blinds people!