This occurs regardless of the bulb used. The driver side light (left seated inside the car) seems to throw a bright spot beam in addition to the horizon cutoff. The passenger side (right side seated inside the car) has mainly just the horizon cutoff.

Have any of you noticed a significant difference between your right and left headlamps (xenon only)?

I'm curious if one or the other of mine is a manufacturing defect, of if it's supposed to be the pattern of light they throw out.

 

dont see any differ on mine..

but i had the same problem with my VW MK5 GTI b4....
dealer change both of the bulbs and same thing still happen....
at the end i changed both of the ballasts and bulbs myself to get the matching color

 

There is definitely a difference in pattern between right and left DOT-legal HID lights, this is by design. The driver's side light throws more light toward the center of the car and has a sharp cut-off on the left- this is to not blind oncoming cars. The right light skews toward the right, to help illuminate signs on the side of the road.

But there should not be a difference in brightness or color. If this is the case, somehting is wrong with a bulb, ballast, or wiring.

 

To clarify there is no difference in color, etc. just the pattern of light.

 

I just made an appointment today for Monday to have mine looked at. Out of nowhere mine seem to be adjusted way to high! I work nights and have a 70 mile drive home. I have been flashed abaout 40 times the last couple of nights!!??

 

Well on the plus side at least you have your car back right

 

I've even switched the bulbs right to left. I think this is normal. I'll try to take a picture of the horizon on a wall at night to get someone to compare.

 

As I said before, you have a pattern issue. The pattern is determined by the projector assembly/lens, not the bulb. The bulb just makes light, the projector/lens directs it. Park facing a closed garage door and take a picture of the beam pattern. It's likely what you are seeing is normal, or the lights may need to be re-aimed.

 

Yep, that was a looong 29 days!! Especially having to drive a Kia Rio!

 

:shudder:

Automotive purgatory.

 

Wait a minute, was your car gone for 29 days have anything related to the headlight assembly?

ie accident, engine repair, etc?

I ask this because if there was work done to the front of the car, that may have something to do with the issue.

aaron

 

2012 Kia rio isn't a bad little car actually, more power than a base cooper...

 

Body shop, for hail damage.

 

Do you know if they had to do anything with the front end?

aaron

 

They had to replace the hood. So I called and asked them if they had to do anything with the headlight housing, and they said they "did not"!

 

hmmm

 

Attached some shots of the cutoff. The left light seems to throw a spot down the center (maybe a little left of center) of the road. It still has an alright cutoff. The right light looks like it has no hotspot like the right and has a sharp (maybe sharper than the right) cutoff.

 

It looks like a lens defect. What has your dealership to say about this?

aaron

 

I haven't mentioned it to the stealership yet. I wanted to get some opinions first. The cutoff on the left side seems ok, it's just that hot spot that has me slightly concerned.

 

Knowing that the dealership probably wouldn't fix this under warranty, since the beam pattern was mostly ok, they probably would say nothing was wrong.

I would like to update that I have corrected the cutoff focusing issue by adjusting the shield cutoff screw on the projector. It was set inward quite a bit, so I backed it out 1/4 turn at a time and measured the cutoff horizon each time at 10ft. I did this until the cutoffs matched.

 

I agree that's an unusual pattern. How about giving Daniel Stern http://www.danielsternlighting.com/ an email with those pics? He is an absolute automotive lighting guru, and may have an opinion.

 

I looked up all the information I could find about the AL projector located in the countryman xenons. That's how I found the information about the cutoff shield adjustment. The problem has been fixed and the two cutoff patterns match.

The only thing left to do now is to vertically re-aim them. Since installing springs, they are aimed a little lower, at the road more, and this is due to the headlight leveling sensors on the fron and rear. Once I re-aim them, they should be good to go.