jeffd1979

I just recentally purchased a 05 max SE. I cannot drive this thing without getting flashed about 30 times a night by other cars thinking i have my brights on.. it is getting out of hand.. took it to the dealer and they said that is normal.. that they are just really bright.. anyone else have this issue??

Zargon

Happens all the time to me as well. It doesn't bother me.

Check out this thread for more info:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=349016

CanadianMoFo

You guys should be checking your beam pattern up against a wall or garage door.

I've had two drivers side headlamp assembly's go bad. The light slowly creeps into the high beam setting as it heats up (over a couple hours of constant use).

The beam pattern changes from a horizontal pattern to more of a 45 degree angle. Its pretty obvious if its bad.

Alternately your lights may be aimed just a tad too high. Again inspecting the beam pattern is key. The drivers side should be slightly lower than the passengers side, to prevent it from blinding oncoming drivers. The vertical adjustment is a screw located beside the main beam housing, towards the engine side. I think its either a 10mm socket or a phillips screwdriver. Either will adjust it.

Also use of the fog lights in conjunction with the main lights seems to trigger the "flash" response from oncoming drivers. The two lights side by side look at a glance to be low and high beams on. Oncoming drivers may flash you before you approach too close to get you to turn off the apparant high beams. Obviously only using your fog lights during inclement weather is the solution to this. Either that or blasting the offending drivers with the high beams. Whichever works best for you.

CM.

- PM me for tips on vertical adjustment if you're having troubles

SilverSL

You have no idea i pissed i get.,.., I brought it to my dealer twice and the second time told them TO LOWER IT AND NOT EVEN CHECK IF ITS NORMAL!! all they tell me is its normal and refuse to lower it. I get high beamed everynight by almost every driver and i flashed back to make them feel stupid but its really not there faults!!

MaxMus

the driver's side is noticeably lower than the passenger side and I have never gotten flashed. do you guys have your fogs on as well?

CanadianMoFo

So if you're so pissed then why don't you do something about it? Get a small phillips screwdriver and take the 10 minutes to adjust it yourself.

akaxmrxhammer

either adjust it or just exchange your hids for some regular halogen.

jeffd1979

Which way adjusts them down.. left or right?

CanadianMoFo

Dude thats weak. There are only two choices here for you to make and your agonizing over them.

Either left or right. Try one, watch the beam pattern and if its going the wrong way, reverse what you are doing. If you're unsure about determining if it's going up or down....place a piece of tape on the wall as a reference point and adjust from there. It won't take too much for the beam to move. Even a 1/2 turn will show up as movement in the beams vertical height.

CM

NIKV69

I just picked up an 05' and have noticed they are bright and may be aimed a little high. Haven't gotten a response from another driver yet in 3 weeks so.

Keep us posted!

viguera

iTrader: (1)

I myself don't give a damn... my lights look fine but if you flash me, you're getting flashed right back. Chances are they're already pissed because they think they're getting beamed... wait until they do... then they will feel the pain!

2004redse

jeffd1979

"Dude" it would still be a good piece of info to know before i start. How do you know i have a garage to adjust them in.

Jeffs04SE

damm right. i give care if my lights seem bright to ANYONE. and i dont just flash at them, i keep them on till i pass them.

CanadianMoFo

Put a piece of tape on the dumpster that you crash in down by the river??

lightonthehill

'Properly adjusted' headlights are correct only for a level straight roadway. If you are in a curve, or going over a hill, or doing anything but going straight and level, and the car approaching you is anywhere but slightly to your left (as you look ahead) and level with you, he could be blinded by your lights, even if properly adjusted.

As to the 'show 'em your real brights' approach, don't bring that stuff down to Georgia. If you blind the local county mounties here, they will chase you down like a dirty dog and give you a ticket. They don't even have to prove your headlights were improperly adjusted; just that, for whatever reason, you blinded them, hence were a traffic hazard.

And, as brought out on one of those syndicated 'tell all' shows last month, if you take your traffic case to court in Georgia, expect to lose, after which, fairly or unfairly, you will have the book thrown at you.

The best way to get a quick idea as to whether your lights need adjusting is to pay close attention to where the upper cutoff of your low beams hit the vehicles ahead of you. If, while on level straight roadway, the top edge of your lowbeams is anywhere nearly as high as the inside rear view mirror of vehicles about the same height as the Maxima, you need to have them adjusted.

To continue to drive when it is clear your beams are out of adjustment is very unwise, considering the huge number of psychos and 'stoned out of their mind' addicts we share the road with these days. Also, be reminded that, if you are blinding the oncoming driver, he will have to guess as to where the roadway is, and he may guess wrong, much to your dismay. It is always a good idea to, whenever possible, avoid irritating other drivers .

viguera

iTrader: (1)

Well with all due respect to The Man, anybody that doesn't want to get flashed shouldn't be going around the highway flashing people because they think that their headlights are too bright.

And I don't think there's a sane courtroom in this country where a cop can claim that he was justified in writing me a ticket because he flashed me and I flashed him back, and hence I was a traffic hazard... the logic of it is enough to make any lawyer worth his salt salivate.

tubells

Got flashed a few times myself.. Did flash back the first time. but have now realised tha my beams are certainly not aimed right (this thread has confirmed that) Yesterday on the hwy, I tried the high beams to check and the saw teh road sign boards light up.
On the inside roads, I notice the Stop signs reflecting back (with my low beams) .. something I 've never seen in any other car I drove.

Will do the adjustment tomorrow (raining today) and let you know how it goes.

factorymax

I have had my Max SL for 4 months and 6,500 miles and have never been flashed. There are a lot of cars in Dallas with HIDs and I guess folks are getting used to them.

I have a hard time driving a car without them as I have now gotten used to them....I feel blind when I drive my vette because it has halogens.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

I've had mine for a few days now and if I was to get flashed I would say FUKKEM!!!!

BigCat44

simple solution to all your problems...Trade them to me for my Halogens mint!!

Souljourner

Don't get all bent out of shape about it. Our lights are bright, and to the uninitiated, they may appear to be brights. I've been flashed a few times... it's always on hilly roads, where the different in angles can make my lights hit much higher than they do on the level. I flash back so that people know I'm not ignoring them, and hopefully they'll learn to recognize HIDs versus high beams.

No cop would pull you over for flashing him back, but I think they were more talking about leaving your brights on purposely. People who flash you aren't being jerks, but you certainly are if you intentionally leave your brights on while passing them.

-Nate

viguera

iTrader: (1)

I agree with that too... Most of the time I don't even flash people unless they clearly deserve it -- doing 40 on the passing lane, getting stupid with the lane changes without signaling, stuff like that. When I get tired enough of your monkey *** I'll pass you on the right if I have to, but I rarely leave my brights on for anybody.

There was this one cabbie on the highway one night though...

BLAXIMA2K4

iTrader: (1)

Heres a solution...trade your HID's for my standard halogens! No problems from my way!

kmoney56

Also keep in mind the weight you have in the back seat or trunk. When the rear end squats, the lights move substantially higher. Check it out when you've got some fat chicks riding around with you (or, in my case, 5 skinny hot ones ) - watch where the top of your beam pattern hits on signs or highway dividers. You'll see that they're a lot higher than when the car doesn't have the weight in it.

BMW's and lots of other high line cars with HIDs have auto leveling built in to stop this. They use a whole bunch of sensors on the shocks/struts and other places to determine if the the back of the car is sitting higher or lower than the usual parallel plane and adjust the aiming of the lights to counter it. In fact, on my buddies 3 series, you can see them move even when braking and accelerating, that's how fast they respond.

And about keeping your brights on til the opposing driver has passed, remember that if where they're sitting is below the cutoff line, it makes no difference to flash your lights at them because this doesn't change the intensity below the cutoff, it just lets light out above it. Basically, they won't even be able to tell that you're flashing back at them...In this situation, try flashing your fogs, that usually works for me...

lowkey122

when I lived in Texas, it was common for people to flash their lights at you to let you know they just passed a cop and to lookout. They don't do it hardly ever where I live now, but I developed an association with flashing lights and being on the lookout. I've been flashed a few times but when I do, it isn't until about a mile later that I wonder did they flash me cuz of my lights? and it's too late to flash back.

lightonthehill

lowkey122 - The practice of blinking lights to alert oncoming drivers of radar/smokies/enforcement/etc has been very common during daylight hours since the 1950s (perhaps earlier). In earlier days, the officer was often on a motorcycle behind a billboard (which used to be near the ground, not up in the stratosphere).

I try to make judgements on a case-by-case basis. Of course I alert Maximas. For other vehicles, if the oncoming driver seems to be staying in his/her lane, not driving way over the speed limit, and seem to be paying attention to their driving, I may alert them. If they are weaving or wandering, or clearly going too fast, or seem to be inattentive or seem to be on a cell phone, etc, I let them pay the price.

At night, the rules change. Flashing lights to alert oncoming vehicles of the presence of radar is (of course) very much frowned on by law enforcement. It is, in fact, aiding and abetting persons breaking the law avoid arrest. Furthermore, officers sometimes work in pairs; one runs the radar, and the other chases down the speeders. The car you flash may be the chase officer returning from having just given a ticket.

I feel it would be wise to avoid flashing lights at night to warn of the presence of law enforcement.

lowkey122

That's happened once before, I guess since then I haven't done it as much.

maximage

Once you've had HID, you never go back!

Actually, try this very easy task:

When someone is approaching and they flash you, if they are close , you'll be blinded. This is very hazardous and can lead to an accident or death (head on).
Since our eyes tend to have a persistance of vision (like phosphours on a TV screen), even a momentary flash can be devastating. So, what do you do?

Ever notice the line on the right side of the road? Its usually there and white. Just look down and use that as your reference. Never look at an oncoming car nor into its headlights! you'll be surprised that even at FULL Hi Beams, if you are looking down at the road, you won't be blinded.

Flashing at the driver and at night is just as bad and wreckless as you are endangering the other drivers.

I am guessing but aren't the HIDs gated? I mean, there is a shutter and no 2nd bulb. Its a gate like a movie projector has. Maybe your gate is defective or not fully level. Or even a subtle adjustment may help (as suggested). Best to find a parking garage or area with a flat road surface and flat wall. Park atleast 3 car lengths from the wall and tape off (mark with 12" tape) each light's hotspot. Adjust the driver's light down a bit but not severly. If you can't do this, then go to a garage that does inspections and is familiar with Nissan Maximas. Or take it to a Nissan Dealer that is not ignorant (like your current one) and ask them to adjust the driver's side down.

One comment: if you drive on hilly roads (not level highways..), chances are you'll get flashed. And just don't flash them back. I've driven at night and found that on back roads, I can see the "HIDhorizon" just coming up at the car's hood line. Sometimes it looks like it autolevels and other times its definitely lighting up the driver. But ALL HIDs are like this (if not autoadjusting/leveling).

I just get used to it and expect them to flash by not looking at them.

Also, its winter and the air is clearer at night (no humidity). This will aggravate it more.

Good luck. And understand, I won't ever flash you! I don't have any breasts!

kmoney56

Even autoleveling headlights won't help on hills, they only adjust by detecting compression of the suspension (caused by weight or acceleration/deceleration)... On a hilly route I frequently drive, I've noticed people don't flash me nearly as much as they used to and I think they're starting to realize the physics of why these lights go from bright to dark on hills and bumps.

FanaticMadMax

Wow, i didn't know it seem to be that BRIGHT for oncoming driver. I thought it was too bright for me when someone coming behind when I look at my rear view mirror.