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View Full Version : High-beam assist and speed question



nealeb
07-06-2012, 07:33 AM
Been doing a bit of driving on dark windy lanes recently. Based on casual observation (that is, I haven't done any specific testing) it looks as if high-beam assist doesn't switch to main beam automatically at speeds of less than about 30MPH. Has anyone else seen this?

This is with LED headlights, with full auto/adaptive functionality turned on. Is it the same with adaptive bi-xenon? It's a bit of a nuisance as I would like to give more warning ahead on some of my local Devon lanes with their high hedges (and unforgiving stone walls...). It might just be that there is too much reflected light coming back from the hedges although it seems to be work fine at higher speeds.

And the answer is not to just drive faster:)

robbyg
08-06-2012, 05:54 PM
i tried this last night, also LEDs. They stay on dipped until 39-40mph when they jump to full beam. Fine in streetlight 30 zones, annoying on country roads. Will probably run the auto function off and use my manually controlled fingers.

AliOli
31-03-2013, 10:33 AM
It does seem that High Beam Assist only works above 40mph on my new Q3. This is particularly annoying when I do a large part of my driving on narrow lanes in north Essex, and there is no mention of this in the manual. I have booked my car into an Audi garage to "mend" this and they seem unaware of this as a general problem, so I hope that it is a fault. Incidentally, there is also no mention of Stop/Start not working if its cold. My battery is almost brand new, but a short drive into the West End the other day from North London allowed not one Stop/Start in March!

Timothy Nathan
31-03-2013, 11:09 AM
The vagaries of Start/Stop have been much discussed here. I don't think that OAT is a specific bar to its working, but there is such a list of things which won't allow it to kick in (or maybe kick out would be more appropriate) that it is very difficult to form a view on why it's not working on any particular occasion.

I wish that there were a readout which said No Stop/Start - battery low or No Stop/Start - AirCon too high but there does not seem to be. Sometimes putting it in neutral gets the engine to stop when the brake didn't. I cannot work it out.

diecastsink
31-03-2013, 05:58 PM
In my vehicle, the high beam assist has been programmed (can be seen with VCDS) to activate speeds over 58 kph and return to low beam below 28 kph. There is also "city recognition" active, whatever that means, propably connected to NAV if one would have it. Haven't tried to adjust, but seem to be possible. Headlights are standard bi-xenon.

nealeb
31-03-2013, 08:55 PM
It does seem that High Beam Assist only works above 40mph on my new Q3.

As already said, definitely not a fault - "they all do that, sir!" I live in Devon so also have a good share of driving around lanes, and the best that you can say is that at least it's no worse than a fully-manual main/dip system, and on those occasions when you hit the straight it does work pretty well. Still a bit frustrating, though.

aurora7
31-03-2013, 10:37 PM
My clever local Audi tech has re-programmed my Allroad to enable high beam to auto activate at much lower speeds; makes a massive difference on the country roads. This is on LEDs; he is also going to adjust it on my A1 Bi-Xenons when I get around to taking it in.

fernar
02-04-2013, 08:02 AM
I have Xenons with High Beam Assist - I dont recall that there is a speed limit under which HBA does not function - but I will try it out next time I am driving in the night.

AliOli
10-04-2013, 06:30 PM
I'd be really grateful if I could possibly have the phone number/email address of your technician. I took my new Q3 into Whetstone Audi and they just claim that there's nothing they can do because no "fault" has appeared in spite of their testing it "all day". I cannot believe that a judicious bit of reprogramming can't fix this problem. Also, in spite of my car stalling 3 times now at traffic lights, again they say that no "fault" has been registered, so again nothing can be done. My car is still in the garage, so would be brilliant to find some smart technician with a solution.

aurora7
11-04-2013, 11:04 PM
AliOli,

I've sent you a message with the contact details and name of the Master Tech at Audi. I'll check whether he's happy to have his name publicised on an open forum; at the end of the day he worked out a solution to a problem that Audi officially claim can't be fixed (or doesn't exist) and I don't know whether they value that sort of initiative or frown on it (I hope it's the former, since I'm a much happier Audi customer as a result of the expertise I get from this particular service dept).

Anyway, once he worked out what to do, the fix takes 10 mins to implement and has worked well ever since, so there is light (literally) at the end of the tunnel and when you need it!!

diecastsink
26-04-2013, 10:10 AM
Just noticed that high beam assist does not work when the light switch is in "on" position, i.e. not in auto.
Also cornering lights do work only in auto position. What else will be hidden ...

johnsimcox
26-04-2013, 10:21 AM
Also if, like I do occasionally, your knee knocks the light switch from the Auto position then the "coming home" function does not work either

diecastsink
26-04-2013, 03:23 PM
I guess that you play basket ball?

Another finding, when I adjusted the seat heating, now it reduces from stage 3 to 2 after 5 mins, and stage 2 to 1 also after 5 mins. But the clever thing is that it remember that it was set to maximum, so next time I start the car I do not have to do anything, seat heating is already at maximum and reduces in 5 min steps. Nice!

diecastsink
26-04-2013, 03:29 PM
Let's get back to HBA. I have been told that the camera below the rear view mirror is for HBA, but what is the sensor in the mirror itself, pointing forward? As standard the rain/light sensor is in the mirror base, pointing out from the windscreen, and the sensor for auto dimming is in the moving part of the mirror, pointing backwards.

ukgroucho
27-04-2013, 12:24 AM
OMG I've got all this to deal with when my Allroad arrives ... :)

So Start / Stop I've experienced in my wifes A1 TDi and, after much pondering, I think that the two main drivers are battery state and whether the engine is 'properly' warm.
Battery is obvious.. you don't wanna stop and not be able to start - although if my A6 C6 Avant 3.0 Tdi battery is anything to go by there is little risk of that cos it's an absolute MONSTER and even after nearly 8 years always shows as 100% charged in the MMI.
Engine 'warm enough' is obviously another issue and - given the long cold winter we just went thru - it seemed to take a pretty long drive to get the A1 to the point where start stop would work. Obviously you don't want a cold engine starting and stopping.. not good for the engine and also likely to puke out excessive levels of pollution.
Bottom line is that all of these clever systems seem to take 2, 3, 4, 5 or more inputs and balance them to make a decision on what to do.. once it gets past 2 or 3 you will struggle to work out the "why" as the number of permutations goes well into double figures. For example.. and I dunno if this is valid... but if you consider battery and engine temp for start/stop then it's also likely that they look at whether the headlights are on.
Battery 'marginal', engine warm, headlights off = start/stop active
Battery 'marginal', engine warm, headlights on = start/ stop inactive
(Although it's more likely they consider the overall electrical load - electric heated seats (or aircon), heated rear screen, fans on full etc. cos that lot could whack a marginal battery quite quickly).

It's all techno magic :) the only thing we need to do is to get it to do as we wish.
Interesting comments about tweaking the HBA to work at lower speeds.. I may be "in the market" for that tweak.

AliOli
27-04-2013, 09:11 AM
Sadly, for now, the wonderfully helpful people at Basingstoke Audi have been unable to alter the HBA to work at lower speeds, though were hoping to elicit a code from Audi that would allow it. It seems that having Active Lane Assist too has scuppered their attempt.

diecastsink
27-04-2013, 09:48 AM
Find someone with VCDS, it can be found from module 20 HIgh Beam assist > adaptation. I do not have lane assist, so there might be an interlock between those, hence I do not believe. Audi makes it stupid e.g. to have cornering lights only with some other module/feature, while the question is only to turn the bit in the module in question. Same thing is to have trunk lid closing with remote disabled. Why disable features that has been built? Or have fuel consumption correction value to be standard 100% when actual is always 3-5 % higher.

MFGF
29-04-2013, 12:12 PM
Sadly, for now, the wonderfully helpful people at Basingstoke Audi have been unable to alter the HBA to work at lower speeds, though were hoping to elicit a code from Audi that would allow it. It seems that having Active Lane Assist too has scuppered their attempt.

If it helps, I will be in Basingstoke on the evening of 8th May, and I have VCDS. If you want to pop over, I'd be happy to see if we can recode the limit?

Cheers!

MF.

kite
29-04-2013, 12:46 PM
If it helps, I will be in Basingstoke on the evening of 8th May, and I have VCDS. If you want to pop over, I'd be happy to see if we can recode the limit?

Cheers!

MF.

You're the forum VCDS Gadabout...

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

MFGF
29-04-2013, 12:53 PM
You're the forum VCDS Gadabout...

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

Gadabout! Of course - it's one of my middle names, George! :)

MF.

josedebardi
31-05-2013, 03:20 PM
Sadly, for now, the wonderfully helpful people at Basingstoke Audi have been unable to alter the HBA to work at lower speeds, though were hoping to elicit a code from Audi that would allow it. It seems that having Active Lane Assist too has scuppered their attempt.

Hi,

I have an SQ5 with High Beam Assist and Active Lane Assist and have also been told by my local dealer (Poole) that there is nothing they can do to adjust the HBA sensitivity/speed activation....

Would appreciate your contact that is at least willing to hook it up to VCDS and look!

Thanks!

José

shabazmo
01-06-2013, 03:31 PM
This will be one up for forum members if we beat the dealers to it.

aurora7
01-06-2013, 04:31 PM
Just for the record, the dealer did sort my A6 out perfectly, and their fix works on the A7 and A8 as well. The high beam assist auto activates at a low speed, which was exactly what I wanted.

There seems to be a specific problem with Q3s (and possibly Q5s?) that have active lane assist, in that the fix for my Allroad (even though it also has active lane assist as part of the advanced tech pack) doesn't work on those.

It will be interesting to see if anyone with VCDS can help the Q/SQ folk...