Xenons Brightness Level

[Raoul_Duke]

Picked up my new A4 S-Line yesterday and I'm over the moon with it so far (Phantom Black ... love it) but one thing I've noticed, when the headlights are set to auto, they seem really bright and light the whole area up.

I'm a little concerned that I'm blinding everyone coming the other way, is this just the impression this type of headlight gives or is it really as bright as it feels?

Is there a way to turn down the brightness level?

[audibaz]

No way to turn down the brightness.

These xenon's just use there light better and don't spray it everywhere like halogen lights they concentrate it on a specific defined area of road.

[RickT]

You will get used to them.... once winter arrives you will think how did you drive without them before!

Rick

[mkc]

Funny you should mention this. I have the same setup as you with LED DRLs and Xenons etc.

Normally just the DRLs are on but this morning I came to work and it must have been a bit darker than usual. I got flashed a few times and thought whats going on. Ive been flashed before with the LEDs but not so many times in a few hundred yards. I pulled up behind a bus and saw the reflection of my car lights. Clearly the LEDs and the normal lights were on. Bright clean and clear Xenons, not suprised I was blinding people. Anyway, turned "auto" off and now just the LEDs were on for the trip to work.

In the MMI settings you can change the Auto lights to early/mid/late or something which I think changes the sensitivity of the Auto. I switched it to late, put back to Auto on the light switch and just the LEDs stayed on. If you put it to early, they go on under a bridge etc.

So you cant change the brightness of them but you can appear to change the sensitivity of the Auto thing. Ive never had xenons and they do take awhile to get use too

[Raoul_Duke]

That's a good tip mkc, I wondered about those settings. I'll change them to Late tonight, I have them on Mid at the mo.

I also noticed one of the times, when I press the open button on the fob, the DRLs came on, which I thought looked really smart. This was during the day, the next time I came out, which was at night, the lights never came on.

I'll have to have a plitter about with the buttons and get used to everything it does, I never even realised till yesterday it had voice activated hands free ... but then I never have a good time with V.A. equipment anyway due to my strong Jockanese accent.

[mkc]

Take a look at the "Leaving Home" and "Coming Home" settings in the "Car Setup".

If its dark and you open the doors via the Fob, the LEDs and Fogs come on until you get in the car.

Then if you actually drive somewhere/start the ignition, get out and lock then they come on again.

Both of these can be set to either actually happen or the time they stay on. It could be your Sensor thats a bit funny and maybe over sensitive and some strange things are happening.

[audibaz]

Xenons only have two brightness settings ON and OFF.

[steve1234]

.........don't forget as well that the coming home / leaving home functions only seem to work when the lights are left on Auto, if you leve the switch on off or on then those functions do nothing!!

I've had xenons on my last 4 cars now and I would not order a car without them, an invaluable safety feature.....

The one thing I wish though is that with the front DRLs you also got a dim rear light, seems odd to me to have lights on the front and nothing on on the rear. Being used to riding fast bikes I have to admit to liking all my lights on all the time, I'd rather blind a few people but at least they've seen me!!!!! Maybe they are just being friendly when they wave and flash!!!

[audibaz]

I was surprised to see that there are no rear lights on with the DRL's and i too insist on Xenon's with my cars. Disappointed to see that you don't also get rear LED's with the car too even as an option.

[steve1234]

I completely agree. From previous posts it looks like they are saving the LED rear lights for the S4 so maybe a retrofit????