AP2 Auto-Headlights grrrr...

[thegruf]

(random example pictures off the internet)

The inability is fairly well documented for the auto-headlights to reliably dip :
for oncoming traffic especially if off-centre eg on a curve;
when following other traffic the sensitivity for red tailights is variously hopeless

However I continue to be frustrated with other situations that they seem utterly incapable of handling consistently

this is not an incoming car:

It is a chevron indicating a bend. I do not need the headlights auto-dipping as I approach a bend on a rural road unless I choose to dip them myself. The auto lights will variously dip. switch back to main beam, dip again. Just wehat you need on an unlit unfamiliar rural road.

nor is this

I do not need the headlights auto-dipping randomly whenever they see a sign with a white background either. Same confused behaviour as chevron signs.

-----

This however is a streetlight road. It would be nice if the auto-headlights would recognise this as AP1 hardware did (likely just from the background level of illumination) instead of remaining on full beam.

funnily ehough the AP1 in my previous ModelS handled all of these scenarios much better.
More work to do Tesla.

 

[Tozz]

I agree, the auto headlights don't work very well. They turn off as soon as something reflects lights back to you.
That said, I've never owned a car that had this feature, so I don't know if other brands do this better. i doubt it.

 

[henleyregatta]

That said, I've never owned a car that had this feature, so I don't know if other brands do this better. i doubt it.

I had them on my previous car - a Volvo V70. Although it wasn't documented anywhere, I believe that had the same MobileEye technology that AP1 cars have.

It was perhaps ever-so-slightly more responsive than my AP2.5 Model S but basically suffered from all the same restrictions and observations made here: Late to raise to high-beam, late to drop to dipped (annoying for both oncoming cars AND cars ahead of me beyond the recognition range), and treating reflections from road-signs as a good reason to go dipped.

...Or in short: the grass wasn't much greener on that side of the fence. It's an imperfect technology and in both cars I've ended up not using it much.

 

[Peteski]

I agree, the auto headlights don't work very well. They turn off as soon as something reflects lights back to you.
That said, I've never owned a car that had this feature, so I don't know if other brands do this better. i doubt it.

Our 4 year old Nissan Qashqai has auto-dipping and it works far better than the Tesla system. It doesn't have any of these issues and the only common issue is that, like the Tesla, it's a bit slow to go back on full beam after passing an oncoming car. The Tesla auto-dip is a pretty poor effort, especially considering all the tech it has.

 

[culverwood]

My previous BMW 7 and Maserati both had similar issues to Tesla with regards to slow dipping etc. It seems to be a third party problem.

 

[conman]

My previous BMW 7 and Maserati both had similar issues to Tesla with regards to slow dipping etc. It seems to be a third party problem.

Not in Tesla's case. They do everything in house, so feel free to blame them directly.

 

[thegruf]

not blaming ... just encouraging them to keep improving

 

[DerbyDave]

My old Mercedes looked to see the motion of the lights to see if they were moving towards the car. This way it can distinguish between oncoming cars or motorcycles (dim the headlights) or stationary objects like signs, streetlights, etc. My June 2020 Model S has horrible auto headlights. It flashes oncoming cars, and does not always dim when it should, while dimming for street lights, etc. The worst auto headlights I have seen thus far. I have no trust in them acting correctly.

 

[Alex987854]

I've turned off autodimming. It's much too slow to turn back on. I'm hoping it improves and someone here is brave enough to try it.

 

[Jason71]

Friend of mine just bought an BMW M2. headlights are amazing. they are matrix LED capable of turning off some elements so when you are following a car or one comes the other way instead of dipping it turns off just the ones that would shine on the other car leaving the remainder on so you don't loose as much visibility. Apparently it's a bit weird to begin with but amazing particularly when overtaking. Maybe this is common in the luxury sector I don't know (Self steering Xenon is the most sophisticated tech I have ever owned.) but it seems light years ahead of my M3.

 

[LongRanger]

BMW’s laser light and even the LED one below that are awesome at self-regulating high beam. Awesome in the sense of closer-quarters sensing and stuff straight in front of you.

Although there were some situations where I wasn’t happy with their behaviour, for example on more spread-out roads (side to side oncoming traffic) you could give lorries some serious grief with high beam, so even on one of the better systems I’ve owned - not infallible.

Ended up driving 20/80 with the auto-dip switched on, so not as much as their “awesome in the right conditions” feature suggests. Maybe there are some solutions that it’s not necessary to find problems for. Auto-on at dusk and smart cornering beams are probably enough for most folks ?

Beam stability with no dark spots would be my preference over auto-dip.

 

[Neilio]

I agree, the auto headlights don't work very well. They turn off as soon as something reflects lights back to you.
That said, I've never owned a car that had this feature, so I don't know if other brands do this better. i doubt it.

They do do better. My Mercedes auto dipping headlights have rarely out a foot wrong in 3 years. My commute involves country lanes and going through villages so they get a lot of work. Also they only dim the side of the road they are needed. It can be made to work.

 

[thegruf]

well when an 18 month old thread gets bumped it would be great to report an improvement after a multitude of software updates

...

oh well apparently FSD is being released in 6-10 weeks weeks, maybe they'll get back aound to auto-dimming after that
(perhaps they could take another look at the auto-wipers while they're at it too)

 

[oneonorder]

another with exp that it is infinitly better on the BMW led using the matrix setup and also on our Ford Smax Vignale leds which effectivly drives the lights in lots of ways. Tesla is still some way behind here i think.

 

[M3-Newbie]

I would second those saying it’s possible to do it well - and many other cars do.

I had a mini was great at it years ago and more recently an evoque on hire for a few months during lockdown (at less that the cost of a long term lease! Thanks sixt ) and whilst neither was quite perfect with my human driving responsiveness /courtesy esp on a motor way at night, they were both so amazing I quickly came to really trust and appreciate them as a driver aid.

So my expectations are pretty high.... Hope this epic FSD update fixes some of your issues above!

 

[Mr Miserable]

It does seem that reflective roadsigns are the most frequent cause of the headlights dipping. I suspect that EU roadsigns reflect more than US roadsigns.

 

[Artiste]

I’ve been used to matrix LED headlights on my A6 for many years. I don’t think those who have never used them can really appreciate how brilliant they are. It’s fantastic to drive down a dark road on full beam and watch individual diodes switch off to prevent blinding oncoming cars, cyclists and even pedestrians. The rest of the road (and half the surrounding countryside) is still lit on full beam. It’s fast, responsive and 100% reliable. The headlights on the M3 are a massive step backwards. Apart from all the high tech gizmos the light output itself is puny.

The OP mentioned chevrons, and they are a huge problem. On a week long trip to Snowdonia last February my three friends were in stitches at the fact that every single chevron sign caused the lights to dip - just I was approaching a bend and needed high beam most. They took to counting “three . . . two . . . one . . . NOW” to predict when they thought the lights would dip, and they were bang on pretty much every time.

The completely naff windscreen wipers caused almost as much amusement. In particular they absolutely couldn’t cope with sleet and started frantically wiping away as if they were on steroids while the sleet just bounced off the windscreen. It was the first time I had to admit to others (I’d acknowledged it myself a long time earlier) that there are aspects of my M3 that are complete crap.

 

[dan223]

I believe this all comes down to Tesla not using a sensor and using the cameras, the same as the wipers. Even ford manage to have a decent auto high beam.

 

[browellm]

I was watching Autogefuhl recently and Thomas mentioned that car lighting regs in the US are very backward with regard to things like Matrix LEDs and other light-based innovations. This will obviously have influenced how much effort Tesla put into headlamp development.

 

[Neilio]

TBF this is one of the sacrifices I know I'd have to make by going to Tesla. The headlights on my CLS were epic. I imagine, as Audi developed the tech at Le Mans, Audi's are even better.

I kind of knew I'd have to take the hit there but it is sad, given that headlights are an important safety feature.