Headlights too bright?

[MacMcIntire]

Hi, forgive me if this has already been discussed. I searched the forum and could not find this topic. I was wondering if any other Model 3 owners experience other drivers flashing their high beams at you as if they are trying to get you to turn off your high beams. This happens to me every once in a while even though my high beams are off. I read that some earlier Model 3s had an issue with the head lights shining into on coming traffic but if this is the case, can they be adjusted by a service shop? I have a 2018 Model 3. Thanks

 

[derekmw]

You can adjust it yourself in the settings. You use the scrolls on the steering wheel to raise/lower it. If I remember correctly, you can also move them left/right.

 

[XLR82XS]

Good time to mention: RTFM..... tons of info in there.

 

[MacMcIntire]

Good time to mention: RTFM..... tons of info in there.

I never thought to read the manual about this issue since every car I have ever owned highly recommended you have the headlights adjusted by a service technician. But thanks for being such a big help!

 

[ilyak]

I never thought to read the manual about this issue since every car I have ever owned highly recommended you have the headlights adjusted by a service technician. But thanks for being such a big help!

You can schedule an appointment via the app if you prefer not to do it yourself. However, even when correctly leveled, LED headlights produce a good amount of glare for oncoming drivers, so you'll likely see people flash at you every now and then either way.

 

[BulldogsRus]

I never thought to read the manual about this issue since every car I have ever owned highly recommended you have the headlights adjusted by a service technician. But thanks for being such a big help!

I had a Lexus GS that used to self-calibrate at startup, not sure if other manufacturers still do that.

 

[Nizzore]

They'll get over it

 

[sduck]

I get almost zero deliberate flashes from other people about this car. The few I get are people that are going over a bump or something that just looks like they might be flashing, but it's not that.

 

[St☰v☰]

Mine were way to high too. I was brightly lighting up every road sign I drove past, even those on the overpasses, it was almost like my brights were on. So here's what I did (yes, I could have gone to a SC). I measured on the back of the garage where my wife's cars lights hit, moved it out, and then I pulled the Tesla partially into the garage (driveway is a slight incline from the street, so as I pull the car in it's at varying degrees) I hit the auto adjust and pull in more and hit auto adjust again until the lights match the spot of the back of the garage where my wife's cars lights hit. No problems blinding other drivers since then and It still lighting up the roadways as it should.

 

[Resist]

I find that any vehicle with LED headlights appears too bright for my eyes. I don't think it's that they aren't adjusted correctly, it's as others have said, these cool white lights produce a lot of glare.

 

[DrSmile]

It's very easy to adjust the headlights on the Model 3 and the cutoff is excellent. Once adjusted properly no one should be bothered.

 

[GoMobileTires]

i always find new things i never knew about my cars when i read the owners manual

 

[acarney]

2020 Tesla Model 3 4-door sedan

"Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the sharp right curve, fair on the gradual right and sharp left curves, and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits."

If you actually suspect an issue with your headlights, talk to a service center, otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. There are so many lifted trucks that don't give an F about how their lights are adjusted that a sedan which was evaluated to be within limits shouldn't be a worry for anyone. Plus who know's if those cars flashing you are slammed cars. I always wonder what it does when people lower their cars two or three inches to look cool, might be enough to cause problems like this then.

 

[Kiwiadventure]

I don't worry as some on coming drivers flash anyone if there lights are brighter than a 1959 Mini.

 

[bpobill]

I never thought to read the manual about this issue since every car I have ever owned highly recommended you have the headlights adjusted by a service technician. But thanks for being such a big help!

I have never heard of headlights needing to be adjusted by a technician. Ive always done my own on halogen, hid, and even led.

 

[bpobill]

I find that any vehicle with LED headlights appears too bright for my eyes. I don't think it's that they aren't adjusted correctly, it's as others have said, these cool white lights produce a lot of glare.

No they dont. Glare is caused from improperly aimed lights, or shining off a reflective surface such as wet roads. The color temperature has ZERO bearing on glare. The cutoff on the model 3 is just like any other cars with hid or led lights. They are not excessively bright and their color temp is the same as other led lights.

 

[jboy210]

I have never heard of headlights needing to be adjusted by a technician. Ive always done my own on halogen, hid, and even led.

It was the law for years in California. Our service shop had an alignment machine and we used to adjust headlights left and right and up and down to match the spec.

 

[acarney]

I have never heard of headlights needing to be adjusted by a technician. Ive always done my own on halogen, hid, and even led.

Maybe if you have a large enough flat area with a wall and want to measure and mark out the wall for where the cut off should be etc etc etc.

You can NOT eyeball it. There are specs with how high it should be for the driver side and passenger side and stuff.

 

[bpobill]

Maybe if you have a large enough flat area with a wall and want to measure and mark out the wall for where the cut off should be etc etc etc.

You can NOT eyeball it. There are specs with how high it should be for the driver side and passenger side and stuff.

Back in the day I used to retrofit headlights. I would gut the oem halogen lights and install hid projectors from a luxury vehicle like an acura tl or a bmw. I was a very active member on hidplanet for several years. I had done about a dozen sets for personal vehicles and some friends. I know all about adjusting headlights. Finding perfectly flat ground to get the 2" drop @ 25' is about as close to impossible as you can get unless you had access to a shop. Even then if you laser the floor there were differences you had to account for. Also that 2" drop is not applicable to all vehicles. Especially lifted ones.

Instead I would eyeball it. Set them both level and what I thought was right and drive it around to see where your cutoff was hitting. I used the back of an autozone for a reference near my old house to help reference because I had done so many I knew about where it needed to be. When I eyeballed it I never blinded anyone, unless it was some riced out civid that cut their springs. Yes you can eyeball your headlights if you know what to look for.

 

[drdumont]

It was the law for years in California. Our service shop had an alignment machine and we used to adjust headlights left and right and up and down to match the spec.

Used to be shops had a machine used to check headlight aiming, had to be done each inspection session. And if you replaced a sealed beam headlight, you used the machine to align the headlight.