My headlights don't seem to give me much visible distance. I find I need to use the high beams nearly all the time - then they really light things up. I'm thinking the regular beam needs to be adjusted - I'd guess they only project about 40 yards down the road. Anyone else notice this? I'm hoping the dealer can adjust things so I don't have to use the high beams all the time.
Headlight brightness/aim
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You've got the led headlights I presume? Yes, I noticed it and one of the Scandinavian guys added driving lights. If you have leds, you have auto levelling so there are two aspects to headlight aim. The first is at the headlight and the second is at the levelling switch which is attached to the right rear suspension arm. I guess you would need to check the levelling switch and only then adjust the lights. I can give you PDFs for both if you don't get anywhere at the dealer. I think it is probably correct as far as the factory settings are concerned.
Thanks for the reply Anchorman. Actually I think I have halogens. I bought the car used, so I don't have the window sticker to check certain options, but after looking at the owner's manual & the car itself, I do see where the bulbs are in the headlights. I have the Touring version, so that may mean the halogens - right? When I turn the headlights on in my garage, it's a distinct dark line... like there is a curtain or card blocking the light. Any other thoughts? I love the car but the dim headlights and dim dash lights during the day are driving me nuts. At any rate, I need to contact the dealer to see if anything can be done to raise the range of the low beams.
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Interestingly, Consumer's Reports recently did a test on newer cars and found them very lacking in the headlight department. The worst ones are from Kia with the Sorento being especially called out on this issue. I did not find the Mazdas being mentioned in the study but I would be surprised if they could be much better than the rest of the 2016-17 crop of new cars.
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JUst looking through the note I think auto levelling still applies but I have attached the PDFs showing how the headlights and the levelling switch are adjusted. You can raise with a dealer and they might lift them a bit for you. There is a TSB for headlights too low but that is for leds. The ordinary bulbs operate in a little globe called projectors and it is normal to have a very flat top cut off.
I have an appointment with the dealer in a few days and will address the headlight issue with them. Just another observation: While driving on my street at night (no streetlights) I turned from the headlights to the parking lights and back to headlights... hardly any difference in illumination. As I said, the brights are great so I guess I'll be driving with the brights on all the time unless I get flashed to dim them. I'll report back on whatever the dealer tells me.
Update: I took my CX-3 in to the dealer and complained about the headlights. They told me they were on spec, however they raised the aim a bit. This certainly helped. At least I can see farther. Still not very bright, but the distance factor is improved. Any suggestions on up-grading the halogens or going to LED's?
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IIHS rated the CX-3 LED headlamps well but really didn't like the halogens.
Headlight evaluation
2017 Mazda CX-3
Headlight evaluation
2017 Mazda CX-3
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I've yet to see a decent LED conversion. I saw plenty of hopeless attempts while in the US this summer but they just generate flare which dazzles oncoming traffic and are the wrong colour temperature. I personally wouldn't while there are really good quality bulb upgrades that will maintain the focus while improving the performance.
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There should't be any dazzle problems with projector headlights. Or are the halogens traditional reflector lights?
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Daniel Stern is often cited as a good source of information. No specific recommendations for bulbs but reading up will help you make better choices.
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply
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Probably best to go off NotaPreppie’s info as I’m not in the USA. The H11 and HB3s that I’ve bought have been Osram Nightbreaker Plus which offer significant improvement over the supplied standard bulbs. Chart attached;
Coming into this thread rather late... however...
So in the USA and I have a 2016 CX-3 and it says GT but I'm somewhat confused because I feel I am missing some of the bells and whistles. My headlights are terrible and something tells me I have the halogen lights. Is that possible, or aren't the LEDs supposed to be standard on the GT? Did I get duped? Was there an extra package I needed to buy?
What did I miss? LOL
I recently moved from the city where I had little problem seeing to the suburbs where there are no streetlights and I can't see for diddly squat at night. I really didn't notice how bad they were until now.
My fiancee has the 2016 CX-5 GT and trust me, those are great lights. Mine are pathetic in comparison.
I'm about to make an appt to get the adjusted but just trying to figure out what I have vs. What I'm supposed to have... vs. what my options are for improvement.
Thanks!
So in the USA and I have a 2016 CX-3 and it says GT but I'm somewhat confused because I feel I am missing some of the bells and whistles. My headlights are terrible and something tells me I have the halogen lights. Is that possible, or aren't the LEDs supposed to be standard on the GT? Did I get duped? Was there an extra package I needed to buy?
What did I miss? LOL
I recently moved from the city where I had little problem seeing to the suburbs where there are no streetlights and I can't see for diddly squat at night. I really didn't notice how bad they were until now.
My fiancee has the 2016 CX-5 GT and trust me, those are great lights. Mine are pathetic in comparison.
I'm about to make an appt to get the adjusted but just trying to figure out what I have vs. What I'm supposed to have... vs. what my options are for improvement.
Thanks!
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I have the GT Canadian version and the high beams work great. But I have to admit that I find the low beams rather pathetic. When the automatic lights are functioning it is a bit unnerving when it automatically switches from high to low. Most of the road ahead just fades suddenly to black.
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I think I'll have to stay late at work tomorrow and check to see if I can aim my headlights a little higher. I have a Sport with the i-ActivSense package which includes LED headlights straight out of the GT, sans auto-leveling sensor in the passenger rear suspension. Now, I have noticed that the headlights did dip down ever so slightly (probably a degree or two) when I turned them off this evening, seeing that there's an angle sensor somewhere. Reading from MGSS (Mazda Global Support System) it looks like there are two different types of adjustment for halogen and LED assemblies. Adjustment for left-right and up-down. I can almost bet that the LED headlamp assemblies when aimed at the factory are 7" too low according to recommended specs from DOT. I'm sure Mazda aimed them assuming full gross weight.
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So, I aimed my headlamps according to MNAO's instructions. Because they're pretty much pointed straight out, driving on rolling hills or even small hills or dips in the road, I'm always blinding people because my headlights are now pointing upwards. Thinking I'll be aiming them a bit lower so I don't blind people so consistently. On another note, the visibility is much improved. Better than seeing 10 feet in front of you! The only weird thing was after I adjusted the LED headlights, the AFS when starting the CX-3 instead of doing a test adjustment once, it does it twice in quick succession -- which makes me a bit concerned as I think I may have stuffed the auto-leveling calibration.
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