I have a F55 2015 model. I specified the LED headlights which replaced the Bi-Xenons of the previous model.
Since I have had the car I am being flashed by other cars which at night in the UK means you have your headlights on full beam.
Its been back to the dealers to be checked, they said it is OK. And they have put them on the lowest setting. But in the last journey home, on both lit and unlit streets I was being flashed by every other car.
Has everyone else experienced this? My concern is that, what if one of the cars coming the other way is a police car.
You mean you have the built in Halo DRLs which are LED and not the actual headlight bulb itself, although some new cars, think SEAT is one do offer LED headlights in their own right?
The LED DRLs are very bright in my opinion too and especially as the daylight level drops, thats when you ought to put your main headlights on, Not full beam by the way, just on dipped, this will cause the LEDs to dim.
Too many folk are driving around in low light levels with just the LED DRLs on, and this not only causes dazzle but it also means you dont have any rear lighting on either?
As soon as folk start flashing you is an indication the ambient light level has dropped enough for you to be driving on your main headlight dipped beam and not the LEDs
The whole headlight system is described as LED in the brochure rather than Bi-Xenon for the old R56 models.
I am driving, at night, with the main lights on, fully dipped. I think the LED rings do remain on when the main lights are on but I don't know whether they are dimmed. And I would expect a main dipped beam to drown out the LED ring.
I have had auto-lights for the past few Minis so I tend to set it to automatic leave it until the car needs to be serviced.
If I apply high-beam anyone approaching would be completely blind.
One of the salesman who runs an S model says he occasionally gets flashed but not to the extent I am. I must have been flashed 20 times in a 5mi journey home the other night.
I am wondering if a European setup (Right side driving) has been put on the car so the light are pointing into the centre of the road instead of the side. I bought a used car like that once. But that should have been picked up when they checked it.
There is no RHD set up as such, the manual does explain that the lights are suitable for continental driving without adaptation.
This issue as been discussed on f56.com and the problem was solved by the dealer correctly aligning the lights according to the regulations. Go back to the dealers and insist that that recheck them and that you are allowed to witness the check.
I have LED lights and I have never been flashed yet.
Thanks. I am thinking of getting them independantly checked. The place I buy my tyres from does MOTs. But I suspect they have not yet seen the current model.
Might depend on what or who you carry in the back too, how heavy?
I dont know if the LED equipped cars have headlight leveling systems like that of the HID equipped cars, but maybe thats not set up correctly or not working as it should??
It does sound like it might be a problem with the levelling, although I know some folks who just flash people with Xenons generally as they mistake them for full beams (my aged father in law for example!).
Update from the dealer.
They have checked the alignment and it is fine.
The LED system should be self leveling in the same way the Xenon system was. I never got flashes with four Xenon lit Minis.
Most interesting was that the service guy I have been speaking to said he was approached by an F56 last night and the light were pretty blinding to him.
He think its the bumps in the road that at speed the leveling system cannot respond to that quick.
Basically they are saying there is nothing they do but they will raise what they term a PUMA to send to MINI themselves to see if they have a solution.
I have a Cooper S with the LED lights and during the darker months, I was flashed constantly. Tried seeing if there was an option to lower the lights somewhere but couldn't find anything. Might have to be another trip to the garage to get it fixed.
The light pattern is not good. Where you get this bulbs?
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