Need help with 2015 Genesis headlights

[Jane McGuire]

I find the 2015 Genesis headlights do no illuminate the highway properly. Particularly on low beam, they lights do not extend far enough ahead, and when on residential streets if I turn right, the curb is not illuminated at all. I have this happen near our home and when turning right I can barely see cars parked along the curb. We have had them checked and are simply told they are at the proper height on the wall.

 

[joegr]

Which headlights do you have? Halogen or HID? Bulbs do get dimmer with age. How are the lenses, are they clouded over? Is this a sudden change, or is it that you just got this car?

 

[Jane McGuire]

How do I know which headlights I have? This is not a sudden change. We have had the car since we bought it new. Always been a problem. Just decided to see if I was the only one experiencing this.

 

[joegr]

How do I know which headlights I have? This is not a sudden change. We have had the car since we bought it new. Always been a problem. Just decided to see if I was the only one experiencing this.

There are a few ways.
When the lights come on, do they point down and then come back up level? - HID. Do they never move? - Halogen.
Look up your window sticker using your VIN.
Do you have a base model or an ultimate model?
...

 

[Ltv]

Mine are the Same way, They can be adjusted up slightly which is explained in some other posts. It will make a big difference.

 

[StarPower]

IIRC, when these cars first came out in 2015 several owners has problems with visibility and found that their headlights were aimed low from the factory. Here's a link with instructions for aiming your headlights including the aim targets. The writeup is long with a lot of background information, but the procedure is pretty easy. You park the car on a flat surface 25' from a wall (commercial parking garages are great for this), measure and mark the targets, then adjust the headlights until the bright spot hits the target. You will need a long, thing screwdriver to reach the adjusting screw. I believe I used a Philips #1 X 150 mm (6" shaft length).

Also, HID bulbs gradually dim as they age. If you have HIDs and are on your original bulbs, you could consider replacing them. I replaced mine after about 7 years and noticed a significant difference. They're kind of a pain in the butt to replace on this car, but there are plenty of writeups on this forum to help you out. I removed the airbox and went in through the engine bay, but it was still tight. If I had to do it again, I would probably remove the bumper cover instead.

Lastly, if you have fog lamps, you should keep them off for normal driving because the excess foreground light can reduce your distance vision. They're designed to allow you to see what's directly in front of the car while moving slowly in poor visibility conditions.

 

[surprisinguy]

I have HID lights and they don't "self adjust" at startup. I too had poor low beam performance - bought a loong phillips head screw driver, went to the side of a cinderblock bldg and aimed mine up until they were correct. Great low beam vision since.

 

[Suburbazine]

If you have HIDs you could have a couple of issues:

Pointed low. Dealership will always point them too low, they use the same target for a dozen different cars. HIDs should be aimed just a few degrees below horizontal, else you are wasting the projectors.

Level system calibration error. While the lights don't sweep on startup, they are connected to a level sensor on each side of the rear suspension. If one has broken off or become uncalibrated, you can have one or both lights always be pointed low even after manually aiming them.

 

[Siberian]

Someone hit my bumper in a parking lot now it needs repair. Since the headlights are being replaced, the shop and I decided to upgrade the bulbs at my request. I will purchase the bulbs but which ones. I need better vision at night so LEDs came to mind. Or should I replace with HID? Any suggestions?

 

[surprisinguy]

I think HID are plenty bright

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[StarPower]

Someone hit my bumper in a parking lot now it needs repair. Since the headlights are being replaced, the shop and I decided to upgrade the bulbs at my request. I will purchase the bulbs but which ones. I need better vision at night so LEDs came to mind. Or should I replace with HID? Any suggestions?

Putting LEDs into HID housings is a bad idea (so is putting LEDs or HIDs into halogen housings). The projectors are designed to shape the light from a precisely positioned HID arc into the proper beam pattern. Installing a different type of bulb (e.g., LED in place of HID) changes the shape and position of the light source, which changes the beam pattern. This could impair visibility and cause excessive glare for oncoming traffic.

For HID bulbs, I'm fond of the Osram Xenarc Night Breaker Laser. If you're looking for a higher CCT (cooler white), I recommend the Philips X-Treme Vision.

 

[NC356]

I'd say LED into halogen can be terrific; a proper LED completely mimics the source geometry of the halogen.
Have done 3, all great results.