I have xenon lights on my 8. I'm getting a little aggravated because the lights do not project in a straight line. What I mean is, the line that divides brightly lit and dimly lit is kind of squiggly. I'd expect it to be a straight line, but it's more:



I think the driver's side headlamp is out of alignment, as it appears it is lower than the passenger side.

So I stop at the dealer to check it out. Service is closed, but the sales manager says he'll take a look.

He says that is normal. That the lights illuminate the ground in a Z pattern. That's the trademark of xenon lights. Thus, that's why it's pronounced "zee-non."

OK. Xenon is the gas in the bulb. The word Xenon does not have a Z in it. The way my lights illuminate the ground in front of me looks like they the driver's side light is not aligned correctly, like it is lower than the passenger light.

Zeenon! LOL WTF????

This just seems too farfetched to be true, that Zenon lights make a Z pattern. Is this sales manager just a ******* moron, or is his wacky *** "this customer is just off the banana boat/amish wagon/whatever" assertion true?

ZEENON!!!!!!

/edit: I MSPainted the way it looks in front of the car with the lights turned on.

ZEENON!!!!!!!!

 

I must be tired because I don't know WTF you're talking about.

 

dealer discription of the beam pattern is wrong... has nothing to do with the bulb....

it has everything to do with oncoming traffic.... the pattern you describe is normal...

all is well..

beers

 

It is so you do not blind oncoming traffic. If I know what you are talking about.

 

lol...

 

I like the picture, and I never noticed mine doing that.

 

I've noticed it, and it's exactly that.
Headlights in normail alignment are directed slightly away from oncoming traffic. This is to help prevent blinding oncoming traffic as well as it gives a bit of extra light to the roadside (to see animals etc.)
All headlights do it, but the beam pattern on a nomral halogen light isn't sharp enough to see it.

It's also a concern with all of those cars running around with JDM headlight swaps in them... the beam pattern is directed slightly towards oncoming traffic.

 

I was about to ask my mechanic this same question as my drivers side is slightly lower as well. But it all makes sense now :-) Thanks for the info

 

hah id laugh my *** off if someone tried to tell me a story to my face of "thats why the lights are called "xenon" because they make a "zee" pattern.

I'm sure the name has nothing to do with the fact the gas they contain is a freaking element. When the guys that made up the periodic table were making names I'm sure they named it "Zee-non" because of the future cars would have to make a "zee" pattern of light

 

^^^^^
I did everything I could not to pop off and be rude by pointing out that xenon is the gas in the bulbs. And I would have been rude. My recent contacts with dealerships have not been pleasant as everytime I speak with someone at a dealership, I feel like I'm being fed a line of ****.

Thanks. I've really been practising my MSPaint skills lately. Glad it's paying off. :D

The two posters above me...thanks for the responses.

Reason I asked is because one of my neighbors had an M3 with the hi intensity halogens. I noticed on his car, the squiggly line between brightly lit and dimly/not lit was a horizontal straight line. I'll have to check it out again to see if his lights project in front of the car the same way my 8's lights do.

Thanks again.

 

Zee lights on zee car are normal, it is zo the oncoming drivers can zee.

 

That was rhetoric, right? You do realize its a job requirement.

 

Acuras with Xenon are the same... lower on the driver side so you don't blind oncoming drivers... but the sad thing is, people still flash me like I have my brights on in any Xenon equipped vehicle. Guess some people just have sensitve eyes.

 

By definition, the Sales Manager has the least amount of product knowledge in the building. As soon as one demonstrates any awareness of the car's features, he or she is immediately transferred to a different manufacturer's dealership.

 

This explains SO much!!!

 

Yes, it was a rhetorical question.

 

Wow ... thought I'd heard everything, but that's a new one. I'm sure they sell lots of headlight fluid there too.

An auto engineer friend tells me that most automotive beam patterns these days are set up to be lower at the left side of the vehicle and higher at the right - which is certainly what you see there - that's to keep from blinding oncoming traffic (lower left side beam) and improve throw distance down the shoulder (higher right side beam).

But a Zeenon pattern it's not -

That said, the reason it's so obvious on this car is due to the design of the beam cutoff in the projector lamps for the HID/xenon low beams - it's a very sharp-edged beam cutoff which is why it looks so obvious. For your edification, my last car, an Acura TL also had HID's and it had the same thing - not quite as sharp edged, but definitely a similar beam pattern. My business partner's M3 does the same, as does my neighbor's Porsche ... common.

 

I would have been very rude if could have stopped long enough from choking on my laughter. I live for situations just like this. I probably would have made some comment like:

"Oh really, thank you for enligtening me, now tell me about that special racing air in the tires".............))))))))

 

Ever had a jackass in a Civic with poorly aligned aftermarket HIDs drive toward you?

That's why.

Edit: 1500 posts. Woohoo!

 

Your avatar is perfect.

Thanks for the information. I recall my neighbor's M3 had a straight horizontal projection line. Maybe a 2000 or 2001? I cannot remember. I'll ask.

I will admit I could not laugh as I was too amazed at his explanation.

Please let me know about this special racing air. I need to relate to these guys next time I decide to visit them.

 

you must be new to the projector headlights!!!
all projector headlights do the same thing, same as the BMW's and Audi's.
for the left hand drive cars with projectors, the light will slightly go higher to the right, for right hand drive cars, the light will slightly go higher to the left!!

 

Holy crap! its been years since this has been posted and its still funny as hell!
ZEENON!!!

 

Would be funnier if the picture still loaded.

 

LOL Zeenon...