Lights dim?

[RedMagik]

Driving this evening both my wife and I commented how dim our lights seemed in comparison to other vehicles we've owned/own. Our current Outback has some of the best lights I've seen on a vehicle. The Tundra was great as well. I can't for the life of me remeber how our old 2010 Limited was. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just imagining it?

 

[flyrv9]

We have a 2000 Tundra along with a 2013 T4R. I replaced both bulbs in the Tundra when one went out. The T4R still has better lamps!

 

[RedMagik]

We have a 2000 Tundra along with a 2013 T4R. I replaced both bulbs in the Tundra when one went out. The T4R still has better lamps!

Maybe it's causs I got used to the adjustable headlamps in the 2011s, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss them.

 

[rigtec]

Driving this evening both my wife and I commented how dim our lights seemed in comparison to other vehicles we've owned/own. Our current Outback has some of the best lights I've seen on a vehicle. The Tundra was great as well. I can't for the life of me remeber how our old 2010 Limited was. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just imagining it?

I was just wondering if the truck's plexi-headlight bezels are starting to haze? There's a few good haze clean-up kits on the market that work really well. Price is around $20 bucks online, $30 locally e.g., AutoZone, Napa, Advanced auto... But depending on how badly they're tarnished will determine how much work will be need to buff them back to their original clarity.

My wife's '04 Camery was the worst I'd ever seen so all the gimmicks like using tooth-paste or rubbing it clean by hand is out of the question. It took me about 2 hrs on each bezel using a drill with three different grit buffer pads. Then there's the polish as the last stage. It came out good but not like new cuz the porosity and plexi-glass damage was several layers deep; but the new ones were about $400 dollars each so...

Cheers!

 

[cdirth]

I said the same thing when I bought my T4R, the lights seem very very dim.

 

[philsey]

Driving this evening both my wife and I commented how dim our lights seemed in comparison to other vehicles we've owned/own. Our current Outback has some of the best lights I've seen on a vehicle. The Tundra was great as well. I can't for the life of me remeber how our old 2010 Limited was. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just imagining it?

Since your Join Date is 2015, I assume your 4R is that MY. Correct?

Have ANY electrical add-ons or changes been made? Security, remote start, lights, etc.

If yes, you should start there. If no, why don't you go to the dealer and park next to a new one, and compare. If they are noticeably dimmer, you are still under warranty I assume.

You probably should have your battery tested..... and check your battery connections and posts.

Headlight efficacy is subjective - some like 'em, some don't. But when you have great headlights in one car, well then you know good from average.

 

[RedMagik]

Since your Join Date is 2015, I assume your 4R is that MY. Correct?

Have ANY electrical add-ons or changes been made? Security, remote start, lights, etc.

If yes, you should start there. If no, why don't you go to the dealer and park next to a new one, and compare. If they are noticeably dimmer, you are still under warranty I assume.

You probably should have your battery tested..... and check your battery connections and posts.

Headlight efficacy is subjective - some like 'em, some don't. But when you have great headlights in one car, well then you know good from average.

You are correct, it's a 15 with just over 10k miles. 100% stock, I'm going to go compare them this week. Wish I would have noticed this before, just got it serviced last Thursday.

 

[RedMagik]

I was just wondering if the truck's plexi-headlight bezels are starting to haze? There's a few good haze clean-up kits on the market that work really well. Price is around $20 bucks online, $30 locally e.g., AutoZone, Napa, Advances auto... But depending on how badly they're tarnished will determine how much work will be need to buff them back to their original clarity.

My wife's '04 Camery was the worst I'd ever seen so all the gimmicks like using tooth-paste or rubbing it clean by hand is out of the question. It took me about 2 hrs on each bezel using a drill with three different grit buffer pads. Then there's the polish as the last stage. It came out good but not like new cuz the porosity and plexi-glass damage was several layers deep; but the new ones were about $400 dollars each so...

Cheers!

Thanks for the tip! I've actually used that for an older Civic, stuff works wonders. When I stop by the dealer I'll compare lens clarity as well.

 

[rigtec]

Thanks for the tip! I've actually used that for an older Civic, stuff works wonders. When I stop by the dealer I'll compare lens clarity as well.

No yours haven't had nearly enough time to deteriorate/haze to a level of impeding the light beam to where it would cause a visibility problem!

Rgds!

 

[kevinmai712]

Driving this evening both my wife and I commented how dim our lights seemed in comparison to other vehicles we've owned/own. Our current Outback has some of the best lights I've seen on a vehicle. The Tundra was great as well. I can't for the life of me remeber how our old 2010 Limited was. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just imagining it?

I thought the same about the 4Runner how dim it was, I was so used to my '15 Forester XT with the factory HIDs that I bought some HIDs for the t4r ( which helped a lot in the projector ). But like other said, maybe there some haze on the plexi

 

[simple]

For what it's worth I have a 15 sr5. I had an 04 with retrofitted headlights and HIDs before. The first thing I purchased with my 2015 is a TRS HID headlight kit. Although I didn't install it for 10 months because I was actually really happy with the stock bulbs. I tried to sell my HID kit but didn't get any reasonable offers so ended up installing them, and it's night and day difference. But still, I was pretty happy with the stock performance.

 

[meder24]

Try some different bulbs in your headlights. I am currently running the Osram Nightbreakers.

A good set of halogen bulbs will give you better performance.

I myself am very picky with my lighting. I am for the time being pleased with the overall performance of the stock halogens and halogen projectors.

Eventually a proper HID retro will be done, but for now the upgraded halogen bulbs, which the projector was designed for, work just fine.

 

[RedMagik]

Thanks for the feedback guys, going to look into replacing the bulbs with something different in the mean time!

 

[catrains]

Thanks for the feedback guys, going to look into replacing the bulbs with something different in the mean time!

I would check the alignment of the head lamps could be too low .

 

[philsey]

Thanks for the feedback guys, going to look into replacing the bulbs with something different in the mean time!

Be aware that all these "uprated" halogen bulbs, while whiter/brighter, also have a dramatically shortened life.

Carry one of the oem bulbs as a spare.

 

[salong53]

Driving this evening

Not being sarcastic, but could it just be that it was twilight rather than being completely dark, making the lights seem dimmer against the backdrop of low light instead of the drastic contrast perceived if it were completely dark?

 

[bloodninja]

Keep in mind that the a bulb's performance decreases over time. This is the natural progression. You don't necessarily need more expensive, fancier bulbs. It may simply be time to replace them with the same, but new, bulbs. You don't have to wait for them to die before replacing them