![]() Automakers put in long-life bulbs as original equipment, because Americans have this weird thing where they think the car’s a piece of junk if a consumable part needs to be replaced and the maker doesn’t give them a new one under warranty. However, all halogen bulbs are not equal. HID, but the principles and problems are the same overall. The particulars are different for LED vs. See here for a lengthy dissertation on the how and why. Two ideas (“LED bulbs” and “HID kits”) have to be taken out behind the barn and shot right offhand, because halogen lamps need to use halogen bulbs or they don’t, can’t, won’t work effectively, safely, or legally and can do extensive (and expensive) damage to the vehicle. Most Fords have the VOR type of headlamp, though some have VOL, so whoever is doing the aim job needs to carefully check the headlamp lens markings and set the aiming machine accordingly.Īfter that’s done, think about the bulbs themselves. There are different brands of optical aiming machine, but they all work very similarly, and the same process is used on Fords, VWs, and every other brand of car no other method is good enough. Read up on this here and see this informative VW bulletin on how to aim headlamps correctly. Worse, many shops, and even dealers, just randomly crank the lamps up if the complaint is “I can’t see” or down if it’s “I get flashed.” Shining the lights on a wall is a very distant second preference it really can’t get them closer than maybe the same state where the ballpark is located. ![]() So first, go find a dealer or shop that has and properly uses an optical headlamp aiming machine and see to it (babysit them as necessary) that the lamps are aimed carefully and correctly. It’s dense and science-y, but the takeaway is that fully half the headlamps that got a “Marginal” or “Poor” grade would have got “Acceptable” or “Good” if they were aimed correctly. Take a look at this analysis by one of America’s top vehicle lighting researchers. They reason that most vehicle buyers never have their headlamp aim checked, and that’s correct, but it means the IIHS headlamp grades are a composite of how good or bad the lamps are, and how good or bad the aim is on the particular vehicle they test. One thing about those IIHS headlamp ratings is that they don’t check or adjust the aim before testing. It’s a little counterintuitive, but lamp aim - not bulb type or lamp technology - is by far the main thing that determines how well you can (or can’t) see at night. They both got a poor rating, but for different reasons: the halogens gave inadequate seeing distance (and created some glare), while the HIDs gave excellent seeing distance - much more than what is considered optimal - but created a lot of glare. Don’t just skim, really spend some time studying the results for the optional HID and standard halogen lamps. The problem isn’t just in your head take a look at how the 2017 Edge did in the IIHS headlamp tests. …and luckily for you there’s a man named Daniel Stern. Luckily there was a factory HID upgrade (which I sorta wrote the book on)… Help! I’m almost totally in the dark here!Īlmost totally in the dark with Ford headlights? I remember that feeling, thanks to the tiny low beams with peeling chrome projectors on my 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII: useless after five-plus years of heat cycling. What are my options? Brighter Halogen bulbs, LED Bulbs or an aftermarket HID kit? ![]() The projector beam halogen headlights are simply awful, I can’t believe they left the factory this way. I love it so far but there is one glaring issue. I recently purchased a 2017 Ford Edge SEL AWD with the 2.0-liter Ecoboost. Love the column, it’s one of the things that keeps me coming to TTAC daily.
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