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I am at my wits end. The low beams on my 2018 ES 300 Hybrid light up less than 100 feet . My auto high beams go on and off all the time as the low beams lighting is so limited. Within a 15 minute period driving from my home the high beams went on 17 times.
I had two Lexus dealers and Lexus corporate check the lights and they conclude they are correct. I also have a 2019 Toyota Camry XSE an those low beams lighten over twice as far..
when will there be a recall? My wife has pointed out pedestrians close by are hard to see at night.
the tires have correct pressure. Could it be that the entire front end is off and the lights are set too low in the car’s frame?
what can I do except wait for a recall when accidents occur? Maximum illumination is 2 to 2 and 1/2 lines
That being said have you test drove another es300? When you start up the car does the led's lights go up and down? Are you able to measure the height of the led headlights from a flat surface? I can compare it to a '18 es300h and let you know.
That being said have you test drove another es300? When you start up the car does the led's lights go up and down? Are you able to measure the height of the led headlights from a flat surface? I can compare it to a '18 es300h and let you know.
When I bought my 2017 ES with the bi-LED headlights, my drive back home from the dealership was a 100 mile trip at night, and much of the trip was on unlit and unmarked country roads. I immediately noticed that the headlights were not illuminating the road nearly as much as had been the case with the HID headlights on the 2013 ES that I had previously owned. Subsequently, I checked that IIHS website, and I was not surprised to see how poorly the bi-LED headlights on the 2017 ES were rated.
I think that the problem is that the LED headlights are very bright at the source, but the light does not project out very far or wide because, in order to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, there is a sharp cutoff at the top of the beam pattern. If most of my driving was done in urban or suburban areas with well-lit roads, I probably would not notice the deficiencies with the bi-LED headlights, but as someone who lives out in the country and who drives mostly on unlit and unmarked roads, the poor performance of the lighting system is quite apparent. Two different Lexus dealers and one Toyota dealership have told me that, with the self-leveling system, there are no adjustments that can be made to the headlight aiming, and, even if it was possible to raise the beam, that would only result in blinding oncoming traffic.
When I bought my 2017 ES with the bi-LED headlights, my drive back home from the dealership was a 100 mile trip at night, and much of the trip was on unlit and unmarked country roads. I immediately noticed that the headlights were not illuminating the road nearly as much as had been the case with the HID headlights on the 2013 ES that I had previously owned. Subsequently, I checked that IIHS website, and I was not surprised to see how poorly the bi-LED headlights on the 2017 ES were rated.
I think that the problem is that the LED headlights are very bright at the source, but the light does not project out very far or wide because, in order to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, there is a sharp cutoff at the top of the beam pattern. If most of my driving was done in urban or suburban areas with well-lit roads, I probably would not notice the deficiencies with the bi-LED headlights, but as someone who lives out in the country and who drives mostly on unlit and unmarked roads, the poor performance of the lighting system is quite apparent. Two different Lexus dealers and one Toyota dealership have told me that, with the self-leveling system, there are no adjustments that can be made to the headlight aiming, and, even if it was possible to raise the beam, that would only result in blinding oncoming traffic.
^ i think this is an issue with all ES led headlights in particular.
now, i don't have much experience with LED headlights as they are a fairly new technology as far as in mainstream cars.
But my last ride with self leveling and tilting LED headlights, they were PHENOMENAL. it was a 2016 benz c300. on every other car i've had, including my current ES, i have either retrofitted hid projectors or replaced the bulbs to phillips ultinnons. The benz did not need changing, they were perfect from factory
EDIT: funny thing is when i used to do projector retrofits, i usually went with acura TL or lexus RX projectors as they had very good beam patterns. And on my current ES, the beam pattern is excellent on HID. Not sure what happenned to their transition into LEDs.
be very careful though, too high = you will blind everyone from oncoming traffic.
best way to do this is with the car about 20-30 feet from a white wall at night. this way you can check how the beam pattern is while you adjust.
EDIT: this is if you have HID or Halogen lights. i'm not sure if LED lights are even adjustable
The HID and halogen headlights have adjustment screws. The self-leveling bi-LED headlights don't even have any adjustment screws. I believe that the leveling device is actually somewhere in the rear of the car. I've read posts by people who have found a way to modify that leveling device to fool it into thinking that the beam pattern needs to be higher than level, but I'm not sure how well that actually works.
That being said have you test drove another es300? When you start up the car does the led's lights go up and down? Are you able to measure the height of the led headlights from a flat surface? I can compare it to a '18 es300h and let you know.
I know about the poor ratings. My headlights go down then up when I start the car. I need to take exact measurements from a level place to the center of my car’s headlights verses another 2018 Lexus ES 300 H, I cannot do this until November as I am in Florida with my Camry. I will be taking the 2018 Lexus ES 300 H to Florida but I cannot enjoy night driving. The Insurance Safety Institute says the Lexus ES 300 H is in guidelines. How about those 2 and 1/2 white lines on the road? That’s no more than 100 feet. It should be double that.
I know about the poor ratings. My headlights go down then up when I start the car. I need to take exact measurements from a level place to the center of my car’s headlights verses another 2018 Lexus ES 300 H, I cannot do this until November as I am in Florida with my Camry. I will be taking the 2018 Lexus ES 300 H to Florida but I cannot enjoy night driving. The Insurance Safety Institute says the Lexus ES 300 H is in guidelines. How about those 2 and 1/2 white lines on the road? That’s no more than 100 feet. It should be double that.
I believe they were mentioning the glare was in guidelines. They say that the visibility is poor. I have other cars with great visibility but shows a lot of glare not in guidelines per the IIHS.
Low beams? Not!
