The low-beam headlights on 2013–2018 Nissan Altima vehicles are allegedly too dim for owners to drive at night, according to a class action lawsuit.
The Nissan Altimas’ halogen headlights feature reflecting parts that are supposedly flawed. Headlights lose their brightness when the reflective surface ages. When this occurs, police may stop moving vehicles to check the headlights.
Nissan is accused of being aware of the headlight issues since at least 2013, but failed to alert customers. Nissan doesn’t provide free replacement parts; instead, customers must pay up to $1,200 for costs associated with the headlamp assemblies.
The reflector cup inside the assembly supposedly cannot survive the heat produced by the halogen light bulbs and loses its capacity to reflect, which is why customers claim that changing the headlight bulbs does not solve the issue.
The projector cup’s reflecting coating burns off, leaving behind burned material that eventually covers the headlights’ lens and weakens the beam.
The reflector cup cannot be changed or the haze removed since the headlight assembly is sealed. The seals do not adequately guard against moisture, which can harm the cups.
In This Article...
What should the range of my headlights be?
Depending on the headlights you’re using, your headlights should shine a certain distance. High beams or brights should shine 350 to 400 feet in the distance, while low beams or dipped lights should shine roughly 150 to 200 feet away. For maximum effectiveness, fog lights must be positioned at a specific height; they do not need to illuminate the road in front of them.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about how far your headlights must shine, including how to examine each type, align them, and more!
How Far Should Your Headlights Shine While on High Beam (Brights)?
High beam headlights, sometimes referred to as brights, should illuminate the road in front of you for approximately 350–400 feet (107–122 meters).
High beams are advised for when you’re travelling quickly, thus this is roughly twice the distance needed for conventional headlights.
How can headlamp alignment be checked?
You must first determine whether the headlamp alignment is correct and whether it has to be adjusted. This can be done in a few simple steps.
Remove any extra weight first, such as objects in the boot, as these could cause your reading to be off. Additionally, make sure your tires are inflated to the pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Once parked, keep your vehicle around 60 cm from any walls or garage doors.
Now you can turn on the headlights, making sure they are not set to the beam or the fog light settings but rather the regular option. On the wall, the headlights will appear as a circle. Use two pieces of tape or a pencil to draw a plus symbol on the wall. Both lines should run horizontally from side to side and vertically from the top of the circular to the bottom. The center of your headlights is where the two lines converge in the middle.
Use a tape measure to make sure the plus signs’ centers are the same height. If they aren’t the same height, you might need to decrease one plus sign.
Reverse your automobile so that it is around eight meters from the wall once you are satisfied with your marks and they are both the same height. You don’t need to modify anything if the middle of your headlights still falls within your marks. You must readjust your headlights if they are dropping above, below, or to the side of the plus symbols.
How far up should my headlights be from the ground?
Your vehicle’s ride height can be subtly altered by suspension issues or a large cargo load, which may also cause one or both headlights to move. Your lights may become out of alignment as a result of a collision or running over a road obstruction.
Parking the car on a level surface and shining the headlights on a wall or garage door 25 feet in front of you can help determine whether the headlights are accurately aimed (some cars may require a different distance). For the majority of vehicles, the top of the low beam that shines on the wall should be at or just slightly below the height of the center of the headlight lens. You can anticipate that the light pattern will be lower on the driver’s side to avoid blinding other cars and higher on the passenger’s right side to highlight traffic signs. This should help you determine whether the beams on both sides are pointed in the right directions.
Another approach is to park the car five feet from the wall and then mark the wall’s vertical and horizontal light beam centers with masking tape. Reposition the car 25 feet back. The light beams should be around the same height both vertically and horizontally with the help of the tape line.
For adjusting headlight height, vehicles typically feature a screw or bolt on the headlight assembly. Some vehicles additionally include a screw for adjusting horizontal aim. A bubble level is also included in some cars to aid in modifications.
Without taking apart components like the battery, you might not have much room or even be able to reach the adjusters on some vehicles. Additionally, the vehicle must be perpendicular to the surface you’re shining the headlights on, be on properly level ground, and have no damage to the suspension system, flat tires, or baggage that would impact the ride height.
The owner’s manuals of many vehicles offer scant or no advice on headlight aiming. Ask a repair business to check if you’re unsure. A dealership may inspect the headlight aim and align it for free if the car is still under the basic warranty.
View the video below for a visual representation of everything mentioned above. Additionally, remember to regularly clean your headlights.
How far above the ground should your headlights be?
Step 4: Verify the level of the lights. These center lines shouldn’t rise above ground level by more than 3.5 feet (1.1 m).
What distance should your high lights be visible?
A brilliant glow is produced by high beam headlights that can be seen up to 350–400 feet in front of your car. That roughly equals the length of a city block. High beams are excellent for nighttime driving in rural regions or on dimly lit highways because they are pointed directly in front of you.
High beams aren’t the best option for city driving, either, as their brightness and location can lead other vehicles up to 150 meters away from you to get blinded.
How do I brighten my headlights?
The brightest headlight bulbs are those made of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). They last five to ten times longer, use half the energy, and are 500% brighter than halogen bulbs. LED bulbs emit a clean white light, which vastly increases vision at night, in contrast to halogens, which produce a dim, yellowish light. For these reasons, switching to LED bulbs is the best method to drastically enhance the lighting systems in your car.
New luxury vehicles like Bentleys, Rolls Royces, BMWs, and Audis now outfit some high-end versions with LED headlights due to their exceptional performance. You’ve probably seen their blazing lights, which provide a strong white glare. The good news is that the headlights on your vehicle may be just as bright.
Using an LED headlight conversion kit, stock halogen headlights can be changed over to LED. Since the LED bulbs fit perfectly into your halogen housing and connect directly to your headlight power harness, the conversion process is actually fairly easy. Even your grandma can do this; it’s no different from simply changing a halogen bulb!
How can I change the intensity of my headlights?
Replace, Clean, and Restore the Headlight Lens Usually, the accumulation under the headlight lens is to blame. Without changing the bulbs, headlight restoration gives them a brighter and cleaner appearance. By swapping out the current casings for ones that are more reflecting, you may intensify the light even more.
New clear bulb
We have two quick repairs for you if your car’s headlight only produces about as much light as a flashlight with dead batteries.
Most do-it-yourselfers believe that their power feed or headlight switch is broken. But corroded ground wires are the main reason for dim headlights. See where the wiring harness joins to the car body by following it from the back of each headlamp assembly. Clean it as shown in the picture.
Another explanation is that as headlight filaments deteriorate, they leave a grayish-brown layer inside the bulb (See Photo). That coating can eventually cut visibility down by over 300 feet. Pull one of the bulbs out of your headlights to check the glass for any gray or brown residue if they aren’t as brilliant as they once were. Replace both bulbs right away if you find any to resume seeing more of the road.
What is the cost of changing the headlights?
Headlamp alignment adjustments typically cost between $40 and $51. Between $40 and $51 is the expected labor cost range. Taxes and other costs are not included in this range, nor are your particular vehicle or geographic area taken into account.
How far should low beams be projected?
The following determines whether to use high- or low-beam headlights:
About 200 feet, or half a city block, of the road is illuminated by low-beam headlights. High beams should be used when you can no longer see more than 200 feet in low beams, unless:
200 feet away and coming at you from the opposite direction is another automobile.
When used in poor weather, high lights can produce glare and become dangerous. And you should return to using low beams if using high beams could cause someone to get blinded on or near the road. However, in general, when there are no other vehicles around and the weather is good, you should use your high lights on both city and rural routes at night.
With low beams, how far should you be able to see?
Two headlamp settings are available for usage in various circumstances.
high beams and low beams (dimmed headlights) (bright headlights). Depending on your speed and visibility, using the incorrect type of headlight setting can be disastrous and cause an accident.
As a motorist, it is your obligation to be aware of when to use low and high beams.
How Far Can You See With Low Beams?
- High-beam headlights are appropriate for speeds more than 25 mph and provide visibility out to around 350 feet. Only certain circumstances should call for the usage of the high-beam setting (read more here).
- Low-beam headlights are ideal for speeds up to 25 mph and provide visibility for roughly 200 feet. The “dimmed” or “dipped setting is another name for the low-beam setting.
In essence, low beams at night emit significantly less light than high beams. When traveling at speeds greater than 25 mph at night while using low beam headlights, it can be too late to stop before colliding with an item.
Since low beams are much weaker than high lights, they can be employed without endangering other drivers’ vision.
You must switch to high beams when you require more light than low beams can offer (if legal). Keep in mind that while high beams will help you see wider in front of you, improper use of them risked blinding other motorists.