[itwasntme]

Aveos have a pretty soft suspension and the rear sags with a full load thereby raising the front. I personally have found this device very useful especially on highways or on Bangalore's ring roads when there is less traffic and speeds are faster.

Another point I wanted to make is that this levelling is quite useless with high beam. High beams are high beams and will dazzle oncoming drivers regardless of the levelling!

Further, is this feature still compulsory on all new cars? I know it WAS compulsory for some time but it just MAY have been made optional now. This information is from a few posts in TBHP itself which I could not locate unfortunately.

[wildsdi5530]

I never use the feature. In the city, i use parking lights only and in the highways, I use high beam with fog lights. switch over to low beam when there is an oncoming car/ 2 wheeler. The NHC high beam at the highest position still does not go above 8 feet or so. I've never found it necessary to dim my lights for trucks or buses as they are not blinded.

[Gansan]

My headlights are always set for two passengers. I do use the adjustment if the car runs with a full load at night. I feel it is really useful.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Not sure what the deal is with Nano because even the M800 has it.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The headlamp level adjuster is part of the package of toys that are mandatory by law to comply with Euro-III/BS-3 regulations. The Nano wouldn't have it because it is BS-2 compliant. And there is a miniature motor behind the reflector ........

SS-Traveller,

Thanks for this tip. I was thinking BS norms are only wrt to Emmission control. This point from you makes perfect sense. A motorized Head lamp unit costs twice as much as the regular one. At least the sales price differs as much as twice. Nice move my TATA to cut costs too. Nice for guys like me wrt to cost of spares. But 'apologies' to guys coming ahead of me... I never use high beam anyways.

----------EDIT----------

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

..Nano wouldn't have it because it is BS-2.....

SS-Trav - FYI.

My nano is BS-II since I got in a tier-2 city in TamilNadu. All Tier-1 cities current sell only BS-III nano's. They may have the leveller. Bombay nano guys - please comment.

[dkcrpl]

It is quite a useful feature . It comes handy where you need different types of angles for different terrains. Personally i love it as it makes me quite comfortable while driving at night

[shantanumishra]

The headlamp Auto level was made compulsory with Bharat-3 emission norms that were pressed in 2005, I had bought my NHC on 15 Mar 2005 and perhaps it was the first models with Bharat-3 having this feature.

I have had it almost all my cars except Accent (2003 Bharat-2 Model) and all I can say it is pretty useful once you know how to efficiently use it and really helps you to change the angle of the light as per your load carrying capacities,

I have even used this feature on some occasions when my Light Beam angle got disturbed and I was not getting any time to visit A.S.S to get it corrected, i just used the feature to effectively control and direct my Light beam to proper position,

[paragsachania]

Has been useful to me on the following occasions at least:

- Potholed roads when even low beam makes it difficult to judge the shape and size of them, levelling to the lower position always has made things easy to me.

-Rainy and foggy conditions, I usually slow down as requried and then level the beams to lowest position due to which I can still see the road surface which otherwise is impossible when you are on high beam or have set the focus to higher angle.

[Technocrat]

While its not completely useless, it makes little sense in Hatches, I mean they don't real push the light up under load in hatches.

I think Govt should concentrate of making both side RVMs & other sfaety stuff mandatory than such things. Not to mention this is has increased prices of headlight by huge margins e.g. the old Alto HL costs 800-900 bucks while the new ones cost around 3500.

So yes I find it useless on hatches.

[ElantraGT]

I sincerly miss this feature in my 2004 Elantra. :(

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by vinod_nookala

even in my opinion head light leveling switch is a waste! I still get dazzled by the high beams on modern cars. Best is to strictly drive in low beam! It is a waste feature costing manufacturers money and so is the consumer

Its not a magical switch. High-beams will blind oncomming drivers regardless.

What it does it ensures the top-edge of the lit area (on low beam) doesn't go higher up when there is load in the back, since when that happens even the low-beams can blind oncoming drivers.

For high-beams in the same situation, it ensures the road ahead stays optimally lit, and not the trees.

Originally Posted by Mpower

...Cars with load levelling rear suspension can get away w/o it. Not sure what the deal is with Nano because even the M800 has it.

Too short a wheelbase?
Rear engined?

Originally Posted by WanderNomad

...It took me 5 days with the electrician to finally get the correct setting (with numerous trips to the nearest dark place for perfect setting) and I had to get both the motors replaced....

Well, even with a system like this on your car, headlight adjustment is exactly the same as on a car without this system. Simple set the dial to "0" and proceed as normal.

Some tips on setting up your headlamps mentioned here : Link (How to adjust headlight beams)

Originally Posted by Mpower

...The purpose of the leveller is to enable the driver adjust the beam back down to the correct angle....

^ THIS is the real problem.

Its a setting that needs to be changed MANUALLY, and its left to the driver to use it when they feel it is required. The majority don't even know what it is, leave alone when to use it!


Add to that - the ill-informed approach can also makes things dangerous because :
1) Lights set correctly on any setting higher than "0" will blind oncoming drivers if used in a lower setting.
2) If the switch is accidentally moved from "0" to a higher number, the effectiveness(throw) of the headlamps is greatly reduced,.

[pravdr]

the headbeam levelling feature was extremely useful to me. in 2009 i had been on a monsoon trip to karnataka. i was returning from sringeri to udupi i had never travelled on that road and if you know agumbe ghats the road is tough in twilight hours and in fog.

after the descent down to plains we encountered a very treacherous road between hebri and udupi at someshwar wildlife sanctuary. at first we refused to believe it wa a road until a zen crawled and moved ahead shaking violently side by side.

we were finding it difficult to negotiate the road in darkness.there were no markings on the pitch black wet road and the shoulders had grass so it was difficult to know whether we were flying or on the road.

at that moment i used the levelling switch to adjust the low beam and only in that pitch darkness did the city dweller in me realise why it was there in the first place.

it improved the visibility like anything.

even with poor nhc zx headlights.

i wish i had done it in my earlier trip to mp in 2008 while returning at night between nasik and igatpuri again there was wet black road with vast open spaces around with no markings/signages.the speed had to be reduced to 30km/hr.

nowadayd i do the adjustment at the twilight hour itself it depends on the load in the boot and the number of passengers you carry

[Car-e-ok]

I haven't use this feature so far, may be because the city I live in has well-lit roads all over. It's a good feature though, no doubt about that, but not the sort of prominent feature that should be mandatory (something like airbags or other safety features).

[kamadhenu87]

I Have used it , its really helpful

[WanderNomad]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Well, even with a system like this on your car, headlight adjustment is exactly the same as on a car without this system. Simple set the dial to "0" and proceed as normal.

Rehaan I was aware of the process (and after the ordeal I am a master), the thing is that in non motorised lamp units there is only 1 screw to do the job whereas in motorised units there are two. And everytime we would see that either the motor isnt working or the screw isnt moving (motor simply has a screw which moves in / out). I could have simply ignored the motor part and got the alignment done in the first time only but then I didnt want this feature to go useless. Because of the motor I had to spend a lot of time and buy both the motors too.

[born.4thnov]

I have had a Dzire for 8 years and always wondered if there is any difference at all in the throw of the light every time I adjust the headlight leveller. I am still clueless. I recently bought a ciaz and it has a auto headlight levelling feature. I am yet to see any difference here too. The only noticeable difference in the ciaz vis a vis the Dzire is that the throw of the low beam is much shorter in the ciaz but since it is all led, it glows like a tube light.