Bought a new 2007 non-s Mini in November. Main compliant compared to our stock 2003 non-s is the headlights aren't nearly as bright. The is true for both the low and high beams. Headlight aim appears correct. Any thoughts.

 

Are both cars xenons or halogens? The xenons are much brighter when comparing to halogen, but have a sharp beam cutoff. If both cars have xenons, the 03 has xenon low beam and halogen high beam, while the 07 will use xenon for both low and high beam (controlled by a shutter system) technically called bi-xenon. There have been some opinions of xenons being set too low from the factory where the driver feels they are overdriving the lights.

I ordered mine with halogens for my own various reasons.

 

Hmmmm....they seem the same to me.

 

the headlights seem pretty bright to me (halogens)

personally I always drive with the fogs on as well because it fills the whole road right in front with light and fills up what the headlights dont

 

i have two minis with both kinds of lights mini carries and the visibility in both is fine. we drove different kinds of cars before and the lights in those(althought the cars were an 03 and an 06) were horrible.

 

I find this incredibly annoying!

 

really why? at night they keep the entire front of the car lit-up yet they dont blind other people

 

Fogs never seem to annoy me. What annoys me the most are improperly set xenons, xenon bulbs in halogen housings, and blue lights. I saw a Chevy pickup the other day with huge rims and an obvious illegal xenon conversion. I could not drive in front of it and had to change lanes.

 

No kidding. I find myself having to pull off the road more and more here lately due to oncoming cars with Xenons that blind you.

I wish they would either be outlawed, or the law enforcement agencies would pull them over and impound the cars which have them set or installed improperly. They are a hazard when they are improperly adjusted or installed.

That said, I find the halogens on the Mini to do the job well.

 

Yeah xenons really annoy me when they are behind me...what really bugs me is how the lights change color with every bump in the road...sometimes it confuses me with them flashing their high beams...thats part of the reason i got halogens...i like the light better, cheaper, and much simpler

 

I find them annoying. I disagree about them no blinding other people.

Also, I don't see the point in running them when it isn't foggy. Why would you want the area close to the car lit up? So you can inspect things that are too close to avoid? By having it extra bright close to your car you reduce your ability to see into the dark past your headlights. IMO, running fogs when not foggy is less safe to both you and oncoming cars.

 

Excess glare on the road. Makes it hard on oncoming driver's eyes.

 

IMO, fogs are really helpful when driving slow when trying to see driveways or breaks in the median for turning. Driving down the road at speed, they just waste fuel and may bother people that are haters of the fogs. Just use them when you need them.

 

What !?! That doesn't make any sence whatsoever . More light means you can't see as well!?! Please! More light means better visibility, period. More light up close around the nose of the vehicle allows you to see details in the tarmac and variations in the road surface. Take a look at any endurance racer out there. They always use a combonation of fogs and drivers... and they pretty much run EVERYTHING after the sun sets. More visibility = a safer drive.

Seriously? Tell me what's brighter: Xenons on low beam... or glare from 35-55W fogs off the tarmac.

Fog lights are generally of a lower wattage than even your LOW beam halogen lights... not to mention xenons. The lens is also formed to scatter the light low in front of the car... not project it up or focus it over a distance. A properly aimed fog with a proper bulb shouldn't be any more of an annoyance than the cars low-beam headlights.



It's not like it's a driving light or a mis-aligned xenon. Those can definately be distracting (and yes, it is illegal to drive with your brights, DRIVING lights or your lights misaligned... not so for fogs).

Heck, some people would be hitting the roof coming across something like this:



If you're overdriving your headlights, flip on your high beams, driving lights or just plain slow down.

 

If fog lights didn't cause issues then the EU wouldn't be so strict on their usage. They should be made illegal here in the US unless the conditions permit their use.

I have xenons, fog lights both front/rear and driving lamps on my Cooper. I have already taken my car back to the dealer and had the headlamps realigned because I was being flashed by other drivers and that is unsafe. I only use my driving lamps on back roads when I know there are not any other cars around, if one happens to come around a bend I shut them off ASAP. I only ever use my fogs in foggy, rainy or snowy conditions because that is what they are intended for.

I tend to flash my highs at people who drive with their fogs on since it's quite distracting...especially if it's one of those half wits with the aftermarket set on their car or a Jeep owner that thinks they need 20 lights on all the time in the city.

 

At what conditions does the EU say fog lights are allowed to be used? Do they actually enforce the usage?

 

I believe if the visibility is 50m or less you may use them, and yes they do enforce it.

 

Not really, It's just better in the light (visibilty) and worse everywhere else. Your eyes adjust to the brightest light, diminishing your ability to see in the dark. That's one reason why more people hit deer in the night. (yeah, I know that's also when they move around, and it's dark, etc., that's why I said ONE reason)
Now, I'm not saying I don't like having lots of light. Xenons is one of the reasons I bought the MINI! And as far as the Xenons vs. Halogens annoyance factor, it's all in the focus/alignment of the headlight lense. Yes, you notice (are annoyed by) the Xenons when they are pointed right at you, but did you ever notice it's less annoying once you're out of the "beam" than halogens? (I'm talking real xenons here, from the factory stuff, not goofy after markets, which are mostly just fake bulbs with higher than legal wattages that aren't focused through the proper projector lenses etc.)

What I find annoying are DRL's. They seem as bright as high beams and are aimed directly into my eyes, even in the rear view morror, no matter what car I'm in!

Now, I never use the Mini fog lights on the highway since I have the Xenons, seems absolutely pointless. That, however, wouldn't be the case if I had the rear foglight. The rear foglight(s) are perhaps the most useful safety lights out there, I wish mine had it, but I'll figure out a way to hang a set near the high braklight. The good news is I won't have to turn on the front fogs to use the rear ones if I do it myself.

Oh, and my understanding is that even though the Xenons are more expensive, they should last at least 10 times longer than the nifty other projector bulbs that are out there. (they aren't cheap either) As long as you don't play the on/off game. They don't like that.

 

wow, what a bunch of whiny lighting ____'s.
you shouldn't drive or post with a hangover, eat some carrots & get some sleep.

 

Well all i know is at night i turn my headlights and fog lights on...when im driving around town i can see everything in front of me and thats safer to me...and no one seems to mind my fog lamps, plus i see just about every car on the road that is equipped with them on and they dont blind me....fog lights are meant to light the up the road directly infront of you (yes they are to penetrate beneath the fog or other conditions) but they work and thats what I like...my lights are alligned right and i use them :p

 

Sorry. That's a lame justification. What your describing is overdriving your headlights. If you have somthing directly in your path at night and it reaches your vehicle before you can react... fog lights on or not... you are going to fast. Period. Anyway, I would bet more deer are struck due to that suicidal-last-second leap into the lane of travel. In that circumstance, fog lights might have helped project some of that intense 35W-55W of power onto the shoulder of the roadway... right where that deer and his three friends were waiting for you. Ooops! Should have had your fogs on!

I swear these are the same people that complained years ago when halogens came out... then when HIDs hit the market... then xenons. Look... it's all legal. If it bugs you, maybe its a sign you shouldn't drive at night.

There's so much other stuff happening on the roads out there that's either outright illegal, or legitimate safety issues... this just seems silly to waste the ire.

Seriously, now... can we focus on that dreadded window tint... or how about those lawbreakers who refuse to sport a front plate... or maybe those horribly annoying loud exhaust... or worse, those dirty drivers without litter bags in their cars . Priorities people!!!

 

 

I'm not sure I've ever encountered a oncoming or trailing car with fogs on that caused me problems. At least 40% of xenons do.
And you want dangerous lights? How about the police LED light bars? If its raining, foggy, or if you have any schmutz on your windshield at all, you can't see. Who thought that was a good idea?

 

Wrong. More light in one area means you have less visibility into darker areas. You should know that.

If you are driving in the city, this isn't an issue. There is so much light in cities at night that fogs are of no consequence. However, if you are on a country road at night, that doesn't have street lights, it is an issue in two ways. One is that the added light does affect oncoming drivers. Two, they are hurting their own ability to see beyond the range of their low beams.

That's fine, if you are travelling 25 mph. Otherwise, you are just going to be looking at what you are unable to avoid.

The MINI's Xenons have a very distinct cut-off on low beam. So when properly aimed, they send less glare into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

Well, they are more of an annoyance. Your theory doesn't hold up in reality.

Yes, a mis-aligned Xenon his horrible.

Also notice that those lights have covers. If the driver is using them as intended, they would not be used in situations where oncoming drivers would be exposed to them.

 

Fog lights do blind people, especially when the road is wet and the light reflects off it more.

Additionally, there's nothing wrong with the driving lights you posted, provided that they are used as intended, as in, not on unless your high beams are on. This holds true with fog lights, don't use them unless its really foggy.