Are we OK with how bright headlights are getting?

[bmaverick]

Lens technology is pretty complicated; UV resistance, clarity, impact resistance. I think that it is a tough (pun intended) specification, which is why I am doubtful that a home printed lens can meet it. If one regards the home printed as a disposable item, then it is a different story.

All the best,

Peter

Yes there are UV grades and the flexible TPU(95A) can be printed as a lens perfectly.

TPU is the material used to make impact proof safety glass too. And I bet these were 3D Printed too!

TPU 3D Printed are the lenses used in impact resistant paint ball face helmets.

 

[Oaktree]

Fine, then pay the $1,700 ransom price for a new one.

I've been making CAD models now for 3 years and my brother 15 years. It really isn't hard to learn.

"Not hard to learn" is rather subjective. We all have different skill sets, and what may be a piece of cake for me could be baffling for you, or vice versa. Gonna go out on a limb here and say that a printer capable of making a piece like that is gonna set you back more than $1700, not to mention the material, the cost of CAD software and the learning curve to actually be able to do something useful with it. I wouldn't even know where to begin on something like this. And would I use this thing enough to justify the cost? Probably not, to me it sounds like it would be a fun toy, but not very useful in the real world.

I'd say most of us would likely come out ahead with just buying a new one and being done with it. YMMV

 

[oldtimer 66]

GMC Must Recall 725,000 SUVs Because Their Lights are Too Bright,​

Adaptive Headlights Coming Soon​

Earlier this year, a mammoth infrastructure bill that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden contained a provision that would legalize adaptive headlights — a technology used in other countries to mitigate the glare problem. It will take years for adaptive headlights to become common, however. So, other drivers will undoubtedly appreciate the NHTSA’s effort to turn down the brightness on some existing headlights in the meantime.

All of the above is from Kelly Blue Book 3/8/2022

 

[Hay Dude]

GMC Must Recall 725,000 SUVs Because Their Lights are Too Bright,​

Adaptive Headlights Coming Soon​

Earlier this year, a mammoth infrastructure bill that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden contained a provision that would legalize adaptive headlights — a technology used in other countries to mitigate the glare problem. It will take years for adaptive headlights to become common, however. So, other drivers will undoubtedly appreciate the NHTSA’s effort to turn down the brightness on some existing headlights in the meantime.

All of the above is from Kelly Blue Book 3/8/2022

Wonder how much cost those will add?

 

[Oaktree]

Wonder how much cost those will add?

Probably wouldn't be cheap, either initially or to repair/replace in the event of an accident.
One would think there'd be a less complicated way of achieving the same results.

 

[ultrarunner]

Maybe the cheap and quick solution as applying a cheap overlay?

My nephew has made all kinds of things with his 3D printer…

 

[ruffdog]

Probably wouldn't be cheap, either initially or to repair/replace in the event of an accident.
One would think there'd be a less complicated way of achieving the same results.

It should be cheaper than the self driving tech and it would benefit more people.

 

[dstig1]

You are never going to make anything optically correct for a lens on a 3D printer. And yes, this is from years of personal experience. It may look like the actual part but it cannot perform the same way.

 

[ultrarunner]

Too bad more vehicles don’t use a better material suited to the exposure.

20 year old Rover exposed to the elements and lens covers as new…

 

[dstig1]

Typical material is polycarbonate, which holds up well to UV. They also hardcoat with a siloxane material it to protect it from scratching better. It is the coating that typically goes yellow and fogs over a long time. The only thing that would hold up better would be glass, but that is much harder to work with.

 

[Oaktree]

Too bad more vehicles don’t use a better material suited to the exposure.

They seem to now. I don't see cloudy lenses on anywhere near as many vehicles made in the last 15 or so years ago as we did earlier.

 

[oldtimer 66]

Maybe the cheap and quick solution as applying a cheap overlay?

My nephew has made all kinds of things with his 3D printer…

GMC’s Recall Fix For Too Bright Headlights Is A Piece Of Tape, And Owners Are Frustrated​

Check out

https://www.carscoops.com/2022/10/gmcs-recall-fix-for-too-bright-headlights-is-a-piece-of-tape-and-owners-are-frustrated/

 

[ultrarunner]

GMC’s Recall Fix For Too Bright Headlights Is A Piece Of Tape, And Owners Are Frustrated​

Check out

https://www.carscoops.com/2022/10/gmcs-recall-fix-for-too-bright-headlights-is-a-piece-of-tape-and-owners-are-frustrated/

Growing up around the car business I saw first hand the fixes offered… some were almost a joke like a sticker…

I think Chevrolet had a motor mount problem and the fix was a cable swedged together… pintos got a plastic shield, etc…

A recall on gas tank sensor was bending the float arm leaving more fuel when showing empty…

The bright headlight sticker was my best guess.

 

[bigtiller]

GMC’s Recall Fix For Too Bright Headlights Is A Piece Of Tape, And Owners Are Frustrated​

The nightshift maintenance crew also used tape on the headlights of their Gators because of the heavily loaded bed. There was several buildings totaling about 35 acres under roof, setting on about 300 acres.

 

[ruffdog]

More info on the bright headlight issue and adaptive headlamps. Some of them are bright because people swap OEM bulbs to super bright aftermarket bulbs.

 

[JRH02]

If I was a cop, I'd be writing a ton of tickets for them as well as poorly aimed headlights.

Yup. Is is no joke that the deputies and especially the State Patrol don't miss many chances to pull ya over for 'something' that also gives them a reason for a sobriety check. So why not headlight aiming if for no other reason than yet another fix-it ticket? After a few of those events a driver might take the hint and have their headlights re-aimed?!?

Also, when it comes to pickups, a driver should know that it doesn't take a whole lot in the box to have those headlights hit an oncoming vehicle higher. That's just rude, to me. As in tough sxxx.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Nope!

I think part of the problem is the DOT set a limit of 55 watts ... Now a days that's some serious blindness, maybe it should be lumens, or candle power?

 

[bcp]

I like my bright headlights.

I don't like yours.



Bruce

 

[Oaktree]

I like my bright headlights.

I don't like yours.

About sums it up. I think we started down this road 40-ish years ago when they started transitioning away from sealed beams to housing-and-bulb headlights. At least with sealed beams it was consistent.

I think part of the problem is the DOT set a limit of 55 watts ... Now a days that's some serious blindness, maybe it should be lumens, or candle power?

Is it actual brightness or is it that LEDs put out light in a range where our eyes are most sensitive? That's gotta be at least part of the problem.

 

[MossRoad]

Our 2020 Subaru Outback is probably the WORST car I've ever driven at night in a snowstorm due to its lighting! Drive-wise, it's a beast in snow. ZERO issues. Lighting-wise, it's horrible!!!

The daytime running lights are around the headlights.



They shine in all directions, even UP! So if you're driving into snow, with your low beams on, these DTRLs shine UP and illuminate all of the falling snow right about eye height. Even if you turn off the headlights, the DTRLs are still on, and make it hard to see in falling snow.

Another thing is as you travel along in falling snow, the headlights get dimmer, as the snow and ice stick to the headlights and don't melt off as with old high wattage bulbs. The LED headlights generate little heat.

So about every 30 minutes you have to stop and clear the headlights.

BAAAAHHH!!!!!

Rant over.

I'm going to see if there's a fuse for just the DTRLs. If there is, I'm going to make them switchable. If not, I'm considering duct tape over them.