Homemade WRX Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Hey guys, My brother's 05 LGT has a bizarre issue. His DRL's are working normally but when he switches on the headlights, it barely illuminates any brighter. He just changed both bulbs as well and they made no difference. They are so dim that his foglights outshine the headlights at night. I haven't had much time to look into it at all but was wondering if anyone had any leads or thoughts on it. Thanks, Micah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanboy Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 full headlights aren't much brighter than DRLs at all, at least that's the way it has been with my car since new. Way too close from the I perspective. Caught myself a few times when the car was new driving without full lights on since I could see just fine with DRL light output. -B http://www.standardshift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenNorthLGT Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 +1 I don't even know if the 05 uses the lows on a reduced level or not for the DRL's. I drove with just them on more than once forgetting to turn the lights on. Got pulled over twice before I committed that to memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king_j Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 the headlights are weak, but you should notice something over the DRL. if not, check and make sure the headlights are aimed correctly. you can always go hid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 I just disabled DRLs. srsly tho to see if there is an actual problem and what the resolution may be in case I encounter it.. you know how 05s are with headlights. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lofthouse_gt Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Go HID you can find kits pretty cheap and they make a huge difference just don't go higher in color temp than 8000k (thunder blue or whatever they advertise as). Even 8000k is really blue and you will loose some visibility but it will definetly be better than your stockers. Find a kit that is around like 4300K you'll get some very white light that really helps or if you want to go JDM style 3000K (yellow) this is great for snow driving, but may also be illegal in your area. Just my 2 cents! I know what you mean about the stock headlights though, I drive mountain roads all the time and when I got the car I couldn't believe how dim they were. HIDs made me feel a lot safer on the roads up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 the headlights are weak, but you should notice something over the DRL. if not, check and make sure the headlights are aimed correctly. you can always go hid. LGT headlights are NOT weak. They are an excellent projector design, way above average halogen lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil2k2 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 LGT headlights are NOT weak. They are an excellent projector design, way above average halogen lights. seriously? I think our headlights are awful. The first night I drove my car I thought that both headlights were burnt out and just the DRL's were working. I replaced them with Sylvania Silver Star's, not much of better. My Celica's headlights are 3 times brighter, I barley ever use the brights in that car, where as I'm always using the brights in the LGT. Would having dark tint you have on your windows effect how bright your headlights look? I have 35% on driver and passenger windows and 15% on the back 1/2. I'm looking at HID kits now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil2k2 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 found this to be somewhat amusing...http://www.carhidkits.com/images/philipsbox_5.jpg is that an LGT on the box???http://www.carhidkits.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image_additional&pID=243&pic=2&products_image_large_additional=images/large/philipsbox_5_LRG.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 I always wondered before buying my LGT how my friend that had one knew where he was going. the problem was I was looking beyond the cutoff line.. its a matter of where you look it seems. the LGT halogens are fine to me.. but when I drive my truck with the open housing halogens.. I feel like my brights are on. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 seriously? I think our headlights are awful. The first night I drove my car I thought that both headlights were burnt out and just the DRL's were working. I replaced them with Sylvania Silver Star's, not much of better. My Celica's headlights are 3 times brighter, I barley ever use the brights in that car, where as I'm always using the brights in the LGT. Would having dark tint you have on your windows effect how bright your headlights look? I have 35% on driver and passenger windows and 15% on the back 1/2. I'm looking at HID kits now... Seriously. Sylvania Silver Star? That's some crap bulb. It's a hype, these bulbs actually emit less light than plain bulbs. It kills me people buy into that crap. Power of marketing, I guess. Try Osrams 65w (Rally-E) instead. I have HIDs on one of my LGTs (proper retro using Lexus RX projectors) and Osrams on the other, and frankly the difference is not all that great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil2k2 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Maybe I did fall victim to marketing tactics, but I'm still comparing apples to apples, I have the same headlights in my Celica... Just my .02 take it or leave it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Maybe I did fall victim to marketing tactics, but I'm still comparing apples to apples, I have the same headlights in my Celica... Just my .02 take it or leave it. Fair enough. I guess all is relative, but I really think the stock LGT lights are very good. Even Daniel Stern, car lighting guru, spoke favorably about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I 5EAT Turkey Clubs Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Have you tried hanging a lantern on your driver's side mirror? If you have access to two lanterns, you can put another on the passenger side mirror. Some may say to use a maglite but who has money for all those batteries today? My lights are dim but they are an overhaul and a half over my previous car. If you're lights are weaker than the DRL's then your brother def has a problem. Unfortunately diagnosing it is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz-0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 How old is the battery? It could be ceasing to hold as high a voltage charge as it should, and especially in witner, it is filling in the gap due to voltage sag i the electrical system more often. Check the contacts for corrosion, and the negative terminal for erosion. Also make sure that the negative/ground wire is making good contact. A dodgy circuit can fail to provide for good charging. IF the charging system has been working overtime to try and compensate for a beat battery, the voltage regulator can go south on you, and the problem persists even with a new battery. This sucks because in most cars these days the voltage regulator is built into the alternator. So instead of being a $30 part it is several hundred. I learned this the hard way on my last car. With the legacy, i was starting to see some odd stumbling when coming to a stop. Recognized the symptom, cleaned my negative terminal, and found that there was enough erosion that the stock clamp wouldn't hold fully tight. tweaked the clamp to hold, and I'm shopping for a new battery before this one bites it. legacy is a 2005 and battery is original, so it is about that time for most folks I would say. It can also be due to old bulbs (they dim over time), but they should still be brighter when on then when in DRL mode, at least when the engine is revving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I 5EAT Turkey Clubs Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 How old is the battery? It could be ceasing to hold as high a voltage charge as it should, and especially in witner, it is filling in the gap due to voltage sag i the electrical system more often. If it was related to the battery then wouldn't that effect the DRLs as well. They couldn't be brighter. Unless he's mistaken about that observation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz-0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 If it was related to the battery then wouldn't that effect the DRLs as well. They couldn't be brighter. Unless he's mistaken about that observation. As the lights get dimmer, the difference between DRL brightness and normal brightness is smaller, and thus harder to perceive. Especially if your bulbs are also older and dimming due to age. Then go an check at dusk rather than in total darkness... It's easy stuff to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemade WRX Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 well I know that it isn't just the difference between DRL and headlights as I've done side by side of my brothers LGT and my mom's 06 outback on a garage door. There is no issue with the electrical system and actually helped him do plugs yesterday and know the contacts are good as well. I'm knew this was going to be a PITA to fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 You ever get this resolved Micah? I'm having lighting issues now. Necro bump If I'm going faster than you, Move Right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTodd Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Just bought my 09 Legacy limited, I also noticed that the headlights are dim on my car. I'm going to buff out the oxidation on the lens and see how much that helps. The bright lights give the illumination I expect, the regular lights are significantly dimmer than the brights. Hmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTodd Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 (edited) Found out what was going on, both the H7 low beam headlights were installed incorrectly, who ever replaced them before did not line up in the headlight assembly correctly. They were sitting cockeyed in the light socket not pointing all the light directly forward to the projector lens. Once I installed them correctly the headlights worked perfectly. Oh also buffing out the headlight UV oxidization helped too. FIXED Edited November 8, 2019 by BigTodd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Found a blown 15 amp fuse. Works great. If I'm going faster than you, Move Right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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