Headlight beam patterns

[alfiejts]

Can someone who has a UK RHD A3 with "normal" (i.e. none-Xenon) headlights please tell me whether both dipped headlights should have the same beam pattern or whether they are deliberately different.

My nearside headlight has a very distinctive and sharp kick up to the left side of the beam whereas the offside heaqdlight has almost a flat beam with only a very tiny kick up to the left side.

As I've had the bulbs out, I'm not sure if the different beam patterns are because I've not quite seated the bulbs right or whether its a proper design feature to light up the kerb better with the NS headlight only....

Thanks.

 

[simonwjones]

Its not the adjusters at the back of the headlights for european driving is it??

just remembered I need to set mne back after a trip to southern france last month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Simon

 

[h5djr]

I am pretty certain that my beam patterns are as you describe, so I think you will find that everything is OK. The idea is to light up the kerb and therefore the near side headlight has a slightly different beam pattern. It is this area that must be 'blocked' when driving in Europe. Having said that there are blocking patches applied to both nearside and offside headlights.

There are no adjusters at the rear of the lights for European driving on the new 8P version. I had them on my previous 8Ls, but with the 8P you have to use patches. Audi recommend that the patches are applied to matked areas on the plastic headlight covers the market rather than directly to the headlights.

 

[alfiejts]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm familiar with the pattern "kicking up" to the left to light up the kerb, its just that in every car I've ever owned or driven before, both headlights made exactly the same pattern with the same amount of kick-up at the left side.

It was the fact that the two headlights have distinctly different patterns that made me worry (and I'd already thrown my Osram Silverstar bulbs in as soon as I bought the car, so I didn't check what they were like before I started fiddling.....)