[ampmhc]

Hi all,

First time posting here. I'm not car-savvy so excuse any mistakes I make talking about my car.

I just upgraded from a '94 Camry to a 2015 RAV4 XLE. Last night was my first time driving in the dark and I noticed something weird. There's a pretty significant line where my lights actually end. I can't even see anything above this line. I'm not sure if this is something newer cars have, but I'm not a fan of this having come from a Camry that let me see the road. With the brights on I can see normally, with the normal lights on the line of sight shows up and I can't see anything beyond a certain point. It's throwing me off a bit. (I live in a very rural area and I'd love to be able to see more in case deer or bears run out in front of me.)

So I'm trying to understand if that's how new lights are? If so, can the dealer fix them?

Thanks for all the answers and help in advance!

 

[JuneBug]

Yes, it's called a "cut off" and all newer headlights work this way. It's to prevent blinding oncoming traffic. You may be able to aim your headlights a bit higher to move the cut off up without affecting oncoming traffic. But if you're in a rural area at night, why not just use the high beams?

 

[Bluenoser]

The cut off also prevents your headlights from bouncing light back at you in snow and fog conditions. The cut off can be a pain in the butt when going downhill and changing to uphill....no light is shone uphill until after the dip in the road.....no idea if there are any critters ahead.....
I also am disappointed in the 2015 XLE headlights.....but for a different reason. This is the first RAV I've had with L/B halogen projectors and they have too much lite concentrated in the middle of the lane, not much to the shoulders, again where critters come from. My 2012 RAV had the best headlights ever, even my son would comment on it when he borrowed it. My 2005 RAV with dual headlights was the worst. My 1998 RAV with quad headlights was quite good. Here on the east coast we have some big deer and much bigger moose, so seeing what's coming out of the ditches is important to us....especially when you have to be on low beams due to oncoming traffic.....

 

[Ravsport08]

The foglights on your XLE, if turned on, should help provide some additional lighting, while not much, beyond the cutoff line. Should be adequate to at least light up critter's eyes and road signs etc. since they essentially scatter light all over.

 

[Mikey D.]

Can the fog lights be adjusted as well for a higher 'cutoff' angle?

 

[JuneBug]

Can the fog lights be adjusted as well for a higher 'cutoff' angle?

Yes, the fog lights can be adjusted up and down, but not horizontally. Mine are adjusted perfectly--they fill in the gap at the bottom when using the low beams.