I just purchased a 2015 Rav4 and drove it at night for the first time. I live in a rural area and the first thing I noticed as I got to the end of my driveway is that the lights don't light up any of the areas to the right or left of the car. I could not see anything out the side windows pitch black. Then when I was driving it was like the front windows were tinted black about half way down there was a straight line type effect so i felt like I was limited on my vision. It also feels like i can't see very far in front of the car. This was with the regular lights on not the brights. With the brights it was much better lighting up the sides and farther down the road. Is this normal or something I should have adjusted?
Rav4 headlights
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Welcome, Heather. This may sound like a stupid response, but when you were driving while using the regular lights are you certain that the light switch was turned so that they were actually on? I mention this because I had a similar experience when I got my RAV on a dark road and after a mile or so realized that I had turned the light switch only part way so that only the parking lights were actually switched on, so that the only lighting was from the DRLs (driving lights) and the parking lights.
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Since you had the light switch in the correct position, will your dealer's service department check your headlights to make certain that they are properly aligned? I have a 2011 model (previous model design compared with yours) and have no problem with my low beam lights, and I don't know what the light pattern should be for your RAV. But you should have lighting especially to the right hand side even with the low beams. Hopefully if there is a problem your dealer's service department can sort it out.
It's good to have another Oregonian on this forum!
It's good to have another Oregonian on this forum!
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That's Gospel good news! And please let us know what takes place with the dealer.
I think you are going through the learning curve of driving your first car with projector headlight.
Unlike traditional headlight, which spilled light everywhere (including oncoming traffic), project lights allow much better "cut-off" and less glare. With traditional headlights, the headlight output (brightness) had to be very limited to prevent blinding other drivers. This is no longer a problem with projector headlights, so the headlights can be much brighter. Projector headlights deliver more light than traditional headlight where it should be (i.e. on the pavement), and almost no light to where it should not go (i.e. other drivers eyes). If you are driving a car with project headlights for the first time, it takes a little bit to adjust to the fact that the headlights are no longer "bleeding" light all over the place, but concentrate the lights on the road surface only.
But the reality is that projector lights are much safer than traditional headlights, and that's why most manufacturers are switching to this technology.
Unlike traditional headlight, which spilled light everywhere (including oncoming traffic), project lights allow much better "cut-off" and less glare. With traditional headlights, the headlight output (brightness) had to be very limited to prevent blinding other drivers. This is no longer a problem with projector headlights, so the headlights can be much brighter. Projector headlights deliver more light than traditional headlight where it should be (i.e. on the pavement), and almost no light to where it should not go (i.e. other drivers eyes). If you are driving a car with project headlights for the first time, it takes a little bit to adjust to the fact that the headlights are no longer "bleeding" light all over the place, but concentrate the lights on the road surface only.
But the reality is that projector lights are much safer than traditional headlights, and that's why most manufacturers are switching to this technology.
Thanks will have to get used to it I guess, doesn't help with spotting deer on the side of the road or pedestrians that walk at night. I live in a rural area with no street lights so my side view is pitch black. Will be driving with my brights on all the time, except when coming upon other cars.
That's exactly how headlights are intended to be used. High Beams (also called driving lights) all the time, Low Beams only when there is oncoming traffic, you are following somebody or there is good street lighting.
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We also have the problems of dark roads at night outside of the small towns here, along with deer and pedestrians, some of whom obviously are under the influence and can unexpectedly totter onto the roadway. So far I've been able to see them but it seems more easily with lighting on low beam. Perhaps RAV lighting was changed for the 4.4 models. A problem with using high beam is that a deer can venture onto the roadway and for some reason high beam lights can cause them to freeze in place. Another problem with deer is that they can bolt suddenly out of the woods which line much of our roadways and no lighting can anticipate that. Some motorcyclists who ride at night have installed deer warning whistles which are supposed to deter deer, but I've not done so on my motorcycle and I don't know whether they actually work.
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