I have a 2016 ES350. The headlights just point too low. I looked for adjustment screws all over and around headlights. I cannot find any hole that leads to a screw. I see markings for U/D and L/R (Up/Down and Right/Left). But see not screws to adjust. I did remove the cover. but no luck. So how to I adjust them higher.

 

I have a 2016 ES350. The headlights just point too low. I looked for adjustment screws all over and around headlights. I cannot find any hole that leads to a screw. I see markings for U/D and L/R (Up/Down and Right/Left). But see not screws to adjust. I did remove the cover. but no luck. So how to I adjust them higher.

 

If your car has the bi-LED headlights, they are self-leveling headlights, If you turn on the headlights when you are in your garage, you likely will see the beam go up and down a couple of times before settling in the level position. I'm not sure if the self-leveling headlights even can be adjusted. I think that you are seeing the U/D and L/R markings only because the same cover is likely used regardless of whether the car has the standard headlights or the bi-LED headlights. In any case, when I had my 2017 ES in for its 12 month service, I asked about having the headlight aim raised, and the service advisor told me that there is no adjustment available with the bi-LED self-leveling headlights. I can't say for sure whether he was telling me the truth or whether, for liability reasons, they just don't want to adjust them, but that is what I was told.

I'm not sure whether the aiming of your headlights really needs to be raised or whether what you are seeing is just related to the fact that LED headlights just don't project out as far as either halogen lights or HID lights. If you go to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website and look at their headlight ratings, you will see that LED headlights on various car models don't rate as well as halogen or HID options when they are available on the same car models. While LED headlights appeal to many because of their "cool factor", they just don't project as far as other types of light. I had a 2013 ES wit HID lights, and I now have a 2017 ES with the bi-LED lights. The first time that I drove the 2017 at night, I immediately noticed that the headlights did not project as far as the HID lights on the 2013.

For most who drive in urban environments on lighted and marked roads, they would not be likely to notice the lower performance level of LED lights, but, for those of us who live in non-urban areas and who drive on unlit and unmarked roads, the difference is big enough that it will be immediately noticed.

 

I have the bi-LED headlights and was told they are not adjustable. I cannot believe that. They are just too low. There must be some kind of adjustment either mechanically or electronically. So how do I get the lights to go up higher.

 

You bring up a good point on LED headlights. Car and Driver just ran some tests on headlight performance with halogen, bi-xenon and bi-led and the bi-xenon headlights topped the others in all measures of the test. The new Alfa Romeo Giulia has bi-xenon lights and the IIHS gave them a score of Good which is their top rating for headlights.

 

The problem with LED headlights is that, while they appear to be very bright at their source, they just don't project out to the same distances as do other headlight types. Raising the aim on the headlights doesn't result in greater projection distance. Instead, it just ends up, because the lights are very bright at their source, being more likely to blind oncoming drivers.

You can try a couple of experiments to confirm this. First, find a spot with a long distance open area in front of the car where it would be safe to stop the car and to briefly turn off the headlights. Then, turn the headlights back up and pay attention to how far ahead you can see as the self leveling headlights are leveling themselves. What you will see is that, when they are pointing at a higher angle, you are not seeing any farther than when they are pointing at a lower angle. The only difference you will see is that, when the lights are pointing at a higher angle, they might be illuminating the branches of tree 20 feet off of the ground, and, when they are pointed at a lower angle, they will be illuminating a lower area near the road, but the illumination distance from the car will be virtually identical. Since the goal should be to illuminate the road and not a tree 20 feet above the road, there is no real advantage to having the headlights aimed higher. In fact, the optimal aim would be level with the road, which allows the road to be illuminated and which won't blind oncoming drivers. Raising the aim will only illuminate objects higher up at the same distance, and doing that actually makes illumination of the road worse, not better.

You can also try a similar experiment with an LED flashlight. If you go to a dark and open area and if you point the flashlight at an angle that is level with the terrain and if you then point it at a higher angle, just like with the headlights, the distance at which there is illumination will be the same, and the only difference will be whether an area close to the ground is illuminated or whether an area further up from the ground at the same distance is illuminated.

That is the reason why, in the testing done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, LED headlights get poorer ratings than their halogen or HID counterparts, and that is true across the board, regardless of the car brand or model. As I said in the previous post, for those whose driving is primarily done on well-lit and well marked urban roadways, they likely won't notice the difference, but, for those who drive on unlit rural roads, the difference in illumination difference is readily noticed, and it could make the difference between seeing a deer or other animal in the road way soon enough to be able to avoid hitting it and not being able to do so.

 

It is actually a dial that you rotate to adjust. There are several threads here that discuss that if you do a search. My dealer also adjusted mine. They adjusted it ten clicks of the dial and it made a fair improvement. For some reason Lexus seems to have their factory aim pretty conservative (I.e. low).

 

You actually do use a phillips head screw driver to make the adjustment. Either take the cover off (as you did) and use a standard length or you will need a 10" driver to get to the wheels with the cover in place. It does look more like a 'wheel' but it is actually turned with a screw driver. Other posts show this or do an internet search.

 

There is an adjustment slot near the headlights. Use a Phillips screwdriver to rotate the headlight wheel up or down.

 

Like Lesz, I went from an ES with HID lights to a 2017 with the bi-leds. I noticed the difference in projection distance right away. Needless to say it was a disapointment. My saving grace, however, is that the car also has the automatic bright light dimming option, This has encouraged me to use the brights almost exclusively at night. I not only get a better projection distance (necessary due to the local deer population) but also allows the car to dim them as needed when encountering oncoming traffic (which is usually sparse). If not for this feature I would no doubt be looking for a way to adjust them if it were possible.

 

Hi JudyLexus. How come 3 different threads on the same issue?

 

I made a (crude) diagram to better explain that the problem with the LED headlights is not related to being aimed too low and that it is, instead, just that LED headlights don't project to the same distance as HID or halogen headlights.

In the diagram, line A represents the headlight beam aimed level and parallel to the road, and lines B and C represent headlight beams being aimed higher than level. All 3 beams are projecting to the same distance (300 feet in this example).

It can be seen that, when the headlights are aimed higher, an illusion may be created that makes the brain think that they are projecting out to a longer distance, but the actual result of aiming them higher is that, while they are illuminating things higher above the road surface, the distance from the car at the level of the road is actually shorter. The headlights are actually optimally aimed when they are level and when the beam is projecting parallel to the road surface. The problem with the bi-LED headlights is not that they are aimed too low. It is that they just don't project out as far as other headlight types and the vertical size of the beam is narrower than with other headlight types. If the lights are only capable of projecting, in this example, to a distance of 300 feet, raising the aim is not increasing the distance from the car to which things are illuminated. Instead, it is only illuminating objects that are further above the road surface more than they were when the headlights were aimed level and parallel to the road.

 

The one observation I have regarding LEDs on both of our Lexus vehicles is that they offer much better illumination along the sides of the road - at least near the car. I can’t say I have any real complaint about distance, but most of my nighttime driving is city driving rather than rural roads where the difference is likely more obvious. The edge illumination actually benefits me more considering my typical driving.

 

I have a 2016 with bi-led and they are not self-leveling. If I have any weight in the back of the car, my lights are too high. It's annoying but they are perfect if it's just me in the car.

 

A superior version of bi-LEDs using a matrix of LEDs and selective blocking in high beam to prevent blinding the oncoming traffic is available in European cars. It is expected to clear US legal hurdles in the next two years. Perhaps 2020 ES might have it.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael.../#2ab6196f2a14

"Using light emitting diodes, sensors, a camera, and computers, headlight illumination is continually adjusted to ensure that the maximum amount of light is projected on the road without blinding oncoming traffic. In low beam mode, the lighting system can adapt the width and range of the emitted light to match road conditions and brighten bends as the vehicle turns. In high beam mode, the matrix system selectively blocks illumination to the oncoming traffic – almost magically — to prevent glare. (Unfortunately, North American regulations currently don’t allow the Ghibli’s innovative LED matrix headlights full functionality, but that should change within the next couple years.)"