Headlights Reflecting In Trees On Rx 350

[bobII]

Hi all, new member here. Our 08 RX 350 is driven mainly by my wife. We have had the car since late April 07 and love it. We have a problem with the headlights giving a reflection into trees. This probably sounds crazy but we do get this reflection. We live in a rather rural area with lots of trees lining the sides of the roads. At night with the lights on we get a reflection say 40 feet up into the trees that line the roads. This reflection, one on each side from each headlight, looks kind of like ~. This reflection is spread over the full width of the light beam. I would think if the car was in a building with a high ceiling and the lights were on you would get a similar reflection.

As the primary driver of the car my wife is really annoyed by this. She mentioned this to the service department and they checked the headlight aiming and find nothing wrong with the aiming. There appears to be nothing wrong with the car but end result is she gets this reflection.

Does anyone else have this issue?

[LexKid630]

could you draw a picture on paint for example and post it, so we can understand what you're talking about? because i don't think i understand :cries:

[wwest]

could you draw a picture on paint for example and post it, so we can understand what you're talking about? because i don't think i understand :cries:

Well, I do, understand that is...

What you are seeing is "stray" light being reflected off of the chromed surfaces inside the headlight assembly. When we first got ours I was tempted to disassemble the headlights and paint those areas flat black but I guess we both grew used to the effect as we drive down our narrow tree lined driveway.

[bobII]

Lexkid630 - I don't know how to use paint and wish I could better describe it. Maybe visualize driving down a narrow road with trees on both sides and the tree tops almost covering the sky above you. You have the light beam shining down the road but then up in the trees you see some stray light forming a wavy line from one side to the other. Actualy a separate line for each light and they basical meet in the middle. As a kid did you ever draw a picture of the sky with birds and the birds were draw with a simple curvy line? That's the best description I can give.

[GDixon]

The reflection explanation makes sense.

Try stopping on a road where you see the stray light in the tree tops (out of the way of course). Cover different parts of the headlight assembly with your hand or some 2" masking tape to find out where the reflection is originating. After that you can decide what you want to do about it - if anything.

BTW, don't forget to take off the tape.

[Claude7629]

Lexkid630 - I don't know how to use paint and wish I could better describe it. Maybe visualize driving down a narrow road with trees on both sides and the tree tops almost covering the sky above you. You have the light beam shining down the road but then up in the trees you see some stray light forming a wavy line from one side to the other. Actualy a separate line for each light and they basical meet in the middle. As a kid did you ever draw a picture of the sky with birds and the birds were draw with a simple curvy line? That's the best description I can give.

Are you using hi or lo beams when you see this reflection? I see it on mine also but only on hi beams.

[bobII]

We see it on low for sure and I think also on high. I have pretty much gotten use to it but it drives my wife crazy.

[riccjard]

My wife said I should have commented on the forum about this earlier, but I thought it was pretty far out there. The reflection from the high beams in the trees resembles the Masonic emblem....

[LexKid630]

Well i took the rx350 out tonight in a highly wooded road, and i DO notice the light up there. My guess is that it's just the outer rim of the projector lense, sending out random light. The same pattern is noticed on the sides (if you park in a garage etc), not just above. It's such a sharp line, that i doubt it's reflection off of the chrome plastic.

I don't think there's anything you can do, unless you want to take the headlight apart, and make the "cutoff" on the projector plastic even smaller around the rim.

[bobII]

I mentioned my thread about this to the wife last evening and she tells me it is the "high beam" not the low beam that she notices this reflection.

[LexKid630]

This makes more sense! I don't know how one could notice the random light with the low beams, to the point where it irritates them.

As for the extra light when the high beams are on, there isn't much you can do. The high beam lights are in a reflector unit, not even a projector unit as the low beams are.

[lucasb7]

There is meant to be a ring of light around the car to the sides and up, it is considered to be a safety feature to give the car behind it depth perception and is even listed as a "specialty" in BMW and Volvo brochures. Is this what your talking about?

[wwest]

There is meant to be a ring of light around the car to the sides and up, it is considered to be a safety feature to give the car behind it depth perception and is even listed as a "specialty" in BMW and Volvo brochures. Is this what your talking about?

Probably not, seeing as how if there were no trees there would be no "ring of light".

[GDixon]

I read this post a while ago and drove through some trees (while on the highway, of course) and also noticed the "light in the trees" effect. It is one of those things that if you concentrate on it you will go nuts - like a dripping faucet or a dog barking in the distance. Since it has no effect on driving or safety it is best ignored.

There is no reason to let meaningless fixations cause stress.