My headlights just don't seem bright enough. Maybe they are bright but positioned wrong. I drive mostly on roads with no street lights and it seems that even with the high beam on they don't light up the road very far in front of me. I drove a subaru forester for the last 10 years on the same roads and this was never a problem. I thought it was just one of those little differences in cars but had a passenger the other night that noticed it also. Could this be something I just need to get adjusted at the dealer? Has anyone else noticed this?:confused:

DO YOU HAVE THE FOG LIGHTS? WE DO AND IT SEEMS TO HELP WHEN THEY ARE ON!!

No, don't have the fog lights maybe I need them. I had fogs on the subaru but mostly used them in fog and/or heavy snow. I don't remember them lighting up the distance in the road.

I WOULD JUST GO TO THE DEALER AND TELL THEM YOU WANT THEM A LITTLE HIGHER!!

Every time I've driven a new car I've had to go through the learning curve with the headlights. Maybe you just got so used to the Subaru that the different pattern on the Patriot is a bit of a shock.


Either that or you need to be the "guinnea pig" for a set of HIDs... :p

Since the headlamps have plug-in elements, are there after market blues, xenons or whatever that can give you better illumination? The Pat's headlamps appear dimmer than my old 97 Escort.

We were driving down some very dark roads tonight and the headlights did seem to be a bit less powerful than we would prefer because we have deer all over the place out here. We'd like to get as much illumination ahead of us as possible. It's been a while since this thread was visited last, has anything turned up regarding replacement lights for the Patriot? I might opt for the driving lights installation as a possible improvement.

Any ideas or suggestions?

I did bring it up with the dealer. The guy that I was dealing with seemed to be very helpful but he said if he adjsted them any higher I'd get pulled over for having my brights on. He then looked into replacement bulbs but couldnt find any that would fit the Pat. He said he would get back to me if he found something. I still notice the lack of light in the distance. I think it's not something you would notice in the city or on streets with lights. I live and drive on dark dirt roads at night and that is why I notice it. At this point I really can't afford to get the bumper mounted lights. Im wondering if you can drive on public roads and leave them on? What are the laws on that?

Not that it helps much - but I love the patriot headlights. Much Much brighter than my stock ones on the old minivan. I do have the fog lights, which I like, but the standard lights are great! I would be careful using after market brighter bulbs. I bought some for the old minivan and they were just enough wattage brighter to cause the wiring to melt at the connectors...

Sylvania has a stock brand called silver star? ( i think ) they work well compared to normal bulbs.

Kelly.

From the day, i picked up my PAT i have noticed that people are flashing me, they think my high beams are on. Also on small cars when i am following them, i can see that the lights are bothering them in their rear view mirrot. Had the PAT to the dealer and was told that they are perfectly aligned. I did notice that on high beam, they do not go as far as my other vehicles. I upgrade the bulbs to H13 Xenon type. This did nothing for high beam, it just made low beam, a little more cleaner clearer light.
I don't know what the answer is, but if anyone comes up with something i would be interested.
Happy Trails

I'm going to look into the dealer installed driving lights. I should have ordered them when I got the car, probably would have saved me a few bucks that way, but I didn't. Se La Vie!

I'm going to look into the dealer installed driving lights. I should have ordered them when I got the car, probably would have saved me a few bucks that way, but I didn't. Se La Vie!
Do you mean driving lights (http://www.mopar.com/img/mpi/MA_VEH_82207271___T001.jpg) or fog lights (http://autoshow.roadfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/Jeep_Patriot-fs.JPG)? I'd really love to see the driving lights up close, I'm curious what goes into installing those into the front bumper.

From the day, i picked up my PAT i have noticed that people are flashing me, they think my high beams are on

Me too. I've been flashed about 6 times in the 3 weeks I've had my Pat. And this is just with my DRL's. I know this is off topic, but I really wish I could disable my DRL's. We're stationed at a NATO base and you're supposed to turn off lights when pulling up to the gate and I have to keep explaining I can't turn them off. Has anyone been able to do that yet?

I have been flashed a couple of times when driving with the lows on. One of the ways I try to prevent the flashes is to drive with my fog lights on. That way people know that my lows are really just that bright. johnda please post pics as soon as you get your driving lights installed!!! I am really curious as to how they look on the Jeep and how they help with illumination. Do the driving lights fall under the "for off-road use only" category, or are they legal for street use? Thanks for any reply's.

RyDev: It sounds like you have Daytime Running Lights (DRL) installed. DRL is a requirement where I live. Not sure if your version of the Pat can turn off DRL. If the DRL is like the Canadian version, the DRL should be *half-bright* since the object is to be seen rather than to see. If you turn off the headlights as you approach the gate, will this suffice since the lights should be half bright and the guards should see the action? Or, at half bright, are your headlights still too bright?

I'm talking about the driving lights. The ones that are mounted in front of the grill on top of the bumper. The only reservation I have about them is that they can get smacked in the mall parking lot. I had a Triumph TR3 that had them and some bozo in a caddy backed up too hard and crunched them.

RyDev: It sounds like you have Daytime Running Lights (DRL) installed. DRL is a requirement where I live. Not sure if your version of the Pat can turn off DRL. If the DRL is like the Canadian version, the DRL should be *half-bright* since the object is to be seen rather than to see. If you turn off the headlights as you approach the gate, will this suffice since the lights should be half bright and the guards should see the action? Or, at half bright, are your headlights still too bright?

Yeah, and it's weird because I've only been brighted while driving with the DRL's and they're not really that bright to me. I'm wondering if some Belgian's just don't like people driving with lights on during the day. Even a trucker brighted me the other day. OH well, this is the only quirk about the Patriot I have (Not being able to disable the DRL's) Otherwise I love my new Jeep!

I know this is off topic, but I really wish I could disable my DRL's.

Weird. As far as I know, Jeeps sold in Finland do not have daylight running lights although having lights on at all times is mandatory. (That is at least what the salesman told me before my test drive.) In fact my current car doesn't have them either. Perhaps this is a legal requirement that all cars in Belgium must have automatic lights? And would that make it illegal to disable that function? (Of course, as long as you keep the lights on at all other times than at the base gate, and remove your modification before selling your Jeep, who's going to know...? :) )

I think the European models have an extra button where the heated seats, traction control and hazard lights are (I have an extra space on my row of buttons there and I have a Limited).

I noticed this in a picture that an owner from Australia had posted, and he said the extra button he had there was to change the angle of the headlights... I think he said it had something to do with if you were towing something behind you. I'm not sure if that would be any better at making the lights more "dim" so people don't flash at you, but I think it's only on foreign models.

My take on the headlights are that their output is good, but the reflector design results in a sharp cutoff at the upper edge of the beam. Closer in, the pattern (to me) seems very even and certainly bright enough, but above the cutoff the light rapidly drops off. Thats probably why some oncoming drivers "flash" you... if your car goes over a bump the oncoming drivers see a quick brightness change and think you flipped your high beams on.

I have the stock fog lights, but they help only at short range.

I put sylvania silverstars in - they did help, but the beam cutoff is due to the reflector design, not the bulbs. On high beams I think the lighting is at least as good as other cars I've driven.

Cost! Cost! Cost!. I dropped in on my Jeep dealer today and they priced out the driving lights(two lights mounted on top of the bumper) The lights, mounting brackets, and wiring harness plus installation came to $500. That is a steep price and more than I figured it would be, but they went from the parts book and gave me whatever break they could. I would like to get them, but I think my wife will not be thrilled, so I'll just put it on a back burner until after the holidays.

$500.00 seems pretty high. By me I got quoted $250.00 installed when I asked about them. Maybe check another dealer or also the dealer sight. One of the other dealer sights around me in Jersey had a service coupon for 15% off if you bought something from them and had thier service dept. install it.

Rich

From the day, i picked up my PAT i have noticed that people are flashing me, they think my high beams are on. Also on small cars when i am following them, i can see that the lights are bothering them in their rear view mirrot. Had the PAT to the dealer and was told that they are perfectly aligned. I did notice that on high beam, they do not go as far as my other vehicles. I upgrade the bulbs to H13 Xenon type. This did nothing for high beam, it just made low beam, a little more cleaner clearer light.
I don't know what the answer is, but if anyone comes up with something i would be interested.
Happy Trails

Me too. I've been flashed about 6 times in the 3 weeks I've had my Pat. And this is just with my DRL's. I know this is off topic, but I really wish I could disable my DRL's. We're stationed at a NATO base and you're supposed to turn off lights when pulling up to the gate and I have to keep explaining I can't turn them off. Has anyone been able to do that yet?

Last Thursday we drove 200 miles in the dark on I-84 and we got flashed like 80 times. I pulled over at one point thinking something was wrong with the car because it was happening so often. When I got to Portland I checked my alignment and it's fine, drove back home to Pendleton and got flashed just as much. I'd flash 'em back as if to say "I got brighter ones..." I suppose that's why I've never needed to use my brights, low is bright enough. Any suggestions? Shade the lens? Exchange bulbs?

RyDev: It sounds like you have Daytime Running Lights (DRL) installed. DRL is a requirement where I live. Not sure if your version of the Pat can turn off DRL. If the DRL is like the Canadian version, the DRL should be *half-bright* since the object is to be seen rather than to see. If you turn off the headlights as you approach the gate, will this suffice since the lights should be half bright and the guards should see the action? Or, at half bright, are your headlights still too bright?

The Pats DRL's ar not 1/2 bright at all the are more like 90% and are the highbeams too.
We got flashed all the time to turn them off in the day and at night the lows were blinding oncoming traffic. The are set too high from the factory. they need to be adjusted down.
Most of you hear saying they are too dim are probably adjusted too HIGH too, just shining off into space.