Q: When HID headlights came out, I went for them in a big way because they are vastly superior to the halogens. They also have a distinct horizontal cutoff line. The new LEDs make me want to quit driving at night because of the dazzling effect. Why aren't there standards for headlight height? Most of the new vehicles have the headlights at my eye level when I'm sitting in the car.
A: High-intensity discharge (HID) lights were a quantum leap ahead for nighttime driving but were expensive and took a moment to reach full intensity. The first commercially available HID lights were mercury-vapor lamps, which produced a bluish-green light. They eventually were replaced by sodium-vapor and metal-halide lamps that produced less tint.
LEDs come on immediately and, as you have seen, are very bright. Because of that, states have laws about the lights' being properly aimed, but, sad to say, most garages seldom go through the trouble to check. In Europe, cars must have automatic headlight leveling, but not in the United States.
If your car did not come with LED headlights, it is illegal to convert them. And those super bright LED light strips that some idiots install are quite illegal.
Oil light trickery
Q: My 2011 Acura MDX with only 83,000 miles does not burn or leak oil. However, when I make a sharp left turn or sudden stop, the check oil light comes up for a brief instant, then goes off. This never happens with any right turn I make or if I stop normally. Any thoughts?
A: Honda had some issues with oil pressure switches, especially on engines that had some miles on them. The company released a revised switch that does not trigger at the lower, but safe, pressure typical of worn-in engines. This is assuming that you aren't making some serious high-G maneuvers. But even at normal speeds, the oil in the oil pan might be sloshing to one side, and the oil pump gets starved momentarily. This is more likely to happen if the oil level is low. Check your dipstick.
Battery killer
Q: We had an occasional dead battery with my mother-in-law's 2004 Chevy Impala. After an extensive search, our mechanic traced it to the automatic dimmer rearview mirror. There was a short that was drawing just a few amps, but it was enough to drain the battery every few days. Once we disconnected the mirror, we never had that problem again.
A: Problems such as this have been around forever. If it is not the rearview mirror, it might be the glove compartment light, trunk light, underhood light or myriad other potential battery drains. A simple way for your auto tech to begin is to connect an ammeter to the battery and start pulling fuses until the drain stops. But then the serious circuit sleuthing begins.
