The only thing so far my wife doesn't like about the CX-9 is the headlamps at night. Last night on the way home from dinner I understood her complaint about a 'dark curtain' in the field of view. The headlamps illuminate a satisfactory space in the front but the edge of the lit area abruptly changes to an unlit area ahead. This is most noticeable when the CX hits minor rises and falls in the roadway. As the lit field of view bounces up and down the effect is as if there is a curtain raising and lowering across the top half of the windshield, similar to the way windshield commonly have a tinted upper edge. I found it distracting only when she pointed it out, but it is there. Would a fog lamp kit alleviate this phenomenon?
CX-9 Headlamps at Night
- Thread starter weitrhino
- Start date
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- 2010 CX-9 GT
Are you talking about HID adjustable headlights? If so make sure your headlight leveling switch is set to "0". I don't think fog lamp kit is going to solve your problem.
For a widespread light pattern, just all over the place, you would want non-projector lens headlamps, with halogen bulbs, AND no inner headlamp bucket. Normal headlamps just have a large bucket of chrome to throw the light all over the place. The CX-9 has a large bucket, and then where the low beam projector sits, it has its own square-ish bucket, smaller in size, that sits inside of the larger bucket, so therefore you have a pre-defined light pattern for sharp light, with a sharp cutoff for the light. Fogs do help for short range light. The projector lens within a smaller confined bucket is considered a luxury item.
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- 2022 CX-5 Turbo
DoT requires HID lights to have clear cut-off at the top and leveling adjustment (auto or manual)
Nothing Mazda can do about that.
Have you tried to dial to adjust the projection angle?
On mine, it is set to highest.
One complaint I have is that I can't see unlit highway signs that are positioned high.
Nothing Mazda can do about that.
Have you tried to dial to adjust the projection angle?
On mine, it is set to highest.
One complaint I have is that I can't see unlit highway signs that are positioned high.
I'll look into this HID adjustable lamp question because I don't rightly know if I have this or not. I've only had the CX for about a week and haven't had time to thoroughly dig into the different features. I do wish there was a simpler way to mount my iPod to run into the auxiliary input. I don't like keeping it inside the center console every time I want to change music selections, but that would be a different thread.
The Xenon headlights definitely have a sharp cutoff, but after awhile I think you're wife will get used to them. You'll also have to remember to aim them down a notch or two when the kids and all their junk are piled in the back, and then raise them back up after they get out...
