Is there some way of improving the headlights fitted to the Range Rover sport , I have HIDS on my 2009 sport HSE , they work and are the afs type which also works bit the beam is rubbish and I’d consider them almost dangerous on the very dark country road on dip beam , are all sports like this or could it be the age of the lamps themselves, I recently replaced the HIDS for new bulbs but they were cheap ones from eBay and 6k , has anyone taken the lights apart and cleaned them to any effect or fitted expensive bulbs like Osram night breakers as I’ve heard they are bright but expensive, any advice would be appreciated thanks .

I had the hid bulbs on my 2008 RRS and they were honestly the best I have seen until my D5.

Get the hid bulbs checked as they can make a big difference

?? Not sure whether you're saying dipped is bad or mains are bad. Dipped are HIDs and mains are "normal" bulbs.

I have HIDs on my MY2007 and as dipped beam they are more than adequate. Main beam I replaced with LEDs. When running mains, they are probably the best lights I've had on a car. I live in deepest Wales, so there are a mix of country lanes and empty A-roads, none of which on have I ever thought there was insufficient light on mains.

I also have the driving lights (also with LEDs) but to be honest, they only add light in the vertical plane so its hard to notice when they are on or off. Great for getting people to move out the way on the motorway when they're lane hogging though!

Ah... I had dual xenon HIDs.

They were all dual xenon.
Or bi xenon as they are known

A flap opens on main to let the HID light everywhere

Xenon in the high\low section and halogen in the high 'spotlight' section.
Xenons dim with age so first thing I would do is replace the xenon bulbs. Made a good difference for me. Pete
2008 L320 TDV8
2022 Hilux Rugged-X

nebc100 wrote:

Ah... I had dual xenon HIDs.

They fitted halogens for a reason I think. That halogens are good for long range. The inner reflectors are also setup for long range. But if it works for you....


Anyway, the OP problem is with Dipped I think he said

It’s my dip beams that are not so good , the mains are ok and just halogens but the dip beams are HIDS and on a dark road very poor , I’ve replaced them twice with sets from Amazon but didn’t pay much for them say £20 per pair but the originals were Phillips and still poor , could the light assembly get weaker inside due to age (2009) and need a clean and polish , the lens are clear , I don’t fancy a new pair as nearly 1k per side , next step apart from taking the lights apart is a set of Osram night breakers .

well maybe its something to do with the AFS system
or maybe they need adjusting up

I recently replaced my 2008 original HID lamps with Osram Night Breakers @ £80 for the pair as felt the dipped beam had lost its efficiency in my 10 years of ownership

Made a significant and noticeable difference so would definitely recommend them

My next task is replacing the headlamp lenses as they are not as clear anymore and have just managed to get replacements TDV8 now with extra grin factor thanks to Alive Tunning: Gone but not forgotten

ssc100 wrote:

It’s my dip beams that are not so good , the mains are ok and just halogens but the dip beams are HIDS and on a dark road very poor , I’ve replaced them twice with sets from Amazon but didn’t pay much for them say £20 per pair but the originals were Phillips and still poor , could the light assembly get weaker inside due to age (2009) and need a clean and polish , the lens are clear , I don’t fancy a new pair as nearly 1k per side , next step apart from taking the lights apart is a set of Osram night breakers .

I'd add my support for the standard lights on the RRS. Mine are excellent and the best on any car I've owned. After a summer of light evenings where you don't use them so much, to now where it's getting dark at 4pm I really notice how good they are.

It doesn't help the OP with the way forward for the problem but at least he/she will be aware that they should give well above average performance if working correctly. Not sure about the skills involved in taking AFS lights to bits. I had to replace one complete unit and so took the opportunity to pull the defunct unit to bits just to see how it all went together. I would suggest that unless you are very skilled and prepared for some grief, especially if you need to separate the two halves of the carcass (held together with black mastic), then avoid this task. Robin
2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8
Gone:
Jaguar S-Type V8 4.2 Sport
MGZTT 190 2.5

It’s the dip beam light brightness I’ve adjusted them up but the amount of light seems very poor , I’ve bought some nightbreakers to see if that improves things but the standard lamps should be better than this , that why I was wondering if I need to take the lamps apart and clean them , the plugs on the back are all clean with nice bright contacts

Anyway thanks for all the replies, I was just wondering if Range Rover sport lamps were good or bad , but seems they should be good , mine are probably needing adjustment as the AFS system was inop and now I’ve sorted that and found the settings all over the place but never very bright so will fit these Osram night breakers and then if still dull take the lights apart for a clean and polish