stock beam pattern

[_VVTi_]

a while back i posted a topic regarding about my girlfriend had a fight with a gravel truck, and scratched up my headlamp, and i asked for feedback on what i should do to repair my headlamp (thanks for all who replied)... well from that incident till now i haven't touched my headlamp, for as much as i want to fix it, i just don't have the extra time to give the headlamp a good fining and polishing to fix up the scratches...

anyhow i'm back from my work trip, on my xmas holiday now, so i have some free time available.

just yesterday i was looking at the beam pattern produced from my headlamp, and i noticed that if my car is close to my garage door, i can easily distinguish (sp?) the two beam from each side (left and right) of my car... even though it's kinda blurry, it doens't have a very distinctive cutoff
but when i'm driving, and there is a car about 5-6 car lengths ahead of me, i do not see the two beam (left and right), all i see is just one solid beam spot in the distance (or on the other car's rear bumper)
I noticed that some cars even if they are somewhat far behind another car, their headlamp are still able to give out two distinctive beam (left and right)...

is this normal for GEN3's headlamp to produce such beam pattern far out on to the road? or is this caused by my scratched headlamp?
can someone show me what should a GEN3's stock headlamp beam pattern should look like up close to a wall/garage, and from far...

i will borrow my friend's digi cam, so i can take some pictures and show what my headlamp looks like, and where it is scratched, as well as the beam pattern (up close and far). And if I do need a new set of headlamp, i'll just order a new pair of headlamp as my own xmas present

thanks for any reply!!

[_VVTi_]

hmm... so no one can help me with this?



please???

[Tercel GTS]

I took clear bulbs out and replaced with purple tints, I have to say mine aren't as sharp as they were with the white bulbs, you might try a different bulb and see what happens.

[SKYravefever]

Sounds like ur headlamps are cross-eyed thus the one hot spot you see. Adjust the horizontal alignment accordingly, and you should be fine.

[TypeZer0]

it seems kinda normal, i replaced my headlamps (driver side points all the way to the passenger side and couldn't be fixed by adjusting horizontal without the headlight lamp sticking out an inch) and at a distancy, it forms a kind of arrow with the two lights meeting at a point about 20 feet ahead of me

[_VVTi_]

Oh really TypeZero? i thought i'm the only one having this problem. And you have this problem after you replaced your headlamp? so it wasn' tlike this before you had them replaced?

[TypeZer0]

i don't think it's a problem, our headlamps are the parabolic type wiht the beam pattern determined by the ridges on the underside of the lense and i believe it's normal. someone told me that these types of headlights produce "hot spots" of light to illuminate signs and stuff. our beam pattern looks a bit more like a big W actually, the brightest part pointing to the center with some of the light going to the side to illuminate lane markers, pedestrians, signs, etc. if you don't like it, try separating it with the horizontal adjust