Head lights & A Clubman

[AndyP & Lenore]

Our blue MINI (R56) is in the dealer just now having the sun roof click seen to - again.

We have a Cooper Clubman as a courtesy car.

I have to say I really like the clubman. You really do get more legroom in the back and more room in the boot. The suicide door is still on the wrong side but isn't as tricky to get out of as I seem to remember the last time I was in a clubman.

However, this Cooper has been specced fairly low. Pretty sure it's just a pepper or salt pack. So, no xenons.

We obviously get spoilt with having xenons in our MINI's as the non-xenon headlights driving home this evening from Edinburgh were really awful. I was straining to see the road ahead, especially when there was a car in the near distance, and you're having to constantly dip then full beam as we each rounded bends.

Are the standard (non-xenon) lamps usually this poor in MINI's, or could this MINI have something wrong with it.

A.

[The Dogfather]

The lights are cack, my loan Clubman was the same and its the same light fittings as the standard car.

Good to hear you're liking the Clubman, I wouldn't swap mine for a hatch even if we didn't have the dogs.

[Craig]

Andy,

ALL halogen lights on MINI's are p!sh...:frown: That's why most people put uprated bulbs in them to at least make them slightly better.. If I was speccing a new car I would defo make sure it had xenons... They can be expensive, BUT are defo worth it.. :thumbs up:

[Scottie]

I think they are rubbish but I think it's the way Mini has chosen to design the reflector part of the head light that's the problem.

Hopefully the dealer won't keep your car long and you get back to your xenons soon in this rubbish weather.:thumbs up:

[euan]

I don't think it's just MINI - my previous BMW didn't have xenons and the lights weren't great. Current car has xenons and while they are much better, I had to get them to raise the level of them as the light penetration was rubbish!

So I think what we're saying is BMW needs a new light designer ;-)

[ianking]

Andy
Agree the standard lights are poor. I thought the R50 light unit was better than the R56 standard.

your cooper clubman will either be plain, pepper or chilli as salt is only for the one.

Are you driving a proper manual car at the moment then?:p

[MINI William]

Yehp the standard lights are very poor:ragin:.I wish someone had told me this when i was specing up my car and i would have got them :argh::argh:.

[RyanK]

Standard headlights on mine are pretty crap and thats with a set of uprated bulbs in which improved them slightly. I am definately wanting xenons in my next car.

My mums car has got the cornering xenons and its ace driving at night with them.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Well I'm glad it's not me.

Fiona (Scottiedoop), I think you're right, it's not just the lack of xenon bulbs, its the way the light is thrown to the road. Our M Class had standard bulbs but you'd swear they were xenon's because of the lens in front of them. It really concentrated the light onto the road with no straying. The drive home last night was fine, providing I wanted to drive up the side of the houses or trees on the road side, but no use for driving on the road.:frown:

A.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Andy
Agree the standard lights are poor. I thought the R50 light unit was better than the R56 standard.

your cooper clubman will either be plain, pepper or chilli as salt is only for the one.

Are you driving a proper manual car at the moment then?:p

Yes, a manual cooper. It's fun to get a manual car once in a while. But I guarantee you, by the time this car is back to the dealer this afternoon, my back will be throbbing and I'll need some physio to loosen it up again.:argh:

A.:D

[gauldrymini]

Our R56 Cooper had standard lights=:frown:, uprated them and it was a good improvement:thumbs up:

The JCW has Xenons and they are:cool::smilewinkgrin::D


Andrew

[KenL]

I have standard lights with uprated bulbs. Osram Silverstars I think? I hear "Nightbreaker" bulbs are good.

The MINI lights are not great. Not a patch on my mkV Golf with Halogens but better than the Aygo.

Are R56 Xenons better than those in the R53? I had an R53 S on loan when I had my 2002 ONE, I did not think they were much of an improvement over the Halogens.

MINIs seem fine, but I find some big cars, noteably Merc and Porsche Xenons can be blinding up ahead as well as behind :ragin:

[badwolf340]

:argh:
I don't think it's just MINI - my previous BMW didn't have xenons and the lights weren't great. Current car has xenons and while they are much better, I had to get them to raise the level of them as the light penetration was rubbish!

So I think what we're saying is BMW needs a new light designer ;-)

yip ,HID'S or nothing else ,BMW light's are cr3p.:argh: