Lighting problem

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Dec 7, 2003
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Outer Banks, NC
Most of my cars have had sealed beam headlights. The wife's recent Mazda3 had something special and was exceptional in lighting up the road,but that car is now gone.
I picked up a 2003 Crown Vic for her and she has been complaining about the poor lighting.
When I shine the lights against the garage door they show a sharp outer line, and a dark inner, like a halo. Riding down the road there are inner blank spots.
Is this normal for this car, or does anyone know what the problem is? The lenses are clear.
 
Are the headlamps OEM, or aftermarket? Usually aftermarket will have BAD beam pattern.

Are they hazed over?

Looks like you cannot get them from Ford anymore(past 10 years, not showing on official site)

If the lenses are clear(not yellowed) you can pull out a bulb, visually inspect the bulb shield for looseness or bent, then check out the halogen bulb itself, they usually fog up with smoke over time, if the bulbs are original, I would replace with GE Nighthawks, the halogen ones, they don't say platinum.

I would also have this car aimed with the aiming machine, the dealer should have that machine.
 
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Filament location within a halogen bulb and reflector is paramount. Lower quality bulbs have less precise filament placement, and older bulbs are dimmer.

Phillips extreme bulbs along with Narva are very precise in their filament location. They are not long life bulbs but the filament is smaller, brighter and located with more precision and can wake up dreary headlamps with poor quality long life bulbs in them.

Whatever bulb you get, make sure it does not have Blue glass. the blue glass restricts overall lumen output to give a 'whiter' light which has no advantages to human eyesight, despite modern thinking, and those nimrods who think blue headlamps are cool.

Making sure battery charging voltages actually make it to the bulb with a relayed headlamp harness can vastly increase light output, but also at the expense of bulb life.

I got some GE nighthawk sealed beams getting 14.5+ volts and few vehicles throw more light where it does the most good to augment human vision.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/
 
I don't remember the details but didn't they change crown vic headlights to a slightly better design that retrofitted around that time? I think changed from one dual beam to 2 bulbs, but don't remember precisely. Just FYI. And yes, new regular bulbs are brighter and Phillips xtreme better still, with wiring harness even better.
 
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