Taycan headlight alignment?

DaenerysCT4s

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New to Porsche. New to forum.
Bought a 2021 CPO CT 4s November 2023. Living it so far. Coming from an Rs7 which was a beast but the taycan is so much more fun to drive. Handles so much better. Smiling more when driving.
Question here is the head light alignment.
I attached some pics. First pic is what it looks like when illuminating a garage door - looks ok to me.
But on road - feel as though the passenger side gets illuminated several feet more than driver side and there is this sharp right angle demarcation See pics. Is alignment off?
That sharp demarcation disappears when the high beams are on.
lights are LED- matrix w PDLS+

Porsche Taycan Taycan headlight alignment? IMG_8405


Porsche Taycan Taycan headlight alignment? IMG_8407
 

rim23

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Next time you’re at the garage door, try to manually enable the headlights (press the low beam button so that they are not it auto). You should see the lights change the pattern.

I have led with pdls+ and noticed that they are lowered in a city area. If I go in countryside, they become like on your second photo. Moreover, light cornering starts to work then.

PS bonus - if the lights are in auto and you enable the rear fog lights, you’ll see the low beam also change the pattern :)
 
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W1NGE

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New to Porsche. New to forum.
Bought a 2021 CPO CT 4s November 2023. Living it so far. Coming from an Rs7 which was a beast but the taycan is so much more fun to drive. Handles so much better. Smiling more when driving.
Question here is the head light alignment.
I attached some pics. First pic is what it looks like when illuminating a garage door - looks ok to me.
But on road - feel as though the passenger side gets illuminated several feet more than driver side and there is this sharp right angle demarcation See pics. Is alignment off?
That sharp demarcation disappears when the high beams are on.
lights are LED- matrix w PDLS+

IMG_8405.jpeg


IMG_8407.jpeg
There is no manual alignment option - it is automatic (no thumb wheel).

You may have Matrix but as far as I am aware this feature isn't enabled in US so some lighting features are missing. Either way there is no manual adjustment.

Only thing you can do is to switch the lights for LHD to RHD - maybe check that this hasn't been inadvertently set.

Porsche Taycan Taycan headlight alignment? 1705922659381
 
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DaenerysCT4s

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Thanks. Didn’t realize that matrix and PDLS was not functional in the US even if it was an option listed on the window sticker.
This is what my setting screen looks like so I think the matrix and PDLS are not activated. Doesn’t look like your screen.

Is that demarcation normal? Still lights up the road fairly well. Just wanted to know if that was the usual pattern in low beams.

Porsche Taycan Taycan headlight alignment? IMG_8408
 

allroadusa

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The demarcation is perfectly normal and even enforced by law.
The left side (when driving on the right) is limited, while the right side can illuminate a greater distance.
Matrix headlights are so sharp that the demarcation is more visible than with conventional headlights.
 


W1NGE

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Thanks. Didn’t realize that matrix and PDLS was not functional in the US even if it was an option listed on the window sticker.
This is what my setting screen looks like so I think the matrix and PDLS are not activated. Doesn’t look like your screen.

Is that demarcation normal? Still lights up the road fairly well. Just wanted to know if that was the usual pattern in low beams.

IMG_8408.jpeg
PDLS element should still work just the Matrix (separate LEDs) function won't do its thing. PDLS function would be the high beam assist (Automatic high beam adjustment).
 

bluegrassvroom

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i thnk this is as by design - stating what "allroadusa" said a little differently - many cars aim the driver side (left for you) a little lower so as not to shine in oncoming driver's eyes, but the other side a little higher so you can see further and not blind people

at least that's the case in the states - without the ADAPTIVE/INTELLIGENT lights
those intelligent style lights the rest of the world has had for a while that jsut got approved for the states are unbelievable in what they can do... but they weren't an option on 2021's in USA
 
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DaenerysCT4s

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thanks for all the responses. Glad it’s not something needing repair.

looked at the sticker a bit more closely. It says LED- matrix design with pdls+. Has the design and look but not functionality I’m guessing.
Wonder if functionality is embedded and can be added on w future software upgrade? Or is it not mechanically equipped at all?

pic of the window sticker attached.

Porsche Taycan Taycan headlight alignment? IMG_8410
 


W1NGE

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thanks for all the responses. Glad it’s not something needing repair.

looked at the sticker a bit more closely. It says LED- matrix design with pdls+. Has the design and look but not functionality I’m guessing.
Wonder if functionality is embedded and can be added on w future software upgrade? Or is it not mechanically equipped at all?

pic of the window sticker attached.

IMG_8410.jpeg
If you look at the headlamp housing itself the word 'Matrix' will be printed on it.

I don't think retro enablement will be possible unfortunately.and if so may come at a cost.

Search the forum - many NA complaints on this item.
 

whitex

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Wonder if functionality is embedded and can be added on w future software upgrade? Or is it not mechanically equipped at all?
Functionality is in your Taycan but disabled in the North America. Some have hacked their cars and enabled it in NA - works pretty good, including integration with Night Vision to highlight any humans or animals on a potential collision path. Extremely unlikely to ever be available to be enabled by Porsche - US government bureaucracy in action - even though legalized 2 years ago (over a decade after the rest of the world), some committee in NHTSA will not grant existing cars the right to enable the world-wide standard matrix, as they insist on reinventing the wheel, still arguing what the US standard should be, and insisting on existing standard to be insufficient (US must be better than rest of the world), plus they also will insist on entire car re-test/homologation (rather than just headlights retest) for any old car which would want to enable it. Something tells me it would be cheaper for you to buy a new Porsche whenever the US government finally figures it out, than it would be for Porsche to offer the retrofit. Below is an article which explains some more:
https://www.newsweek.com/nhtsa-roadblocking-headlight-technology-that-could-save-lives-1811354
 

Genau

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