2014 Rogue LED headlight level

[Rockhound2.0]

Quick question for 2014 owners with the LED headlights (not just the DRLs). Ours seem to be angled such that the low beams are very high, maybe too high - the brights just go even higher. I would have thought we would have been flashed by oncoming cars' brights by now, but we haven't. When we pass other cars I'm sure they think we have our brights on.

Obviously one component is that the Rogue is by far our tallest vehicle. Apparently the LEDs are auto leveling, but just to be sure I checked to see if there was an old-school level bubble on the headlight housing - there isn't. There's no reference to cutoff height in the owner's manual and only a passing reference to the LED headlights.

I guess I'll have the dealer take a look, but I'll have to take a picture of the cutoff height on our garage door for reference.

[Leo2005]

I don't have led low beam on my '14 Rogue but I thought about my halogen ones the same thing. My '08 Rogue headlights were adjusted lower than '14. Also my GF got '14 Corolla and her led low beam headlights are giving one of the hell output and been adjusted lower than Rogue (amazing view and I'm kinda jealous). She doesn't even have to use high beam at all. Sounds like this is normal for '14 Rogue.

[ImStricken06]

I would have thought we would have been flashed by oncoming cars' brights by now, but we haven't.

if you are not getting flashed, dont worry about it. i am sure they are designed just fine. i actually raise mine to see further.

Apparently the LEDs are auto leveling

since when are LED's "auto leveling"? i think you have something backwards here. there would be no reason to make them auto-leveling- since they dont actually emit enough light to be used at night. they are for show only.

I checked to see if there was an old-school level bubble on the headlight housing - there isn't.

most cars dont have them. many american ones and mazda's do though.

There's no reference to cutoff height in the owner's manual and only a passing reference to the LED headlights.

the majority of people now a days cant change a flat tire; you want the owners manual to include numbers, measurements, and instructions to adjust headlights? lolololol. thats only written in the shop manual. personally, i dont care for those numbers. i adjust at night time on a dark, empty street. i park in the street, with the lights on, at night, and make my adjustments to the distance i want to see. its that simple. i then make more tiny adjustments for acceleration(vehicle picks the front end upward)

[Rockhound2.0]

...Sounds like this is normal for '14 Rogue.

Thanks for the response, Leo, I think you're right. Glad to hear the halogens appear the same as well as on the new Corollas. I'll still check the cutoff height at 25' per DOT specs and post back.

since when are LED's "auto leveling"? i think you have something backwards here...

As I tried to make clear in the first sentence of my post, I'm referring to the LED headlights that come with the SL Premium package, not the DRLs that are standard on all 2nd gen Rogues. A cursory check of the Nissan website confirms this option...



Also, I only mentioned checking the user manual and the potential for level bubbles to make it clear that I had done a minimum investigation prior to posting my question (kind of like you could have done with a Google search to see if the Rogue had LED headlights). I know that if you don't state the obvious, people assume the least (e.g., "did you check the owner's manual?"). Level bubbles were more common with old-school sealed-beams and such, but it was worth looking.

I do think you're right about not getting flashed, though, as we've driven enough at night to encounter someone disgruntled enough to flash their high beams. I think the proliferation of HIDs and projector halogens has reduced that occurrence though.

[ImStricken06]

oooooh lol i thought you meant the LED's themselves were adjustable lol. misunderstanding. all headlights are adjustable, that i know for sure. take a picture of the rear of your headlight and maybe i can point it out to you.

[Rogue One]

Also, I only mentioned checking the user manual and the potential for level bubbles to make it clear that I had done a minimum investigation prior to posting my question (kind of like you could have done with a Google search to see if the Rogue had LED headlights). I know that if you don't state the obvious, people assume the least (e.g., "did you check the owner's manual?"). Level bubbles were more common with old-school sealed-beams and such, but it was worth looking.

I do think you're right about not getting flashed, though, as we've driven enough at night to encounter someone disgruntled enough to flash their high beams. I think the proliferation of HIDs and projector halogens has reduced that occurrence though.

Link to 2014 Rogue Owners Manual https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/te ... manual.pdf

Even though the LED headlights auto-levelizer is shown on the official website and in the official press kit, they are not mentioned in the manual, nor are the level bubbles.

[Rockhound2.0]

Even though the LED headlights auto-levelizer is shown on the official website and in the official press kit, they are not mentioned in the manual, nor are the level bubbles.

It's odd - the only reference to the LED headlights in the owner's manual is on page 8-27 in my printed copy (strangely page 8-28 in the PDF you linked) where it mentions "if you need a new LED headlight bulb, see your dealer". I thought there would at least be a reference to the auto-leveling function, such as if you have a heavy load in the trunk it will adjust the projectors downward.

As far as level bubbles, they were especially common on Honda/Acura products once upon a time. Some '90s Nissans & Toyotas had them, can't remember if my '02 G20 had them. They've mostly gone the way of the dodo, but thought I'd check if there was a staggeringly simple solution under the hood!

you want the owners manual to include numbers, measurements, and instructions to adjust headlights? lolololol.

Not to pile on - I just thought I'd mention that I also referenced the owner's manual as I remembered there once being a reference to headlight leveling for some of my former cars. I remember it from my B13 Sentra's manual (here's a screenshot from the '96 B14 manual I found online below...). It's not a full DOT write-up that you can find easily online, but there's at least a guide to the leveling screws. I think with brighter projector lenses manufacturers don't want people screwing (pun intended) with their headlight aiming.



When I get a chance I'll also take a picture of the Rogue's cutoff versus my Z & Mazda3. The Mazda has projector xenons but has a very conservative cutoff height, I've always felt it to be far too low, but I've never done anything about it. It has a manual projector level switch in the car and I have it on the highest setting.

[Leonard1818]

1. How did you find a stinkin '14 with the Premium package?
2. Did you end up paying out the nose for the "exclusivity" of it?
3. How do you like the LED headlights? I'm a headlight fanatic and have had my last 2 vehicles retrofitted with HIDs. I saw the LED/Panormaic moonroof option and was sold.

[ImStricken06]

I remember it from my B13 Sentra's manual (here's a screenshot from the '96 B14 manual I found online below...). It's not a full DOT write-up that you can find easily online, but there's at least a guide to the leveling screws. I think with brighter projector lenses manufacturers don't want people screwing (pun intended) with their headlight aiming.

back in the mid 90's people knew how to change a tire. men were men, and people knew how to take care of their own. now everyone needs an iphone app for even the most basic of things in life. people are so dumb now a days, and the car makers responded. people now a days run to the dealership to put air into their tires.

[Leonard1818]

I remember it from my B13 Sentra's manual (here's a screenshot from the '96 B14 manual I found online below...). It's not a full DOT write-up that you can find easily online, but there's at least a guide to the leveling screws. I think with brighter projector lenses manufacturers don't want people screwing (pun intended) with their headlight aiming.

back in the mid 90's people knew how to change a tire. men were men, and people knew how to take care of their own. now everyone needs an iphone app for even the most basic of things in life. people are so dumb now a days, and the car makers responded. people now a days run to the dealership to put air into their tires.

He's got a point though -- with the HIDs of today, manufacturers probably don't want the average joe trying to aim their headlights since HIDs are SO BRIGHT. I have an HID retrofit on my Civic Si and I have the leveling screws like most older cars have (it was designed for halogens anyway). I had to aim them when I put them on but that's not hard if you know what your doing.

Also, in fairness, a lot of people *do* go to the dealer for air in their tires BUT it's probably more because they have a dash light on, TPMS, (!) that they've never seen before and don't know what to do (RTFM) lol.

[ImStricken06]

He's got a point though -- with the HIDs of today, manufacturers probably don't want the average joe trying to aim their headlights since HIDs are SO BRIGHT. I have an HID retrofit on my Civic Si and I have the leveling screws like most older cars have (it was designed for halogens anyway). I had to aim them when I put them on but that's not hard if you know what your doing.

Also, in fairness, a lot of people *do* go to the dealer for air in their tires BUT it's probably more because they have a dash light on, TPMS, (!) that they've never seen before and don't know what to do (RTFM) lol.

lolol most people are too stupid and lazy now a days, plain & simple.

[Leonard1818]

Unfortunately, that is the case. My wife teaches an intro level course at a popular state school here in Ohio and some of the stuff she tells me.... At least I feel like I'll always have an edge over some of the youth.

Also, I'm not one to believe everything I read on the interwebs but I do believe that people (youth particularly) today are losing interest in vehicles. Not just with owning and driving them though. I think people are losing interest in learning/caring how they work and what needs to be done to them. They want something that they don't need to even think about for 100,000 miles. They want something that will blink a light in their face that tells them "grab your wallet and head to your dealer". They don't want to shift their own gears even! I just hope that automakers turn a deaf ear to this crowd...

anyway, back on topic, I think there was some talk of a picture of these LED headlights against a garage door... I'd like to see any pics/vids possible... I have no experience with LED headlights. I just know they look really good in the promo video I just saw and in a picture I was able to dig up. I'm one for form AND function though!

[Rockhound2.0]

1. How did you find a stinkin '14 with the Premium package?
2. Did you end up paying out the nose for the "exclusivity" of it?
3. How do you like the LED headlights? I'm a headlight fanatic and have had my last 2 vehicles retrofitted with HIDs. I saw the LED/Panormaic moonroof option and was sold.

We initially had committed a down payment to a somewhat nebulous '14 Rogue SL w/ Premium (white, black interior, FWD) that my favorite local Nissan dealer was (supposedly) allocated, scheduled to arrive sometime in Jan/Feb. A couple weeks ago I decided to check the local dealerships' inventories and came across a Silver SL w/ Premium at another dealer down the road - it had just arrived and hadn't even been released to test drive. Called my salesman that evening to discuss a dealer trade - he thought it would be a long shot, but called to ask. He called me back the next day and had it on his lot for us. We had already negotiated a price, around the Edmunds TMV, and since this Silver SL didn't have the homelink mirror or mudflaps, so they adjusted down accordingly. Not much off of MSRP, but enough to make me feel good about the price given the limited supply.

We love the LED headlights - mainly because they're stupefyingly bright and light up half the countryside as you drive. The LED DRLs also stay on so they look mean at night. I followed a friend in his CX-9 and he was surprised with how bright the headlights are. I only started this thread because of the brightness and some guilt that I might be driving around blinding everyone! My wife also really wanted the panoramic sunroof and the safety nannies - so I was willing to wait a while till one showed up.

lolol most people are too stupid and lazy now a days, plain & simple.

Yep, sad but true. There's not much a shade-tree mechanic can touch on a modern car.

[Rockhound2.0]

anyway, back on topic, I think there was some talk of a picture of these LED headlights against a garage door... I'd like to see any pics/vids possible...

I'll try to get it done tonight...it was near 50° yesterday afternoon before a cold front swept through with some light snow yesterday evening - I didn't feel like pulling the Rogue out of the garage in that!

[Rogue One]

lolol most people are too stupid and lazy now a days, plain & simple.

I know it's off topic but I can testify! I deal with the public daily, and I swear they're getting worse. There may be no stupid questions, but there sure are a lot of inquisitive idiots.

[Leonard1818]

1. How did you find a stinkin '14 with the Premium package?
2. Did you end up paying out the nose for the "exclusivity" of it?
3. How do you like the LED headlights? I'm a headlight fanatic and have had my last 2 vehicles retrofitted with HIDs. I saw the LED/Panormaic moonroof option and was sold.

We initially had committed a down payment to a somewhat nebulous '14 Rogue SL w/ Premium (white, black interior, FWD) that my favorite local Nissan dealer was (supposedly) allocated, scheduled to arrive sometime in Jan/Feb. A couple weeks ago I decided to check the local dealerships' inventories and came across a Silver SL w/ Premium at another dealer down the road - it had just arrived and hadn't even been released to test drive. Called my salesman that evening to discuss a dealer trade - he thought it would be a long shot, but called to ask. He called me back the next day and had it on his lot for us. We had already negotiated a price, around the Edmunds TMV, and since this Silver SL didn't have the homelink mirror or mudflaps, so they adjusted down accordingly. Not much off of MSRP, but enough to make me feel good about the price given the limited supply.

We love the LED headlights - mainly because they're stupefyingly bright and light up half the countryside as you drive. The LED DRLs also stay on so they look mean at night. I followed a friend in his CX-9 and he was surprised with how bright the headlights are. I only started this thread because of the brightness and some guilt that I might be driving around blinding everyone! My wife also really wanted the panoramic sunroof and the safety nannies - so I was willing to wait a while till one showed up.

Good to hear! For me the premium package is a no-brainer. I'd be spending nearly $1000 on an HID retrofit anyway and that panoramic sunroof sure is nice!!! I just know it's going to be like buying my 2008 Civic Si all over again... I wanted a black coupe with navi. That's it. Was that possible? Well, there were 3 of them in the 5-state area and none of the dealers were moving on price at all and certainly not trading them away. I think you got lucky your dealer where you bought yours got one on dealer trade. I had worked out a fantastic price with 2 different dealers for my Civic. Even put a deposit down at one of them. But none could get the black coupe/navi that I wanted. I ended up driving 2 hours south and paying a couple hundred off of MSRP for what I wanted. I don't want to be put in that position with the Rogue but to be honest, I know we're going to want the premium package. Black/black/premium would be preferred... we'll see what inventory looks like in the coming weeks and how much they're able to work on price given the exclusivity of the premium package.

Does Nissan do "orders"? I used to always hear of Chevy and Ford doing "orders". Honda looked at me funny when I asked if they could just order me the configuration I wanted. That's how I learned about the allocation system that Honda has in place... basically, Honda corporate allocates only vehicles that the dealer is likely to sell (which makes sense). Since I live in po-dunk Ohio, the only Hondas people buy are the base trim of the lowest 3 models of vehicle. I wonder if Nissan is the same or if my local dealer can contact Nissan and get one shipped to the dealership for a deposit.

[Rockhound2.0]

Does Nissan do "orders"?

Yes - but as with all dealership interaction it's not without some shenanigans. Nissan dealers also operate on allocation, which I think is a common practice across the board to cater to dealers/regions where certain models sell better than others.

I'll share a not-so-brief, somewhat tangential Nissan-ordering anecdote...

In January last year I decided I was ready to purchase a dream car of mine, a new 370Z - I wanted it pearl white with persimmon (orange) leather, touring package, navigation - no sport package. After a few days interaction with a friendly salesman who was searching local inventories, he said that I would need to order the Z since I wanted such a specific color scheme and options. We negotiated price, he wrote up the "order" and I placed a small down payment with the supposed order.

Over the next two months, he would call once a week with a local 'find' - some random Z in another color and options, all the while assuring me my order was going thru as planned - despite not having any order confirmation number. Around March I finally called him and demanded to receive my order confirmation #, as I had read about online is available within the two month mark. He made a few excuses and then handed the phone to the 'sales manager' who tried to tell me that Nissan doesn't allow orders and that I just had to take what I could find. He then said that he would have someone from Nissan distribution call me and explain that orders aren't possible (this despite them happily taking my money for one!). I politely told him that he was full of it and that I needed a full refund of my down payment ASAP, and they relented.

I called another Nissan dealer in town and the salesman there said he could even see outgoing orders - and that no 370Z order had been placed in Oklahoma. He then agreed to a better price, placed the order (this is now going on early April) and provided timely updates on confirmation # and VIN as it rolls through the assembly line in Tochigi, Japan. It was built in June and arrived here in August with 9 miles on the clock.

/novel

So it can be done. Going back to the 'good' Nissan dealer for our Rogue purchase, a true "order" didn't seem to be on the table. Part of the issue with the Z is that it is very low volume and shipped from Japan, but with the Rogue coming from Tennessee, you'd think an order would be far easier. Instead they wanted to play the "commit to a future allocated unit" game, which we initially reluctantly did, which included the "try and find something similar while you wait" game, which was not dissimilar to my first Z ordering experience. The Rogue not being a garage-queen toy car for us meant that we were flexible on paint color and such, so I didn't get too worked up about it, and we wound up with one quickly.

What is odd is how limited the supply is right now. I'm not sure if the factory is not completely up to full capacity yet, or if most of the new Rogues are going to other regions with higher volumes? The 1st-gen Rogue is Nissan's second-best selling car behind the Altima, so they'll need to pick up the pace. At the very least, they're probably still trying to move plenty of left-over '13s.

Haven't heard anything definitive on that - but if you demand it, and have the facts to back it up, a made-from-scratch order should be possible.

[Leonard1818]

Does Nissan do "orders"?

Yes - but as with all dealership interaction it's not without some shenanigans. Nissan dealers also operate on allocation, which I think is a common practice across the board to cater to dealers/regions where certain models sell better than others.

I'll share a not-so-brief, somewhat tangential Nissan-ordering anecdote...

In January last year I decided I was ready to purchase a dream car of mine, a new 370Z - I wanted it pearl white with persimmon (orange) leather, touring package, navigation - no sport package. After a few days interaction with a friendly salesman who was searching local inventories, he said that I would need to order the Z since I wanted such a specific color scheme and options. We negotiated price, he wrote up the "order" and I placed a small down payment with the supposed order.

Over the next two months, he would call once a week with a local 'find' - some random Z in another color and options, all the while assuring me my order was going thru as planned - despite not having any order confirmation number. Around March I finally called him and demanded to receive my order confirmation #, as I had read about online is available within the two month mark. He made a few excuses and then handed the phone to the 'sales manager' who tried to tell me that Nissan doesn't allow orders and that I just had to take what I could find. He then said that he would have someone from Nissan distribution call me and explain that orders aren't possible (this despite them happily taking my money for one!). I politely told him that he was full of it and that I needed a full refund of my down payment ASAP, and they relented.

I called another Nissan dealer in town and the salesman there said he could even see outgoing orders - and that no 370Z order had been placed in Oklahoma. He then agreed to a better price, placed the order (this is now going on early April) and provided timely updates on confirmation # and VIN as it rolls through the assembly line in Tochigi, Japan. It was built in June and arrived here in August with 9 miles on the clock.

/novel

So it can be done. Going back to the 'good' Nissan dealer for our Rogue purchase, a true "order" didn't seem to be on the table. Part of the issue with the Z is that it is very low volume and shipped from Japan, but with the Rogue coming from Tennessee, you'd think an order would be far easier. Instead they wanted to play the "commit to a future allocated unit" game, which we initially reluctantly did, which included the "try and find something similar while you wait" game, which was not dissimilar to my first Z ordering experience. The Rogue not being a garage-queen toy car for us meant that we were flexible on paint color and such, so I didn't get too worked up about it, and we wound up with one quickly.

What is odd is how limited the supply is right now. I'm not sure if the factory is not completely up to full capacity yet, or if most of the new Rogues are going to other regions with higher volumes? The 1st-gen Rogue is Nissan's second-best selling car behind the Altima, so they'll need to pick up the pace. At the very least, they're probably still trying to move plenty of left-over '13s.

Haven't heard anything definitive on that - but if you demand it, and have the facts to back it up, a made-from-scratch order should be possible.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Your first go-round with the Z sounds about par for my ordering experience from Honda only I was under the assumption that the Civic Si made in Ontario, Canada wouldn't be too difficult to order the configuration I wanted.

Did the same though:
Went to local dealership, negotiated price and then placed "order". They took $500 deposit from me. Didn't hear anything, didn't hear anything, didn't hear anything.... 2 weeks later I called about my "order" and they said "we've been trying to locate one for you and get a dealer trade but nobody is letting go of them" I said "great, so how about you just go ahead and order it from Honda then?" waited waited waited and played the aforementioned "try and find something similar while you wait" game. Like my previous post mentioned, my ending was a tad different in that, I did find one of the ones that was coming in on order to a different dealership, got my deposit back and went down there to buy it. Never did hear anything more about an "order".

I think you're right though... One would think that with the Rogue being made in TN and being a high-volume vehicle, it would be: A) easier to come by the configuration desired and/or B) Easier to work with a dealer to get the configuration desired. We are really really wanting black but IMO the new Rogue looks so good that I'd be open to other color options as well.

Time will tell. We're not in a huge hurry but I'd like to have something new by the time we take our annual summer trip up north to Canada as that's a LONG drive and I'm not going if we have to take our current '04 vue. Not doing it.

[Rockhound2.0]

Okay, I finally took a couple photos to document the LED headlight aiming (or lack thereof) on our '14 Rogue. The rule of thumb for headlight aiming is apparently a 2" drop over a 25' distance, or a 89.62° angle from horizontal. My driveway allows for a 20' flat distance before it slopes off, so using some trig I should be looking for an approximate 1.6" drop over 20'.

Here's the front of the Rogue, the projector lens is approximately 36" from the ground. You'll have to excuse the poor night shots, these were taken with my phone.


Here's the Rogue's headlight pattern on the garage door. There's hardly a staggered cutoff on the driver's side, and the cutoff is 11" higher than the projector lens on the car.



For comparison, here's my 370Z with factory xenons.


...and the Z's headlight pattern on the garage door. Here you can see a pronounced staggered cutoff, and the drop is approximately 1" over 20' - so pretty close to within spec.


So it seems pretty obvious that our Rogue's LED headlights are aimed far too high, unless somehow this is within Nissan's factory spec? It's essentially like driving around with our brights on - I can't imagine this is correct, but I would also be surprised that they would build it so far out of spec - unless this is something the dealer is supposed to check prior to sale? I'll post a follow-up when I've had a chance to have our dealer weigh in on the headlight level.

[Rogue One]

Thanks for clarifying. There seems to be an issue with two of the pics you posted.

[Leonard1818]

Rockhound, thanks forthe pics. That's very interesting....

Another test you can try is pulling alongside a building and see if the cutoff seems to slope upward or downward. Here's a couple pics from when I adjusted my HIDs on one of my civics (for reference):





I forget how long that wall ended up being, I measured it but this was back in like '08. Regardless, you can see that the cutoff when the vehicle is parked parallel to the wall, slopes ever-so-slightly downward. I believe I measured it to be something like the head-on spec of about 1.5-2" of downward slope for every 25-30 feet of wall.

Those pics above were from my first retrofit that was TSX projectors with clear lens swap. My second set has a much sharper cutoff but I don't seem to have the same pics.

[Rogue One]

[Leonard1818]

haha, I was just peeing on the fender to get some of the tar off.

[Leonard1818]

J/K, I was actually holding a dark towel over the other headlight so I could see the beam from just the drivers side against the wall. My car was just detailed and I couldn't get the towel to stay on there ha ha

[Rockhound2.0]

Another test you can try is pulling alongside a building and see if the cutoff seems to slope upward or downward.

That's a great idea - it provides a good visual of the cutoff's slope. I'll have to give that a try sometime.

[Rockhound2.0]

Not sure what happened to two of my images - they loaded fine from several different computers/devices yesterday - but let's try this again using a different image hosting site...

Here's the Rogue's headlight pattern on the garage - the cutoff is 11" higher than the projector lens on the car.


And here's the Z's headlight pattern with a 1" drop, close to spec for the 20' distance.

[Leonard1818]

I know this is horribly off topic but I couldn't figure out how to PM you:

Do you know what the behavior is when you have two phones paired via bluetooth? The owners manual says that you can pair 5 phones... I am curious as to whether you can have two paired at the same time and what happens if one rings and vice-versa.

[Rockhound2.0]

Not sure how it handles that, I'm not sure that we've had both of our phones paired at the same time; I'll have to test it out. I have a bad habit of leaving Bluetooth off because of how it used to be such a battery hog on older phones. My wife has her iPhone connected with the NissanConnect app, and I've just paired my android so I can stream music.

[Leo2005]

Glad to hear the halogens appear the same as well as on the new Corollas. I'll still check the cutoff height at 25' per DOT specs and post back.

I don't think I said that Rogue's halogens are the same as Corolla's led headlights. Rogue's halo headlights are adjusted to the same height as your led ones.

[Rockhound2.0]

I don't think I said that Rogue's halogens are the same as Corolla's led headlights...

Nor did I. Although admittedly poorly written, that sentence was meant to convey these two thoughts:

a) Glad to hear the Rogue's halogens are aimed similarly
-AND-
b) Glad to hear the Corolla's LEDs are extremely bright

The "as well as" portion is supposed to separate those two thoughts, not serve as a comparison between the two.

Sorry for the confusion.