Ok, so if it is generally accepted that HID bulbs fail if they vibrate a lot, and the G35 HID's bounce around over bumps like a moped, wouldn't follow that if Infiniti doesn't fix this problem we are all going to see $200 bulb replacements happening real soon?

 

I have noticed the same thing on my car. It really sucks!

 

Interestingly enough, I have noticed that it is not so bad when it is colder out (mounts are less pliant). I wonder if anyone actually drove this car before they started selling them, the problems with it are so silly and easy to fix.....

 

If you do a search you'll find a whole thread on this. In part the appearance of bounce is a result of a sharp cutoff in the light pattern - halogens have a softer cutoff so the movement is less noticeable. The mounts are intended to cushion blows to prolong life expectancy. You could always glue the bulbs in place, then you'd have fun trying to get them out because they fail early.

 

I'm sorry, but the bouncing is due to poor design. BMW doesn't do it, Lexus doesn't, Mercedes doesn't. This IS a problem with the car and Infiniti should fix it. Seems that all of the other brands have a motorized leveler, and Infiniti just has some sort of contraption for accomplishing the same thing but more cheaply.

 

That's it, take the car back! The freakin' lights bounce!

 

No, the reason is exactly what I stated before. The lights are not motorized, they are rubber mounted. Going off that logic, one wouldn't be able to SEE as well in the Infiniti. Lights are aimed at DOT approved levels at the factory.

 

I pulled into my garage last night and had my foot on the brake while watching the HID's on the wall. The right one was sitting there vibrating up and down, the left one was solid as a rock. So, I guess what I am saying is, there has to be something wrong, or did Infiniti intend to design the left one different from the right?

 

In September, I decided to check and adjust the headlight alignment of the G. I found that my lights were adjusted a bit lower than factory specs. I asked the dealer about this and they told me that the lights are probably factory adjusted mechanically by some sort of jig to the lowest spec to minimize the chance of glare. This makes sense on a mass produced vehicle as it is not practical to optically align each and every headlight coming off the line.

I realigned the lights to the upper limits of the accepted specs and find that it does make some difference to night time visibility and so far, have been flashed at only once while driving.

For those of you without access to the Infiniti alignment procedure info:
Measure and place your headlight 10 meters (393.7”) from a screen marked with two lines, one 8.6 cm (3.39”) and another 11.3 cm (4.45”) below another mark that is the same as the measured center height of your low beam bulb. I just measured and marked a cardboard box and set it on the road.

The light pattern has two distinct horizontal cut-offs, the lower one being to the left. Align the lower cut-off to shine between your two marks, and you’re done.[img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

This way at least you know that you are maximizing the abilities of your HIDs and that they are within specs.

 

On the sedan, if you open the hood, looking down on each light assembly, you'll see what looks to be something like a 8mm stud with a white nylon 'gear' type thingy on it. Using a small flat screwdriver, rotate the front 'gear' to adjust the height. I think that the rear 'gear' affects left to right positioning, but I didn't play with this. I think this is the same in the coupe if anyone can confirm.