I have an 06 roadster. This is my first car with the HID headlights. I notice the beam shaking as I go down the street. I live in South Florida and the streets are pretty good here.

I took it to the dealer twice and the service manager confirmed the problem but he said he test drove an 07 and it did the same thing so it is normal.

Should I insist that the dealer repair this problem or is this normal?

Thanks,

 

they ain't supposed to shake whatsoever.

 

There are a couple of ways to go about this. You could take it to a dealer in the afternoon (since it gets dark at 530) and test drive an 07 or 08 for yourself to see the difference.

You could also pop the hood and check the headlight assembly to make sure it's tight and not moving around at all.

There shouldn't be any "shaking" as you go down the road, but the beam for the 06's has a very clean-cut dividing line between "light" and "no-light".

 

unless he is talking about since its so clear cut that when you go over a bump it like "moves closer" to to the car..you know waht i mean? cars with hid and projectors have a sort of "bouncy" appeal to them

-mo

 

Thanks for all the replies. I haven't driven another z to compare it to. The service manager did and confirmed that he can see the light shaking. I think that cheshirecat79 has a good point. Since the beam has such a sharp line between light and dark it very easy to see.

I initiated a BBB autoline arbitration for this problem. I received a call from Nissan and was asked what I wanted them to do. I told them that I just wanted it repaired. The women on the phone said that it may be normal since it happens to other cars. I told her that what if the roof leaked on my car and they checked another car and it did the same thing. Would that mean it was normal or would it mean that there are 2 cars with the same problem?

I looked at the service manual on this site and saw that to check the headlights you must remove the front bumper. I know they did not do that step so there is no way they even checked to se if they are in the sockets correctly. BTW, it only seems to be happening to the drivers side light.

I know that this is not like an engine catching on fire problem but I just want it repaired. I'll keep you informed of what happens with the BBB hearing.

Thanks again.

 

Are the lights physically shaking (rattling)? I think you are seeing the effect of what good/quality HID lights produce. Unless the housing itself is moving around, there isnt anything to "fix". You can always trade your HID lights to someone with an older year and get the halogen lights.

Think of it this way, there is a very sharp cut-off produced by the lights. Our cars do not have the softest suspension, meaning that every bump is going to change the angle of the car, which in turn causes the headlights to "bounce" up and down.

 

What I am talking about is when the car goes over a bump the light beam vibrates on the ground...independent of the front end. You can feel the car hit the bump and move slightly but the headlight continues to shake after the car is done moving.

I do agree that since the beam is very defined it is easier to see though. It's almost like the bulb is spring loaded. I don't think it is the housing.

 

my lights "shake" when i go over a bump.
its more like the headlight follows the front end of the car wherever it is pointed and since the bump makes the front end move up and down, the headlight also moves up and down. It seems normal for HID headlights so I ignore it. Regular bulb headlights though its harder to notice because the light is to vague and you think the light stays the same when the rest of the car moves.

 

Here is a test for you. At night, pull your car about 10 or so feet from a wall. Turn on your lights and press down on the front of the car. You'll notice the beam goes along with the natural movement of the car bouncing. If after the car has come to a rest and the lights are still moving, something is wrong.

The headlights are fixed. The only time that they should be moving is when you turn on the high beams.

 

FYI, I got a call from the BBB today and Nissan will be sending a factory rep to see the vehicle. I'll keep you informed.