Is this the lowbeam?

[BHopkins]

That little bulb is an accent light. The one above it is the high beam. High beams are typically inboard and low beams outer, at least that's my observation.

If you a ultrabright LED bulb in there I will personally come to your house and open your headlight with a grinder and remove it.

Are you sure? My wife's '13 Outback had a similar light configuration, and the small light in the reflector is the daytime running light.

The light in the center of the reflector is the high beam, the projector light is low beam, and the amber light in the upper outer, is the marker/turn signal light.

 

[Hohn]

That bulb is not the high beam, it's a DRL bulb. If you see projector lenses mixed with regular lenses, you can be pretty confident that the projectors are the low beams (typically farther outboard) and the high beams are the ones farther inboard with regular lenses.

 

[normal username]

View attachment 330983

Is this a photo of your headlight? IIRC the 09 Elantra's came with halogen projectors. It seems somebody shoehorned in a chinesium LED or HID bulb in your lowbeams (the projector on the left). It makes sense that you can't see well since that technology does not work with your headlights and never will.

Stick in a standard halogen bulb and you'll see a lot better. Or if you want some more punch and stay legal, get something like Sylvania Silverstar Ultra (not the regular Silverstar), Osram Nightbreakers or Philips Xtremevision or GT200 bulbs. You'll be very happy coming from that.

 

[jayjr1105]

Whoever said cheap chinesium LED bulb wins!

 

[normal username]

Yuck.

Get some performance halogen bulbs in there and happy driving!

 

[jayjr1105]

It's getting a bog standard Sylvania - H11B halogen and it will like it.

 

[normal username]

It's getting a bog standard Sylvania - H11B halogen and it will like it.

Lol the standards are actually pretty great. Much better than Long Life bulbs and they have no blue coating.

 

[Owen Lucas]

the small light in the reflector is the daytime running light.

That's what I meant, accent = DRL, I guess DRL is the more industry standard term.

 

[Carmudgeon]

The low beam is the projector, high beam the larger bulb above the one in question.

The one in question is a forward position light, aka city light, or standing light, who purpose is to indicate the presence of a stationary vehicle.

Those lights are not really customary in the U.S., but since the regs don't forbid them, they are allowed to carry over in the same fixtures, without being disabled.

But, like rear fog lights, many don't understand what they are, or how to properly use them. The controls may not even be present, so they might actually just effectively serve as additional/ornamental lighting.

It is not intended to be, nor bright enough to qualify as a DRL.