My 2010 V70 - allegedly a 2011 model but they never listed my spec in the 2011 price list - has rubbish dipped lights, Halogen Hwhatever. Brighter bulbs, as per Nightbreakers wouldn't help as they are just set too low IMHO.
Can the dipped be raised separately to the mains? IIRC on the last V70 the whole unit was moved so dipped and mains went together. But I may be talking rubbish.....

Don't have any problem with my non-active Xenons in fact I find them very bright and certainly better than my old Merc C220 CDI dipped lights. Every time I start the car the dipped lights do a quick check up and down and settle into a good alignment position for driving in the dark depending on the load in the car. Headlights are great, can't find fault with them either.

Had this fault on our S80 SE Lux 2 years ago. The active bi-xenons required a software upgrade. In short, they were too low, so driving 200 miles south from Glasgow in the new year of 2010 was tricky. Once fixed, all is fine.

I've got Osram Nightbreaker plus in the dips and they are a big improvement over the OEM bulbs, but life is 12k miles or just over the year. Although changing them is a 20-30 minute job in total as the Xc 70 is well designed in this respect. I'd still have preferred dedicated long life day running lights like my first Volvo 245 had. Such is progress!

The wife has an 2012 XC70 with bendy xenons - never been happy with dipped beams - always found setting way too low. (mains superb).

Reported as a problem at service 2 weeks ago (was given 2013 S40 as a loan car and found it's dip far far worse!). After service, dealer reported that they had adjusted lamps to MOT standard (could not explain why lamps were not already set to Mot std.!!).

Result - dipped beam now MUCH better, and perfectly adaquate.

So if you're unhappy - moan at the dealer - they may be able to improve things.

Mollusk.

On my 2009 XC70 (standard lights) I upgraded to Philips Extrem (after hitting a deer on the A9 in the dark). It was then that i decided the lights needed improving.

I also spent a good while re-aligning them.

Now they're actually pretty good - certainly acceptable.

And thanks to this chap (AA Milne):
Switch those fogs off NOW and give us a break - you should NEVER drive with dip beam and fogs. If you want to use them as driving lights, then treat them as full beam - and switch them off when anyone else is in view.

Just drove 70 miles up the Great Glen in Scotland in pitch dark and the lights were great no problems at all with dip or main beam. Before I left the car was parked in front of a white wall and one thing I did notice when I flashed my headlights the Xenon dipped beams appeared to rise up to the same level as the headlights. I switched to main beam and the same happened, both the dip and main beam lights appeared to shine at the same level. I could be wrong but that is what it appeared to me. The dip beams always do an up and down check before they settle when I start the car so I suppose they could tip up on main beam. Has anyone else noticed this or should I take more water in my whisky? LOL. :confused-smiley-013

yes completely normal , dip assists main beam there ...

One point I'd make to anyone who manually adjusts the "computer controlled" headlights up ......

Remember to manually adjust them back down again before service else when your car is returned to you, the lights will be lower, and you will have lost the ability to raise them..


Cheers

Bob

We had a another post on this subject last sept/oct on the same lines, took me awhile to get used to the lights and it did not help with wet roads etc as in certain conditions nothing helps. I fitted philips Extreme and have them adjusted to be as high as legally possible. Overall they work fine now..