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      08-13-2013, 11:29 AM   #23
bigendbob
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The only reason i said the lights were crap, is that when the dips are acceptable position, for some reason half the mains seem to point at the sky. Perhaps set that way for dips in the road, i don't know. I think i have seen this querried before.
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      08-13-2013, 06:27 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigendbob View Post
The only reason i said the lights were crap, is that when the dips are acceptable position, for some reason half the mains seem to point at the sky. Perhaps set that way for dips in the road, i don't know. I think i have seen this querried before.
bob,
Maybe it is just a problem on your side of the Atlantic. My Low Beams are aimed properly and the High Beams point way down the road and not at the sky. Maybe your dips are causing some dips?


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      08-14-2013, 03:17 PM   #25
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When the main beams are on there are two distinct vertical concentrations of light, half of which points up towards the sky, wasted light. The side illuminations lights up the side at quite a sharp 45 degree angle, perfect if in a tunnel.
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      08-14-2013, 08:42 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by bigendbob View Post
When the main beams are on there are two distinct vertical concentrations of light, half of which points up towards the sky, wasted light. The side illuminations lights up the side at quite a sharp 45 degree angle, perfect if in a tunnel.
Must be YOUR car. Have not noticed that on ours, even in dense fog up on Highway 1 a few months ago.

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      08-14-2013, 09:02 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by bmwmick View Post
Must be YOUR car. Have not noticed that on ours, even in dense fog up on Highway 1 a few months ago.

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+1

sounds like a warranty issue Bob

Wonder if headlight aiming is going to be one of those model specific "look out for" faults in the distant future when this car is a used classic.
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      08-15-2013, 08:14 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigendbob View Post
The only reason i said the lights were crap, is that when the dips are acceptable position, for some reason half the mains seem to point at the sky. Perhaps set that way for dips in the road, i don't know. I think i have seen this querried before.
Bob, this sounds pretty familiar to what happened to me when my headlights leveling were faulty... and my high beam were pointing the sky.....

After I got them fixed, this no longer happens... I suggest bringing your car in to your dealer.
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      08-15-2013, 08:37 AM   #29
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Having the adaptive headlights I can see quite far, throw on the high beams and its almost daylight outside.
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      08-16-2013, 01:17 AM   #30
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I noticed that mine does this from time to time too. What I discovered is that if it is night and you turn your car on while at an incline (nose elevated) the lights auto-level perfectly fine and you can see far ahead; however, if you then stop while its still dark out and park on a flat surface (like at the store) then get back in and they auto-level again, they will level too low. If you start out at night on a flat surface while the prior drive was doing the day, they level perfectly fine.

So in sum its starting the care two times in a row at night with different elevations at each startup. I think the change in elevation from inclined to flat mess with the sensors and their leveling. My driveway is a pretty steep incline so I have had many instances to track this behavior and take note of when this occurs.
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      08-19-2013, 07:34 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamGarciaTX View Post
So in sum its starting the care two times in a row at night with different elevations at each startup. I think the change in elevation from inclined to flat mess with the sensors and their leveling. My driveway is a pretty steep incline so I have had many instances to track this behavior and take note of when this occurs.
Interesting. No wonder nobody could replicate ...

Do you happen to know if it shows that behavior when you use manual lights (the light switch not on automatic) and during the day? May be easier to replicate at the dealer, that's why I am asking.

It sounds like it's enough to wait even for only a couple of minutes between the start ups and the lights will not auto-level? Would you say minutes?

Need to do my own testing ... neighbors will be wondering what I am doing ... again
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      08-20-2013, 12:39 AM   #32
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Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Interesting. No wonder nobody could replicate ...

Do you happen to know if it shows that behavior when you use manual lights (the light switch not on automatic) and during the day? May be easier to replicate at the dealer, that's why I am asking.

It sounds like it's enough to wait even for only a couple of minutes between the start ups and the lights will not auto-level? Would you say minutes?

Need to do my own testing ... neighbors will be wondering what I am doing ... again
thats actually an excellent question that I should test out. I usually spend 16 hours at the hospital and work nights so usually my night trips are a one time thing and I get out at daylight. I didnt think to test during the day or try with the auto-headlights off since it's usually not on my mind until it happens or I'm trying to get to work. I will test for you tomorrow and let you know.
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      08-20-2013, 06:12 PM   #33
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Auto level works in all headlight modes. The only thing different is in auto the adaptive headlights are on and when not in auto they are off.


The lights will not follow the steering in normal on, only in auto.
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      08-20-2013, 08:20 PM   #34
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Originally Posted by Kessler35is View Post
Auto level works in all headlight modes. The only thing different is in auto the adaptive headlights are on and when not in auto they are off.


The lights will not follow the steering in normal on, only in auto.
Yes, correct, just wondering if the issue with not projecting very far happens only with auto or also when the lights are in "manual" mode -- like you said, the are supposed to level in either mode.
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      08-20-2013, 08:33 PM   #35
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I had this problem myself. It's definitely intermittent. Sometimes it was so bad the lights only lit up the road about 10 to 15 feet in front of the car. As others have said, the problem is the leveling sensors in the suspension.

My car stubbornly refused to act up when at the dealer (still under warranty) so one night when it happened, I took a short 15 second video of it going about 15 down a side street. The video clearly showed the lights shining less than the width of a driveway, so the techs and dealership knew the problem was real. (My dealership never doubted there was an issue; they just hadn't seen it before.)

Here's what I figured about the problem: It's unlikely to be in the headlights themselves, because both headlights show the problem at the same time. It must be something common to both lights, which is only a limited number of components: leveling sensors, light control computer, software, and wiring harness. Wiring harness seems unlikely because a short likely would affect only one headlight, but it can't be ruled out.

The dealership recognized this as a safety issue and decided to proactively replace the parts. We agreed the most likely culprit, and the cheapest and easiest to replace, was the sensors. Since they replaced the sensors, the lights are better than even when I thought they were working normally. Have not had a problem since.

If you're out of warranty, the sensors aren't too expensive anyway, and look fairly easy to replace if you can get to them. My two cents is that it's worth a try; YMMV.
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      09-14-2013, 09:04 AM   #36
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Thought I'd update this thread at long last. Although I originally planned to do before and after comparisons, that plan went out the window when our car threw a CEL for cylinder misfirings and had to go into the dealer ASAP.

But they did confirm that the headlights were not angled correctly and adjusted them upwards. They are projecting much, much better now and I feel the car is much safer to drive at night. Whereas before I would notice the headlights EVERY time I drove it at night, now I don't even think twice about them.

Bottom line: If you think your headlights aren't projecting correctly, it's probably not your imagination. Make a note to ask your dealer to check them next time you take it in for service!
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      09-14-2013, 03:55 PM   #37
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hmmz... same here. Seems to be the passenger side rear sensor.
Guess i'll try a video - I even brought the parts diagram from the other thread and still no luck with the dealer. They won't do anything unless it is throwing a code.

I now have a favorite pothole that drive over to knock whatever's outta whack back into place and get the headlights pointing up again. I'll try the reverse then drive straight to the service center & report back.

Very annoying.
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      09-14-2013, 08:03 PM   #38
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Are these low beam lights user serviceable or does the dealer have to make adjustments? If so can some tell me where the adjustment screws are?
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      09-30-2013, 01:41 PM   #39
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Just thought I'd share. Last night when I had the headlights on, it was projecting a distance of about 1 car. I tried turning it on and off to "reset" it and even intentionally going over rough roads to try to shake it back into place

After I parked the car to get something, I came back and the lights were fixed (about 3 cars length). However, as I was driving it slowly started to decrease, but not to the extent it was at before.

Wonder if it's even worth mentioning to the dealer upon next service in a month
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      09-30-2013, 06:46 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CedarZ4 View Post
Wonder if it's even worth mentioning to the dealer upon next service in a month
Yes ... it's a safety issue. Even if they don't do a thing (because they can't reproduce it and there are no codes in the car's computer and of course they will shine for miles and miles while you are at the dealer), at least you have it on record that you had an issue and brought it up to them.
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      10-01-2013, 12:39 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Yes ... it's a safety issue. Even if they don't do a thing (because they can't reproduce it and there are no codes in the car's computer and of course they will shine for miles and miles while you are at the dealer), at least you have it on record that you had an issue and brought it up to them.
+1 I am reporting it when my car goes for oil change on Friday just to have the documentation.

Will update the thread if I get more info from the techs
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      10-07-2013, 12:50 PM   #42
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UPDATE: they couldn't replicate it. No faults, no damage to the headlight leveler assembly and aiming was ok.

I guess it must have to do with parking on an incline, as per Adam's post
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      10-07-2013, 01:25 PM   #43
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I park my car in my essentially leveled garage at home and parking deck at work in the same location every time. However, projection distance still changes. Example... When I lasted posted on 9/30, headlights were not working. Last night when I used it, it was working perfectly fine.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but I might give it a try because I am pretty confident in the dealer not being able to replicate the issue. I always keep my light on "Off" and it stays that way for weeks before I actually need to turn the headlights on to drive at night. I do this so they don't turn on every time I start the car in the garage, hoping to extend ballast life. That means the projectors stay in the same position for an extended period and doesn't auto-level. However, I accidentally left it on "Auto" last night and when I started the car, the headlight projection was perfect. I might leave the switch on "Auto" at all times to see if the projection issue occurs. Anyway with more knowledge in the design or mechanics behind it please do chime in, but that was my best guess.

Nick - Do you leave the lights on "off" often?
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      10-07-2013, 03:15 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CedarZ4 View Post
Nick - Do you leave the lights on "off" often?
Hey Cedar, no, I leave it in 'auto' pretty much 100% of the time. I think it is going to be a tough one to diagnose unless I am able to drive directly to the dealer when the issue occurs.
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