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Headlight aim

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Bez
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Headlight aim

Post by Bez » Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:51 pm

I'm not too impressed with the headlight aim at the moment. It seems to be too close for my liking and doesn't show the road as I think it should.

I've read through some posts here but not found a solution.

Looking through the on-board computer, it allows options for altering the indicator repeater from 1 to 3 and so forth. Is there a route on the on-board computer to adjust the headlight aim?
Z4 2.3 sdrive

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ronk
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Headlight aim

Post by ronk » Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:10 pm

Not to my knowledge.
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Busterboo
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Headlight aim

Post by Busterboo » Thu Sep 27, 2018 1:28 am

Next time you're near a BMW AD, go in and ask them to adjust the beams. Sytner's did mine while I waited. No charge and they gave me a cup of decent coffee.
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flybobbie
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Headlight aim

Post by flybobbie » Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:32 am

You can adjust manually, just look down behind the headlamps, there is a white object with a hexagon hole in it.
I just recently had my car MOT and from the paper work it initially failed the MOT due to the beams being too high, so they adjusted them and past the car.
Although it has never failed in the past when checked by a different tester person, at the same garage the last 3 MOTs.
So i am now back to the dangerous situation that the beams are too low, so i intend in the next few weeks to wind back up at least the nearside lamp.

I did wonder if there is a way to hack into the levers and fit say a third leveller in the cockpit, so that could be manually turned to set the beam, as i think my car at speed ducks under and the beam then falls short. The adjusters work if the bonnet lifts on acceleration, but would be nice if i could manually set them at speed.
Wondering if a variable resistance was added, could manually adjust the lamp aim.
But i think this diagram is very simplistic of what is actually going on inside the sensor.
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ronk
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Headlight aim

Post by ronk » Thu Sep 27, 2018 11:20 am

I suppose the question should be asked, why has the headlight beam gone wrong?
Is it one if those sensors gone belly up? In which case adjustments are only going to mask the problem.
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flybobbie
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Headlight aim

Post by flybobbie » Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:19 pm

https://www.hella.com/techworld/uk/Tech ... tment-835/
The section 2(5) and 5 is interesting.

Wondered what that was cast into the lamp housing.
Think i will check my beams on a white wall at work with my trusty tape measure.
Simply method would be my 3 foot spirit level. On a flat surface measure height of beam at the lamp, go back 10m and measure beam height.
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Nick9one1
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Headlight aim

Post by Nick9one1 » Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:18 pm

My headlights are pointing very low at the moment. I scanned the car with ISTA-D and get an error 'Front ride height level sensor'.

It looks like the plug has come off the sensor and hit the wheel, smashing it to pieces.

I guess the default position for headlights is low if there is a level sensor error.
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Bez
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Headlight aim

Post by Bez » Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:06 pm

Lights are adjusting on start up so assume the system is working. Just not high enough..

Driving in the dark is becoming scary.. going to take it to a specialist.
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Nick9one1
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Headlight aim

Post by Nick9one1 » Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:16 am

You're correct that the lights are self leveling. But the level thay self adjust to is set by a set-scew just like non levelling headlights.

If you open the bonnet there are two white plastic Allen key sockets on top of the headlights. Turn them one way to raise, the other to lower.

Loads of guides online as to how high the beam should be. - Just park 25ft from a wall, measure the correct beam hight and adjust until correct.
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HKS SSQV
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Chuffer
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Headlight aim

Post by Chuffer » Sat Nov 24, 2018 1:01 pm

Since March 2016 the Mot rules changed about headlight aim. Since then the Mot testers have been busy adjusting down most vehicle headlights when carrying out a Mot. Some to ridiculous levels so that driving with dipped headlights is almost dangerous as you can't see far enough ahead even at 30mph. There are two settings, those for vehicles with headlights under 850mm high & those for headlights that are above 850mm from the ground. I do wonder if some testers are looking at the wrong lines, as usual the government have made a simple thing complicated!

Bez
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Headlight aim

Post by Bez » Sun Nov 25, 2018 5:40 pm

Nick9one1 wrote: Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:16 am You're correct that the lights are self leveling. But the level thay self adjust to is set by a set-scew just like non levelling headlights.

If you open the bonnet there are two white plastic Allen key sockets on top of the headlights. Turn them one way to raise, the other to lower.

Loads of guides online as to how high the beam should be. - Just park 25ft from a wall, measure the correct beam hight and adjust until correct.
It's worth a shot.. cheers
Z4 2.3 sdrive

Bez
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Headlight aim

Post by Bez » Mon Mar 04, 2019 1:34 pm

All levelled at local garage and working. Vast improvement driving at night.
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