2014 Xenon Auto Levelling... Very low?

[SteveSmith]

Hi all,

I noticed last night that my headlights are suddenly pointing very low. They used to sit perfectly.

They are still moving up and down when first turned on and they adjust upon hard acceleration so I'm guessing the actual headlights are ok.

What could have caused them suddenly dropping?

Is there something I can do before taking it to a garage?

I'd rather fix them properly rather than just turning he self adjusters on the headlights but if that's the only fix then I'll try this tomorrow night!

 

[Z4M-2006]

Maybe the auto headlight level adjuster has broken..

"Think" its on the OSR wishbone on E89..

 

[dk345]

Sounds an awful lot like a problem I and others have experienced before.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=95947

As they are now pointing low out of the blue then I'd advise against manual adjustment under the bonnet. If it is the sensor issue as described in my posts in the thread above then changing the manual aiming under the bonnet will mean your lights are aimed way too high when the sensors eventually sort themselves out.

 

[SteveSmith]

How do I get to the rear sensor arm? Is it a wheel off job? I don't think I actually have a jack with the car!

 

[dk345]

From what I remember you need to remove the wheel and the arch liner to get at the sensor, but I never went ahead with it so can't say for sure.

 

[SteveSmith]

So after growing a pair I decided to go over a speed bump faster than I would ever like to and it sorted out the level.

Can't say I'm too impressed with that though and I'd like to sort out a proper fix!

 

[SteveSmith]

This is again an issue

Has anybody else suffered this and got a proper fix? After reading other forums it seems to be s common problem that can be fixed but could happen again immediately.

Can I unplug the auto levelling and have the adjusted manually?

 

[Busterboo]

This is again an issue
Has anybody else suffered this and got a proper fix?

My "proper fix" was to drive to Sytner's, who did it in 15 minutes for free and gave me a cup of coffee.

 

[huytonman]

This is again an issue

Has anybody else suffered this and got a proper fix? After reading other forums it seems to be s common problem that can be fixed but could happen again immediately.

Can I unplug the auto levelling and have the adjusted manually?

im pretty sure if you disable the system its an MOT fail, Xenons are meant to come with some form of auto levelling for safety reasons.

 

[SteveSmith]

This is again an issue
Has anybody else suffered this and got a proper fix?

My "proper fix" was to drive to Sytner's, who did it in 15 minutes for free and gave me a cup of coffee.

I've read that you'll hit another bump and it will fail again though?

I know legally xenons have to have auto levelling but could it be disabled and adjusted manually? Then plugged in again for an mot?

 

[Busterboo]

This is again an issue
Has anybody else suffered this and got a proper fix?

My "proper fix" was to drive to Sytner's, who did it in 15 minutes for free and gave me a cup of coffee.

I've read that you'll hit another bump and it will fail again though?

It's been fine for 11k miles.

 

[dk345]

As I said before, I would advise against using the adjustment screws under the bonnet to right the beam level as the problem you'll then have is lights aimed far too high when the sensors eventually sort themselves out.

The fact that the problem went away and has now come back confirms in my mind that the sensors are at fault. From reading around the internet you have a few options:

1) Set out driving your car over roads that will increase the chance of the lights righting themselves. So bumpy roads, or roads with lots of dips, or roads with lots of potholes, or just going over a speed bump too quickly.

2) You could unplug the sensor(s) temporarily. Drive around with them unplugged and watch your lights return to their correct height. Then plug them back in and hopefully have the lights stay at the correct level.

3) You could unplug the sensor(s) permanently. I think that even if these are unplugged the lights will still do their power-on level check, as that's just the mechanism checking it still works. This may be enough to keep an angry MOT tester away.

4) Take the car to a dealer and ask them to sort it. Have fun trying to tell them not to just adjust the beam level under the bonnet though, as this is undoubtedly what they'll want to do to make you go away. I know I've read on E90 forums that a "system reset" can be performed, but I can't find the post that detailed it and also don't know if it's possible to do that on an E89. Persistent owners have had the sensors replaced under warranty, so you may find traction if you go this route.

I'd be sceptical on what a BMW dealer did to fix the headlight issue in 15 minutes, all I can assume is they manually adjusted the beams under the bonnet. Like I said before, I've experienced this problem a few times in my E89 ownership. It's frustrating, but I think the problem is just a poorly designed sensor/levelling system that is common throughout this generation of BMW. My solution of driving over a couple of speed bumps works, but it'd be nice to know if there was a "real" problem and therefore a real fix.

 

[Busterboo]

I can only repeat that the problem hasn't recurred in 11k miles. So, whatever they did fixed it and the lights have done & do everything they should and very well.