My new 06 seems to have the headlights aimed too low and I want to find out what others have. High beams are fine but low beams shine about 50-60 feet ahead and the is is darkness, and I mean darkness.

Any ideas?

 

I have an 06 too, and I think mine are kinda low too

 

I have an 05, and I have driven an 04, an 03, and two different 06 models. Every one I've seen has the headlight aimed too low. Maybe somewhere there is one with the lights too high...but I ain't seen it.

Luckily, about 1/2 to 3/4 counter-cloclwise on the inboard aiming screw corrects this problem.

Rawhyde

 

thanks, do you have a pic of this?

 

n/m I think I found them, are they those really long flat head things?

 

Unfortunately I don't have a pic, but I'll try to describe it to you.

Each headlight has two adjustment screws. They look like a hexagon that extends about 3/4 inch from the back of the headlight housing. There is a slot cut across the hexagon so you can use a straight blade screwdriver to turn them. Loosen to raise the light. The INBOARD screw is for up/down and the OUTBOARD screw is for left/right.

Take it out on a dark country road and make some adjustments! These adjustments are very sensitive. Most likely much less than a full revolution will do the trick.

Every MINI owner I've helped with this has said, "Wow! Now I see what the big deal is about xenon headlights!!" (or words to that effect)

I've heard all the BS and hype about how precisely the factory aims these lights but I don't buy it. I aim my lights well below where they annoy other drivers and have DOUBLED the effective range of them over the factory adjustment. Call me cynical, but I think the factory aims these things drastically low because they figure that most of the targeted audience for premium cars with xenon headlights live in an urban setting with abundant streetlights where headlights are just to let other drivers see your car at night. Proper headlight aim is the best "free mod" you can do.

Rawhyde

 

Thanks for clearing that up

 

Thanks! I thought it was just me and old age. It is so hard to see in the dark beyond the headlights.

 

yeah ive adjusted mine a few times, they are great now, w/o getting into the eyes of oncoming traffic.

 

I need adjustments on mine. The 2 are not level together, the one on the passenger side is higher than the one on the driver side and shine ahead about 100 feet. I thought it was a courtesy thing to have the dealer set it and save the oncoming cars eyeballs from the neon's I use. Maybe it was a courtesy thing. Hmm...perhaps I just talked myself out of changing it so I can be kind to the oncoming cars. They flash me alot as it is with those neons. You all get flashed with yours?

 

Word. I drove across country thinking "they may be xenon, but they suck "
Less than a quarter turn and suddenly I could see AHEAD of the car instead of IN FRONT of the car. The sharp cutoff of the xenons make adjustments in the dark a snap.

 

They are supposed to be that way...passenger side higher than driver side that is.

 

Here are instructions on how to aim your headlamps. I've followed these instructions several times over the past five years, and I haven't been flashed by oncoming drivers yet.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

The lights are designed with an "uptick" to the right that lights up road signs and objects (debris, animals, humans, etc.) on the shoulder. If you still think the lights could use adjustment, however, click the link I posted above.

 

I could have sworn R53's had auto adjusted headlights like the R56's. I remember going out on a test drive and seeing that.. Maybe I'm wrong.

It is pretty damn spiffy seeing it auto adjust.. its like the cars eyes are waking up

 

Umm yeah those are for xenons...we are talking NON xenon headlights

 

Hah.. Sorry still a newb with options

 

What is the remedy for "auto adjusting Xenons" that also seem a little low?

 

I had tyo adjust mine not only were they low but they came from the factory cross eyed but before I adjusted I noticed they were aimed perfectly so that when the highs were on that critical spot called in front of me was notced out almost like to see right I'd need the driving lights. Course with out the highs on I had less than 100 ft visibility on a clear night reaimed them I'll pick up signs at 1/4 mile, never been flashed and I'm no longer cross eyed, and any additiona lighting I install for the highs now will be to make hot spots where I need them, and if I install fogs they'll be adjusted to fill light in accordingly but I can see bonnet on up clearly now.

 

I have DRLs enabled, and when I start off in the AM, I can see that the right one is lower than the left (at 3ft from a wall). Should they be level? Note that the DRL is high beam at 1/2 power.
Would leveling the DRLs give me the proper orientation on the low-beams? Or should the right still be higher than the left?

 

Read my post above. I was referring to xenon headlights the whole time. I should have made that more clear.

 

Initially I thought you were, Rawhyde, until someone else mentioned the non-xenons and then I thought OH, I should never ASSUME....

I don't understand the whole concept of "auto-leveling" anyway. Certainly you can't really have headlights self-adjust for true level, or every time you go down a hill they would tilt up and shine in the oncoming traffic, and when going up a hill they'd tilt down and you wouldn't be able to see far enough in front. But I guess it sounds better than "load compensating" headlights.

All I know is while my wife was gone on vacation, I "borrowed" the MINI as my daily driver and noticed that I needed the highbeams whenever possible on any road, because the regular lights didn't shine far enough ahead to be useful. I'll investigate the screw mechanism you're talking about and do some trial and error to get a better pattern ahead.

Thanks.
Jim

 

I'd bet $5 that you're gonna be really amazed when you get finished!

Rawhyde

 

As to the outboard adjusters (left/right) which way would you turn them to move right?

 

This is a rare occasion where I used this forum for something useful.

I was coming back Saturday night (no moon) from the rally stage, when my friend said my headlights didn't go out very far. I had to agree. I just adjusted on my street (no street lights). Thanks Rawhyde!

I wished I had these lights.

 

Just reporting that it is so nice to see ahead at night. Glad I searched for this.