I have an 08 MCS that is about 5 weeks old (5200 miles already ) I have the HID's I know that they adjust themselves upon startup. It looks to me as if they lower a bit when I accelerate from first, and slightly when I am shifting between gears.

Do they self level while driving or are my eyes playing tricks on me since the line where the light ends is so much crisper than I have noticed on conventional beam cars?

Im dying to know and I still havent read completely through the manual.

Thanks

 

Yes they self-level based on weight in the car.

 

Mine self level while driving as well. I have noticed it under hard acceleration when the nose of the car rises - they adjust down.

 

ok so im not going crazy. i mostly notice it on hard acceleration. its really freakin cool !!!! my first car with HID's stock. i installed them on other cars i had but they were always in the "fixed" position.

thanks for the info !!!! another cool thing about this car !!!

 

Keep this in mind though. Other traffic may feel you are flashing your lights at them especially on uneven pavement.
Could make for interesting road rage, but hopefully not.

 

I've noticed xenons behind me tend to 'blink' a lot. Sometimes it has shocked me thinking a cop was back there. I guess this explains it.

I have xenons in my MCS as well and have wondered what was up with them moving upon starting the car. Man, for $500 extra, they really do a lot of neat things. Do they actually follow you a little around corners? I've heard that before but have yet to verify it.

 

On mini's they do follow around the turns (at least not yet). On our lexus they do to a certain point. Really nice setup, hate to think about the repair bill when it breaks

 

The self-leveling works well, and I'm glad I don't have to worry about blinding other drivers. I've read that it is a requirement in Europe.

The MINI's lights don't turn as the wheels turn. That idea was pioneered, I believe, by the Citroen SM, many years ago.

 

The 1948 Tucker Torpedo had a third headlight in the middle that turned into corners. Only about 50 were made.

 

My father had a 1967 Citroen DS21 that was purchased in France and brought over. It had halogen driving lights that turned with the wheels. They were illegal in California at the time.

My Xenons don't seem to handle hills very well. If I'm going down a slope they have a longer reach. If I'm going up, they have a shorter reach. Anyone else notice that? Or, are mine faulty?

 

You are correct and 49 exists today. Saw one about a year ago on a transport truck travelling west through Texas on I-10. It was BEAUTIFUL!

 

It's that sharp cutoff everyone mentions, and mine do it as well. Maybe a tilt ditecting leveller would help?

 

Yeah when driving on hills etc they adjust up and down when cresting hills which is cool so not to blind oncoming drivers.
We also just got a new Land Rover and it has the xenon's also but a plus feature depending on which way the left or right headlight will move to illuminate around a corner which is an awesom feature.

I remeber when I fisrt started to drive when I saw xenons they were only on "expensive cars" (BMW Mercedes etc) now when going down the highway I see a huge increase of xenons on the road. GM Ford needs to start getting on the bandwagon they are very helpful safety feature and more advance now then when first came out ( I rarely get blinded by others because of how they are made, except the wannabees who put aftermarket ones on their cars illegially.

 

the auto leveling feature adjusts the headlights depending on the suspension load. That means that if you are loading a ton of stuff in the back, the rear suspension will be lower than the front and the headlights will angle down to compensate.

Same goes for the other way around. It does not level because of incline.

If you look under your car, you can see the suspension angle sensor... i dont know what its called exactly, but pretty much there is a sensor for the front suspension and one for the back. If the two are differnt, it will cause the headlights to adjust. If you are going up or down hill, the suspension load will be the same so the lights wont adjust.

 

I'm actually surprised that the headlights don't turn when the wheel is turned. Our X3 does that and I gotta admit, it's really awesome when going around corners. I wonder why Mini didn't do it when the BMWs and Minis seem to share so many parts. Too expensive? Not enough room for the mechanism?

 

Mine do this. They do adjust to some extent. But, on some overpasses, or on my driveway, it seems to be beyond their range of adjustment, and they just change angle with the car.