I have a 2009 R56 with 83K with OEM auto leveling xenon headlights.
I noticed a few nights ago that my lights actually dip (point lower to the ground) under braking. This is the opposite of what I would expect auto leveling lights to do in this scenario.

Anyone else experienced this or know if this is normal behavior?

 

By how much? The auto levelling do their own thing quite a bit unless they are way off I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Are you sure they're actually dipping or it's just your car nose-diving a little due to weight transfer and the lights following it? The lights have some "damping" built in so they don't wave up and down on every little bump. If you brake short and sharp your car will nose dive a bit, and by the time the lights figure it out you'll be off the brakes and it will be level again.

My favourite test is the opposite, actually. Find a long dark straight, put your full headlights on and gun it as hard from a stop. You'll see your lights go skywards as you accelerate and the weight shifts to the back, then a few seconds later they'll dip down to compensate for the attitude of the car.

 

That's a good question. I guess I just never noticed the dipping before in the seven years I've owned the car. Interestingly, the dipping did not occur when I put on the high beam.

I'll need to try that test either from a stop, under hard acceleration.

 

Auto Aim does their own thing. They should move up and down. Also keep in mind they may jiggle on a bump or hard breaking since Nose will take some impact due to that stiff suspension. If you turn the wheel to the right your lights will go right. If you turn to the left they will go center and barely left. 100% Normal. They won't go very far left due to the possibility of blinding oncoming traffic. The car should recalibrate it's lights when you turn the car on and off.

 

Yes it auto controlled. Unless the headlight mounts inside the head lights are loose. It will point down in a nose dive.

 

Thanks. I think as some of you described it's just normal behavior for the lights to auto correct under the breaking. They went up temporarily when I tried the hard acceleration. Note, my lights don't have the horizontal adaptive feature, just vertical.

 

I have a question on this topic. I have a 2011 MCS with the Xenon self leveling headlights. When i turn my headlights on at night right when i start my car they are at a "normal" height. But after 5 mins of running they lower all the way down to running light position. If you sit and watch the level of the lights on a building you can see them slowly dropping down. I'm lost on what to do. I called the dealer and they want almost 200$ to diagnose it. Any suggestions?

 

Get the scan tool: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d-q-and-a.html

Most likely the level sensor if having problems and needs replaced.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...vel-issue.html

 

thanks

 

Welcome.