I just noticed that my headlights do not auto adjust up and down when turned on. Has anyone experienced this? If so, how did you fix it?

 

when you start the car, or when you turn on the lights after you've started the car.

 

When the xenon lights are first turned on, and when the light has not even changed colors yet, the lights self-adjust in elevation. Mine are not doing so anymore.

 

Could be a bad servo, you might want to have the dealer look at it if your car is still under warranty. Mine always adjust whether I'm on flat land or not, so I'm guessing yours is probably an electrical problem with the servo motor.

 

I haven't noticed. Does it always adjust, or just when the load weight changes? Perhaps if the load is the same as when last used, it doesn't adjust?

Could also be the sensor in the rear suspension. I would suspect a servo if one was adjusting and the other not, but if neither adjust I would guess it is something before the servos.

 

They should adjust every time you start your vehicle. I rarely have anything else besides myself in the car and it adjusts every time.

 

None are moving. It should do it every time you power them up, up-down and voila. they move manually, I did minor adjustments yesterday on the aim of each one. The dealer installed Rally Lights a couple of months ago, but I do not remember if they stopped leveling back then. Do you know if there is any programming involved when installing the rally lights? Apparently, the dealer told that there was some programming involved. That may be the answer. Also, there is a control unit under each of the headlights, and from what I have heard both must be operation correctly in order to do the self adjustment. I am talking to the dealer tomorrow!

 

I was testing my lights earlier today and this is what I've found...I have the auto-on light option but I don't think that matters.

If the headlight switch is set to auto-on and I'm in the garage, every time I start the car, the lights will do the auto-adjust dip.

If the headlight switch is set to off, I start the car and then turn on the lights, no auto-adjust dip.

If the headlight switch is set to headlights on (click thru parking lights and to headlight setting), once I start the car I get the auto-adjust dip. If I turn off the car and then start the engine again, the lights will do the dip again.

My conclusion, if the engine is running already and you turn on the headlights, you won't see the auto-adjust and that it only is apparent when the light switch is already set to on when you start the engine.

 

drewster, just went through all the tests you did, and nothing works for me! I am starting to get annoyed! I even fooled around with the front and rear level sensors and nothing!

 

hmmm, sounds like you have a problem then.

Funny but I hadn't seen my lights do the dip thing until maybe 3 months after I had gotten the car. I always manually turn on my headlights so I would never see the dip. But one time I had a passenger in the car and he said whoa your lights did a self adjust and I said what are you talking about, i've never seen it do that... Obviously that one time I had left the switch in the ON position when I was starting the car.

 

I was also under the impression that the auto leveling bi-xenon lights was to automatically adjust for when you have more weight in the back.

My bi-xenon headlights were way out of alignment right from the factory.I first found this out when driving from South Florida to Minnesota and back and was getting flashed by every car and truck in oncoming traffic the entire way.I took my MCSa in for service and my SA hadn't seen something like that before but sure enough they were way out of alignment and were adjusted under warranty.

 

They only check level when there is a load change or change in the elevation of the surface. My Range Rover doesn't do it every time unless it is parked on a hill or the load in the car changes from the last time. It is made my BMW as well so they are essentially the same lights.

 

Mine adjust on my Clubman EVERYTIME the engine starts. If the engine was started and then 20 seconds go by before turning the headlights on then i do not see them adjust, but they are at the right level setting. It only takes about 15 seconds for them to finish their adjustment.

Also i can start the car and then load it up and they will be out of adjustment until i turn the car off and back on. I found this out this past weekend when loading stuff into the car at a friends house without stopping the engine. After turning the lights on and off it did not help i had to turn the engine off and restart the car.

 

OK guys, they finally diagnosed my light problem with a faulty light control module. After 3 weeks, the module finally came in from Germany and was installed. Everything is good now, except that they did not adjust the xenons, so they are not aimed correctly. I read the thread on how to align the headlights, but I have one more question for you guys. Each headlight has 2 white nylon screws, the one closer to the engine adjusts the elevation (height) of the beam, and the outer one moves the lens in and out, like a "focus" feature (the lens does not move right or left). Does anyone know what this second screw really adjust? (the "focus" like one). Thanks!

 

pop your hood, and leave it raised, your lights facing straight up witll cause them to auto level everytime. its a good way to see if you have a broken part or not.
the adjustment screws control up/down, and left/right. it takes a lot of turns to notice the lens moving left/right.

 

R56 lights are not attached to the bonnet. The screws adjust elevation and a (focus) which widens or narrows the beam, but does not move the lights side to side. It was a bad lighting control module by the way. And aside of this, my sunroof is now broken, part will take 3 weeks to get here. So, as hard as it is, the car after 1 year with me, 4 different problems and a total time of about 4 months in the shop will go for sale once it is repaired. Gave it a shot and will leave disappointed with Mini's quality and bad service.