I have heard conflicting information (including from dealership mechanics)about how the xenon headlamp aiming system operates, and I hope someone can provide a good explanation. Vertical aiming is obviously linked to the front and rear ride height sensors. Is there also lateral aiming linked to the steering angle sensor? I get contradictory info on this matter. Also, what is the role of the body control module in this process?

I would love to disable the headlamp aiming system completely. Has anyone successfully accomplished this in a quasi-professional manner (i.e., without cutting wires, throwing error codes, or permanently aiming the lamps askew)?

 

Why disable it? You have answered your own questions above and named all of the sensors. There is one front left wheel and one right rear.

You can also manually aim the lights but the auto level is designed to dip the lights as the front rises up to keep from blinding oncoming traffic.

 

I've never looked into this, but I beleive some states require HID lights to have a levelling system and disabling this system may be illegal. Or was that in the UK?

Why fiddle with something that works and serves a purpose (i.e. not burning out the retinas of oncoming drivers)?

 

On MINI's with adaptive headlights there is a whole lot going on. The light beam changes not only with the steering, but also with speed and fog lights. At low speed the beam is much wider but it does not iluminate that far ahead, at high speed it becomes narrow yet you can see much further ahead. As far as I know all HID headlights must have an auto leveling future and I would think messing with it could get you into trouble in some states. If you do not want the lights to move horizontaly simply change the stalk from "auto" to "ON". Hope this helps.

 

I want to disable it because if any of the sensors, processors, or electromotors malfunction, the headlamps become less effective than if the whole complex system were never installed in the first place. I do not want to spend the money and time required to trubleshoot and replace parts to a system that I do not value.

The argument about blinding other drivers is spurious at best. Given the MINI's short wheelbase and the extra-stiff state of my particular car's suspension, it would take some radical movement to pitch my car's nose high enough to blind someone else. And considering that the average American driver's seated position is on par with a tennis umpire's, the chance of my lowered MINI's headlamps shining at the necessary angle to cause a disturbance is even more remote.

 

What do you mean by "auto"? Are you referring to a feature on the R56 or later cars? This is the 1st Gen forum, remember.

 

If you turn on the car and they move up and down then it is working as it should. Are you saying that yours are not working? I could care less if you value it or not and if you don't care then dig into the light and cut the wires to the motors.

As for you comment about the wheel base, you are wrong. I can watch mine lower and raise as my "short wheel based car" moves so they do actually work... Not everyone drives an SUV, I would think you would realize this as you drive a MINI!

I simply asked why you wanted to disable them, I didn't need your attitude. How about you figure it out for yourself....

 

This is a 1st gen and it does not have "adaptive" xenon just self leveling.

 

The automatic aiming is a fine tune of the gross adjustment made manually. In other words, the xenon lights have a conventional set of manual adjustment screws that have to be set like any other car.* Then the automatic system just moves the adjustment motors slightly to compensate for movement of the front or rear suspension to put the lights back where they were manually pointed at. So if you disable the automatic system it defaults back to the normal way headlights are aimed.

I'd first unplug the connectors to the front and rear sensors, and see if it throws an error or turns on a check engine light or something. If it does, I'd next try the more involved step of unbolting the sensor from the suspension. That should leave it in one position and fool the system into thinking that your car never tilts.

And the theory that your whole system will fail just because the levelers wore out is incorrect. Without the self leverlers, it fails safe: back to how it would be on a normal car. (Usually. YMMV.) Might as well drive it as is, and if your levelers ever die, disconnect them and motor on.

Long before the leverlers wear out, you'll be paying through the nose for HID bulbs that cost 5x halogens, plus two bags of gold per igniter (or a whole new headlight unit for those where the igniter can't be replaced separately at a cost of five bags of gold each). If you're willing to live with all that extra expense, AND the washers that will wear out sooner or later, the additional cost of worn out leverlers is hardly a bridge too far.

* Except, on the 1st gen, for the teensy little problem of having to lift the bonnet, headlights included, in order to reach the adjusters, meaning you can't see where they're pointed during adjustment. Unless you own the legendary BMW Mini headlight adjustment tool, which is unobtainable. So you adjust by trial and error instead. *sigh*