2005 MCS, all stock.
I initially noticed my headlight low beams pointed a bit low while driving at night. Following up, I noticed that the headlights don't go through the normal height adjustment routine immediately after being turned on. Normal headlights rotate 30-45 degrees downwards immediately after being turned on, then level out to the proper vertical alignment. Mine used to do this. Now, after turning them on, the headlights rotate down only slightly, maybe 1 or 2 degrees, and then level out. It sounds like they are trying to rotate down further (you can hear the motor turning) but the don't turn more than 1 or 2 degrees. There's no grinding sound during this attempted rotation. Driver and passenger headlights both behave exactly the same.

One other potentially related observation: If I turn the dial on the steering wheel headlight wand (the headlight "on" switch), the headlights don't turn on but rather go through the same attempted rotation motion described above. The headlights won't turn on unless the key is in the ignition and turned. Also, the headlights turn on automatically once the key is in the ignition, regardless of the headlight on/off switch. I don't believe they used to behave like this.

Any ideas anyone? I've been searching through threads and have found many similar problems, but nothing the same.

I removed the entire headlight fixture, but could not see anything wrong with it from the outside. I hesitate to disassemble it completely before knowing that the problem indeed is from within it. Could this be a problem with the headlight programming? Or maybe the vertical alignment sensor? Any insight is much appreciated.

 

I recently got a 2003 MCS and it does this exact same thing. Our S4 does the cycle when the lights are turned on, as well as my friends STi. I always wondered if the Minis just turned on instead of leveling out. My beams are pointed ridiculously low too, about 10 or 15 feet in front of the car. I'd like to know if something is broken or if I can adjust the headlights to shine farther too.

 

I still haven't figured it out on mine. I've done a lot of troubleshooting. There are two potentiometers (vertical headlight adjustment sensors) attached to the front and rear left suspensions. I found that the wiring casing for the front left sensor was damaged (see pics). One of the three wires within the casing was broken, which I assumed was the problem. The wiring is in a very awkward position within the wheel well, and I couldn't completely remove it. So I just unplugged the wiring from the sensor and soldered the broken wire together. Unfortunately, after plugging it back in...no difference; mending the broken wire didn't fix it.

The wiring for the rear sensor is intact. So I'm thinking maybe the lighting system needs to be re-programmed?

For your question, you can definitely adjust the vertical height on the headlight using the screws on the backside of the headlight fixtures (you'll find instructions on other posts), but that won't solve the problem. If your headlights are doing what mine does, there's something wrong and the lights aren't leveling appropriately.

Does the headlight switch on the steering wheel dial turn your headlights on and off? It has no effect on my headlights; my headlights are always on when the car is running and always off when not running, regardless of the headlight controls.

Good luck. Definitely check your sensors. Let us know if you figure anything out.

 

That would be cool if there was a way you could reprogram the lighting system. I did see that you could adjust the bulbs on the back side of the headlights.

My cars lights are always off until I turn them on. They turn off when I turn the car off, but the guages still glow.

Im not really sure what to do. I'll probably just adjust the lights untill I see if theres a way to have them level out.

 

That would be cool if there was a way you could reprogram the lighting system.

 

Make sure the little ball-and-socket adjustment is engaged. Mine was not when I bought my car, but only on one side. Popping it back in was extremely nerve-wracking, and I done have any good advice for how to go about it. But it can be done, and without disassembling the headlight assembly.

 

Also check the physical alignment of the leveling sensor, on one of the rear control arms, I think. Double check the location of this, but it's the thing that's in charge.