When I turn on my lights, they seem to "look down" for a second or two before adjusting back up. They stutter when they do this, like their trying to reach a position that they can't, and then give up and return to a sort of neutral position where they just point straight ahead.

Strangely, when I pull into my garage after a drive, and turn the lights off and then on again with the car still on, they don't display this behavior. However, if I first start the car and turn the lights on and off, they display the behavior every time.

It looks very similar to this , except the sound is different. One of the two comments says it's a stepper motor, but I don't know what this is, if it's actually my problem, or how much it costs to replace. Definitely don't want to replace the fixtures, as they are $$$ in themselves.

I didn't know these lights had any auto-leveling until I did the research, and I didn't know the leveling sensor was located around the front suspension. It makes me worry that my leveling is whack and my lights might not be pointed correctly when I'm driving.

Why does it seem like they're trying to level incorrectly and point themselves at the ground?

 

Is your suspension stock?

 

Its not a MINI and you are posting it here? LMAO. I know it sounds or looks like this and is the reason for the reference. MINI Coopers do this at start up. They are adjusting themselves. Post a video of yours and maybe we can tell you if there is anything wrong.

 

Yes. Could the leveling sensor be out of whack?

Well it's a BMW, isn't that close enough?

I'll take a video tonight, but I can say that apart from the sound it's basically identical behavior to the video I posted. I get that the lights are supposed to automatically adjust at start, but the way they try to point downward almost impossibly far and make a noise indicates that something is off. Furthermore I looked at a video of a MINI's Xenon lights being activated and, while they did adjust, they didn't try to point so far downward and didn't make any weird noises.

 

LMAO. MINIs with the HID do the same thing once you put the headlights on. As soon as I turn mine on they go down just like the video and back up just like the video. If you shut them off and back on they don't do it again. Shut the car off and they turn them on and they will. The are leveling themselves for the 1st time so that they have a baseline to continue to work properly while driving. So I dont think you have any issues unless they are really making some strange noises.

 

But that would suggest there's nothing wrong in the video I posted?

Here's some examples of the lights on MINIs:

Do R50s behave differently? The lights in those two videos seem way smoother.

 

So are yours making some strange noises or stuttering?

 

One tip...turning off your xenon's repetadly to watch this behavior is shortening the life of your bulbs....the life of a xenon bulb is determined more by the number of times it is turned on/off than the hours of use like a conventional bulb...
When first turned on the light "levels" iself based upon a sensor in the car, so if you have, say 500lbs in the trunk, the lights are still aimed right. I would be inclined to say, if it works, don't mess with it!!

 

Yes, both. It appears like they try to aim down farther than they physically can, and they stutter at the lowest position, then they adjust back up so they point forward.

 

That seems to be pretty "normal" behavior....
and remember, it does not need to be smooth like the adaptive on gen2 cars, it just has to work...everything on gen1 cars are a bit rougher around the edges...it is more mini/rover, and less BMW than the newer cars. Just enjoy the car, and when/if it fails, deal with it then. For now, it sounds like it works as intended.

 

So I searched for 2004s specifically, since that's what I have. This video matches the behavior of my lights more closely. I can't tell if they "stutter" or not as the engine drowns out any other noise. But yeah maybe my behavior is normal... Not sure why it took me so long to even notice it, which is another reason why I thought something was wrong, but then again I didn't even know I had washer jets on the lights until a few weeks ago.


I'm not completely convinced but I do feel better. I'll post a video tonight so you can see/hear exactly what I do.

 

I am confused at what your concerns are then. Mine do exactly what is shown in the video.

 

Maybe I can help clear the conversation. The leveling is normal, the moving up and down is what xenons are made to do. If you have a MINI with xenon lights and they move down and up, your are in good shape. Now — what the problem is, is the stuttering or ratcheting sound like its stuck when moving down noise that is the problem. Mine has the same issue except my passenger side doesn't even move. My driver side moves but makes that harsh ratcheting sound. Someone said it was bad ballasts. I think it's a ballast if there is no activity at all. If it stutters, it could be that the up/down and left/right screws need to be adjusted.

 

I love it how this guy is all hooded up, trying not to be recognized and then his license plate is the most obvious thing in the video

 

Mine do the auto level dance also. Seen it on the -7/2004 xenon housing and the 7/2004 - xenon ellipsoidal housing.

-7/2004 Xenon



7/2004 Xenon -



There are little motors that sit in the housing of the light and they level dependent on the readings from the front and rear sensor. I once had both headlight point a little lower once due to the something hitting the rear bracket of the sensor, causing the mechanical arm to rear to act like I was at an angle.



Front level sensor:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/37146784698/

Rear level sensor:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/37146853759/

As for the jumping or buzzing of the motors on load up, could be the motor inside the housing.

 

Yeah a bad ballast sounds like it would affect the lights from turning on or operating at all. I feel like this is more of a mechanical problem than an electrical one.

My gut feeling is that the behavior is the lights trying to turn downward farther than they physically can, and after hitting that limit, they "give up". If this is normal behavior then it at least looks and sounds pretty janky.

I'll double-check the sensors when I work on the suspension in the coming weeks.

As far as the adjusting screws, where do I find them? I wonder if I adjust the lights upward a bit if they leveling would be smoother.

Whatever the case this isn't a huge issue, just me being OCD about every facet of the car. As long as the lights work and point forward I guess there's nothing to be concerned about.

 

Eleo, were you ever able to fix the stuttering noise? My headlights are doing the same thing. When I turn them on, they move downward until they seem to hit a limit. Then I hear the stuttering noise for about a second and I can see the lights shaking as if the motor is trying to lower the headlights further but it can't.

I'm OCD about my car, too. :-)

 

I did not. I still don't know if it's the correct behavior; it still looks/sounds rough to me.

I didn't really try any troubleshooting like adjusting the screws or checking out my sensors. It crosses my mind every time I turn on the lights, though.

Was yours always making this noise or did it just start?

 

I'm not sure how long the noise has been there because I just bought the car a few weeks ago. The Xenons seemed like they were pointing REALLY low, so I tried manually adjusting with the screws under the hood. Maybe I tweaked them too much?

 

I have to wonder, how would these lights get out of whack to begin with? Do they shift by themselves after so many thousands of miles? I would think the position would never have to be touched after the car leaves the factory.

 

Please RE-READ your OWN THREAD....
They auto level EVERY TIME YOU TURN THEM ON TO COMPENSATE FOR CAR LOADING...
Posters even showed you the brackets the sensors are on...if it gets hit/bumped...it will change the aiming of your lights.....

 

I think this guy's post should be addressed....

 

Hey man, I'm not mentally handicapped I understand that the lights auto-level. I was referring to the poster above me saying his lights were pointed unusually low which prompted him to try to adjust them manually.

 

Exactly! And I did the same adjustment he did, brought the lights up manually , not too far though and now I have one non functional passenger side and a stuttering driver side.

 

wasn't trying to say that..
Was just trying to imply that the first step was to check BOTH leveling sensors...they can get bumped....
then you can determine that the mechanism is broke...then try to deal with it...through replacement or workaround....