is there an easy way to verify that the auto-adjust is working properly on
my xenon headlights??

i've got an 05 mcs and i'd swear the lights are pointing further down
the road when i've got luggage in the boot.

(i'm really starting to suspect that my vehicle didn't get all the proper predelivery prep since

1) both sprayer tanks went dry after less than a week

2) the passenger side interior oval was replaced day of delivery
due to some really large scratches we noticed at the pickup inspection

3) some other minor cosmetic things such as leftover adhesive on the cup holder

4) requested dealer programming hadn't been done although my MA had
the spreadsheet of changes three weeks prior to delivery)

 

You already know the answer. Pull up facing a wall, with car running , headlights on, boot open, sit in boot. Anything happen?

 

if i sit in the boot, i can't see the light pattern on the front end.

where are the sensors which feed the auto-level mechanism??
(i recently read a thread where they discovered the shipping shims
were still on one side of the front suspension after several thousand miles)

 

On my 03 MC the front sensor is on the driverside control arm, the rear one is on the passenger side.


Do your headlights lift up from the resting position when you turn them on?

Do they dip when you get on the throttle hard?

If not, take the car to the dealer.

 

they definitely lift up when they turn on, but i can't recall them dipping when i get on the throttle hard.

 

Find an empty dark road, get into second gear, at about 3000 rpm, watch the cut off line of the headlights, then hit the trottle hard, that cut off should dip as the front ends lifts, then rise again as the car levels off.

The opposite should happen if you brake hard, as the front end dives down the headlights should lift.

If not, like I said before take it to the dealer. The sensors are on moving suspention parts, there is no packing on the sensors.

 

Anyone know what will happen if there just isnt a signal from the sensors? Will the headlights point straight out normally? Or will they go crazy and point super high (or low)?

 

I think my car has a sensor problem because EVERYONE flashes me as if I have my high beams on. They point high and I'm blinding everyone I drive behind, too. Well, another 1500miles to the first oil change, and that will be one on a long list of things that need attention. I still love her, though .

 

try facing foward get a volunteer, sandbag jack up/dwn whatever

 

yes, there is a way to check the auto leveling light fixtures.. (the car should be completely off, take the key out of ignition) pull the stalk on (the left of steering wheel) torwards you and your HID lights should be on.. when the lights are on they should be straight(leveled). if they werent you should see them straighten out. ok, turn off the lights again by twisting the **** at the end of the stalk a few times.. (noitce that the HID light never come on with the **** because the car is turned off.. put the **** in the lights off position and pull the stalk torwards you and you'll see them auto adjust them selves.

p.s. you can do this a few times just to see them move..



hope that helps.. its really cool to see them adjust..

 

looks like the auto-levelers are doing their job when the lights
are started up, but under both the acceleration test and
simply getting someone to sit in the boot, the lights aren't
adjusting downward.

(this could explain why the lights seemed to work better
on the trip to summit point. the boot was loaded up w/ luggage
and a full cooler)

looks like i'll be taking a trip to the dealer soon.

 

Another theory:

Seems to me that the factory sets the xenons to point too far downward. I adjusted mine upwards soon after taking delivery.

If you see better with lots of gear in back, it is because the weight back there is pointing your nose higher. How about simply adjusting the lights upward a degree or two?

There is a simple screw adjustment in the headlight assembly that you can turn to bring the normal level higher than stock.

 

i'll probably tweak the lights up as well, but i'd really like
the levelling to work properly for when i carry extra gear or people.