I noticed the other night that my left headlight beam pattern sits just a little lower then the right. Not that it's a big deal but just one of those little things that annoys you. Just wondering if there's an adjustment on these or best to take it to the dealer and have them deal with it?

thanks
-JOhn

 

The left xenon headlight bean it is also like that in my 05 MCS. The reason for this it is not to blind the incoming traffic at night with this powerfull xenon headlights. WP4LDU

 

So they are setup like that? I swore when I first got it they were about even but I could be wrong. Thanks for the reply

 

WP4LDU, is correct. The left light should appear to be slightly lower to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. The pattern should look something like this if you were to aim them at a flat wall about 10' away.

______/________/

The angle would be centered directly in front of each light. The angle up to the right is to allow reading roadside signs.

Some excellant imformation about headlights and aiming headlights is available here: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

If they are not both self-aligning every time you turn them on then you need to take it to the dealer for some warranty work. This can be checked by aiming them at a nearby wall and with the engine running, turn them off, wait a few seconds and then turn them back on, they should dip down and then raise back up to the correct level. If only one does this, see the dealer.

 

Ok that clears everything up. I'm well aware of the art in aiming headlights, just wasn't sure about the one side being lower. I guess it makes sense. Yes the Auto adjust on the headlights work properly so thats not an issue. First Mini so I want to make sure everything is working properly.

Thanks guys

 

none the less... is there a way to adjust them? my left one is lower, but the inside is very low after an accident with a deer. they fixed it but the inside is still way low and auto adjust is working properly in both. ive seen people ask this b4 but never heard an answer on how to actually adjust them???

 

hmmm, both of my lights are level w/ each other using the dipped beam.
it does appear that my auto level adjust isn't responding to weight shifts
(like 2 additional adults in the back seat + luggage).

the daniel stern article doesn't mention anything about the driver's side beam
being lower than the passenger's side beam.

 

As I recall, yes, there are screw adjustments for both elevation and direction. With the bonnet open, look at the back of the headlight clusters and you'll see two knurled ***** on each assembly. Look closely and you'll see + and - indicators for the elevation. Be careful, you usually don't need more than a 1/4 turn for a noticeable adjustment in height. The best way I've found is to find a level area by a wall or garage door, park about 10-15' away and tweak away. Oh, and please don't twist them too high - those xenons WILL blind oncoming traffic easily if they're maladjusted.

 

yeah i jhust want the left middle to be a little up the outside toward traffic is just fine for me now. i just cant see the road at times as the center left is so low, just dont wanna kill the auto adjust or gears and crap

 

on the 05 mcs, for the xenons, there are two adjusters
outboard marked v1 and inboard marked v2 (i think).

anyone know which one does the vertical adjustment??

i don't know if the bentley manual for the 02-04 has
any pertinent information for the 05 lights.

 

04 and earlier are marked. 05 and newer aren't.

The inboard adjusting screws are the vertical aim. Turn CCW to raise.

I have an 05 and had to figure it out...

Merry Christmas,
Rawhyde

 

does anyone know how to adjust the beam on an 07? my auto level feature works fine. i just need to adjust the beam height.

 

There are 2 white plastic screws on each headlight, the one closer to the side is the side to side adjustment, the one closer to the engine and hidden is the up and down adjustment.

 

i'm just curious when adjusting to raise the xenon if it's counter clockwise say im looking towards the car and at the screws or away from the car? i see that there's a circular arrow as well. do i turn counter the arrow to raise or with the arrow?

thanks. i definately appreciate it.

 

Find a less traveled dark level road , highlight the screws and arrows with a white paint marker, bring a flashlight and go for it. Adjusting my headlights after two years of really not being too impressed ,made a world of diff. (garage doors do not work very well, but might give a baseline, mark the door with tape ,where the lights are centered and the driveway where the car sits.)

 

so do i turn it clockwise or counter clockwise to raise it?

 

so for 2005+

v1 (outside) = left right
cw right
ccw left

v2 (inside) = up down
ccw up
cw down

correct me if im wrong!

 

i realigned mine recently in a dark garage with the hood up, lights on pointing towards the ceiling... this way you dont have to keep closing the hood and opening it to readjust. you'll see right away which way each adjustment screw affects when you turn it.

 

I noticed my driver side is lower which I know it's normal. My question is, I also noticed the driver side is also aiming a little toward the passenger side. Is it normal and for the same reason? It's more obvious when I drive through fog since the beam is clearly aiming not straight forward, instead slightly towards the center.

 

I wannna revive this thread cuz I am under the suspicion that my driver side Xeon light is out of whack. I think it is aiming way too close to the passenger side. It's more pronounce when driven in fog since the beam is very visible. Has anyone experienced their headlight mis-aligning by itself?

 

great info in this thread, just came from dealer about headlight adjustment on my 06 xenon. going to try this tonight at work.

Jason