Please can anyone point me in the direction of some article/Offer advice on how to adjust the self leveler on an 03 cooper s with xenon headlights. The lights auto level far too low in front of the car making it near enough impossible to see anything more than about 30 yards infront of the car on unlit roads. The auto leveller works fine when driving the lights are just too low.
It needs adjusting! It's dangerously low... think unloaded car with headlights set at position 4 (try it, mine is worse, ive compared to 2 seperate brand new cars my beam alignment is way too low). The headlight leveler seems to think the car is fully loaded when its only got me in it!
I refuse to pay the dealer 50 odd quid to correct this when I can find out how to do this myself then take it to my mates garage and correct the problem for free.
With regards to the authorities said above friend is a VOSA MOT Tester he will keep me right at his garage so dont worry! he just doesnt know how to adjust the cars lights being a citroen mechanic :-(
I,m sure that if your Citroen friend mechanic looked in the vicinity of the headlight adjuster motors, he will find a sealed adjuster, as part of the motor body, ?? being a mechanic and a MOT station, I would assume this is common knowledge ?? or ask your friend to call the dealer, explaining that they are a VOSA, i,m sure they will help Fitzy
Shirley being an 03 its still covered by warranty ? I've nothing but praise for my local Mini dealer, who even replaced a worn leather seat under warranty for me earlier in the year !
I'm amazed someone working in a garage doing MOTs doesn't know how to adjust a headlight - or even where to get the information. I wouldn't like him testing cars incase he doesn't know what else to look for. Is he an actual mechanic or just someone trained to change parts on a citroen - similar to a fast fitting type garage where no real knowledge is required. Most car headlights are standard XENON ones, although some are HID which are better. How much do you weigh? Pay the £50 if you are concerned. Most headlights are rubbish which is why you have the full beam, they are not designed to be searchlights.
Thanks for the reply, the main full beam is fine, interestingly you can fool the car into setting them correctly by turning the lights on pointing up a steep hill with the handbrake on, this has the effect of lifting the car up on its rear suspension. doesnt work all the time but sometimes works.
I spoke to my mate again he recons as the leveler works fine during normal driving that one of the sensors on the rear axle or front axle may have been knocked out of alignment thus causing the car to calibrate the level incorectly effectively fooling the car into thinking it is squatting down on the rear axle during the calibration process. He suggested finding the sensor, probably on the suspension strut somewhere and moving it in the direction that would suggest that the suspension is extending.
He said a smilar thing about the adjuster being tamper proof, he said adjustment would prolly be done electroncally by plugging a computer in somewhere.
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