retrofitting xenon headlights wierdness
 

Just recently replaced my standard reflectors on my mk1 with a set of xenon headlights. They work fine, but the ride height adjustment is behaving strange.

The self test works fine, but the manual adjuster wheel only works once - you move it to a position and it won't change ifyou move it again after, it remains stuck. e.g move it all the way down, lights move down. Move it back up, they don't move, so restart the car and lights, and it will move it back up again. Further movements on the dial have no effect until you turn on and off again.

Anyone know if this is normal behaviour ifyou retrofit these lights, as I know ride height auto adjustment only occurs at startup? If not, what on earth could be wrong here?

It's not normal for the manual adjust wheel to work as you describe. It seems the ignition-on self-test operates as expected, so the servo system and the mechanical gubbins inside the lamps appears OK. That suggests an electrical issue elsewhere, but I'm not into guessing about that. It may require diagnostic testing with a T4. The self-test isn't automatic ride height adjustment in the manual system. It simply checks the range of the servo motor driving the reflector/projector mounting and places the lamps where they were at the last switch-off.

Are you sure the height adjuster worked correctly before the lamps were swapped?

TC

Isn't it more to do with the fact that Xenons use the self levelling system, require a different LSM switch and require a change in the cars coding to function 100% correctly?

I thought the minimum to do when retrofitting xenons was to at least swap the LSM front over, and ignore the manual adjustment - unless I have that wrong.

everything every other post on retrofitting xenons has said that I've read seems to indicate people think this is a straight swap for the light units only.

I have the switch for the xenon lights from the car they came from available, but I know it would need recoding so I just have it in my draw for now. I've never read anyone else report such an occurrence so i'm curious if anyone has any suggestions.

To the best of my knowledge the light switch manual ride height adjustment worked fine previously, but I am not in the mood to remove the bumper and put the old ones back in to test that lightly if I'm honest!

Thread moved to a more appropriate forum. Re-direct left in old. This may be the better forum as things get 'buried' very quickly in the General Forum.;)

Xenon lights are self levelling, you can see the beam lift up when you switch them on. People who say they are straight fit can't be fitting the, correctly as they need the linkage fitted to the front suspension arm to work as they were intended to

The headlight units on there own are dumb units, they contain the same adjustment motors as the other types, the self levelling is controlled by the arm sensors and additional circuitry in the LSM module only.


When used with a standard LSM the height adjust wheel moves them up and down perfectly if the mechanism inside the light unit is all good.

ok thanks Phil,so its probably the light mechanism itself? Odd that the self test works fine each time

Are you sure the height adjuster worked correctly before the lamps were swapped?

TC

I would try checking the connector in to the top of the LSM for signs of water and then try a different LSM for a minute to see if the fault clears.
Unlikely to be the lights themselves.... especially if it effects both lights.

If you want to try a quick trip up to March i can take a look and try some different xenons on an extension lead and a different LSM.