HELP! Xenon stuck dipped right down.

[Ari]

Got in my car yesterday, fired up, auto lights came on (it was dark), did their customary sweep downwards (xenon self leveling) and then got stuck at the lowest position pointing down to the road just in front of the car!

Drove a short distance (20 mins) and by the time I arrived, one had returned to normal and was pointing down the road, but the other is resolutely stuck down.

Left the car overnight in the hope it'd sort itself out (it did this once before and then returned to normal) but no dice, tried tonight, one headlight still pointing at the ground!

Obviously the dealership is closed, and I need to use the car over Christmas.

Any hints, tips, or suggestions?

Car is a 2005 SLK 200K, if that is of any use.

[ShayneJ]

Try the easy stuff first give it a thump - give all the relevant connectors
a check it may well be just a poor connector or some crap got in where it shouldn't have.

[P I Staker]

Sounds like you require a range of hammers in varying sizes, gradually go up to each one until it functions correctly.

[matthias73]

slap it with a shoe. Worked for my telly...

[DAVEVO9]

There are 2 things to check.

1 is the levelling sensor on the rear suspension.

2 is the servo motor on the back of the headlight that moves the projector/headlight up and down.

I would check the connector on 2.

It could be the servo motor failing or a dodgy connection.

[Ari]

Thanks for that. What's odd is that they both swept down initially, suggesting that the motors are working, and the ns one self levelled later suggesting that the sensor is working. It's like it's gone out of synch.

[Ari]

300 mile (daytime) drive today. Parked car for couple of hours. Just tried it, both lights working fine.

Weird.

[Jimmy No Hands]

My Z4 did this. Still not sure what the problem is. Either a leveling sensor or a motor.

[ensignia]

Cold weather or condensation has been known to mess with the sensors on the suspension. Had the same issue with my S3.

[HarryW]

Don't know the age of yours but a good indicator is that BMW do a replacement/repair kit for the plastic internal bits (cogs and things) for the inside of their Xenon headlights as it all goes brittle after a while with the heat and stops going upperty downy on demand.

[mrmr96]

Ari said:

300 mile (daytime) drive today. Parked car for couple of hours. Just tried it, both lights working fine.

Weird.

Could it have been affected by the cold? How long have you had the car? (i.e. did you have it last winter and was it a problem then?) I know certain aspects of some cars "just do" act up when the temp drops really low.

[Wheelrepairit]

Often wondered why my lights do a "sweep" just after start up.

Now I know.

[Ari]

mrmr96 said:

Could it have been affected by the cold? How long have you had the car? (i.e. did you have it last winter and was it a problem then?) I know certain aspects of some cars "just do" act up when the temp drops really low.

Had the car since March, so this is the first winter with it. The jigging of a very long drive must have freed something up.