Adaptive Bi-Xenon Adjustment - What'd I Do Wrong?

[alphaVR]

[EDIT - This was SOLVED using the guide posted at THIS LINK (http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/576969-Adaptive-Bi-Xenon-Adjustment-What-d-I-Do-Wrong?p=9403222&viewfull=1#post9403222)]

I know, I know... another headlight adjustment thread. Hear me out on this...

Ive been dealing with poorly aimed headlights since I got the car... Its low, so the headlights being adaptive and auto-leveling automatically pointed themselves down (cant blame them - theyre doing what they should do). Problem is that theyre so low that I feel like I need to use my high beams far more frequently than I should, and during the winter it almost feels unsafe having so little forward light illuminating the roadway.

So... following Phil's guides, I busted out the VAG-COM and a screw driver and went to work.

Open VAG-COM - check
Select [55 - Xenon Range] - check
Select [Basic Settings] - check
Switch to Group [001] - check
Click [GO!] - check

Now this is where it got funky...

I read his guides and it said to wait 20 seconds. Did so... then got out, adjusted the headlights how far I thought they should go, then got back in the car.

He said to "Scroll up to group 002".... except I couldnt. Once I hit [GO!] it locked me into group 1... So I figured his guide was a bit outdated, so I closed the Basic Settings screen... BIG NO-NO... instantly got a headlight leveling error.

So, thats when I realize in VCDS, when in Basic Settings, there's a button that says [ON/OFF/NEXT]... of which Phil made no mention. Sure enough, I select group 1, click it 3 times, and now the error is gone...

but...

HEADLIGHT DROPPED EVEN FURTHER DOWN... what did i do wrong?

I tried going back into basic settings, entering the "learn" mode, and clicking "next", but again theyre going to the floor... and worse than they were before. They'll go up to where i adjusted to when I enter the "learning" mode, but as soon as I click next, they drop back down.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do? I seriously am lost as to what I did wrong... or even how to fix it properly.

[wildcat333]

Go on nicks car blog dot com. He had a link to a different vagcom guide about how to reset settings. I used it recently.

[alphaVR]

I found that and followed it, but it didnt seem to do anything for the error or the leveling.

for reference, here are the screens I am seeing:

Here's what the [Basic Settings - 04] Screen looks like for me...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9104498/VCDSphotos/1.PNG

What it says when I click [GO!]
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9104498/VCDSphotos/2.PNG

What clicking [ON/OFF/NEXT] does to the output
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9104498/VCDSphotos/3.PNG

...And another click of [ON/OFF/NEXT]
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9104498/VCDSphotos/4.PNG

After that last click, the error goes away, but the headlights adjust to their bottom most position.

Im so confused.

[Audi_509]

Not sure if this helps but I only used the adjustment screws. No vag-com programing.

Try sending Phil a pm.

[CorneliusRox]

Hey, so I had the same issue after lowering my car. I even did get the vagcom to work and it helped a little, but the real issue was that I forgot to hook the rear leveling sensor back up, so check your front and rear, and then if it is only slightly off, use the adjustment screw.

[alphaVR]

Have to use VAG-COM since my headlights are self-leveling and adaptive (aka turn with my steering wheel)

CorneliusRox... everything was working fine... ive been lowered since i bought the car, and it was lowered for a long time with no problem. The issue was, because I was low, my headlights adjusted themselves down thinking the car was heavily loaded (which it wasnt), which was causing some issues with the headlights not illuminating enough of the road ahead, forcing me to use my high beams more than I would like to... so I thought id adjust them up so Id have better visability at night... and now this

[Audi_509]

^My headlights have the same features and I'm also lowered.

[CorneliusRox]

Have to use VAG-COM since my headlights are self-leveling and adaptive (aka turn with my steering wheel)

CorneliusRox... everything was working fine... ive been lowered since i bought the car, and it was lowered for a long time with no problem. The issue was, because I was low, my headlights adjusted themselves down thinking the car was heavily loaded (which it wasnt), which was causing some issues with the headlights not illuminating enough of the road ahead, forcing me to use my high beams more than I would like to... so I thought id adjust them up so Id have better visability at night... and now this

Still, double check the level sensors on the front and rear drivers side lower control arms. And you do have adjustment screws and they work even though the headlights are adaptive. I know I do and I have the same headlights.

[PNW Avant]

I have adaptive (AFS) headlights, I am lowered. Same as the other members above, I have adjusted my headlights several times with the manual adjustment screws and everything has worked perfect. I don't see why VAG COM is required, even though the topic seems to come up frequently...

[alphaVR]

I have adaptive (AFS) headlights, I am lowered. Same as the other members above, I have adjusted my headlights several times with the manual adjustment screws and everything has worked perfect. I don't see why VAG COM is required, even though the topic seems to come up frequently...

Every time I researched the subject, it was mentioned that you needed to get the VAG-COM out. I have my own cable so its not a big deal... but now that my headlights are more or less useless, its a big deal lol

I don't believe there to be any problems with my sensors... they appeared fine when i swapped the wheels out for the winter, and have never given me any errors.... just were pointed low.

At this point, its obvious that apparently you dont need to use VAG-COM to adjust them... i just need to get them fixed.

[fly300kts]

While in learning mode, are you adjusting the headlights to the correct aim?

Phil

[alphaVR]

While in learning mode, are you adjusting the headlights to the correct aim?

Phil

Yes. well... no.... let me explain.

First time following your "guide" i hit go and then adjusted as you said to do.... but couldn't hit up, and closing the controller gave me the leveling adjustment error.

Second time (and third for that matter), I went in and made sure it said "Learning" by clicking [ON/OFF/NEXT] and went about adjusting them a bit, but as soon as I click the button again to go to "next", they drop down. Also worth noting that when entering basic settings and clicking [ON/OFF/NEXT] the headlights come up to where I adjusted them.

Side Note: drove to work this morning and thankfully left late enough that i didn't have to use my headlights.... as soon as I used them, they were moving ALL over the place when i started driving. every bump confused the hell out of them, it seems.

[fly300kts]

Extract from another member post

If you have the same codes as this then you most likely have to recode the new ballast you just installed. First try going back to the main Xenon Range screen and clicking . It should already have “001” in the ‘Group Box’ so hit the ‘Go!’ button to the right of that. If “ERROR:” is displayed in all red, continue on to the next step. If everything is green, an [ON/OFF/Next] button should be displayed in the upper right. Click that until “Learned” is displayed in the second box. Then re-clear any codes and none should return.


Step 6:


If you’re still with me at this point, it most likely means you need to re-code the ballast for the car. Go back to the main Xenon-Range screen and click [Security Access – 16] in the lower right. Type in the number “02000” in the box and click [Do it!]. It should pop up with a box saying code accepted or something like that. Click okay.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6598538567_08691077d7_z.jpg

Step 7:


In the Xenon-Range screen click [Coding – 07]. The value originally set in here after I installed the ballast was “0000255” Change this to “0000019” (assuming you’re coding an A4) and click [Do it!]


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6598537547_384a58d3e4_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6598537695_348497d389_z.jpg


Step 8:
Now go back to the Xenon-Range Screen and click [Basic Settings – 04]. Click [Go!]. An [ON/OFF/Next] button should be displayed in the upper right. Click that until “Learned” is displayed in the second box.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6598537975_1ffbd1f5a1_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6598538071_2a8e88681d_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7141/6598538137_02cb87b2cd_z.jpg



[B]Step 9:


Now check for and clear all codes. None should return. Start the car and rejoice at the fact that you have regained the top third of your DIS for more interesting things than a flashing yellow light. [:D]


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6598538301_5ece589dde_z.jpg[/QUOTE]

[midnight407]

Hey, so I had the same issue after lowering my car. I even did get the vagcom to work and it helped a little, but the real issue was that I forgot to hook the rear leveling sensor back up, so check your front and rear, and then if it is only slightly off, use the adjustment screw.

was about to reference this...we probably looked super special, just bro-ing it out in a vacant parking garage

[alphaVR]

Much more accurate to what i am seeing...

One question comes up: if I need to adjust them after resetting the coding, i do so when the basic settings output says "Adjust Headlight"? Then when I am done, I should hit [ON/OFF/NEXT] to save that position and complete the adaptation and the headlights should stay at that position?

[CorneliusRox]

was about to reference this...we probably looked super special, just bro-ing it out in a vacant parking garage

lol yeah, I am kind of surprised a cop didnt show up with us running around there.

[joshigd]

Not trying to thread jack at all but have a relevant question... My car is factory height, BUT I believe the car had been in a wreck before I bought it (seller told me it had never been wrecked) but there are parts of the body lines that have different gaps than the other side of the car so I am certain the car had been hit around the passenger fender/headlight area.

SINCE DAY 1 of getting the car if I have my head lights on at night (low-beams)..(I am adaptive bi-xenon).. I GET FLASHED all the freaking time. EVERY DAMN TIME I have my headlights on at night ppl flash me and I flash em right back because I get tired of it... Originally I thought it was just normal with these cars. I was reading the "You know you own a B7 A4 when..." thread and saw ppl saying when they are behind someone and looked at their headlights on the back of the car in front of them it looks like the drivers headlight is out. Which I assumed was why my passenger headlight looks brighter. Well I have noticed lately since it darker more that my passenger headlight shine over a foot higher than my drivers headlight when I am pointed at a wall about 10 feet away. I am assuming this can just be adjusted down, BUT it also kind of looks like my brights are stuck on in the passenger headlight. My drivers headlight you can absolutely tell when I flip the brights on .... you can see the flapper in the headlight move and more light come out higher. The passenger side however I dont see anything move.. maybe a flicker.. but it seems to stay the same brightness. Is there any common issue with the passenger high beam being stuck in the on position? I have no error codes with it.

[alphaVR]

Bit of a thread jack there....

HIDs dont change in terms of brigher/dimmer - theyre either on or off.

If you think your High beam flapper is stuck open (aka high beams on), have someone get in the car and start flicking between the two states. Put your ear close to the headlight and listen. You'll hear it if its working right.

=========================

Update: local shop and old friend is going to get me on a lift tonight to trick the sensors to think im at stock ride height again. From there, we're going to try to reset everything. I'll update this thread if it was successful or not.

[joshigd]

Bit of a thread jack there.... sorry bout that...

HIDs dont change in terms of brigher/dimmer - theyre either on or off. ...I said "looks" brighter.. and assume flap is stuck

If you think your High beam flapper is stuck open (aka high beams on), have someone get in the car and start flicking between the two states. Put your ear close to the headlight and listen. You'll hear it if its working right. I have tried this.. I can hear it, but dont see it move like the drivers side.


=========================

Update: local shop and old friend is going to get me on a lift tonight to trick the sensors to think im at stock ride height again. From there, we're going to try to reset everything. I'll update this thread if it was successful or not.

I will get some video and start another thread.. sorry about the temporary thread jack...

[CorneliusRox]

Bit of a thread jack there....

HIDs dont change in terms of brigher/dimmer - theyre either on or off.

If you think your High beam flapper is stuck open (aka high beams on), have someone get in the car and start flicking between the two states. Put your ear close to the headlight and listen. You'll hear it if its working right.

=========================

Update: local shop and old friend is going to get me on a lift tonight to trick the sensors to think im at stock ride height again. From there, we're going to try to reset everything. I'll update this thread if it was successful or not.

See, the thing is, the sensors dont really care about ride height. They just go off of being relative to each other in order to get the rake correct. You could put a washer under the front sensor to make it aim the lights a little higher I suppose.

[PNW Avant]

Side Note: drove to work this morning and thankfully left late enough that i didn't have to use my headlights.... as soon as I used them, they were moving ALL over the place when i started driving. every bump confused the hell out of them, it seems.


Are you sure your projector frames are not broken? The headlights should not move on bumps...

[shawn0223]

The guide tells you to change the group but it doesnt let you, you were right to use the on/off/next button . It seems like you might have adjusted them too low. I did this last week. Put it back into learning mode, adjust the beam to the correct height via the white screw on your headlight. then hit the on/off/next button until it shows "learned" in green letters. That should do it. At least thats what i did

[alphaVR]

Are you sure your projector frames are not broken? The headlights should not move on bumps...

nothing is broken i swear! lol it just seems like the computer is confused by the inputs coming from the sensors and is trying to adjust the headlights. Its very much the motors in the headlights moving the aiming, not that something is broken (completely different kind of movement).


The guide tells you to change the group but it doesnt let you, you were right to use the on/off/next button . It seems like you might have adjusted them too low. I did this last week. Put it back into learning mode, adjust the beam to the correct height via the white screw on your headlight. then hit the on/off/next button until it shows "learned" in green letters. That should do it. At least thats what i did

I thought I was adjusting them up, but i am guessing I must have done something out of sequence for the headlights to "fall" to their low position. This is all new to me, and without knowing how it all works together I am mostly taking stabs in the dark.

The adjusting screws... is there such a thing as "over adjusting" them? To elaborate a bit more, for example, on my Mk4, if you adjust the headlights too much, the actual adjusting piece falls off the screw the adjuster is threaded onto and then the whole housing is just bouncing around. Would like to avoid that but I dont know how the adjusters in the Bi-xenons work.

[shawn0223]

nothing is broken i swear! lol it just seems like the computer is confused by the inputs coming from the sensors and is trying to adjust the headlights. Its very much the motors in the headlights moving the aiming, not that something is broken (completely different kind of movement).



I thought I was adjusting them up, but i am guessing I must have done something out of sequence for the headlights to "fall" to their low position. This is all new to me, and without knowing how it all works together I am mostly taking stabs in the dark.

The adjusting screws... is there such a thing as "over adjusting" them? To elaborate a bit more, for example, on my Mk4, if you adjust the headlights too much, the actual adjusting piece falls off the screw the adjuster is threaded onto and then the whole housing is just bouncing around. Would like to avoid that but I dont know how the adjusters in the Bi-xenons work.

I have heard that you can overadjust it. but that shouldnt be an issue on yours since you already have the beams set pretty low. (unless you already over adjusted and messed something up) Once its in learning mode, just start adjusting them up, (i turned my lights on so i could see the level of the beam)

[Charles.waite]

This shouldn't be rocket science.

If the leveling function is working (ie your headlights cycle through the up/down/side-to-side sequence on startup) then your issue isn't with the software, but the physical mounting of the headlights or the adjustments screws.

[alphaVR]

This shouldn't be rocket science.

If the leveling function is working (ie your headlights cycle through the up/down/side-to-side sequence on startup) then your issue isn't with the software, but the physical mounting of the headlights or the adjustments screws.

No, it shouldnt... But idk how the 3" of adjustment i did could have broken anything. Everything appears to be working, up until the headlights go to their "home" position. Nothing is broken, I would have noticed. It has to be the motors/computer thats getting the aiming wrong

Heading to my friend's shop tonight. My guess is that I just got the coding/adaptation wrong. We shall see though...

[alphaVR]

Well, I can consider myself a bit of an idiot.

Found out I was doing two things wrong:

1) When trying to reset to factory settings, you needed to hit "Save" to get it to perform the reset. Did not read, and thus was not aware, that it was necessary.
2) In the Basic Settings, you have to hit [ON/OFF/NEXT] until it shows learning THEN wait the 30 seconds or so, and click next.

After doing all that, everything adapted to where I had moved the physical adjusters to, no more fault codes, and everything was back in working order.

tl;dr: some of the "guides" are a bit off, and are missing those key details which drastically affect the outcome of the procedure.

Also verified you can just adjust the physical adjuster for "fine-tuning" without needing to mess with VAG-COM.

Thanks for all the help and clarification. Glad to have my headlight in a functioning state again!

[wildcat333]

WINNING! Love to read a success story every now and again.

[fly300kts]

Well, I can consider myself a bit of an idiot.

Found out I was doing two things wrong:

1) When trying to reset to factory settings, you needed to hit "Save" to get it to perform the reset. Did not read, and thus was not aware, that it was necessary.
2) In the Basic Settings, you have to hit [ON/OFF/NEXT] until it shows learning THEN wait the 30 seconds or so, and click next.

After doing all that, everything adapted to where I had moved the physical adjusters to, no more fault codes, and everything was back in working order.

tl;dr: some of the "guides" are a bit off, and are missing those key details which drastically affect the outcome of the procedure.

Also verified you can just adjust the physical adjuster for "fine-tuning" without needing to mess with VAG-COM.

Thanks for all the help and clarification. Glad to have my headlight in a functioning state again!

An to help the Community, you should post the process step by step to the dot

Phil

[alphaVR]

An to help the Community, you should post the process step by step to the dot

Phil

I plan to, and will make a new thread for it. Its late and this guy needs his beauty sleep... lol. I'll make it as detailed as i can so nobody gets confused like I did!

[fly300kts]

I plan to, and will make a new thread for it. Its late and this guy needs his beauty sleep... lol. I'll make it as detailed as i can so nobody gets confused like I did!

Nah, nah, nah
You will have forgotten by tomorrow..
No excuses and do it now :)

Phil

[fly300kts]

I plan to, and will make a new thread for it. Its late and this guy needs his beauty sleep... lol. I'll make it as detailed as i can so nobody gets confused like I did!

You see, someone needs help:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/457924-Headlight-adjustment-issue

Phil

[LoGiik]

You see, someone needs help:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/457924-Headlight-adjustment-issue

Phil


Haha, that's me that needs it. I just went back as I saw this thread and edited to indicate that mine are non-adaptive (bought from you Phil) so I am not sure how much the VAG COM would help with it.

[fly300kts]

Then adjust the plastics screws on top of the housing and you should be fine

Phil

[LoGiik]

Then adjust the plastics screws on top of the housing and you should be fine

Phil

So I did adjust the screws manually but let me elaborate just a bit since I didn't explain in this thread:

Basically what I did was adjust the plastic screw clockwise to raise the beam but in doing this I apparently maxed out the headlight setting. When trying to back the screw off and lower the beam the screw will spin but click every quarter turn to the left leaving the beam in the same position. I am assuming that the plastic screw is seated inside something else that physically raises and lowers the projector housing in which it jumped off the track. All assumption though but I will take your advice from the other thread and take a look at the internals. Since it is non adaptive, if the bulb is moving I know something has broke off inside. If not then I will need to diagnose further.

Either way I will report back with my findings.

[fly300kts]

Hmm
Does not make sense:
The screw located close to the grille adjust up and down
The screw located close to the fender adjust left and right

If you hear a click every quarter turn it means that you have passed the max limit BUT, this is only valid for the left and right setting
The up and down setup does not have such limit. If you can't adjust up and down, something is broken in the internals, either the chassis or the mechanism

In any case, headlight will have to be opened

Up and down
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/fly300kts/3AF6D433-A99C-48BF-B886-A182A742986A_zpshk1wysxd.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/fly300kts/media/3AF6D433-A99C-48BF-B886-A182A742986A_zpshk1wysxd.jpg.html)

left to right
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/fly300kts/7c1935b5-ad87-44cb-ab2f-404fb418d7ba_zps17727660.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/fly300kts/media/7c1935b5-ad87-44cb-ab2f-404fb418d7ba_zps17727660.jpg.html)

PM ME, got spares :)

Phil

[fly300kts]

I plan to, and will make a new thread for it. Its late and this guy needs his beauty sleep... lol. I'll make it as detailed as i can so nobody gets confused like I did!

So, did you post the procedure?

Phil

[alphaVR]

So, did you post the procedure?

Phil

putting the final touches on it tonight.

even had to unset the basic settings to get all the screenshots i wanted lol

[fly300kts]

putting the final touches on it tonight.

even had to unset the basic settings to get all the screenshots i wanted lol

Great job

Phil

[alphaVR]

Great job

Phil

Just submitted the DIY to the tech forum for moderator approval. Here's to hoping it goes through (i'd be shocked if it didnt). I'll post the link when it goes live.

[fly300kts]

Huh?
Is this something new now around here?
You help the Community but first the post has to be approved by the Mod?
WTF?

Phil

[wildcat333]

alpha just post it in this thread

[alphaVR]

Huh?
Is this something new now around here?
You help the Community but first the post had to be approved by the Mod?
WTF?

Phil

Submitted it to the Audizine tech forum where they have all the DIYs kept.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/173-B7-A4-Tech

[fly300kts]

Submitted it to the Audizine tech forum where they have all the DIYs kept.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/173-B7-A4-Tech

Well it's not there
I agree with wildcat, post here

Phil

[alphaVR]

[Instructions/Screenshots current as of 1/22/2014 - All are subject to change]

Some background…

My car is lowered… a lot. Not air-ride low, but low for static suspension. As such, being that I have Adaptive Bi-Xenons from the factory, the had aimed themselves low and didn't illuminate near as much of the road as I need, especially in the rural areas I live. This annoyed me very much so I set to it to get them fixed. First time I attempted to do this via other guides here and across the web, I messed up because the information is outdated or for something a little different than what I needed it for. This is why I am making this guide. I feel its far more complete and direct on what I was trying to accomplish than anything else I had found.

ONLY when you have large amounts of adjustment necessary, your adjustment isn't set (and thus throwing a code) or you just replaced a ballast do you need to use VAG-COM to set the home position. In all other cases, you can just use your super-expensive AoA-approved phillps-head screwdriver to adjust them.

Since there are essentially two ways to go about this, I'll break this down into two guides: one for minor adjustment of the headlights, another for resetting the leveling and setting adaptation so the projectors are back to their factory positioning and ready for minor adjusting.




[PART 1] The Easy Way to Adjust Your Headlights


Tools Needed:

Phillips Head screwdriver

Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty (1-10): .5? Easier than putting windshield washer fluid in a car.
Misc Needs: ~20ft of flat ground in front of a flat wall; EASIER WHEN DARK.


Step 1: Park the Car.

Pretty much as stated… park the car on flat ground 20' from a wall perpendicular to your car. You want to face as squarely as you can for the most accurate aiming possible.

Step 2: Pop the Hood.

The late Paul Walker would be proud. Pop the hood? Pop the hood. Unfortunately you don't have a 2JZ hiding in there, but you have some sick adaptive Bi-Xenons. An 11-second supra doesn't have that on you!

Step 3: Turn Your Headlights On.

Can't see where you're aiming the headlights if they're not on! Car doesn't need to be running. However, if you don’t trust your battery, get her runnin’.

Step 4: Adjust.

See the image below for reference. The adjusters are located in the spots indicated by the red circles and the yellow boxes. When you look at them, they may have a black thing in the middle of them – this is merely a dust cover that can be popped off with ease.


Yellow Boxes: These indicate the LATERAL adjusters. These should only be changed if you can see your headlights are pointed way off center. It’s worth noting that if they are, you may want to look into the hard(er) guide below this one on how to reset the projectors to Factory spec as this may resolve the problems, then fine tune from there.
Red Circles: These indicate the VERTICAL adjusters. They’re the ones we’re after. They’ll change the vertical positioning of that headlight, and don’t require many turns to move drastically!



http://i.imgur.com/eq7GUNJ.jpg

Now that you’ve found them, get to adjusting!

Cover up one of the headlights so you can clearly see the uncovered headlight’s beam(makes things easier this way). Insert the screwdriver and begin turning SLOWLY. I cannot stress this point enough – it doesn’t take many turns, so be slow! Once done, swap sides.

**NOTE** Clockwise = Up; Counterclockwise = Down

SPEC INFO:
Most manufacturers recommend a 1.5° downward angle for headlights. Thus at 20 feet, your headlights should be aimed about .5" lower than your headlights. You can either guesstimate that or get a tape measure (I prefer the latter, but I'm weird like that) and then mark your aim with a piece of tape on the wall. With Bi-Xenons, or really any projectors, there is a step in the beam (looks like ____/------- ); always aim the lower part of the beam first as this is what will blind oncoming cars first. The upper portion will take care of itself, illuminating more of the roadway on your side of the road.

See the image below for a reference on where you should be looking when aiming your headlights.

http://i.imgur.com/M4sHfMT.jpg

Step 5: Put everything away. Enjoy a Beer

Assuming you've now successfully adjusted your headlight to your liking so a) you can see, and more importantly, b) you're not blinding traffic, you can put everything away and enjoy a beer knowing you're done.

Congrats!




[PART 2] The Hard(er) Way to Adjust Your Headlights


Tools Needed:

Phillips Head Screwdriver
Laptop/Tablet/PC with VCDS
VAG-COM diagnostic cable

Time: About 15 minutes
Difficulty (1-10): 4; Could get confusing (but thats what this guide is for!)
Misc Needs: Same as above; ~20ft of flat ground facing a flat wall


** NOTE ** If your car is low, and we’re talking anything less than 1 finger gap on flat gound, you MUST get all 4 wheels up off the ground. There are sensors in both the driver front and rear suspension linkages, and you don’t want to perform these steps and have things get confused because the sensors were reading your actual ride height. With the wheels in the air, it fools the sensors to thinking you’re at stock ride height, allowing for proper recalibration.

Of course, if you’re on air ride suspension, you don’t have to worry about any of this.

IMPORTANT: See steps 2-3 from PART 1 of this guide.

If you’re able to also perform step 1, awesome. However, if you have the car in the air it will likely pose a problem and thus is not necessary. Your situation and circumstances dictate what you’re able to do.

Step 4: Connect VAG-COM and go into the Xenon Range controller

Seems like an important step, no? Once you have the cable connected and VCDS opened, you’ll see the screen below. Click the [SELECT] button in the “Select Control Module” section.

http://i.imgur.com/sYrrmmb.jpg



Now in the next screen, click [55-Xenon Range]

http://i.imgur.com/Zprote1.jpg



You’ll now be prompted with the following screen. Sections of it are noted with numbers as they will be referenced below.

http://i.imgur.com/LmwWwKu.jpg



IF YOU HAVE A “DIPPED HEADLIGHT” FAULT ON YOUR DASH SCREEN…
This is either because you have a faulty ballast (different issue entirely, but will require these steps after replacement), or your adaptation/adjustment as not been set.

Referencing annotated area #1 in the screen above, you will likely see the following fault. This means you need to continue onward and reset your adaptation/basic settings!

http://i.imgur.com/YLtsecQ.jpg




Step 5: Reset to Factory Adaptation

To start, click on the [Adaptation – 10] button in the “Advanced Functions” section (see annotated area #2 in the Xenon Range screen as shown in step 4). You will now see this screen:

http://i.imgur.com/OxYSFKV.jpg



Note: on my B7, channel 00 was not labeled in the drop-down. I only found it after reading through a different guide [LINK] and seeing that once read it changed the fields above it to the the below screen. Your car may be different!

To reset, type in 00 into the Channel Number box, and click [READ]. This loads the factory defaults:

http://i.imgur.com/Zq5U5SH.jpg



Click [Save] to apply the reset. A popup box will ask you if you're sure. YES YOU ARE.

http://i.imgur.com/IWdaSyg.jpg


Note for above image:
1: This is just a visual showing you what VCDS is doing. For other functions, it will likely have more info, but since we’re resetting to factory defaults, the Stored Value is irrelevant. The New Value will be replacing it
2: Clicking [Yes] will apply this new value, and thus reset all Xenon Range settings to their factory defaults. YOU WANT THIS.

You have now reset your headlight coding and adaptation to their factory defaults.


Step 6: Setting Adjustment via Basic Settings

We now need to go into the Basic Settings to essentially let the computer "learn" where its new home position is. Click on (see annotated area #3 in the Xenon Range screen as shown in step 4). You will now see this screen:

Note: When I took this screenshot, the [Go!] button was not enabled, but it should be when you do it! If not, just switch channels, going back to channel 01.

When you are ready, click [Go!]. This will begin the Basic Settings process.

http://i.imgur.com/jnnObrq.jpg



The output of the boxes to the right will change as follows. When you see what is shown below, wait 20 seconds before continuing.

http://i.imgur.com/fJVODEQ.jpg



Now we’re ready to move on. Click [On/Off/Next] to continue to the learning state. Those output boxes mentioned previously will change again. You will now see them saying "ADJUST" and/or “LEARNING” (or something of that effect). Unfortunately I missed the screenshot on this one, but you’ll have to trust me – it’ll do this! Just reference Step 4 from PART 1 for how to manually adjust.

At this point, this is when you fine tune your adjustments. Go to your headlights and adjust as you need to. VCDS will wait.

**NOTE**: If you’re in a position like me where you had not set adjustment, even though they were adjusted how you wanted them, you don’t actually NEED to adjust them to do anything. You simply need to wait 20-30 seconds at the LEARNING state for the module to learn their position.

Again click [On/Off/Next]. The output boxes will again change, but this time for the better! They should now look as such:

http://i.imgur.com/tJeXniY.jpg



This now means you’ve successfully set adjustment! YAY!

A quick check of your Xenon Range fault codes (annotated area #1 in the main Xenon Range screen shown in Step 4) will show your success:

http://i.imgur.com/8qHZpTw.png


[b]Step 7: Congratulate Yourself
Now that everything is fixed, you have no more fault codes, and your headlights are neither illuminating your fog lights or blinding the old lady in the Buick Century that's headed to the salon, get yourself a hearty, tasty beer for your accomplishment.




Misc. Notes


This guide wouldn’t be possible without some of the info I gathered via DIYs I have found. This link in particular helped the most: http://www.a4mods.com/index.php?page=webcontent/pages/autolevel.html&category=6
The link above also includes some info on how to change your car’s coding to force the leveling up or down. I haven’t tested it, so do so at your own risk!
As always, the entry at Nick’s Car Blog helped a ton, and in case you’re dealing with ballast issues, it is a great start before performing any of the above steps




If there was anything I missed her, or that you think should be added, feel free to comment below or send me a PM!

Thanks.

[fly300kts]

Nice job
I hope now, no more questions about adjustments

Phil

[alphaVR]

Nice job
I hope now, no more questions about adjustments

Phil

that was the hope!

[alphaVR]

I can now confirm that you MUST have the car up in the air when you do the factory reset and set adjustment. [headbang]

In the interests of putting together that guide, I screwed up my headlight aiming (again). At least I'll be a pro at this by the time I'm done, right?