Headlights aiming down... Is there a fix without a Vag com?

[ride1157]

So today i noticed my headlights are pointing straight down and i can only see like 15ft in front of the car even the brights are pointing down. When i turn the car on they do not adjust by themselves. BUT when i turn on the lights before turning the key to on then turn the key to on i hear the levelers go up then back down to the ground. I tried to switch the ignition on then off so that everytime they creep up and right before they adjust back down i turn the key off i did this repeatedly till i got the lights just level enough. After that i go turn the car on and turn on the lights then again they just adjust all the way back to the ground, it sucks. Anyway is there a way to adjust without a computer? Could i just adjust with an allen key or will they just go back down? Thanks for reading hope someone can help. The car is at stock ride height but does have 18s on it if that helps.

[nvrfollow]

You can manually adjust the headlight angle by turning the white 8mm plastic allen head on the top of each headlight.

[mrbogangles]

there is a lever that adjust the lights its on the driver and passenger side on one of the control arms
check if anything is dangling

[ride1157]

Thanks guys, I ended up getting everything scanned luckily my friend has a VAG COM. THe code that popped up was 00776 sort of forgot what it meant but it kept coming up everytime we would clear it. The level motors are fine but i think it is the sensors mrbogangles was talking about. Ill check those out and clean them with electrical cleaner when its a little warmer out.

[Dutchsider]

If you lights are aimed too low, just raise them by messing with the adjustment screws on either side of the lights. They are white

[odhinnhrafn]

The sensors are a box with a little black arm that have a thin metal bracket that attaches to your lower control arm. These have a tendency to pop open, causing the lever to hang down, making the sensors to think your front end is high (due to load in the trunk), lowering your headlights, and no amount of manual adjusting w/the allen keys will put them back to the proper level w/out reattaching the bracket. Hopefully this is all it is for ya, and not a broken lever.

[ride1157]

Yeah i hope so too, if the leveler is messed up ill go to a junk yard hopefully they don't cost too much. THanks for the input guys.

[drkenan]

Sorry to threadjack **- but if the adjustment screws are broken, is there some way to fix or is it new headlight time?

[AudiSportB5S4]

With the auto-levelers, you can't just manually adjust the lights. You have to open up VCDS, go to group 55 - basic settings, - group 001 - wait for it to say adjust, then adjust those "manual" screws. Then scroll up to group 002 and it learns the position.

Ross Tech Instructions

[Dutchsider]

With the auto-levelers, you can't just manually adjust the lights. You have to open up VCDS, go to group 55 - basic settings, - group 001 - wait for it to say adjust, then adjust those "manual" screws. Then scroll up to group 002 and it learns the position.

Ross Tech Instructions

Nice, I was ignorant to this

[AudiSportB5S4]

Nice, I was ignorant to this

It's all good, that's what were here for... I've probably adjusted my headlights 20 times over the upcoming 4 years of having this car. Every time you take the headlights out they almost always need a slight adjustment.

[jukesandz]

^ I think you just enjoy using your VAG-com

[Bimmerchop]

I've adjusted 5 different headlights w/o having to go through VAG-com, no issues here

[AudiSportB5S4]

^ I think you just enjoy using your VAG-com

I like saying "I played with VAG tonight, and it fixed my problem"... Yes.

I've adjusted 5 different headlights w/o having to go through VAG-com, no issues here

With auto-levelers still in place? That's pretty hard to do... If you did, then the piece inside is broken, because it has a set memory to where they want to return to, so if you don't tell the device to change its home position, there is no manual way of doing this. Unless of course besides English you also speak the language of auto leveling devices inside Valeo headlights

[ride1157]

Last night i went out and moved the headlights with the white screws toward the inside closer to the radiator and got them to move up and stay up basically all i did was move the auto levelers to what they think is the "0" mark is, up. So now the only thing that worries me is if suddenly the sensor decides to work the lights are going to move up and blind everyone because i fooled the levelers to think that what is considered level now, the ground.

[Bimmerchop]

I like saying "I played with VAG tonight, and it fixed my problem"... Yes.



With auto-levelers still in place? That's pretty hard to do... If you did, then the piece inside is broken, because it has a set memory to where they want to return to, so if you don't tell the device to change its home position, there is no manual way of doing this. Unless of course besides English you also speak the language of auto leveling devices inside Valeo headlights

None of them are broken, and they all still functioned correctly. This was brought up recently on QW, but others also adjust their lights just fine w/o going through VAG. The auto-levelers only adjust the lights up/down in relation to the angle of the car. If you go through VAG-com, it's just to relocate them in to their neutral position instead of starting from an adjusted point before manually adjusting them. This would only really happen if you're trying to adjust them on uneven angled ground where the lights aren't in the neutral home position from the start. Same on my E46 equipped with auto-levelers. Going through VAG for fine adjusting is the "proper" procedure, but not always needed in some cases.

[jms-4]

I understand it that you can manually adjust the headlights, but if you want the auto-level function to re-aim to that adjustment (in cases of heavy loads or the front or rear is higher or lower than usual) you need to use VAG com for that.

[Bimmerchop]

Not entirely true, again... if the headlights are already in their neutral home position prior to adjusting them, VAG isn't necessarily needed for fine adjusting.

[julex]

If your Headlights are in their "home position" aka you car is running and the system functions properly, you can just turn the screw and headlight's home position will follow the adjustment. I understand that the calibration can be done via vag-com as well and perhaps is the preferred way but if you still have room left with manual adjustment, do it this way.

[DiscoPotato]

You can manually adjust the headlight angle by turning the white 8mm plastic allen head on the top of each headlight.

this

[jms-4]

Ok, I just cranked mine up as high as they would go, and they're still low. Way too low. I popped in 2 brank new HIDs, and I still can't see.

I haven't checked the sensors or anything, so I'll do that this weekend.

Suggestions? I don't have the full version of VAGCOM, and don't feel like buying it for this.

At this point I'm considering taking it to a shop, but it's out of my nature to give up so easily.

[B5addiction]

Check the metal bracket attached to the control arms. I had the same problem, it ended up being these brackets not clipped on correctly.

[jms-4]

Check the metal bracket attached to the control arms. I had the same problem, it ended up being these brackets not clipped on correctly.

which control arms?

thnx

[onemoremile]

which control arms?

thnx

Driver's side front lower control arm. The sensor looks like a servo for a remote control car. Once you find the front sensor and know what to look for, finding the rear is very easy.

Testing the sensor's function is also easy. Turn the lights on and move the arm to see if the lights move in kind. If you want an alternative to letting the computer and sensors control things then search for my thread about manual headlight range control. I installed S4 headlights in my A4 and had to come up with a way to control the motors and so a manual control was installed. A dial similar to the seat heater dials controls my range regardless of the orientation of the vehicle. Down with brights on for dodging potholes, down with lows only for fogs, up with lows and/or highs for country and freeway driving. I like the way it works and miss it on my allroad.

[onemoremile]

Here you can see the sensor connects to the front lower arm with a link bar. That bar may have become unattached or something along those lines.