Headlight Direction/alignment Off?

ronmeister · 12-28-2013, 01:04 PM

I have a 2011 335i E90.

Recently I began to notice and feel like my low beams weren't lighting the roadway enough. They seem extra bright in the 10ft immediately in front of the car but don't seem to reach/brighten the roadway as far as they should. In particular, one side is clearly about 2-3 feet shorter than the other, but both seem to be "short".

While this is noticeable under regular night driving with street lights...it is extremely obvious when on a dark country road without any artificial lighting.

I had the dealer look at the lights during the last service and they told me that the lights were within spec. I told them that that made no sense and that I STILL wanted them adjusted a degree or two up - they said they wouldn't do it. So I left assuming it was maybe just my imagination.

After just returning from a holiday where I had a rental, drove it at night on both a lighted and completely dark roadway...I now have absolutely NO DOUBT that my headlights are off. I had absolutely no problems in the pitch black with the low beams on the rental Impala and I know I would not have been as comfortable on the same road with my low beams.

WHAT TO DO?

ANYONE ELSE HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE?

Is it possible to self-adjust these lights? Could I trust an indi-shop do it or is this only something a dealer can/should be touching.

Short of demanding a dealer tech come for a midnight drive with me I'm not sure what to do...? Thanks!

mahi77 · 12-28-2013, 04:15 PM

Do you have xenons or halogens?

If you have xenons there are screws that you can use to adjust the horizontal and vertical aim of the projector.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ment-Alignment

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ghts+adjusting

Check out these links. They both show exactly how to make the necessary adjustments.

ronmeister · 12-29-2013, 02:30 AM

Worked like a charm...THANKS!!!

PichaDis11 · 12-29-2013, 09:33 PM

Wow dealerships really suck that much?

catcher22 · 12-30-2013, 02:54 PM

+1 crazy that the dealership wouldn't align your headlights for you. It takes like 5 minutes to do both sides.

That's like a dealership giving an alignment, sending the customer on their way, the customer comes back and says the runs hard to the right, and the dealership says "Sorry, your alignment are to specs"

Wow there are some really bad dealerships out there. This is a pure safety issue too!

Glad you found the torx screws without the help of the dealer. Perhaps that was their intention too.

12-28-2013, 01:04 PM	#1
ronmeister Private 10 Rep 97 Posts Drives: 11' 335i Xdrive Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Headlight Direction/alignment Off? I have a 2011 335i E90. Recently I began to notice and feel like my low beams weren't lighting the roadway enough. They seem extra bright in the 10ft immediately in front of the car but don't seem to reach/brighten the roadway as far as they should. In particular, one side is clearly about 2-3 feet shorter than the other, but both seem to be "short". While this is noticeable under regular night driving with street lights...it is extremely obvious when on a dark country road without any artificial lighting. I had the dealer look at the lights during the last service and they told me that the lights were within spec. I told them that that made no sense and that I STILL wanted them adjusted a degree or two up - they said they wouldn't do it. So I left assuming it was maybe just my imagination. After just returning from a holiday where I had a rental, drove it at night on both a lighted and completely dark roadway...I now have absolutely NO DOUBT that my headlights are off. I had absolutely no problems in the pitch black with the low beams on the rental Impala and I know I would not have been as comfortable on the same road with my low beams. WHAT TO DO? ANYONE ELSE HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE? Is it possible to self-adjust these lights? Could I trust an indi-shop do it or is this only something a dealer can/should be touching. Short of demanding a dealer tech come for a midnight drive with me I'm not sure what to do...? Thanks!
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12-28-2013, 04:15 PM	#2
mahi77 Private 1 Rep 63 Posts Drives: E90 335i, E92 328i Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Do you have xenons or halogens? If you have xenons there are screws that you can use to adjust the horizontal and vertical aim of the projector. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ment-Alignment http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ghts+adjusting Check out these links. They both show exactly how to make the necessary adjustments.
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12-29-2013, 02:30 AM	#3
ronmeister Private 10 Rep 97 Posts Drives: 11' 335i Xdrive Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Worked like a charm...THANKS!!!
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12-29-2013, 09:33 PM	#4
PichaDis11 Colonel 296 Rep 2,214 Posts Drives: E90 N52 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: NY iTrader: (3)	Wow dealerships really suck that much? __________________ Retrofits: 322, 609, 6FL, 6NR, 6VC, 2TB.. Upgrades: Bilstein B8 Eibach Spring kit
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12-30-2013, 02:54 PM	#5
catcher22 Captain 294 Rep 922 Posts Drives: 2008 335xi Coupe Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia iTrader: (2)	+1 crazy that the dealership wouldn't align your headlights for you. It takes like 5 minutes to do both sides. That's like a dealership giving an alignment, sending the customer on their way, the customer comes back and says the runs hard to the right, and the dealership says "Sorry, your alignment are to specs" Wow there are some really bad dealerships out there. This is a pure safety issue too! Glad you found the torx screws without the help of the dealer. Perhaps that was their intention too.
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