MK3 Bi-Xenon Leveling/Beam Aim Issue

[Adam86]

Good morning,

I wondered if some people could give me some input and advice with my Bi-Xenon headlights?

I've had my MK3 Titanium X Focus for a year now, I bought it from a JCT600 Peugeot dealership.  When I drove it on a night the headlights felt like they were aimed way too low.  I brought this to JCT600's attention and they said with them being a Peugeot dealership they didn't want to mess with the Xenon’s.  They arranged for a local Ford dealership nearby to sort it out for me.  They raised the headlight levels and everything felt a lot better.

However, my car went for its MOT and service to an independent garage that the family has used for a number of years and they lowered the headlight levels as they said they were too high and an MOT failure.  When taking the car back out that evening, I felt like I was back to square one.  I called in at a garage just down the road from me, and they kindly looked on their MOT bay and they said the headlight levels were ridiculously low and he didn't know how they had managed to get this so wrong.  He tweaked this again and whilst it did feel better, there is a noticeable difference still between my Focus and my brothers MK3 Focus and my wife’s C-Max which both have Bi-Xenon’s as well.

On Wednesday, I called in at my local Ford dealership and asked them if they could check everything over, as it was suggested that the auto levelling sensors may not be working correctly.  I watched from the MOT View window and could see the technician had connected the car to their diagnostics equipment and looked to be testing out the lights as you could see them moving up and down like they do the first time they come on in the car.  He also tweaked the headlight levels a little bit more and when I was handed the key back, they said they had reset the auto levelling sensor but didn't actually say if they had found an issue with this.  Taking the car out that evening it felt a lot better.

The day after I had a tyre pressure warning and so took the car back to the garage who did the MOT and service as they put these tyres on and it had a free puncture guarantee just in case (turned out to be the TPMS Sensor Valve that was leaking).  I had mentioned to them that Ford looked at the lights, they checked them for me and said they were now too high again.  I called back in at the garage just down the road from me and he checked on his and he also said this time they were too high and set them back to the maximum MOT pass level.

I've attached some pictures which will hopefully show this further of each car parked in the same spot.  The shrubs give quite a good indication of the level/beam.  To me, there is a clear difference between all of our cars, and I do understand no car is going to be the same, but my wife's C-Max was MOT'd at the start of August and passed flying colours, and as you can see on the picture, the light goes above each shrub.  The same also applies to my brothers car, which was Most’d in June.  The picture I have attached of my car is when the headlights are at the maximum level for an MOT pass.  I don't understand how two cars are aiming considerably higher and not having any issues like I am.

Sorry it’s a long post, but I am at a loss as to what is going on here.  I just want to be able to drive as well as I can at night in my car!

My Focus:

Brothers Focus:

My Wifes C-Max:

[Abbadon]

To me it looks that the two focus's being compared are parked slightly differently, so may being having an effect. It also SEEMS the C-max s parked further back, but again could just be illusion from camera and dash configuration.

 

Best way to compare would be parked the required 3m (if that correct - i couldn't actually locate the distance in the most recent MOT manual online despite searching for a while!) from a wall, and mark up each on the wall, it would be easier to compare then I think.

[Adam86]

2 hours ago, Abbadon said:

To me it looks that the two focus's being compared are parked slightly differently, so may being having an effect. It also SEEMS the C-max s parked further back, but again could just be illusion from camera and dash configuration.

 

Best way to compare would be parked the required 3m (if that correct - i couldn't actually locate the distance in the most recent MOT manual online despite searching for a while!) from a wall, and mark up each on the wall, it would be easier to compare then I think.

Hi Abbadon,

Cheers for replying - the image from my brothers Focus is from his dashcam so the lens is different as opposed to the other two pictures were just taken from the phone in the middle of the dashboard.  Position wise, whilst they aren't going to be 100% in the same position, each car was stopped just on the give way marker lines, give or take an inch or two, lined up to the central road markings.  The only way my cars headlights hit above the shrubs is to be far back from the marker.

I do also have a couple of pictures comparing the Focus and C-Max on a low wall and there is a clear difference too.  Obviously this isnt going to 100% line up, but we do have a very narrow driveway, so the position won't be too far out given that both cars are pretty much the same size.

My Focus:

C-Max:

 

[michaelburrows]

i think my xenons behave like youres. in the dark they just dont seem to project the light very far.making night driving quite difficult unless main beams go on. then they are bli ding. i didnt know anything could be adjusted and judgjng by the people you have had look at ures there has been no improvement for you. i wish they were manually adjustable as on slightly older cars.im keen to hear more responses to this issue.  

[pcaouolte]

They are manually adjustable like old cars. Yellow plastic adjusters under the bonnet that you can turn with an Allen key. I moved mine up a bit by guesswork whilst shining them on the garage door and they passed the MOT without comment. The auto adjusters move them relative to the manually adjusted start position.

[Adam86]

46 minutes ago, pcaouolte said:

They are manually adjustable like old cars. Yellow plastic adjusters under the bonnet that you can turn with an Allen key. I moved mine up a bit by guesswork whilst shining them on the garage door and they passed the MOT without comment. The auto adjusters move them relative to the manually adjusted start position.

Yes that is what Ford and the other garages did do using an Allen key, however my understanding is that only the horizontal level can be adjusted on the Xenon headlamp units and that adjustment of the beam to the left or right is not possible.

That said, I've seen with my own eyes that my lights are adjusted to the maximum level for an MOT pass and this is why I do not understand why they are so much lower when the other two cars are clearly higher.  Unless for some reason that the two separate garages that the other cars had their MOT done at have turned a blind eye to the other two cars and they are actually too high.

[Abbadon]

There could be issues with the set up at a garage, it wouldn't surprise me!

Again, you can check this yourself, i think it may even be detailed in the cars manual? I think it refers to parking in front of a wall, and setting it to a height using the adjuster.

 

[Adam86]

56 minutes ago, Abbadon said:

There could be issues with the set up at a garage, it wouldn't surprise me!

Again, you can check this yourself, i think it may even be detailed in the cars manual? I think it refers to parking in front of a wall, and setting it to a height using the adjuster.

 

Well it did spring my mind, but each garage has told me that the equipment for testing headlights has to be tested/calibrated and certified every 6 months.  It just seems odd that not one garage is consistant, i'd expect there has to be a small percentage allowed for minor differences between different makes of equipment at each garage.

To me there is a fairly significant difference in the level from the pictures I have shown, particularly when you can see the low wall across the street, and it does have an impact on how well I can see at night.  If it was quite minor difference then I wouldn't be too concerned.

I have considered checking it myself, but then i'd most likely just be back in the same vicious circle come the next MOT and I would rather be driving knowing that my headlights aren't going to be dazzling people because I've been messing with them.

[pcaouolte]

Yes, there is a difference in level between the pictures you have shown. Why not take the car with the highest lights and park up somewhere nice and quiet with a wall as a target. Use some chalk to mark the position of the lights on the wall. Then park your car in exactly the same position and adjust your lights to match the other car. If the other car is not dazzling anyone then you wont be. Next MOT if they decide your lights are too high they will adjust them down a bit and pass it anyway. If you count the number of turns that you make to the adjusters you can always put them back where they are now.  

[DJ_Andy_M]

I don't know if the Bi-xenons on the MK3 are similar the the MK3.5 but there is only one adjuster that is for vertical alignment. The horizontal is done via the trip computer. That's how it is on the MK3.5 anyway. The allen key should be easy access.

[pcaouolte]

I cant find a horizontal adjustment for the Mk3 Bi-xenons at all, nothing that I can see on the light unit and no settings in the menus either.