ABA

I need to adjust the my Xenon headlight. Curently it is a bit to low on the right side (mine is right hand drive). I found 2 plastic screws on the headlight assembly. Could anyone please tell me the function of the 2 screws. I think screw #2 is to adjust the height of the beam but I am not sure about screw #1.

CitronC230K_03

arent the xenons auto-leveling? i thought so atleast, though i may be mistaken.

S_kLaSse

I believe the driver side light always set lower than the passenger side. My xenon does that too.

CitronC230K_03

thats what i thought as well. since the driver side light is closer to on coming traiffic that the light was set further down then the passenger side. but again i thought xenon lights had to have auto adjust, or is that just in europe!

vyse

I think all drivers side headlights are aimed lower; even my regular halogen lights are aimed lower.

young

there's a sample pic of the light pattern (xenons on the left, halogens on the right side). the driver's side should be lower.

ABA

Yes, driver side light is aimed lower. I would like to adjust the coverage on the left and right to be more like Young's attached picture. Currently my left side is too wide I think. I will checkl and compare it to Young's pic.

Anyone knows the usage of the 2 adjusting screws on the light? (Please see pic. in the original posting above)

young

my guess - #2 is the height adjustment. #1? i have no idea - maybe the reflector for high beams?

i'd just try them out. i think there is a horizontal adjustment knob also but i thought that was on the side of the housing.
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=18435

MBenzNL

Somehow mbworld doesn't link pictures from msn communities (I guess the URL has too many characters)...for those interested in pictures, copy/paste the links between the img tags.

Number 2 is for adjusting the leight height...number 1 is for adjusting the upwards angel in horizontal way...

adjustingknob #2:
picture 1

adjustingknob #1:
picture 2

US-spec lights have a pattern like this: ____--_ and these US-spec headlights have the second adjustment knob covered with a black plastic plate (meaning that one is not supposed to adjust the light pattern left/right-wise).
picture 3
US lightpattern out of a 203 bix headlight...

Euro-spec headlights however have a strong angle going upwards at the side of the road...it looks like _____/ . With these lightpatterns it is important to adjust the upward going angle in a way that it angles up at the side of the road and not somewhere on the raod in front of the car... THESE EURO LIGHTS use both adjusting knobs (in contrary of the US-spec lights).
picture 4
Euro-spec W203 bix...

The righthand steerd models have the same kind of light pattern as the euro ones BUT they angle up in a mirrored way... the pattern looks like \____ . With these headlight the angle needs to be adjusted left/rightwise as well.
picture 5
leftside drive/righthand steered W203 bix lightpattern

The auto levelling system only adjusts the height of the lightpattern and does that in combination with the load that is in the car when the car is started...the levelling motors go down and up to the right lightheight.
Eventhough these lights have a selflevelling system, the lightpattern needs to be manual aimed to get the proper default setting!

greetingz,

Lynn

My US coupe has halogen headlights that are both E-code and DOT legal. The beam pattern is the Euro pattern with a definite beam cut-off...._____/ If the bi-xenons have the pattern shown by MBenzNL, it is a step backward.

C230 Sport Coup

So, just adjusted my headlights.
Wow I can see the road!

What parts do I need for the Euro set up with switch on the dash!
I want it!

I did notice the funky light pattern, geez it sux.
About the 2nd knob thats covered.
Anyone adjust that?
Get a better pattern?
Any suggestions?

Lynn

The knob that is covered adjust the beam left and right. It is best not to mess with it. The beam pattern is controlled by the fluted pattern on the lens for the halogen or xenons and the shape of the reflector and shutter for the bi-xenons.

Drew_ML

It's actually a sliding cover only, so it's not completely blocked off. I have adjusted mine, with the help of the Bosch light box, and it does make a difference as it alters the hotspots. That knob adjusts the projector assembly itself left/right, so it can make a difference indeed. The cutoff ___/----- is not quite as pronounced as the Bi-Xenons in my ML though, I'd have to say. I've noticed the same for the '03 S-class, but not the '03 E-class. Rather odd since they're made by Bosch (and the ML's by Hella).

truelove

here is what each headlamp (driver's side and passenger side) should look like roughly. they both produce a pattern like this when shining on something vertical (like a wall 30 or 40 feet away) and when shined on something very far away (like the road) they will pretty much overlap the same space. also, you'll notice out over the road this will produce the pattern in the pictures young posted. both headlamps will produce this pattern and should be at about the same horizontal level. yes, the light pattern should be lower on the left side and higher on the right, but this is the light pattern for both headlamps, it does not mean that the driver's side is aimed lower than the passenger.

remember, each headlamp covers the ENTIRE area in front of your car (they both contribute to the illumination of the entire road, if you lose a headlamp, you won't lose one side of the illuminated roadway, you'll just lose intensity of the light overall), so just lowering or raising one headlamp as opposed to the other will do little to nothing for the light pattern on the left and right side of the road out in front of you.

ah yes, and while the xenons are auto leveling, they are not independent. they level together. so if one is a little lower than the other, it will still be a little lower than the other even after leveling. trust me, before my accident, my headlamps were perfectly aimed, but after i got my car fixed, my right one is a little low (now that i've found this thread, i can fix it myself tonight, yea!!).

sorry, i can't save this pic as a jpeg on the computer i'm on.

truelove

here is what the pattern will look like out in front of you if one light is lower than the other as in my situation right now.

MBenzNL

That second adjustment knob is covered for a specific reason...you are not supposed to adjust it...it is already set at the "best possible" default setup...
There is really no gain in adjusting the US spec xenon "spot" from left to right...

greetingz,

truelove

can we adjust the height without any problems? (warranty, legality, etc.) it's a user adjustable thing right? or does it have to be done by a 'professional'?

Lynn

How to aim your headlights.

C230 Sport Coup

PS>
I don't have Xenon's but the knobs are the same.

Wow. Before someone goes out and spend big bucks on aftermarket Xenon's, just try adjusting the stock lights.
What an improvement.

I've ended up raising the right headlight a little more than the left
(ie drivers side).
This prevents me from blinding oncoming drivers, while at the same time, illuminating the right side of the road, signs readable. due to the wierd pattern. Wow is it wierd.
I have a car with Cibie "Z" beams. I thought those were wierd!

Before I couldn't see squat without the brights on. So far no one has "flashed" me, so it looks to be OK, after tweaking it several times. Of course lowering the car an inch in the front likely contributed to making the problem unbearable.

As always, thanks to everyone here, especially for the pics.

raunen

while trying to aim my headlight, i stripped one of the screws. any idea how i can replace the screw?

i know now that i shouldn't have touched the covered screw, but i did. there is a black spot projected in the light path and i can't figure out how to fix it (the lens is clean and so is the cover. the light assembly was just replaced three days ago). i tried adjusting the beam up, down, left, right and the black projection is still there. i would appreciate some advice if anyone has experience with these things.

thanks!

MBenzNL

that is why it is better to use a 13mm socket instead of a flat or phillips screwdriver...

that screw can only be changed after taking the headlight apart.

greetingz,

raunen

both my headlights had to be replaced (first the driver side started flickering, then my passenger side followed; was told the ignitors were faulty).

the problem i am trying to resolve now: there is a shadow/dark spot projected in the light path. it is very annoying when driving at night. this first appeared after i screwed around with the covered screw and now i can' reset it to the original position... when the passenger side light was replaced, it lead to two dark spots but the new one is much less annoying than the driver side's shadow (it is more spread out).

i finally found a way to show the shadow to the service advisor so he doesn't think i'm loco:

i took a large sheet of thick white paper (the kind the service guys put in your car when the car is in for service) and projected the light onto it, and took some pictures. the pictures are below (first two are driver side, last two are passenger side). the white rectangle in each picture leads right up to the said shadows.

if someone has BiX, would you mind trying to take a similar picture? i'm more confident now that there isn't anything wrong with the lights: they just need an adjustment... but i'd like to know if others also have them.

also, these pictures show the cross marks that are supposed to be used for aiming the lights (look in the center of the brightest spot in the last picture for the best shot).

gaiex

Hey STEVE, I couldn't see the pics, I searched in all you msn site and no luck!!!
Last time you posted these instructions I also couldn't see the pics, it say "page not found"
I just want to see the first 2 pics, to see whats what!!! :p

raunen

i've attached two pictures. the lower screw (by the yellow sticker) adjusts the light up/down. the upper screw (covered in the first picture and uncovered in the second picture) adjusts the light left/right.

note the screws strip easily; heed Steve's advice.

gaiex

Thanks a lot RAUNEN