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I searched quite a bit and would like to know how to manually set the height of the Bi-Xenon auto-level headlights on our 2004 E500 wagon. Many forum discussions mention turn a "nut" and/ or a Phillips head screw or you can't do it and only Star can do it. There does not seem to be any definitive answer.
I only see one large plastic hex nut on the top of the headlamp unit that looks like it would adjust something?
Our low beams are dangerously low High beams are perfect. The lights do "bounce" upon power up and the leveling system appears to work properly. Just want to bring the low beams up a tad bit if possible. Thanks.
Headlamp range adjustment on your model W211 requires DAS.
Control units, Body, Headlamp Range adjustment, Guided Tests, sensors, zero position adjustment.
You can do it with DAS or take it to the dealer and have them realign the low beams.
Are you sure the rear of your car is not elevated too high or the front too low? If air springs were replaced or other work performed on the front or rear suspension it is possible the suspension sensors are out of calibration.
I did recently replace the rear air springs and if anything thought maybe the rear was a bit low. Took it to a local reputable Indy and he measured the top of the tires to the fender wells on a level surface and said the "ride height was just fine. No need for Star re-calibration"
I have read about the large grey plastic nut on the top of the headlight housing and it's associated Philips screw down inside of it. There was conversation about turning the grey nut counter clockwise to raise them and something about the inner Philips screw for side to side adjustment. Then I also read that if those screws are adjusted too much the internals will fall apart.
So from the PDF (thank you) I am reading that on the W211 with self leveling Bi-Xenon Headlamps only Star can adjust the headlight height.
I can believe that this is true but have a hard time believing that MB didn't have some manual adjust-ability to the headlamps? I don't want to try and turn that plastic nut and/ or Philips screw to find out that I broke something.
Are we sure this plastic nut with internal Philips screw is not the manual height adjustment for the Bi-Xenon auto leveling headlamps? If not, what is it for?
Are we sure this plastic nut with internal Philips screw is not the manual height adjustment for the Bi-Xenon auto leveling headlamps? If not, what is it for?
I'd like to know this as well. I have an 08 E63 with bixenon - the drivers side low beam is basically aiming at the floor.
Just for the hell of it, I went out to my garage and turned that knob both one way and then the other; it does NOT adjust the height.
Just like I posted above, you *must* have DAS to adjust the headlight range on a W211. You may not like hearing it, but that's the way it is.
Reference fender height; the suspension is calibrated by swing arm angles; I've posted on this multiple times. I can't speak for a wagon, but on my E55, the rear drive axle inclination is -0.9 to -1.5 degrees inclination. The front control arm inclination is 3.1 to 4.1 degrees. I've posted on this before. One can correlate fender height to axle or control arm inclination but just measuring the fender height (unless you know how it corresponds to axle/control arm inclination) is useless.
Did you happen to try and turn the Phillips screw in the sunken center of the grey plastic nut?
Am I understanding correctly that the Bi-Xenon projector has a "door/ gate" that pivots down to block a portion of the beam for low beam operation and during high beam operation, the door swings entirely away?
If that is so, then is adjusting the low beam height a factor of adjusting the door/ gate and/ or the beam height motor?
Just trying to get my head around this projector assembly, how it is controlled and possibly not have to go to the dealer if I don't have to. Thanks for the replies and the info about how to properly level the vehicle.
Last edited by Sleeper Benz; Sep 11, 2017 at 10:15 AM.
YouTube has several videos on the shutter used in the headlight assembly. I noticed that the videos showed several other models that appear to use a solenoid to snap the shutter up or down. Be aware the W211 uses a stepper motor, not a solenoid. (Yay for being different! I agree that a simple adjustment screw would be nice to have.)
Headlight alignment is pretty much as follows:
-place headlight alignment targets in front of car
-parking brake set, engine running, transmission in neutral
-raise, then lower the car using the airmatic switch
-using DAS, adjust headlight stepper motor to align light pattern with target
-program new stepper motor values into the car as the new "zero level values"
I'm going to have to try the above as I replaced and calibrated my car's suspension but I did not re-zero the headlights. I've noticed my W211 low beams seem a bit lower than my W210 low beams; when I calibrated the suspension on the W211, I set the rear inclination values to middle of the range (-1.2 degrees) and front inclination values to the lowest end of the range (3.1 degrees). This gives the car a rakish look with the front visibly lower than the rear albeit at the cost of lowering the low beam cutoff.
Looks like I'll have a new entry for the STAR diagnostics how-to sticky section.
Yes saw some of the videos, but as you mentioned, not much on the W211 Bi-Xenon's. Understood about the stepper motor. That makes much more sense why you would need STAR to set the low beam shutter positions.
Does anyone have an exploded view of the W211 Bi-Xenon head lamp assembly (Code 614 self leveling version) ?
I still would like to see what that top mounted gray plastic nut with the Phillips screw in the middle does on ours. It appears that the Phillips screw in the middle turns with it. I'll give it a try a night time on a wall to see if it does anything.
Looks like there are several versions of this headlamp assembly depending on where the vehicle was delivered. Ours is a USA Code "614 Bi-Xenon Headlamps for Right Hand Traffic". I never did notice ours having cornering ability. Only up/down movement.
Other codes:
612 headlamp xenon right hand traffic
613 lamp unit - assymetrical, left hand traffic
614 Bi-xenon headlamps for right hand traffic
615 bi-xenon headlight with aktive curvelight right drive
616 bi-xenon headlight with aktive curvelight left drive
617 xenon headlamps, left hand traffic
618 bi-xenon headlamps for left hand traffic
619 cornering illumination
621 bi-xenon headlight unit with intelligent light system
622 bi-xenon headlight unit with intelligent light system
I believe this video shows the "solenoid" shutter version as it appears either to be up or down...possibly hitting an adjustable internal mechanical stop:
This adjustment procedure is for the MB Van with Bi-Xenons shows low beam shutter stepper motor movement, but has manual adjustments for up/down - left/right.
Thanks for the link to the pics of the internals. It looks like that gray plastic nut is connected via gears and a shaft to the Halogen High Beam lamp height adjustment.
Looking at the video of the MB VAN obviously there is an adjustment for the low beam shutter stepper motor, but one would think there is also an adjustment for the overall height of the main Xenon beam. Probably a stepper motor as well.
Interesting point made here by member Glyn M Ruck about BiX adjustments on the CLK: "Also remember that the high beam inner halogens move in unison with the projectors on genuine BiX"
I'll have to take another look and see if there are internal gears that combine both of these movements. I understand that even with the possible ability to adjust the main beam height the shutter will still follow the level sensors.
Last edited by Sleeper Benz; Sep 13, 2017 at 02:47 PM.
I'm hoping some of this information can help me. I swapped my pre-face lift OEM Xenons for face lift bi-xenons last year. Low beams work fine, high beams are still triggering the halogens only. When I turn the lows on, they will only auto-adjust 3-4 minutes later, rather than after igniting. I have instrument cluster errors for low beam, cornering, etc, but they've been working fine. No access to a DAS unfortunately. Hopefully someone can shed some light. (haaa)
I'm hoping some of this information can help me. I swapped my pre-face lift OEM Xenons for face lift bi-xenons last year. Low beams work fine, high beams are still triggering the halogens only. When I turn the lows on, they will only auto-adjust 3-4 minutes later, rather than after igniting. I have instrument cluster errors for low beam, cornering, etc, but they've been working fine. No access to a DAS unfortunately. Hopefully someone can shed some light. (haaa)
There is a thread somewhere about re-wiring the headlight. I remember seeing it somewhere when someone updated their preface lift headlights to the face lifted ones.
The ballasts are different as well on the older style headlights vs the newer ones. That might have something to do with it as well with what problems you are having.
You really do need to find someone with DAS/Xentry/Star to be able to look into what is happening.
I just had the front bumper cover off of my E350 with the bi-xenons. I had to replace the pass side head light assy. It does have the active curve and auto adjust. What I found is the whole assy has three mounting points. These mounting points are adjustable via a larger "screw" through the plastic tabs. This adjustment screw has smaller threads inside of it that the mount bolts secure to. So you can adjust the headlight fitment for body gaps etc. So lets say you replace the headlight assy. The computer controlled bulb will do its automatic dance like always. But its counting on the reflective surfaces of the housing to be exactly where they were when it was calibrated. Except they aren't. I was able with my bumper cover off to turn on the lights and then adjust the housings to get things where i needed them. A little bit goes along way. Time consuming, yes. Easier to use the electronic method? yes. But still doable without if you want to put in the time.
So looking at the photos below I see one of the headlight mounting tabs that looks like it has an adjustable mount nut and the second one that doesn't. Is that correct?
If so then are there only two similar adjustment mount nuts?
Disregard the screw driver/ screw shown. I see the large silver mount nut...
This side mount looks non-adjustable?
I think this photo shows the bottom mount as well. Something different about these photos makes me think I'm see different headlamp units on the W211...
Last edited by Sleeper Benz; Sep 29, 2017 at 09:26 AM.
The mount with red arrow can be shimmed out with a washer. The pics are aftermarket replacement tabs to repair housing whose tabs have broken off. Yes those silver nuts screw in and out adjusting the housing position.
YouTube has several videos on the shutter used in the headlight assembly. I noticed that the videos showed several other models that appear to use a solenoid to snap the shutter up or down. Be aware the W211 uses a stepper motor, not a solenoid. (Yay for being different! I agree that a simple adjustment screw would be nice to have.)
Headlight alignment is pretty much as follows:
-place headlight alignment targets in front of car
-parking brake set, engine running, transmission in neutral
-raise, then lower the car using the airmatic switch
-using DAS, adjust headlight stepper motor to align light pattern with target
-program new stepper motor values into the car as the new "zero level values"
I'm going to have to try the above as I replaced and calibrated my car's suspension but I did not re-zero the headlights. I've noticed my W211 low beams seem a bit lower than my W210 low beams; when I calibrated the suspension on the W211, I set the rear inclination values to middle of the range (-1.2 degrees) and front inclination values to the lowest end of the range (3.1 degrees). This gives the car a rakish look with the front visibly lower than the rear albeit at the cost of lowering the low beam cutoff.
Looks like I'll have a new entry for the STAR diagnostics how-to sticky section.
asked my Mercedes repair shop to see if he was able to adjust height using Star/DAS. he said he wasn't able to find anywhere to set this and its linked by computer to my height sensors. he said, it might be in there, but he wasn't able to find where to set this. my headlights can move up down, left right using the headlight motors.
do you know where in Star/DAS this setting is located?
asked my Mercedes repair shop to see if he was able to adjust height using Star/DAS. he said he wasn't able to find anywhere to set this and its linked by computer to my height sensors. he said, it might be in there, but he wasn't able to find where to set this. my headlights can move up down, left right using the headlight motors.
do you know where in Star/DAS this setting is located?
Post #4 mentioned an internal Phillip screw, that’s where you can adjust projector to go up or down but with a large Allen wrench. I had the opportunity to dissect the Bi Xenon headlights assembly and figure it out. This is my theory.... 😄 will update
manually raised auto-leveling bi-xenons with unconventional method
I was able to manually adjust the height of my auto-leveling bi-xenons by turning this mounting nut in or out, thus pivoting the headlights up or down. My original plan was to shim out the headlights with washers at this mounting point, but then discovered that the nuts (fixed on the headlights) were adjustable. Hope this info helps some fellow W211 owners.
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High beams are perfect. The lights do "bounce" upon power up and the leveling system appears to work properly. Just want to bring the low beams up a tad bit if possible. Thanks.
