[N Fotouhi]

My son who primarily drives my 2013 328i Coupe with BMW Dynamic Xenon has been complaining that the headlights shine down and only lights about 4 feet in front of the car. Being an understanding dad, I have been telling him there is nothing wrong with the car and he is doing something wrong. Well, I finally drove the car and he is right. The lights seem pointing down. I do not know how long this has been going on.

The car has Bilstein and has been slightly lowered. There are no warning codes which I understand happens if the module or sensors are faulty.

As most know my DIY skills are at best novice, but after reading many threads on the interweb, it appeared that the problem may be related to the arm of the leveling mechanism/motor having popped out of its socket.
I took the wheel liner off to expose the back of the headlight housing on the passenger side, but unlike many pictures posted, I could not see the end of the arm. The actuator seems tight with no play.
While exposed, I checked, and the light moves left and right when starting the car but does not move down and up.

Pelican has BMW housing at $1300 each, and German OEM that does not have BMW Dynamic Xenon printed on the side at around $800 each.

Here is where I am stuck. The problem is on both sides. How likely is it that actuators on both sides break at the same time? I know there are sensors on the control arms and there is a module, but as far as I have read, if those are the problem, there should be a fault code.

[HoodPin]

I agree that there's probably some central issue affecting both. I wonder if a sensor arm has disconnected from the electronic sensor. So the sensor is still operative (not throwing a code) but its stuck in one position because the arm is disconnected.

[BlackTalon]

I can't speak about your specific car, but when the generation of Volvo I have there is a headlight calibration process that is sometimes needed after replacing battery, messing around with computer settings, etc. I have not experiences it myself in the 18 years I have owned the car, but there are many stories and posts about it on the Volvo forums. To recalibrate requires the Volvo computer analysis system all the dealerships and some shops own (it may have been cloned for the DIY crowd, but I have had no need to research it). So it *may* be as simple as having to go to a dealership and prying open your wallet, but at much less cost than buying new modules (which likely need to be calibrated when installed).

Good luck.

[BillC]

My wife used to have a 2011 335xi, which developed the same problem with the driver's-side headlight -- car looked like it had a stroke, one eye pointing forward and the other pointing almost straight down.

The dealership did something to fix it while it was still under warranty (wouldn't tell us what, just said it was fixed). However, the problem returned again shortly after the warranty expired, and this time the dealer wanted us to pay for a new headlight assembly. By this point, my wife was so fed up with the bimmer just falling apart that she traded it in for something else (non-BMW).

So, no idea how to actually fix the headlights, but it does seem to be a fairly common problem with that generation of cars.

[N Fotouhi]

Thanks for the ideas.
As Bill's post, in threads, people typically mention problem with one side. What puzzles me is that in our case, both sides are pointing down. The problem with the actuator arm seems to be caused by hitting potholes or being in an accident that either pops it out or breaks it.
I had nothing better to do, so I took the driver side F and R wheels off and looked for the sensor attached to the F & R control arms. Both look fine by visual inspection, and nothing seems loose.
I also took the fender liner on the driver side off and again turning the car on and off, it appears as the passenger side.
I am going to try the headlight adjustment after dark tonight to see if that helps. if not, I will have to take it somewhere to have it checked.

[N Fotouhi]

I used the adjusting screw and after several tries, the headlights shine normally. I guess I should have started with the simple fix.
Happy New Year.

[BlackTalon]

Originally Posted by N Fotouhi

I used the adjusting screw and after several tries, the headlights shine normally. I guess I should have started with the simple fix.

Never!

Happy New Year to you and the family.

[cmartin]

I’ve seen the sensors bind up and the connector at the headlight disconnected. Good news the adjuster works. Double check the height against a wall or garage door to make sure you aren’t binding traffic

[LPM911]

Late to the party but my e46 m3 had this issue with both headlights. The single front and single rear sensors LOOKED fine, but after replacing them, all went back to normal.

[N Fotouhi]

Originally Posted by LPM911

Late to the party but my e46 m3 had this issue with both headlights. The single front and single rear sensors LOOKED fine, but after replacing them, all went back to normal.

Lane,
How the heck are you?
Kids must be old enough to hang out at the track. Don’t wait too long to come back or like BT, you forget how to find the way 😂