Xenon lights and driving abroad

eidolon · 28 Feb 2010 at 11:08

Question for those who drive to Europe and have xenon lights.

What do you do with regards to beam adjustment? Do those stickers that you put on your headlights still apply or is there some way or adjusting them yourself?

Dandle · 28 Feb 2010 at 11:22

Im pretty sure theres normally a lever on each light unit to change the beam pattern to the continental setting.

SoliD · 28 Feb 2010 at 11:28

Dandle said:
Im pretty sure theres normally a lever on each light unit to change the beam pattern to the continental setting.

What I have on mine, although when I spoke to Honda about a friends Civic they said they were a flat beam or something so did not need adjusting which I thought was a bit wierd.

Dangerous · 28 Feb 2010 at 11:32

The leveler is up and down? Not left to right? My 52 plate ST220 needed changing.

SoliD · 28 Feb 2010 at 11:34

Dangerous said:
The leveler is up and down? Not left to right? My 52 plate ST220 needed changing.

LEVER not leveller. there is a lever on the back of the headlight that adjusts the alignment for driving on the continent.

Dangerous · 28 Feb 2010 at 11:39

Looks like there is switch for newer ST's but it will say in the handbook.

Settleddown · 28 Feb 2010 at 11:57

What happens to a car with Auto levelling Xenon’s, do these still have to be manually adjusted?

mjt · 28 Feb 2010 at 12:01

Settleddown said:
What happens to a car with Auto levelling Xenon’s, do these still have to be manually adjusted?

All xenons should be auto-levelling, but this has nothing to do with moving the beam for continental usage.
One moves the lights up and down, the other moves the projectors left and right.

Dangerous Dave · 28 Feb 2010 at 12:01

Settleddown said:
What happens to a car with Auto levelling Xenon’s, do these still have to be manually adjusted?

The auto leveling is separate from the beam pattern for driving abroad. If you have projector headlight a lever on the back adjusts them some never cars have a option in the OBC to switch them electronically.

SoliD · 28 Feb 2010 at 12:03

Settleddown said:
What happens to a car with Auto levelling Xenon’s, do these still have to be manually adjusted?

yes because that adjusts it up and down not left to right...

Settleddown · 28 Feb 2010 at 12:09

Ah I see I'm being a little silly today, just looked and it is auto beam Levelling.

[TW]Fox · 28 Feb 2010 at 12:44

If you have projector headlights (The beam angle thing is a projector v reflector thing IIRC, not a Xenon v non Xenon) which 99% of Xenon lights will have, there should be a lever/turny thing on the headlight unit itself. There is on mine.

Cybershot · 28 Feb 2010 at 12:57

Instructions and pics here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-mini-cooper-s/128330-xenon-headlights.html

I've never adjusted mine when travelling abroad and haven't had any problems though.

mjt · 28 Feb 2010 at 13:02

Cybershot said:
Instructions and pics here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-mini-cooper-s/128330-xenon-headlights.html

I've never adjusted mine when travelling abroad and haven't had any problems though.

You won't have any problems, it's everyone else who will suffer

Muffin` · 28 Feb 2010 at 13:03

Cybershot said:
Instructions and pics here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-mini-cooper-s/128330-xenon-headlights.html

I've never adjusted mine when travelling abroad and haven't had any problems though.

well YOU wouldn't, thats the point

Settleddown · 28 Feb 2010 at 13:25

Cybershot said:
Instructions and pics here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-mini-cooper-s/128330-xenon-headlights.html

I've never adjusted mine when travelling abroad and haven't had any problems though.

Hahaha yeah its the poor folk being blinded that have the problem!!

thepharcyde · 28 Feb 2010 at 13:38

Driver many times on xenons in France and have never bothered adjusting. Most of the driving was in the summer mind so lights mostly stayed off. Never been flashed though.

mjt · 28 Feb 2010 at 13:53

thepharcyde said:
Driver many times on xenons in France and have never bothered adjusting. Most of the driving was in the summer mind so lights mostly stayed off. Never been flashed though.

You're more likely to annoy the person in front of you rather than someone coming the other way.

Cosimo · 28 Feb 2010 at 14:20

There is a left/right beam adjustment lever on each unit for mine.

oneilldo · 28 Feb 2010 at 17:58

On mine you had to remove each light unit, undo the back of the unit and then flip a switch so I would imagine its almost the same on the boxster.