Headlights: I can barely see 15 feet ahead of me. Misaligned?

[OnTheFence]

I was driving through some twisty back roads the other night, and I could barely see 15 feet ahead of me. It was actually getting slightly dangerous. I kept the brights on. The lights look fine from a distance, but something seems wrong. They should have more "reach". How can I check/adjust this?

[1999 540i m]

I was driving through some twisty back roads the other night, and I could barely see 15 feet ahead of me. It was actually getting slightly dangerous. I kept the brights on. The lights look fine from a distance, but something seems wrong. They should have more "reach". How can I check/adjust this?

Replace the broken adjusters, i'm doing mine tommorow

[mifesto]

+1 grab the back of headlight and see if its loose, if so adjusters are in pieces.

[AnotherGeezer]

Probably misaligned Halogens.

They're crap.

[topaz540i]

adjusters. mine did the same thing. one day i just suddenly realized i could barely see in front of me on the highway...

in the common problems section you will find a d.i.y. guide

[LTBU]

My friend had the same problem on his 525. We had to get to our friends house on a dark road and he had to turn his car 360 degrees a few times to light up the street signs. Adjusters it was.

[OnTheFence]

Did anyone use the links below? There are so many DIY's that I'd like to know I've got the best one.

This looks fairly complete. Use one of these?://headlightreplacement.org/e39-headlight-faq.pdf
http://www.bavauto.com/Assets/inst_pages/ins364.pdf
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=179156

$85/each. Yet the 3rd link at bimmerspecialist is $9. Why the massive discrepancy??
http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?part=E39+HLA+AE
http://www.odometergears.com/product...Sept.+00-03/28
http://www.bimmerspecialist.com/part...027%20924/7784

Should I also replace the bulbs themselves while I've got the headlight out? (120k miles on a 2001)
What do they generally cost?

[adam1979]

Do you have halogens or HIDs? If you have self-leveling HIDs, one of the leveling sensors could be out of place. I think it is commonly the one on the right front control arm.

[adam1979]

Do you have halogens or HIDs? If you have self-leveling HIDs, one of the leveling sensors could be out of place. I think it is commonly the one on the right front control arm.

[j24sailorboy]

The crude/quick fix while you are waiting for the adjusters to arrive is to use a couple of zipties to grab the back of the lightsocket and tug it down until the light assembly is pointed somewhat the right angle. Theres a DIY somewhere for it but its pretty simple.

[topaz540i]

To see if the adjusters are broke grab the plug on the back of the high or low beam bulb and see if it wiggles really bad. You will be able to move it all around inside the headlight. If its good it will be rock solid. Sometimes only one breaks. For me both beams on both headlights broke at the same time, i think it was from the cold. The plastic adjuster is super brittle when it gets old. It just kinda disintegrates.

[Steve530]

OnTheFence,

I'll assume you have HIDs because it's a 530i. HID headlights will have a aluminum box (ballast) with a thick wire going to the low beam bulb bolted to the back of the headlight assembly. The OEM HID headlights are made by Hella. They are good headlights and worthy of the repair.

I replaced the headlight adjusters on my car a few months ago. All four were broken on my car.

I used the DIY in post #8 by findog in the second link you listed. It is accurate. This is relatively easy. I did remove the bulbs and ballast befor I baked the headlights.

I bought adjusters the aluminum adjusters from EAC Tuning. I felt they would be more durable. I think the $9 adjusters are for the pre-facelift halogen headlights.
BTW, EAC will replace the adjusters, but I don't know how much they charge.

As for replacing the bulbs, that's your choice. They should be D2S 35W bulbs. It's easy enough to do with them installed, so there's no advantage to doing them at the same time. If they are the original HID bulbs, they may have dimmed, but the real problem is the broken adjusters.

You may want to polish the headlight lenses. They are probably pitted and may be hazed. It's much easier to polish them while you have them out of the car.

You will need to have the headlights aimed after you replace the adjusters. There's a DIY for that, too. At least adjust them so they don't blind other drivers. I had the dealer adjust my headlights after I replaced the bulbs. The new adjusters and the properly aimed headlights make a huge difference.

Steve

[topaz540i]

When u adjust them it seems most diy's for this are incorrect. There are two knobs but they do not adjust the beams independantly. Mosy diy guides i have seen clain one is high beam one is low beam. This wrong. One knob does horizontal one does vertical both at the same time.

[Steve530]

Correct, both the high and low beams are adjusted together.

On the auto-leveling headlights, the leveling motor connects to the bottom of the bulb assembly. The two adjusters are above that and inboard adn outboard of the motor attachment. So the three form a triangle, with the leveling motor at the bottom.

So if you tighten the inboard adjuster, it will move the bulb assembly toward the center of the car and also move the assembly up. If you loosen the inboard adjuster, it will move the assembly out and down. If you tighten the outboard adjuster, it will move the assembly out and up.

When you replace the adjusters, you'll see how it works.

[ViolinARC]

To see if the adjusters are broke grab the plug on the back of the high or low beam bulb and see if it wiggles really bad. You will be able to move it all around inside the headlight. If its good it will be rock solid. Sometimes only one breaks. For me both beams on both headlights broke at the same time, i think it was from the cold. The plastic adjuster is super brittle when it gets old. It just kinda disintegrates.

+1...both of mine were toast but I think it is due to the use of an inferior grade plastic and heat as opposed to cold. It could have happened more rapidly due to severe temp changes though. As soon as you touched the adjusters in mine, they crumbled like old cheese. It certainly is nice to be able to see farther ahead when cruising these twisty, unlit mountain roads in the pitch black darkness of the forest...

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using BF.com

[bimmerfiver]

Did anyone use the links below? There are so many DIY's that I'd like to know I've got the best one.

This looks fairly complete. Use one of these?://headlightreplacement.org/e39-headlight-faq.pdf
http://www.bavauto.com/Assets/inst_pages/ins364.pdf
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=179156

$85/each. Yet the 3rd link at bimmerspecialist is $9. Why the massive discrepancy??
http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?part=E39+HLA+AE
http://www.odometergears.com/product...Sept.+00-03/28
http://www.bimmerspecialist.com/part...027%20924/7784

Should I also replace the bulbs themselves while I've got the headlight out? (120k miles on a 2001)
What do they generally cost?

Wait.
Okay.
Start a thread.
Then you research and find all the answers.
Hint, it's supposed to be the other way around...research, read, learn and then avoid the thread.
Are your bulbs dim and bad OnTheFence?
How is God's own name would WE know?
Do you know?

Should you replace your bulbs first and go from there?
Should you read about 'how to aim bmw e39 lights' to see how it's done, perform a 'test' on a wall with your car's lights to 'see' if they are 'off'?

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1317375

Posting threads about the tail, trying to wag the dog...makes no sense.

[94bimmer740il]

mine i think are broke

[ViolinARC]

mine i think are broke

Pointing straight down to the ground? Most likely failed adjusters and an easy fix if you don't have to bake your lights...mine kick ass now. No more forced high beams.

[Rallim]

I got a quick question. Are the halogen and xenon adjusters the same?

[exbenz]

I got a quick question. Are the halogen and xenon adjusters the same?

From what I've gathered no.

[jamesdc4]

No update from OnTheFence??

[exbenz]

No update from OnTheFence??

He did find out that he has OEM xenons, and ordered new phillips 85122's... Not sure about his resolution to the adjusters though.

[bigjoe87865]

I have the same issue.... It seems to not light up the road much

I checked my adjusters few months ago and from what I gather, they seem to be fine.

I tugged on each of the 4 bulb sockets (the rubber dust cap area) and they seem snug, not loose and wobbly. the projectors stayed put (few mm of play)

when I start the lights, I see it move up during the start up procedure (does this mean my adjusters are fine?)

I have an 03 with HID's, most likely non bake-able

[AnotherGeezer]

How are your lenses?

Are they foggier than the seacoast in the morning?

[exbenz]

I have the same issue.... It seems to not light up the road much

I checked my adjusters few months ago and from what I gather, they seem to be fine.

I tugged on each of the 4 bulb sockets (the rubber dust cap area) and they seem snug, not loose and wobbly. the projectors stayed put (few mm of play)

when I start the lights, I see it move up during the start up procedure (does this mean my adjusters are fine?)

I have an 03 with HID's, most likely non bake-able

Have the bulbs ever been replaced? Xenon bulbs never technically burn out like halogens, they just loose lumens (output) over the years.