I just purchased a 2001 E430 4Matic that has Xenon headlights. I also have a 98 S500 with Xenon. When I turn on the headlights in the 500, they drop down and then raise back up and level off (self-levelling).
Question: is this supposed to happen in the E430 as well? I do not see any noticeable movement in the headlights upon switching them on. The light output and cutoff pattern are much better in the 500 also.
Just wondering if I have a problem or if these are operating as intended.
Vehicle: 2001 E430 Sport in Desert Silver and 2002 C320 Sport Wagon in Arctic White
Location: Germantown, Maryland
Posts: 1,510
My last car was a BMW 740 and when i turned the lights on they would also adjust up and down. My E430 will only adjust if the the car is at a strange angle. Its very slight. I do notice movement in the light beam if I'm driving on a road with hills.
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E430 Sport
2001 E430 in Desert Silver with Sport Package, COMAND, Xenon Lights, Rear Sunshade, Heated Seats. Added K40 Stealth Radar, 30% Tint, XM Radio! www.premierbasement.com
fwiw, my 97 E420 had xenon self leveling lights, until i swapped them out for HD bi-xenons from zam2000 and now i piss everyone off that approaches me, but i digress... mine did not move down when turned on but then again yours is 1 year newer and 1 model up so i'm not sure... sorry for wasting your time
I have a 2001 E320 with the Lighting Package (xenons and headlight washers) and as far as I know, these are not self-leveling.
Yes they are. Xenon headlamps are self leveling on W210 and mandatory to have washers as well, as per ECE regulations.
It seems to me that Xenons with projectors have this up and down movement when first turned on.
Cheers
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“Design embodies the values of a company. Even if there were no star, the car must always be recognizable as a Mercedes-Benz.” Peter Pfeiffer, Daimler AG
Vehicle: 2001 E320 - Brilliant Silver/Ash: MBCA member
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 6,381
Franasia,
If you are correct I apologise to the OP for the mis-information. When I engage my headlights, there is a temporary color change in the lights (xenons firing up), but I have never noticed any up/down movement of the beams.
The leveling of the lights at startup is not very pronounced as with other manufacturers. The lights are auto self leveling. If you drive at any gradient, uphill or downhill, they will adjust within a few seconds. If they do not adjust, then you most likely have a problem. The internal leveling cogs are made of plastic and they will eventually wear out and malfunction.
All cars made in Germany equipped with factory xenon lights must have both self-levelling and washers built-in by law, as previously stated on this thread.
This is to ensure that the high-output xenons do not blind other drivers. The self-levelling to keep the beams focused and the washers to ensure that dirt, etc. does not cause the beam to become scattered, potentially blinding other drivers.
Newer cars perform the level check at startup and level the lights. The W210 chassis has sensors mounted on the underside on the suspension. The lights do not level at startup, rather if the sensors detect that the car is not level, motors on the lights will adjust them to the correct level very quickly.
The color change you are seeing at startup with xenons is pretty cool. It is the result of different gases vaporizing at different times. To produce the final light 'color', a plasma discharge arc is created by the vaporization of xenon first, then mercury then halide salts.
Vehicle: 00 ML430 & 01 E430 4matic Both Silver+Black
Location: Washington DC Area
Posts: 289
My current E430 2001 and E320 2000 (which I sold recently) both had factory Xenon lights. I never noticed any leveling on the E320. But my E430 4matic occasionally does adjustment depending on the road conditions. As Benzboy210 wrote;
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benzboy210
All cars made in Germany equipped with factory xenon lights must have both self-leveling and washers built-in by law, as previously stated on this thread.
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