Headlight malfunction
11-01-2006, 08:03 AM
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I've noticed my headlights( adaptive xenon with high beam assist ) on high beam were very weak.
I've now discovered that when on high beam , the Xenons go up onto high beam, but the inner non-Xenon head lights ( the ones for high beam only )don't switch on at all; this is the same whether the lights are on auto or not, or whether high beam assist is on or not.
If you pull the left hand stalk towards you to flash the headlights, the inner head lights work as they should, so its not a fuse or bulbs.
Down to the dealer and....surprise, surprise...suspect software problem
Anyone else seen anything like this?
I've now discovered that when on high beam , the Xenons go up onto high beam, but the inner non-Xenon head lights ( the ones for high beam only )don't switch on at all; this is the same whether the lights are on auto or not, or whether high beam assist is on or not.
If you pull the left hand stalk towards you to flash the headlights, the inner head lights work as they should, so its not a fuse or bulbs.
Down to the dealer and....surprise, surprise...suspect software problem
Anyone else seen anything like this?
11-01-2006, 08:13 AM
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What is high beam assist?
The way you describe your headlight function is how they are designed to work here in the US.
The way you describe your headlight function is how they are designed to work here in the US.
11-01-2006, 08:38 AM
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Originally Posted by VTbound' post='351176' date='Nov 1 2006, 05:13 PM
What is high beam assist?
The way you describe your headlight function is how they are designed to work here in the US.
The way you describe your headlight function is how they are designed to work here in the US.
In the US you rely on the outer xenon headlights only for full beam?..that makes the inner (high beam only )headlights redundant. Surely when your car is on high beam all four headlights are on???
11-01-2006, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by cerbera' post='351181' date='Nov 1 2006, 05:38 PM
Surely when your car is on high beam all four headlights are on???
The halogen headlights (inner pair) are there only for flashing and - in some countries, including the US - as daytime driving lights.
I'm surprised that your assessment of high beam Xenons is so negative, mine are the best headlights I've ever seen or tested. Then again, if there is a software problem, then that may be the reason, though I struggle to think what "software" problem could be. I doubt that the flap movement is managed in any but the crudest on/off way, so it would either not work at all or the issue would be mechanical, not software.
11-01-2006, 10:29 AM
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Originally Posted by cerbera' post='351181' date='Nov 1 2006, 12:38 PM
High beam assist is an automatic function that switches the headlights between dipped and high beam automatically if a car is coming towards you.
In the US you rely on the outer xenon headlights only for full beam?..that makes the inner (high beam only )headlights redundant. Surely when your car is on high beam all four headlights are on???
In the US you rely on the outer xenon headlights only for full beam?..that makes the inner (high beam only )headlights redundant. Surely when your car is on high beam all four headlights are on???
11-01-2006, 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by dlevi67' post='351185' date='Nov 1 2006, 07:09 PM
Not in the US, not in the UK, not anywhere else. If you have Xenon headlights, there is only one bulb, and the difference between dipped and high beam is only due to a flap that cuts half the beam (the "high" half) when you have dipped beam on. The flap then drops out of the way for high beam.
The halogen headlights (inner pair) are there only for flashing and - in some countries, including the US - as daytime driving lights.
The halogen headlights (inner pair) are there only for flashing and - in some countries, including the US - as daytime driving lights.
11-01-2006, 11:46 AM
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Originally Posted by dlevi67' post='351185' date='Nov 1 2006, 06:09 PM
Not in the US, not in the UK, not anywhere else. If you have Xenon headlights, there is only one bulb, and the difference between dipped and high beam is only due to a flap that cuts half the beam (the "high" half) when you have dipped beam on. The flap then drops out of the way for high beam.
The halogen headlights (inner pair) are there only for flashing and - in some countries, including the US - as daytime driving lights.
I'm surprised that your assessment of high beam Xenons is so negative, mine are the best headlights I've ever seen or tested. Then again, if there is a software problem, then that may be the reason, though I struggle to think what "software" problem could be. I doubt that the flap movement is managed in any but the crudest on/off way, so it would either not work at all or the issue would be mechanical, not software.
The halogen headlights (inner pair) are there only for flashing and - in some countries, including the US - as daytime driving lights.
I'm surprised that your assessment of high beam Xenons is so negative, mine are the best headlights I've ever seen or tested. Then again, if there is a software problem, then that may be the reason, though I struggle to think what "software" problem could be. I doubt that the flap movement is managed in any but the crudest on/off way, so it would either not work at all or the issue would be mechanical, not software.
I don't know how this works for the US market, for example where it would appear that for some strange reason the inner halogens are only for the flashing function. I cannot understand why any legislation would dictate that 2 headlights are made redundant for the full beam mode - surely the more light the better until passing oncoming traffic?
11-01-2006, 12:00 PM
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surely the more light the better until passing oncoming traffic?
11-01-2006, 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by dawi' post='351233' date='Nov 1 2006, 08:46 PM
Not so, at least for the UK anyway. You are right that full beam is the outer xenons with the flap raised out of the beam but the inner halogens also light up. Therefore, on full beam all 4 lights are illuminated.
I don't know how this works for the US market, for example where it would appear that for some strange reason the inner halogens are only for the flashing function. I cannot understand why any legislation would dictate that 2 headlights are made redundant for the full beam mode - surely the more light the better until passing oncoming traffic?
I don't know how this works for the US market, for example where it would appear that for some strange reason the inner halogens are only for the flashing function. I cannot understand why any legislation would dictate that 2 headlights are made redundant for the full beam mode - surely the more light the better until passing oncoming traffic?
I have no idea why not, but I can assure you that the inner pair are very firmly switched off (the angel eyes are on) on mine, and on all other E60/E61 I have seen that had high beams on when crossing me (thank God most of them switched them off PDQ!).
The US is a strange place for car lighting anyway. Until the late 1980s regulations there forbade using headlights integrated with the car's fairing - they had to be separate self-contained units, hence the strange look of Merc 123s and "old" S-class (140?)
Przemek: I think the reason for having the halogens is that Xenons take some time to "wake up" to full brightness, and are therefore useless for flashing purposes.
EDIT: Unless - for some reason - the "4 lights on" IS a software-determined feature, and it has been introduced in (say) CIP 20 or later; my car is running 19 AFAIK, and the majority of E60 on the road are that spec (MY2006) or earlier. At any rate, having experimented with the halogens and the Xenons (one at a time), there's no way the halogens would add significant amounts of light to the Xenons, so Cerbera must have some other problem.
11-01-2006, 03:59 PM
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Originally Posted by dlevi67' post='351253' date='Nov 1 2006, 09:47 PM
No they don't. Not on my E61, which BTW is a UK model, not an import, just in case...
I have no idea why not, but I can assure you that the inner pair are very firmly switched off (the angel eyes are on) on mine, and on all other E60/E61 I have seen that had high beams on when crossing me (thank God most of them switched them off PDQ!).
The US is a strange place for car lighting anyway. Until the late 1980s regulations there forbade using headlights integrated with the car's fairing - they had to be separate self-contained units, hence the strange look of Merc 123s and "old" S-class (140?)
Przemek: I think the reason for having the halogens is that Xenons take some time to "wake up" to full brightness, and are therefore useless for flashing purposes.
EDIT: Unless - for some reason - the "4 lights on" IS a software-determined feature, and it has been introduced in (say) CIP 20 or later; my car is running 19 AFAIK, and the majority of E60 on the road are that spec (MY2006) or earlier. At any rate, having experimented with the halogens and the Xenons (one at a time), there's no way the halogens would add significant amounts of light to the Xenons, so Cerbera must have some other problem.
I have no idea why not, but I can assure you that the inner pair are very firmly switched off (the angel eyes are on) on mine, and on all other E60/E61 I have seen that had high beams on when crossing me (thank God most of them switched them off PDQ!).
The US is a strange place for car lighting anyway. Until the late 1980s regulations there forbade using headlights integrated with the car's fairing - they had to be separate self-contained units, hence the strange look of Merc 123s and "old" S-class (140?)
Przemek: I think the reason for having the halogens is that Xenons take some time to "wake up" to full brightness, and are therefore useless for flashing purposes.
EDIT: Unless - for some reason - the "4 lights on" IS a software-determined feature, and it has been introduced in (say) CIP 20 or later; my car is running 19 AFAIK, and the majority of E60 on the road are that spec (MY2006) or earlier. At any rate, having experimented with the halogens and the Xenons (one at a time), there's no way the halogens would add significant amounts of light to the Xenons, so Cerbera must have some other problem.