The headlights on my car are definitely aimed too low, compared to any other car I've driven recently (including my BMW with HIDs) their range stops much closer to the car meaning you can't actually see anything on the road until it's really close to the car. As most of you will know, there's no interior adjuster with HIDs as it's done automatically to compensate for load etc. So I reckon the actual baseline adjusters on the lights themselves have been incorrectly set. There is no warning on the MID so I expect all the sensors and motors etc are working OK.

Does anyone have a diagram of which screw does what? I guess it may be in the owners' manual but I don't have one. I have a copy of the facelift manual but those have different headlights.

Cheers
Paul.

Bugger... forget that idea then. Guess I'll just get used to being limited to seeing no more than 10m in front of the car when it's dark

[font=Sans-Serif][/font]Do you mean Main or Dipped beam?       When I got my '99 Elite, I was embarrassed by how high the headlight aim was, both on main & dipped beam. No fault messages, but I know how annoying these Xenon headlights are from being constantly dazzled by other w***kers dipped beams.       I physically moved the headlamps position by elongating the top mounting screw holes into slots, and the dipped beam is now a bit low, but non-dazzling to other drivers.   The main beam (non-xenon?) is still a bit high, but useable!   Wonder if it's worth paying a Vx garage to check them?

You could always try like I did, and physically move the lights, but then I suppose your main beams would be up in the trees!!   So many of these Xenon lights are just too high, but it seems to be accepted now.    I wonder if there's a way of adjusting dip & main beams seperately?..................Doubt it!!
If you find the answer let me know.
Cheers.

I love how Vauxhall are so thoughtful on our behalf, a very community spirited company. Of course, they'd do this adjustment for free seeing as it's probably been off since the day the car left the factory     

Coincidentally (or not), the only other car I've driven with such a short range on the headlights was a Vectra CDX my dad owned a few years back... spot the trend: yep it's a Vauxhall, yep it's got HIDs, yep it'll cost you whatever the dealer feels like to adjust the lights. Although that was the least of the worries with that car, one of the HIDs completely conked out requiring complete headlight replacement (£800 under warranty) and sometimes it randomly required a minute of cranking before it started. He got rid of it by the time it reached two years old, a wise decision I'd say! Not to mention it handled like a boat with a hole in the hull

Anything outside of these tolerences set by DoT should be an MOT failure...

TheBoy wrote on 08. Aug 2006 at 21:18:


Seems VX set them to the lowest permitted then, as it's plenty low enough to be near dangerous when driving quickly at night. Especially when you're getting an onslaught of SUVs with their stupidly high mounted lights glaring - they should ban HIDs on those damn things, or preferably ban the damn tractors completely unless you can prove full-time employment as a farmer!

TheBoy wrote on 09. Aug 2006 at 20:26:


Nah mate, scotland I'm afraid!