Can the OBDEleven adjust 245 LED headlights?

[PetrolDave]

Fog lights are low mounted - they have to be below a certain height to be classed as fog lamps, so anything built in to the headlamp is not a fog light.

[Felvo]

1 minute ago, PetrolDave said:

Fog lights are low mounted - they have to be below a certain height to be classed as fog lamps, so anything built in to the headlamp is not a fog light.

 

Yes we’re aware that fog lights are low mounted.

 

We are talking about the led static lights inside the main beam housing.

[PetrolDave]

4 minutes ago, Felvo said:

 

Yes we’re aware that fog lights are low mounted.

 

We are talking about the led static lights inside the main beam housing.

Reading through the thread it seems that many posters were confused, so I thought I would clarify what are and are not fog lights.

 

It was only the picture of the headlamps that seemed to end the confusion over terminology 

[Felvo]

Just now, PetrolDave said:

Reading through the thread it seems that many posters were confused, so I thought I would clarify what are and are not fog lights.

 

It was only the picture of the headlamps that seemed to end the confusion over terminology 

Good save lol

 

However I’m gunna chuck a curve ball out there. I sold Skoda’s up until last month and the Karoq headlamp setup got me. So the fog lamps are directly under the main headlamps indicated by an independent switch to turn on and off AND they’re cornering lamps... Look how high up it is!

[PetrolDave]

54 minutes ago, Felvo said:

However I’m gunna chuck a curve ball out there. I sold Skoda’s up until last month and the Karoq headlamp setup got me. So the fog lamps are directly under the main headlamps indicated by an independent switch to turn on and off AND they’re cornering lamps... Look how high up it is!

So long as the centre of the fog lamps are under 1200mm and the centre of the headlamps are over 1200mm from the ground there's no problem

[Felvo]

18 minutes ago, PetrolDave said:

So long as the centre of the fog lamps are under 1200mm and the centre of the headlamps are over 1200mm from the ground there's no problem

I reckon that piece of bumper that resides in between the lights is bang on 1200mm

[juan27]

I thought the UK rules were that lights below a certain height can only be used in poor weather conditions (ie as fog lights).  That is different from fog lights having to be mounted at that height. 

 

If you do have to put fog lamps at that height it that begs the question when is a fog lamp a fog lamp?   Its not illegal to use lights at the same height as the headlamps in fog is it?  

 

 

Edited 9 November, 2018 by juan27

[PetrolDave]

3 hours ago, juan27 said:

If you do have to put fog lamps at that height it that begs the question when is a fog lamp a fog lamp?   Its not illegal to use lights at the same height as the headlamps in fog is it? 

No but it is illegal to use any lamps below that height when it is not foggy (i.e. visibility is greater than 100metres) - BUT DRLs are an exception that.

[logiclee]

The Mk1 Octavia fog lights were in the main headlight cluster.

[juan27]

48 minutes ago, PetrolDave said:

No but it is illegal to use any lamps below that height when it is not foggy (i.e. visibility is greater than 100metres) - BUT DRLs are an exception that.

 

Exactly so lights low down can only be used as fog lights....that is not the same as fog lights must be low down.

[Warrior193]

2 hours ago, juan27 said:

 

Exactly so lights low down can only be used as fog lights....that is not the same as fog lights must be low down.

 

OK, but I do believe that the low mounting does make fog lamps more effective, with longer range and less dazzle reflected back into the windscreen, as there tends to be a clearer area just above the road surface.

[Felvo]

So back to the op’s problem

I’ve found out how to adjust the beam

 

In module 4b adaptions

you can click “basic setting” which is like the second option in the list to tell the car you’re about to adjust them. After you hold the green tick and it’s accepted, move the headlamps manually using an Allen key, clockwise is up. 

After you do this go back to the adaptions list and hit “accept basic setting”, then green tick it. That sets the new home position for the lights and it shouldn’t revert back.

[spinifex]

On 06/11/2018 at 00:50, 245GT said:

.......I don't trust anyone with my car so would rather ......... do it myself .........

I just don't understand.

You have a car that is less than a year old and still under warranty.

You have a car that you cannot see where you are going, when travelling at highway speeds.

Yet you don't trust a PROFESSIONAL to fix the problem for you.

Clearly this wasn't set correctly at the factory, or at the pre-delivery check which is supposed to ensure your car is road-legal and compliant.

The OBD11 is an awesome device... but in this instance, I think you need to adjust your own thinking. Not trusting someone to touch your car is the stupidest comment you can make, when it's a safety-related issue such as what you're describing.
Sure - not trusting someone to not scratch your rims when installing new tyres is fair enough.... but you wouldn't do your own wheel-alignment or wheel balancing yourself would you? (God I hope not)

I don't mean any offence with this response mate - but take it back to the dealer ASAP and let them fix the problem.
It may be frustrating, but so is wrapping your new pride-and-job around a pole - or someone else's car - because you can't see where you're going and were too stubborn to get it fixed properly !!!

There are some things that can safely be done at home by the end-user... and some things, like headlights, should NOT be touched except by the trained professionals.

Edited 12 November, 2018 by spinifex

[Jaco2k]

Come on @spinifex, that was a bit harsh - you say you don't mean any offence but on the same post call it the stupidest comment

It is widely known, discussed and accepted that just because mechanics are professional at the dealerships, this doesn't mean they are GOOD professionals or that they care about their job.

I would say you would probably have better success with a bigger job at a dealership, where they really have to take things out, put things in and make sure (hopefully...) that they screwed it right so that a wheel doesn't go flying off than something small as flipping a screw over to raise a headlight.

 

...as I discussed earlier in this thread, my own experience with low lights and dealership was that I asked them twice to raise them cause they were low and they always came back the same way: First time they raised the driver side only (which was not even the worse side...) and second time they did nothing and just gave the classic "it is under the tolerances".

 

I knew for a fact where the lights should aim, since I had reference of my previous Octavia Xenons, which had been properly aligned at the dealership (yes, success stories also happen  ) so, I simply corrected the pattern to that, and also based on my knowledge of what a regular light pattern should look like (LHD car: _/ _/ )

 

Also my car is under warranty but, how many times can you take it back for them to correct it until they red flag you? I only have one local dealer, so it is not like I have other options - no independent garages working Seat either around where I am.

 

Edited 12 November, 2018 by Jaco2k

[245GT]

9 hours ago, spinifex said:

I just don't understand.

You have a car that is less than a year old and still under warranty.

You have a car that you cannot see where you are going, when travelling at highway speeds.

Yet you don't trust a PROFESSIONAL to fix the problem for you.

Clearly this wasn't set correctly at the factory, or at the pre-delivery check which is supposed to ensure your car is road-legal and compliant.

The OBD11 is an awesome device... but in this instance, I think you need to adjust your own thinking. Not trusting someone to touch your car is the stupidest comment you can make, when it's a safety-related issue such as what you're describing.
Sure - not trusting someone to not scratch your rims when installing new tyres is fair enough.... but you wouldn't do your own wheel-alignment or wheel balancing yourself would you? (God I hope not)

I don't mean any offence with this response mate - but take it back to the dealer ASAP and let them fix the problem.
It may be frustrating, but so is wrapping your new pride-and-job around a pole - or someone else's car - because you can't see where you're going and were too stubborn to get it fixed properly !!!

There are some things that can safely be done at home by the end-user... and some things, like headlights, should NOT be touched except by the trained professionals.

 

Knob, you missed the point, not a trust issue with the dealer doing the job just don't trust some 18 year old **** doing handbrake turns or parking my car in the customer carpark for Mr 'I can't see cause my cateracts get in the way' to pull up beside and put a first door dent in the side of my pride and joy!

 

As it is, the BS I was given about needing calibration was BS...... the handy image was perfect for me to have a go at tweeking the height of the offside lamp and now I can see perfectly in the dark.

[nutey]

5 minutes ago, 245GT said:

 

Knob, you missed the point, not a trust issue with the dealer doing the job just don't trust some 18 year old **** doing handbrake turns or parking my car in the customer carpark for Mr 'I can't see cause my cateracts get in the way' to pull up beside and put a first door dent in the side of my pride and joy!

 

As it is, the BS I was given about needing calibration was BS...... the handy image was perfect for me to have a go at tweeking the height of the offside lamp and now I can see perfectly in the dark.

Good news! Did you just adjust it manually or did you do the whole OBD11/VCDS headlight learning process? Need to tweak mine but don't have OBD11 or VCDS at the moment.

[Tech1e]

If you adjust the headlamps whilst not in the basic setting mode to set the new base level they will just auto adjust themsevles back to where they were (if they are able to).

[langers2k]

Just now, Tech1e said:

If you adjust the headlamps whilst not in the basic setting mode to set the new base level they will just auto adjust themsevles back to where they were (if they are able to).

 

Are you sure?

 

I didn't think the car could measure how much mechanical adjustment had been done. If you watch the measuring blocks in VCDS or similar I wouldn't expect  them to change during a manual adjustment.

[Tech1e]

1 minute ago, langers2k said:

 

Are you sure?

 

I didn't think the car could measure how much mechanical adjustment had been done. If you watch the measuring blocks in VCDS or similar I wouldn't expect  them to change during a manual adjustment.

 

Very sure.

 

If you see Xenon or LED lights bouncing or blinding people this is usually because they have been adjusted without the new control position being learnt.

[langers2k]

6 minutes ago, Tech1e said:

If you see Xenon or LED lights bouncing or blinding people this is usually because they have been adjusted without the new control position being learnt.

 

This is an example of the 'frame' that holds the xenon projector in a MK2 FL Octavia:

 

The outer frame connects to the headlight housing using the three white parts. One is a pivot, the other two are connected to the manual adjustment screws on the headlight.

 

There isn't any provision for the headlight system to know how much adjustment has been made. The xenon control module can only know the position of the inner frame(s) relative to the outer one...

[245GT]

18 minutes ago, langers2k said:

 

Are you sure?

 

I didn't think the car could measure how much mechanical adjustment had been done. If you watch the measuring blocks in VCDS or similar I wouldn't expect  them to change during a manual adjustment.

 

Simply parked it on the drive facing the wall, fired up and switched the lights on, popped the bonnet and used a screwdriver to bring the driver's side up slightly (actually matched the pattern of the passenger side where my view was more like 3 car lengths).

 

No learning or error messages as I'd been led to believe, glad that good old mechanical adjustment is still available.

 

Thanks all!

[Tech1e]

38 minutes ago, langers2k said:

 

This is an example of the 'frame' that holds the xenon projector in a MK2 FL Octavia:

 

The outer frame connects to the headlight housing using the three white parts. One is a pivot, the other two are connected to the manual adjustment screws on the headlight.

 

There isn't any provision for the headlight system to know how much adjustment has been made. The xenon control module can only know the position of the inner frame(s) relative to the outer one...

 

 

The basic setting is for the level sensors, I could show you the diagnostic routine that is applicable for the control unit, what it looks for and how it is set. However I would probably get sacked shortly afterwards.

[xman]

Pretty sure that headlight adaption setting isnt just there because it can. Must be there for a reason.

 

Many with little understanding of AFS, urban mode etc. or the law.

 

Many incorrectly readjusted xenon lights out there blinding me regularly.

 

Seems some peoples idea of correct dip setting is just below window height on a car on the far horizon plus a tad higher. Perhaps they could swap cars with a friend and trying driving toward each other at motorway speed and see if they are set right.

 

And kwikfit etc only too happy to twirl adjusters for a couple of quid also a problem, MOT is a static test only.

[langers2k]

36 minutes ago, Tech1e said:

The basic setting is for the level sensors, I could show you the diagnostic routine that is applicable for the control unit, what it looks for and how it is set. However I would probably get sacked shortly afterwards.

 

It sounds like we might be coming at this from two different angles.

 

I completely agree that basic settings are for the car to learn the home/static/level position of the car's level sensors and whilst in this mode, a headlight beam tool should be used to correctly set the beam alignment.

 

However, if the headlights were set too low during the above procedure, it is possible to move the beams to the correct level without needing to perform the basic settings. I'm not saying that anyone can correctly set the level on their drive with no equipment, only that it's technically possible.

 

I agree for best results, the factory procedure should be used. At least if the equipment and technician are good

[spinifex]

17 hours ago, Jaco2k said:

Come on @spinifex, that was a bit harsh - you say you don't mean any offence but on the same post call it the stupidest comment

It is widely known, discussed and accepted that just because mechanics are professional at the dealerships, this doesn't mean they are GOOD professionals or that they care about their job.

I would say you would probably have better success with a bigger job at a dealership, where they really have to take things out, put things in and make sure (hopefully...) that they screwed it right so that a wheel doesn't go flying off than something small as flipping a screw over to raise a headlight.

 

...as I discussed earlier in this thread, my own experience with low lights and dealership was that I asked them twice to raise them cause they were low and they always came back the same way: First time they raised the driver side only (which was not even the worse side...) and second time they did nothing and just gave the classic "it is under the tolerances".

 

I knew for a fact where the lights should aim, since I had reference of my previous Octavia Xenons, which had been properly aligned at the dealership (yes, success stories also happen  ) so, I simply corrected the pattern to that, and also based on my knowledge of what a regular light pattern should look like (LHD car: _/ _/ )

 

Also my car is under warranty but, how many times can you take it back for them to correct it until they red flag you? I only have one local dealer, so it is not like I have other options - no independent garages working Seat either around where I am.

 

Firstly - no offence was intended, as I said... but I'm entitled to an opinion about the comment, again, as I said.
The OP is talking about a SAFETY CRITICAL issue with the car. he cannot see where he's going - nothing more nothing less.

Secondly - your consumer laws in UK must be very different to here in Australia.
Now in terms of what you've responded with (and others along similar lines) about apprentices doing the repairs and the shops charging big money for inexperienced workers, blah blah..... firstly, if the shop f**ks up the work, then they are liable to fix it again.
Yes, it may be a hassle, but realistically, DON'T take your car for a repair, then drive away without checking the repair has been performed properly/correctly. If you do, it's your own damned fault.
Otherwise, talk to the service manager to insist the problem is rectified.

And blaming "you obviously had the 15yr old apprentice working on my car" is just a lame excuse.

Everyone started off their jobs as the n00bie with zero experience - no matter what industry or role you're in.

If the apprentices were never given the opportunity to spin the spanners, where the hell do you think all the experienced mechanics/technicians came from then? They didn't just materialise overnight.

 

Edited 13 November, 2018 by spinifex