BimmerFest BMW Forum banner

Adaptive headlight only turns in one direction??

6K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  randyknight328i 
#1 ·
I have an 2008 328i and I noticed my headlights only turn to the right when I turn the steering wheel.. When I return to the center they move left back to center then stop. When I turn to the left they just stay straight.. Is this normal? I'm new to BMW. Also the dealer I bought the car from wasn't a BMW dealer and they said they had to replace the battery. Do you think that would have anything to do with it?
 
#3 ·
IIRC, the caveat with only turning to the right and not to the left is that this is how they will behave when you are parked. Are you testing this in your driveway, or do they only go right when you are driving?
 
#7 ·
I have several of these cars in my body shop. I am finishing up a 2008 M3 right now with a left Xenon headlamp adaptive module being replaced. I'll report back with the results of it. I'm not sure that the left adaptive motor turns so much to the left to blind oncoming drivers in a curve.

In a few days I'll let you know.
 
#13 ·
This is normal. The movement to the left is limited compared to the right. This is so you don't blind on coming traffic. In RHD vehicles, the pattern will be opposite and the headlights will turn more to the left, than right.


As someone mentioned, turning to the left while parked does nothing, or very little.
 
#14 ·
Btw TPMS sensors in your wheels have batteries and they do die after a few years. Yours could be weak.

Unfortunately, the batteries are not replaceable. You need to buy a new sensor.

Any tire shop will have the special tool to test the TPMS sensors and verify their operation.
 
#19 ·
I had a similar issue. My tires were a little low. I put air in them and 3 tire warnings went off... one tire warning remained on. It would not let me reset while the warning was present.

So I pumped up the suspect tire until it was over pressure The light went off. I reset it. Drove home. The next morning when the tires were cold, I let out air until they were perfect. Then reset again. Problem solved.

If I were you, I would over inflate the tires about 5 psi when you get home (or very close to home) one evening. The next morning (cold tires) let out the air until they are correct. Then reset and should be good.

If the system won't reset after you over inflate then I agree with previous poster... tire sensor batteries are weak or bad sensor.
 
#20 ·
It gets cold overnight, and the pressure in your tires drops. It gets warmer later in the day, and the pressure rises. If you're close to the setpoint at the end of the day, you'll often get a warning light in the morning.

Fill the tires first thing in the morning when the wheels and rubber are both cold, before you drive more than a mile or two. Reset the sensors then. See if it reoccurs.

However, it is very odd that it won't let you reset when the light is on. That does sound like one or more sensors is on the way out. No real option other than to replace them when they go bad. Let's all thank the government for saving us $1.67 in gas, while costing us $200 in sensors + $100 mounting every few years.
 
#22 ·
Thanks for explaining. Pretty much what I was getting at in my last post. I find it easier to let out some air reset, and go in the morning. Not really into messing with air pumps early before work... :rofl:

Did you read my post? My car was only a year old at the time and it would not reset while the light was on. Only way it reset was after I went over it's setpoint, light went off, then all was fine after lowering pressure and resetting (in the morning). There was nothing wrong with my sensors. Might not be the case for the OP but worth a shot for sure.

I suspect there is a safety feature where it won't reset if the tire pressure if it's way off from setpoint (ie. flat tire). What's to prevent someone for just resetting the system rather than messing with actually checking tire pressure I suspect my system thought I was grossly off in pressure. It's all conjecture on my part but seems logical at least. I would love to know for sure. Perhaps the system just went screwy. Who knows.
 
#23 ·
Not at night, check in the morning when the ambient temp is low and the car hasn't been driven in a few hours. Just over fill at night (and reset) on your way home. Drive 6 or 7 miles and leave it until morning In the morning, check and reset. Should help.... if you don't have other problems.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top