touareg

Wow, just noticed this thread has been viewed 13,189 times, so wanted to update with my latest state of affairs. After doing the cable mod, changing HID bulbs and replacing the leveling sensor the only problem I still have is I need to go to the dealer to get the driver side headlight leveled (still get a check leveling error when lights turn on, I can visibly see left light is lower than right on a wall). Replacing the leveling sensor stopped the headlights from moving up and down when driving, replacing the HIDs stopped any flicker I had and the cable mod stopped any other weird behavior after all these years that I had in the past.

Slow Guy

I'm still getting the "check beam leveling" msg almost every time I fire up the lights. The lights move (as they're supposed to) when I turn them on. I decided I'm going to replace the bulbs since they're 7 yrs. old now and see if that fixes the error (Sylvania D1S's from Amazon @ $50 ea.). If that doesn't do it I'll go the leveling sensors next. My connections have been cleaned and contacts look good so I don't think that's the issue. I've never had an issue with a light out error (except the infamous "check trailer lights"!) msg.

The only additional symptoms I notice is the lights do their leveling "dance" when first turned on, when I start off driving they seem to be at the proper height but w/ in a few miles the lights have dropped to what appear to be their lowest setting and stay that way.
My headlamps have always been a little lower on the left than the right, I think it's intended to be this way so a little less direct light shines into oncoming traffic. Anyone know if this is correct?

Slow Guy

FYI, replacing the bulbs did not help w/ my error, I'm still getting the "Check beam leveling" msg. Will fight with it some more.

virkdoc

Yes the driver side headlight is always aimed lower than the passenger side....for us with RH drive the right hand light is lower

virkdoc

My driver side headlight does not lock into place fully so whenever i go over a bump it wiggles out throwing an error.

FFWD1

my driver light was flickering and going out. i got tired of getting out at the stop light and tapping on the headlight assembly and it would turn back on only to hit another bump and turn off again. One afternoon i removed the headlight assembly, checked the connectors and slid the headlight unit back in and with the headlight tightening tool, i tightened it until i heard a "locking" noise. Since then, i have not had any more flickering or bulb issues going out. 4 months and counting...(knock on wood). lol. Hope that helps anyone.

mxquattro

Maybe thats what Im doing wrong? I dont have a headlight tightening tool. I just use a 6mm (or whatever size) at the end of a long extension. I cant turn that hoop very far before it sounds like its stripping the gears. I really dont think its being held in that tight at all. Maybe thats my problem. Whats the proper procedure and tool?

Shawn Stanford

Ditto. I've been wrestling with this for months, I don't know why it never occurred to me to just bend the contacts out a little with the tip of a screwdriver.

2008cayennefan

Hi all, in my 2008 Cayenne V6 I had a lot of condensation in the right headlight with a bit of water standing in the bottom inside the headlight casing. I took the headlight out to drain the water and after reinstalling the main headlamp (xenon) won't work, I get the check dipped beam message and then a headlight failure message. I tested the bulb on the other side and works OK. Took it to the dealer and they told me I had a bad control unit and that BOTH control units would need to be replaced (over $1400). Is the control unit the same as the ballast? Where is it located?
Thanks!

pancholi

2008cayennefan .
does the indicator work?

please start with the easy treatments .
1) take the unit out again and re-jig it back in .
2) make sure that none on the connectors are bent and not seating in
3) is the unit totally dry? i have range rover and we owners know that the rear units can get water/condensation, when it does happen we place in a 40-50 deg Celsius oven to dry out TOTALLY. there are threads that suggest putting silicon beads to keep the unit dry.
4) use some electrical contact / water dispersant spray at the connector site.
5) very slightly bend the contacts on the unit to get a larger/firmer contact on the female side.

fingers crossed

AdMan21

I would definitely try a few other easy DIY procedures-along with trying to reseat the headlight a few times before paying that amount of loot.

2008cayennefan

Thanks for your comments. I've figured out that the control unit is the metallic box screwed to the bottom of the light assembly. I swapped the control units and confirmed it is the culprit. My control unit's part number is 5DC 009 285-00.
I see there are many similar being sold on Ebay, with part number 5DC 009 060-10 branded for Mercedes Benz. Any one here knows if that part will work on the Cayenne? Do I really need to buy two as the dealer stated, or will the lights work with 285 on one side and 060 on the other? Will I need to have the computer re-coded by the dealer?
Thanks again for your help!

Sam CS 05

Always fun to revive an old thread

My 05 CS's driver side headlight goes out and comes right back with the infamous "dipped beam" error only when accelerating hard or occasionally on a speed bump.

Does this mean it's a connection issue? Both xenon light bulbs are the original ones.

TIA,
Sam

Sam CS 05

I think I might have fixed the problem. As I was replacing the side light bulb, I noticed the white plastic connector was loose in its housing...so I secured it by stuffing a small wedge. So far no error mssgs since yesterday

Regards,
Sam

wrinkledpants

You don't need the dealer to adjust it. If you pull the headlight out, the vertical adjustment for the HID is on the side of the housing. There are two prominent adjustments on the outer edge that you can almost reach with it in, but the HID adjustment is on the side of the housing, and it's not as obvious. I think you only need the dealer when you get a new ballast. The two adjusters on the lower outside edge of the housing is the adjustment for the high beam, and the lateral adjustment for the HID. Both, or at least one of those can be reached when headlight housing is installed. I don't think it's possible to reach the low beam vertical adjustment that's on the side with the headlights installed. If you look at the link below of a headlight assembly from ECS, you'll see the two lower adjusters, and the small white adjuster on the side of the housing.

http://www.ecstuning.com/ES1454416/

Also - for anyone buying HID bulbs, be careful where you get them. I've purchased several sets of "authentic or OE" philips and osram bulbs, only to find they were chinese replicas, complete with the osram or philips name and part numbers stamped on the side. Only after careful inspection was it evident they were replicas. This was both from Amazon and eBay. I finally gave up and either get my bulbs from The Retrofit Source, or right from Philips or Sylvania on Amazon. Both bulb companies have accounts on there. You can get a set of D2S bulbs for $80 bucks a pair, but not a genuine D1S bulb (like what the cayenne needs) because the ignitor is built into the base of the bulb making it substantially more expensive. If you paid $80 for a pair of D1S bulbs, you probably got replicas.

Philips D2S pair on Amazon = $90
The Retrofit Source Philips DS2 pair = $95
Sylvian D1S pair on Amazon = $230
Sylviania D1S from TRS = $200.

Just as a reference for how much more expensive a D1S is because of the built-in ignitor. If you buy on Amazon, make sure you're buying from the seller "Sylvania" or "Philips." I've purchased other good after market HID bulbs in 4300K temp, and they just don't last as long, or put out as much light as an OE bulb. A few people have done lumen tests on various bulbs, and their tests show this as well. I was getting about a year, or 10K miles, out of after market bulbs before my fogs and HBs were outshining them.

Scroll down through this thread and it'll show just how good replica's are getting at matching Osram and Philips markings. It's for a D2S bulb, but this shows you that even if the bulb has the OE brand markings, it doesn't mean it's real. If you compare a $40 D1S bulb to an authentic bulb, you'll see a similar situation.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=974771