V50 Electrics : V50 Xenon headlight issue

[mylittletony]

Hi all

My wife's V50 has the Xenon lights fitted and while bright enough, the aim is very low, to the point of being dangerous in the countryside around where we live.

I went to adjust the aim last night and sheared the shaft that goes into the housing (not the white/yellow adjuster) - see attached pic

Are these available new?

Failing that, if I find a replacement housing, can I fit the Xenon projectors into any other housing??

[Bendolfc]

Can't fully work it out from the pic but if it is the entire adjuster that has come off, you may be able to dremel a grove in the bit of plastic it previously attached to and then make your adjustment with a flathead screwdriver. Bit of a faff when you are trying to get it right as you have to keep pulling the headlamp out, but a lot cheaper than buying a new headlamp.

[BJB]

You will find that there is a 8mm hex recess where that part is attached to. (At right angles to it) Turning it Clockwise will Raise the beam.

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by mylittletony

Hi all

My wife's V50 has the Xenon lights fitted and while bright enough, the aim is very low, to the point of being dangerous in the countryside around where we live.

I went to adjust the aim last night and sheared the shaft that goes into the housing (not the white/yellow adjuster) - see attached pic

Are these available new?

Failing that, if I find a replacement housing, can I fit the Xenon projectors into any other housing??

Auch, 'been there, 'done that, sorry to see it happening to you.
to answer you - no its not possible to replace JUST that part, also its not possibe to fit xenons to standard housing, you will need to find xenon housing aswell.

btw - you have OEM xenons, right?

There is a way around the issue, my black part sheered off almost identically but it was still possible to rotate it with pliers on the actual leftover part. Not a very convenient thing to do but if you take headlamp out, spray the inner cog with silicon grease (to make it rotate better) you have a fighting chance.

other options I have seen:
- drill 2 small holes and screw 2 small screws in the rotating base to allow you leverage it easier
- gring the rotating base to flat and glue/attach something to it permanently extending the lever and allowing it to rotate.
in both cases you wont be able to set the lights without removing them from the car, but it never stopped me from perfectly alligning mine when I had this issue.

fingers crossed!

[mylittletony]

Originally Posted by BJB

You will find that there is a 8mm hex recess where that part is attached to. (At right angles to it) Turning it Clockwise will Raise the beam.

The 8mm hex is the bit that has snapped. It's the black toothed bevel gear in the pic...

Originally Posted by LizardOfBodom

Auch, 'been there, 'done that, sorry to see it happening to you.
to answer you - no its not possible to replace JUST that part, also its not possibe to fit xenons to standard housing, you will need to find xenon housing aswell.

btw - you have OEM xenons, right?

There is a way around the issue, my black part sheered off almost identically but it was still possible to rotate it with pliers on the actual leftover part. Not a very convenient thing to do but if you take headlamp out, spray the inner cog with silicon grease (to make it rotate better) you have a fighting chance.

other options I have seen:
- drill 2 small holes and screw 2 small screws in the rotating base to allow you leverage it easier
- gring the rotating base to flat and glue/attach something to it permanently extending the lever and allowing it to rotate.
in both cases you wont be able to set the lights without removing them from the car, but it never stopped me from perfectly alligning mine when I had this issue.

fingers crossed!

Yes OEM xenon, unfortunately so it seems...

Thanks for the tips, I'll have a stab at cleaning up what's left over the weekend