Self Levelling Headlights Warning Light?
 

Not had a chance to check in the handbook yet, but a warning light keeps coming on about 25 minutes into my journey that has a symbol with a dipped headlight and an arrow above and below it.

So I assume it's something to do with the self levelling headlights (on a 2002 S8 BTW).

Anyone know what's up? Maybe they're just frozen? It's -9.5C here this morning.

Can't comment on the light, but the self levelling lights are controlled by a box mounted on a car, and a small arm that attaches to the bottom suspension arm. One on the front passenger side, and one on the rear. It all looked a bit weak (plastic arm, thin bent metal clip on the arm etc) so it may have failed or come uncoupled due to a big lump of snow or ice or the bottom arm sliding through deepish snow. May be worth a look.

Probably snow/ice.. Or if the road is a bit bumpy, it can get it's knickers in a twist.

Does it go away after a minute or two?

The warning light stays on, then after re-starting it goes away and then comes back on again - sometimes after a minute or two, sometimes after 20 minutes or more

Sounds a bit more serious than what mine does then.. Have a look under the wheel arch and see if you can see anything dangling around there, or any snow jammed up there too.

Do I need to take the wheel arch lining out?

No.

I would check the front one first, as thats I a more direct firing line. It's clipped onto, iirc the front most of the two pasengerside bottom arms, about halfway along. There's two arms.

You may find it easier to put a wheel up o a Kurb or a ramp so you can see under it.

Had the arms and links checked out at the garage - no apparent damage. Also took the car for an under-body car wash and - touching wood and fingers crossed - no recurrence of this problem or the strange braking issue I had.

I wonder if there was just an accumulation of crud and ice somewhere?

I'll get a Vagcom on it as soon as I can

Rats! It came back!

I need £170's worth of parts and repairs (at A4 Audi, not the stealers). A corroded connector/switch and a broken arm I think. I'll post photos of the bits in question after the repair.

the self leveler is buggered so you will need level senor and linkage for the headlights approx 170 to fix

Yep, it was the sensor and the connector. Apparently, water runs down the cable, corrodes the connector and then b*****s up the sensor. I was quoted £170 but, because someone used the connector that was ordered for me the day before I was booked in, and I sat in the cold waiting room for three and a half hours waiting for another connector to be delivered, the nice folk at A4 Audi (Clydebank, Glasgow) charged parts only (£106), threw in the touch-up paint I'd ordered for the parking sensor and gave me a case of lager!

Now that's good customer relations, don't you think?

A8 parts sent me a front sensor for (I think) 30 quid.

It's an easy DIY job to fit it.:)

Same car (IceBlue8's) and same fault. presumably the other sensor has gone. I have looked at both front and rear sensors but cant tell which is the newer and Jim can't recall which was replaced. Is it possible/necessary to get it checked with VAG com to establish which one is u/s or would it be advisable just to order the part and fault-find by replacement? (Are they the same part?).

Not sure id VCDS tells you, but I'm sure A4 would know which one.

Good point - i am sure they would have a record. (its not on the invoice/work record which Jim handed over with the car).

Thanks for posting this up,Now I know what needs to be done.The top section of my DIS ( the part that shows the radio information has had a yellow hoeadlight symbol with up/down arrow.vagcom reprting G76 andG78 sensors faulty,I got MOT coming up next month, so will get it sorted then.
Thanks for the information.

From what you say vagcom doesnt differentiate between the front and back sensors then?
or maybe you have both faulty?!:Confused:

01539-Headlights Not Adjusted
35-00 --
00774- Level Control System Sensor;Left Rear (G76)
28-00 -Short to Plus
00776-Level Control System Sensor ;Left Front (G78)
28-10- Short to Plus- intermittent

I hope this helps.

Yes it does. Many thanks.

I had a word with A4 Audi and they don't know which one was done, but Andy says you should be able to tell as the repaired one will have new yellow wiring.

But apparently they're having trouble with repaired/replaced sensors failing again as the water still runs down the wiring into the sensor. Current methodology is to use a inner tube to cover the wiring from top to bottom!

Thanks for finding that out Jim, it saves me a call this morning. I do remember one of the connectors having yellow wires.

Its hard to believe but the wiring is totally unprotected going into the connector and will just drain water into the connector. I will look at some similar method of protection.

Update on my headlight issue. The link-arm from the front level sensor had detached from the ball joint attached it back on, cleared fault codes. Checked sensors are within tolerance by jacking up the car from the front and back, and watching the voltages change,but yellow headlight symbol still on in the DIS. re-scanned with vagcom. now Error 01539 says headlights Not adjusted(I now know the sensors are working). Anybody know how to adjust the headlights.

TIA.

All Sorted Now.it turns out I was being a NUMPTY , I recoded it to the wrong setting. +++

I have now (after a long wait replaced the faulty sensor with (I hope) a working part from Goglawrie's scrapper. The DIS light still remains on. Does that have to be re-set using VCDS or should it be self re-setting? (which would mean that the replacement is duff too!)

Most faults stay until cleared so, without knowing the specifics of that area, chances are you will need to clear it with software.

That's why in many (non-critical) cases the first thing you do is clear the fault and wait to see if/when it reappears.

sensors
 

hi the headlights sensors were working on the car before i scraped it even the bracket was broken so i think need to clear fault codes

Thanks for that. I am sure it will clear the next time I get to scan and clear it.

Vag-Com available in the Glasgow area for £50.00 +++

Special offer... £49.95, have 2 scans get 1 half-price (sure that'll appeal to the 'Northern' contingent).. Could possibly even supply a voucher :)

someone mention Voucher??

BOGOF?? :p

Am oot :ROFL::ROFL:

When you've done any work on the xenon range you must run the calibration before it will be happy again.

Each of the two xenon range sensors basically generate a 0 to 5v output depending on their position, and thus reports to the ECU the level-ness of the car.

Every sensor will be slightly different, thus when a sensor is connected up for the first time, you need to run through the basic settings to calibrate the module to 'level ground'

See here:

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/car...alignment.html

+++

These things are never simple eh! but thanks for the tip. it does make sense as there isnt a "centred" (i.e. "level" position) on the sensor as that needs to be determined by calibrating it as you have described.

Happy to let you borrow my cable for a couple of days.

Thanks for the offer Richard. When you attending on the Laird's sunroof next?

Strange to say, when I drove the car this evening, the warning light did not come on and everything was as it should be!! I havent done anything which could have changed anything apart from the fact that the car was sat on the drive for 3 days wothout being driven. :Confused:

Try a bumpy road and see what happens... Maybe it does self-calibrate then.

I did. Just came back from Dumbarton and did 80mph over the backroad almost getting airborne off the humpback bridge (SWMBO wasnt happy..:tuttut:..) The warning light stayed off. (hers went on!!)

I am sure it must have been KPH easy mistake to make:p