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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Another Lazy Eye Thread - need help troubleshooting



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      09-29-2015, 08:43 AM   #1
shenanigans01
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Another Lazy Eye Thread - need help troubleshooting

OK, Just bought a 2009 BMW 328i (stock M suspension) and when I drove it at night I realized I had the dreaded lazy eyes.

Here's what I see:
  • Start up routine works, Left, Right, down, up and they stay up. Up being relative because they are still aimed very low.
    This makes me think both the steering motors are good and the ball is in the socket
  • Yes, I've tried the adjustment screw, no where close to being high enough.
  • I checked the light height adjustment mechanism in the front driver wheel well and it seems fine, though the pre-bent bar is a little loose.
  • I haven't checked the rear since that's going to require jacking up the car and I haven't had the time yet.


What I need to do still is:
  • Jack up the car and check the rear
  • Clean the connections to the sensor modules in both the front and rear.

Assuming none of that works I can only imagine that the sensor itself is bad. My question is how do I confirm that it's the sensor and how do I confirm which one?

Thanks for the help
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      09-29-2015, 09:09 AM   #2
fravel
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Are you *positive* the adjustment screws won't fix your problem? I've found that I need to be very sure that my screwdriver is seated correctly + make large adjustments to notice any change in the height of the cutoff.
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      09-29-2015, 09:21 AM   #3
shenanigans01
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fravel View Post
Are you *positive* the adjustment screws won't fix your problem? I've found that I need to be very sure that my screwdriver is seated correctly + make large adjustments to notice any change in the height of the cutoff.
Yeah, I've cranked it all the way down until the screw stops and then all the way up and the screw just spins. At max height they are still only projecting 20ft or so in front of the car, not enough to illuminate road signs or anything like that.
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      09-29-2015, 09:44 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shenanigans01
Quote:
Originally Posted by fravel View Post
Are you *positive* the adjustment screws won't fix your problem? I've found that I need to be very sure that my screwdriver is seated correctly + make large adjustments to notice any change in the height of the cutoff.
Yeah, I've cranked it all the way down until the screw stops and then all the way up and the screw just spins. At max height they are still only projecting 20ft or so in front of the car, not enough to illuminate road signs or anything like that.
If the screw just keeps turning its possible the inside has stripped. It's very easy to strip and actually a lot of times the inner adjustment just breaks.
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      09-29-2015, 12:03 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by deeLow View Post
If the screw just keeps turning its possible the inside has stripped. It's very easy to strip and actually a lot of times the inner adjustment just breaks.
Is that fixable? Guess I'll need to do the bumper removal and light removal to get in there?
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      09-29-2015, 01:16 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shenanigans01
Quote:
Originally Posted by deeLow View Post
If the screw just keeps turning its possible the inside has stripped. It's very easy to strip and actually a lot of times the inner adjustment just breaks.
Is that fixable? Guess I'll need to do the bumper removal and light removal to get in there?
Yea, light removal is best.

This happened to me. Light would adjust down but stop at a certain point when adjusting back up. Ended up pulling the light and finding the adjuster broken in half.
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      09-29-2015, 08:56 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deeLow View Post
Yea, light removal is best.

This happened to me. Light would adjust down but stop at a certain point when adjusting back up. Ended up pulling the light and finding the adjuster broken in half.
Do how did you fix it. I don't see that part listed anywhere.
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      09-30-2015, 04:37 PM   #8
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So I just took care of this last weekend. I had a lazy eye just like yours, would move up down, left, right but would not point all the way up. What I did was remove the wheel, and then I remover the fender liner which exposes a black panel on the back of the headlight that can be opened with an 8 point screwdriver. Behind that panel you'll see the housing to the projector light, it's the big block looking thing. I literally grabbed the stupid thing and pushed it forward. It clicked into place and all was well with the world, no issues, no codes, no anything and the light works perfectly. Took no time at all. Hope this helps
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      10-01-2015, 05:41 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by skepticalMD(?) View Post
So I just took care of this last weekend. I had a lazy eye just like yours, would move up down, left, right but would not point all the way up. What I did was remove the wheel, and then I remover the fender liner which exposes a black panel on the back of the headlight that can be opened with an 8 point screwdriver. Behind that panel you'll see the housing to the projector light, it's the big block looking thing. I literally grabbed the stupid thing and pushed it forward. It clicked into place and all was well with the world, no issues, no codes, no anything and the light works perfectly. Took no time at all. Hope this helps

I'll give it a shot. I've seen other post that say something similar, just assumed that it didn't apply since mine appeared to be moving in all directions at startup.
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      10-01-2015, 08:12 AM   #10
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Let me know how it goes!
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      10-12-2015, 07:58 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by skepticalMD(?) View Post
Let me know how it goes!
While I still need to align them, I think this was my problem too. It wasn't that the ball popped out of the socket, but rather it seems like the PO hit a big bump and knocked them loose. I pushed in on the driver side light toward the bottom of the light and it clicked into place. The passenger side is a little more floppy so it's bracket may be broken or something. I may just make a little rig for it.
I need to put the car on a flat service and see how they are aiming. Hopefully all is good.

Also swapped my OEM angel eye lights. That was a piece of cake once I figured out the drivers side light was reverse threaded.

Thanks for the help.
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