Re: Xenon Headlights - curious...(m) (archive)

I don't have Xenon's on my X-type, but I did on my previous car. It also had the self-leveling feature. The lights did "come to attention" when I first started the car, but I did not notice any change when driving. In fact, when going over small bridges, where there is a rapid up & down movement, the lights remained aimed the same (that is, they aimed up & down along with the car). I can understand the lights adjusting when first starting, especially if there are rear passengers or a heavy load in the trunk, causing the lights to point upward. The question I have is, what do the lights use as the guide to level themselves? Is it a bubble level sort of device? There are instances where you would not want the lights to be level according to the "horizon". For example, if you are traveling uphill or downhill, you want the lights to be aimed according to the attitude of the car. That differs from the situation where you have a heavy load in the rear of the car. How does the self-leveling "controller" know the difference? Anybody know or care to guess?

Mike

I've just read as much as I could find Xenon headlights on the web. But what the heck does the "self-leveling" mean/do. What is the purpose of "self-leveling"?

Thanks!

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