Headlight Leveling System Broken
05-30-14, 05:37 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Headlight Leveling System Broken
So i went in for an oil change at a place near where i live and after i brought it home it was leaking oil. A few days later the Headlight Leveling System indicator on the dashboard came on. I was furious! So i brought it back to the repair shop and they fixed their mistakes, but they said that the leveling system was not the fault of theirs. I do believe them since the lever that broke sits near the rear right wheel, which is no where near the front of the car. Could it be a coincidence that the Leveling System broke after the oil change? Maybe... i guess i'll never know. But anyways, the repair shop called the local Lexus dealer to get a quote on how much the leveling system would cost for repair and they said around $400. I just want to know what my options are. Could i buy the sensor off ebay? Is this something that needs to be fixed sooner than later?
05-30-14, 08:55 PM
#3
well i had the same problem. altho it was due to corrosion of the leveling arm. So what i did was instead of buying it from the dealer which is just too much $$$ i removed the arm ..yup. i removed it ..and so i have no leveling and no dash board indication is on 
.
In my case the control arm was worn out/loose. The dealer cannot just sell the control arm. They have to sell the entire unit with sensor and that is why its soo damn expensive.
so ya i just removed the 2 bolts from the control arm and problem solved.
You should first lubricate the bolts joints and see if that solves the problem and also see if the control arm is loose.
hope this helps.
.In my case the control arm was worn out/loose. The dealer cannot just sell the control arm. They have to sell the entire unit with sensor and that is why its soo damn expensive.
so ya i just removed the 2 bolts from the control arm and problem solved.
You should first lubricate the bolts joints and see if that solves the problem and also see if the control arm is loose.
hope this helps.
06-01-14, 02:28 AM
#4
Intermediate
Thread Starter
well i had the same problem. altho it was due to corrosion of the leveling arm. So what i did was instead of buying it from the dealer which is just too much $$$ i removed the arm ..yup. i removed it ..and so i have no leveling and no dash board indication is on .
In my case the control arm was worn out/loose. The dealer cannot just sell the control arm. They have to sell the entire unit with sensor and that is why its soo damn expensive.
so ya i just removed the 2 bolts from the control arm and problem solved.
You should first lubricate the bolts joints and see if that solves the problem and also see if the control arm is loose.
hope this helps.
.In my case the control arm was worn out/loose. The dealer cannot just sell the control arm. They have to sell the entire unit with sensor and that is why its soo damn expensive.
so ya i just removed the 2 bolts from the control arm and problem solved.
You should first lubricate the bolts joints and see if that solves the problem and also see if the control arm is loose.
hope this helps.
06-01-14, 06:21 AM
#5
hmm what you mean it was broken when he showed it to you. In my case the circle blue colour was wobbly so i removed the screw holding the bottom and the top. But the top screw was freaking soo tight. You could find one from auto parts or salvage but the dealer will not give you just that arm. so that unfortunate. And i could not find any salvage parts with auto headlight. its very rear to find.
No just be careful when removing those screws because you DO NOT want to break the sensor arm (in pink circle) that arm is very sensitive and delicate too. so be careful. once i removed two screws i basically zip tie the sensor arm ( in green Z) to a nearby rod ..just to hold it all in one piece.
altho the sensor light is no longer on in panel the actual height sensor function will not work. I am fine with that
Not sure if i agree with the service guy. i am pretty sure if you were to find that control arm and replace i mean it should work again. i dont think it will lock up or anything.
PS: you know i learned that if you adjust that sensor arm (push it downwards) you can actually go crazy with the headlight aim look at start up. like this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYle...ature=youtu.be
i think that too much..so i used the zip tie to make sure the sensor arm is as horizontal as possible
No just be careful when removing those screws because you DO NOT want to break the sensor arm (in pink circle) that arm is very sensitive and delicate too. so be careful. once i removed two screws i basically zip tie the sensor arm ( in green Z) to a nearby rod ..just to hold it all in one piece.
altho the sensor light is no longer on in panel the actual height sensor function will not work. I am fine with that
Not sure if i agree with the service guy. i am pretty sure if you were to find that control arm and replace i mean it should work again. i dont think it will lock up or anything.
PS: you know i learned that if you adjust that sensor arm (push it downwards) you can actually go crazy with the headlight aim look at start up. like this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYle...ature=youtu.be
i think that too much..so i used the zip tie to make sure the sensor arm is as horizontal as possible
Last edited by imherenow; 06-01-14 at 06:35 AM.
06-01-14, 10:13 AM
#6
Intermediate
Thread Starter
hmm what you mean it was broken when he showed it to you. In my case the circle blue colour was wobbly so i removed the screw holding the bottom and the top. But the top screw was freaking soo tight. You could find one from auto parts or salvage but the dealer will not give you just that arm. so that unfortunate. And i could not find any salvage parts with auto headlight. its very rear to find.
No just be careful when removing those screws because you DO NOT want to break the sensor arm (in pink circle) that arm is very sensitive and delicate too. so be careful. once i removed two screws i basically zip tie the sensor arm ( in green Z) to a nearby rod ..just to hold it all in one piece.
altho the sensor light is no longer on in panel the actual height sensor function will not work. I am fine with that
Not sure if i agree with the service guy. i am pretty sure if you were to find that control arm and replace i mean it should work again. i dont think it will lock up or anything.
PS: you know i learned that if you adjust that sensor arm (push it downwards) you can actually go crazy with the headlight aim look at start up. like this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYle...ature=youtu.be
i think that too much..so i used the zip tie to make sure the sensor arm is as horizontal as possible
No just be careful when removing those screws because you DO NOT want to break the sensor arm (in pink circle) that arm is very sensitive and delicate too. so be careful. once i removed two screws i basically zip tie the sensor arm ( in green Z) to a nearby rod ..just to hold it all in one piece.
altho the sensor light is no longer on in panel the actual height sensor function will not work. I am fine with that
Not sure if i agree with the service guy. i am pretty sure if you were to find that control arm and replace i mean it should work again. i dont think it will lock up or anything.
PS: you know i learned that if you adjust that sensor arm (push it downwards) you can actually go crazy with the headlight aim look at start up. like this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYle...ature=youtu.be
i think that too much..so i used the zip tie to make sure the sensor arm is as horizontal as possible
06-01-14, 08:39 PM
#7
holy moly ..how on earth did it snap like that
. i dont think it was mechanic fault or anyone...just could be due to weakness of the material due to weather and time i guess.
well what i am thinking is that you will have to remove that broken arm. There is screw (green circle.the top one) i am not sure the size of the bolt but from the tool set just see which one fits and remove that screw. once you remove the screw ( hold onto the sensor arm (pink circle) while unscrewing it) you then use a longer zip tie and tie it as shown. thats how i did it. that way the sensor arm is horizontal and will not move with the change in suspension load.
As you can see from the your pic now that the sensor arm is "hanging" down. you need to level it horizontally.
removing that screw is not hard. it was hard for me since that screw was damn rusted.
So you can spray with WD40 and let it sit there for few minutes before loosen it. Give it a try and see how it goes
. i dont think it was mechanic fault or anyone...just could be due to weakness of the material due to weather and time i guess.well what i am thinking is that you will have to remove that broken arm. There is screw (green circle.the top one) i am not sure the size of the bolt but from the tool set just see which one fits and remove that screw. once you remove the screw ( hold onto the sensor arm (pink circle) while unscrewing it) you then use a longer zip tie and tie it as shown. thats how i did it. that way the sensor arm is horizontal and will not move with the change in suspension load.
As you can see from the your pic now that the sensor arm is "hanging" down. you need to level it horizontally.
removing that screw is not hard. it was hard for me since that screw was damn rusted.
So you can spray with WD40 and let it sit there for few minutes before loosen it. Give it a try and see how it goes
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06-01-14, 10:09 PM
#8
Intermediate
Thread Starter
holy moly ..how on earth did it snap like that. i dont think it was mechanic fault or anyone...just could be due to weakness of the material due to weather and time i guess.
well what i am thinking is that you will have to remove that broken arm. There is screw (green circle.the top one) i am not sure the size of the bolt but from the tool set just see which one fits and remove that screw. once you remove the screw ( hold onto the sensor arm (pink circle) while unscrewing it) you then use a longer zip tie and tie it as shown. thats how i did it. that way the sensor arm is horizontal and will not move with the change in suspension load.
As you can see from the your pic now that the sensor arm is "hanging" down. you need to level it horizontally.
removing that screw is not hard. it was hard for me since that screw was damn rusted. So you can spray with WD40 and let it sit there for few minutes before loosen it. Give it a try and see how it goes
. i dont think it was mechanic fault or anyone...just could be due to weakness of the material due to weather and time i guess.well what i am thinking is that you will have to remove that broken arm. There is screw (green circle.the top one) i am not sure the size of the bolt but from the tool set just see which one fits and remove that screw. once you remove the screw ( hold onto the sensor arm (pink circle) while unscrewing it) you then use a longer zip tie and tie it as shown. thats how i did it. that way the sensor arm is horizontal and will not move with the change in suspension load.
As you can see from the your pic now that the sensor arm is "hanging" down. you need to level it horizontally.
removing that screw is not hard. it was hard for me since that screw was damn rusted.
So you can spray with WD40 and let it sit there for few minutes before loosen it. Give it a try and see how it goes I probably won't be able to fix this for a week or two, but when I do I will post the results. Hopefully when I replace the arm the leveling system will work again.
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