recently had my GS in for service and was fitted with anRX for a loaner. what i noticed and have noticed on a friends '98 LS is that when you turn on the lights, they lower and then come back up to their normal height. i assume that this is the self-leveling feature. supposedly i have this feature (self-leveling) on mine with the HIDs but mine dont do the little "dance". is this the way it is with all '98 GS's? also noticed that benz's do the same thing. are mine aftermarket or is there a faulty mechanism? probably a topic thats been broached before, so humor me please. thanx.


Doc

 

Doc,

2 possiblities:

1. you may/may not have the factory self-adj, HID...you can verify this by looking into the light casing to see if you can see a tiny white color stick with ruler sort of markings...

2. if yours is THE REAL THING, chances are they self-sdjsting function is not of order and needs attion.

one side of my factory HID was not beaming/adjusting too well, mention this to my favorite service man at the dealer.

result: a new set was installed...with $0 down

 

Dr. Rick - sounds like your 98 GS doesn't have HIDs. Seems like many 98s were bought without them. Later on they became standard.

 

One other thing. Our GS seem to have a "turbo" adjuster, and it starts as soon as you turn the ignition on (should be when you turn the lights on), and mine takes a second to cycle. In contrast, my '98 LS took much longer, and it was more "entertaining" to onlookers (as well as easier to verify its working condition).
Test them by putting the light switch on "auto", and then hit the ignition key to "on" on your dark garage. ALL factory HIDs have the self-leveling feature. If factory and inoperative, the dash light should be on (mine came on just once).
The rheostat switch that sends the signal to the computer is on the rear left suspension: it's a little aluminum arm that moves up and down with the suspension. This unit can be easily covered with mud and grime, and cause problems: check it and lube it (it's about halfway from the diff and wheel).
Good luck.

 

bit,

they are definitely HID or some sort of derivative. the reason that the car was in for service is b/c of moisture in the headlight housing. do they replace the headlight assembly completely (w/ light) or just the housing? i will check to see if it has the ruler markings and all. not THAT big of a deal. just in the "getting to know you phase" of the car so may be a little bit of nitpicking. anyway thanx for all the input fellas. now where the hell are my borlas, UPS?????


Doc

 

oh yeah juan,

what dash light are you speaking of? i have a green light on the dash that comes on whenever i have the lights on. but i thought that it was normal indicator, hence green.

 

My 98 OEM HIDS actually have a level in each of the housings you can see when you open the hood. Y'know, like what builders use...small tube, filled with fluid, buble inside - yep, for each light.

I'd take a picture for you, but my cover is on, and the cover, is covered in SNOW - in NC no less

HTH

 

same here with the snow, dexter. cant believe it snowed ALL day in atlanta. actually was taking my girlfriend home in duluth an hour ago and saw a GS4 sideways on pleasant hill rd, mere feet from the embankment. hope it wasnt a members car. the snow function on the ECT is so cool. you can actually hear the engine retarding the timing as to not spin the wheels. it saved my a$$ a few times tonight. that is until i decided to E-shift to 2nd as i slowed down and almost lost it. thanx for the advice, though. maybe i can check under the hood in the spring.


Doc

 

The snow is really pissing me off. More north here in Cartersville, Ga we aren't getting the snow cover!!!

-Nick

 

 

Dam*it! Just trying to **** me off more huh? All I want is one day of snow, then warm, warm weather Thanks for the shot though.

-Nick