2017 S3 LED headlights levelling ?

[Scotty75]

I have a 2017 S3 FL with LED headlights, not the Matrix ones though. I’m concerned that they need levelling / calibrating.

Can’t get a photo right now but they seem a bit low and also out of line. Easiest way to describe it would be the dashed line below.

______. _______
——————

I gather I can do this with OBD Eleven and manually adjust the headlight adjusters.

Can anybody tell me the correct procedure please , or should I just leave it and ask Audi to do it on the upcoming service ?

These are the headlight FYI

 

[AudiA3B]

Nice colour of car you have , are the headlights not self levelling when you turn the engine on? Mine go up and then they go back down to level themselves.

 

[Scotty75]

Thanks , I do love Navarra Blue !

The headlights are self levelling but still appear misaligned.

 

[JohnM100]

Yes those are normal LED.

Do you have High beam assist? Otherwise I’d have thought the adjuster screw on the headlight mount would be sufficient but happy to be proven wrong.

Not an expert in standard LEDs but would expect normal pattern to to be vaguely like

————\____ __________

(Feels like back to the 80s with ASCII graphics)

Is this a new issue or has it been low since the last service/MOT?

BTW - nice RS grille and splitter - really suits the car.

 

[Scotty75]

Good old ASCII …… lol

Got the RS grille from another member here , genuine RS3 grille. Maxton splitter and side diffusers. Very happy with look.

Noticed the issue a little while ago but it wasn’t picked up in MOT. Looking at the pattern above maybe I’m being picky as it looks similar to how my headlights are looking

 

[JohnM100]

I’ve had more MOTs lower the lights too far than keep them level or elevate. Took back and fixed as gesture of goodwill. Goodwill MA.

 

[Scotty75]

Much to my surprise I don’t have high beam assist. The LED headlights sweep up then back down when first turned on but that’s it.

I’m assuming HBA hasn’t been enabled , maybe I can do this with OBD eleven ?

Thought I’d have a look at the S3’s factory data label to see what it actually cam with , label is nowhere to be found . Checked the under the bonnet . Looked in the boot , took out the sub and space saver wheel……. Nothing . Only the lining covering the boot of the boot. No service book from Audi either , just a print out of the service record .

Really frustrating, any ideas how I can get the factory info ?

 

[Scotty75]

Just checked the rear view mirror and it has no sensor or camera so guess I can’t code in HBA anyway

Can’t believe it’s not standard on an S3 FL ! Typical Audi !!

 

[8YARWY]

Just checked the rear view mirror and it has no sensor or camera so guess I can’t code in HBA anyway

Can’t believe it’s not standard on an S3 FL ! Typical Audi !!

You’ll need to buy this mirror.

Wire it in and then code to work

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scotty75]

Tricky job or not Sean ?

 

[8YARWY]

Tricky job or not Sean ?

Guide here.

[How To] HBA Retrofit on 8V/MQB Platform

Thought I'd stick up a guide for this seeing as theres no info whatsoever on the net. This will only work on cars that have an 'HIGH' CAN Gateway. If you don't have one you must install that also.. First you'll need to source yourself a rear view mirror that supports HBA. German eBay is best...

www.audi-sport.net

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[Scotty75]

Cheers

 

[AudiA3B]

An Audi S3 should have this stuff. Never understand why all this stuff is an option - HBA, folding mirrors etc. Is the S3 not the 2nd highest in the range before the RS3?

You'd think it would have all the options as standard. You're not missing much with this anyway I never use mine really.

 

[Scotty75]

At the price of an S3 I totally agree, be nice to try these things out though !

 

[JohnM100]

Agree an S3 should come with extras as standard, but it doesn’t.

It’s a balance between better engine & handling vs extra tech gadgets but minimising standard spec & cost to get PCP deal customers into an S3. The UK market is skewed towards base spec PCP and discouraging cash purchases.

Without the mirror camera and HBA, lends more weight to manual adjustment of the headlights.

 

[Scotty75]

Agree an S3 should come with extras as standard, but it doesn’t.

It’s a balance between better engine & handling vs extra tech gadgets but minimising standard spec & cost to get PCP deal customers into an S3. The UK market is skewed towards base spec PCP and discouraging cash purchases.

Without the mirror camera and HBA, lends more weight to manual adjustment of the headlights.

Being honest , I’m not disappointed with the S3. Drives brilliantly, looks great. Full leather with heated seats and 310 bhp…… what’s not like . Just a little miffed that a premium car lacks premium features.

Regarding adjusting headlights, I’ve read somewhere that I still need to use OBD or VCDS along with manually adjusting due to the auto levelling . Does this sound right. ?

 

[Damo S]

I thought the auto levelling basically tips them down a bit when accelerating, or up a bit when braking. might be wrong but that's what mine seem to do.
You can manually adjust their base "level". No problems with MOT since I did mine.

Look at my post here, about 6 down from the top:

Pre-FL 8V Xenons - Poor Light Ouput

I have a 2014 8V TDi Sportback with the Xenons and the light output seems to be horrendous - on dipped beam they're no better than a pair of tea lights in a fishbowl. Is this a common observation, and are there any recommended upgrades? My old 2004 Range Rover Vogue had much brighter bulbs but...

www.audi-sport.net

 

[Scotty75]

Thanks for the info mate , very helpful