Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

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spartacus68
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Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by spartacus68 »

Looking for advice please if anyone has access to workshop manuals for a 2015 plate Polo 1.4 diesel BlueMotion.

I posted a thread about rear springs here: viewtopic.php?t=76967

This is relevant, as I was convinced, and still am that the ride height at the rear was too high effecting the headlight range. Drove home from work last night at dusk, so first use of headlights for a long time. The headlight beam simply is too close in front of the car, and full beam is exaggerated not illuminating enough of the road ahead.

The rear coil springs checked out and are correct for the car, however can LED headlights be adjusted in any way before I resort to a couple of bags of sand in the boot!
RUM4MO
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by RUM4MO »

As all cars that came from the factory with LED headlights do have a built in automatic headlight levelling system, I would have hoped that if the rear is a bit higher than it should be, then the system would correct this - but I'd doubt it.

I'd think that the plan for a DIYer re-setting the lights is, to ideally load the car as it normally is to make the basic settings, and then adjust the headlights using the adjusters on each headlight.

I've had each of the headlights out, just to make sure that I knew how to change any filament bulbs that are in these headlight, first time you remove them you can end up with getting a sore hand/palm from whacking the rear of the headlights! (front indicator bulb WY21W )

Edit:- that 2015 Polo has never, as far as I know, had its LED headlights adjusted for/during an MOT, but that just means like your car, the headlight aim is okay>too low!
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iichel
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by iichel »

you might need to do a re-adjustment if you lowered both front and rear, since the system does not correct for front lowering - only rear.
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by SRGTD »

I always felt the LED headlamps on my 2016 Polo GTI were a little low from the factory but never adjusted them during the 4.5 years I owned the car. Interestingly, I saw that it failed its MOT after I traded it in for my current car (2020 Polo GTI+). The reason for the MOT fail? - the headlamp beams were aimed too low. Strange, because I owned it at its first and second MOT’s and it passed both of those without any advisories.

I’ve adjusted the headlamps on my current car as they also seemed low from the factory.
spartacus68
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by spartacus68 »

RUM4MO wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:16 am As all cars that came from the factory with LED headlights do have a built in automatic headlight levelling system, I would have hoped that if the rear is a bit higher than it should be, then the system would correct this - but I'd doubt it.
Interesting. I have an A4 Allroad that had a broken coil spring when I was on holiday on the west coast. If I had the tools I’d have replaced it myself, but luckily found a garage that could do the work quickly but little did I know that they forgot to reconnect the front height level sensor resulting in the xenon headlights failing to level when I drove in the dark a month or so afterwards.

Does the Polo have a adjuster on the suspension or is it built into the headlight unit?
Last edited by spartacus68 on Sat Aug 20, 2022 10:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
spartacus68
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by spartacus68 »

iichel wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:37 am you might need to do a re-adjustment if you lowered both front and rear, since the system does not correct for front lowering - only rear.
I’ve not changed the suspension, it’s running on stock springs. I was so concerned about rear ride height but VW confirmed colour code for springs.
spartacus68
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by spartacus68 »

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have access to instructions for adjusting the headlights, if it is a manual process, such as adjusting grub screws on each side. Obviously I’ll remember turns, as surprisingly the car is passing MOTs with no advisories in lighting.
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by SRGTD »

spartacus68 wrote: Sat Aug 20, 2022 10:44 am Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have access to instructions for adjusting the headlights, if it is a manual process, such as adjusting grub screws on each side. Obviously I’ll remember turns, as surprisingly the car is passing MOTs with no advisories in lighting.
Forum member @roywolfey posted a ‘how to’ for adjusting the LED headlamps on the next (current) generation AW Polo GTI+; 10th post in the discussion thread at the link below.

https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?t=72264

I don’t know if this procedure would be the same for the 6c GTI, but it’s maybe worth a try. On my 2020 GTI+, I did one full 360 degree turn on the adjustment screw and the improvement in dipped beam range was certainly noticeable.

I stuck a piece of masking tape next to the headlamp height adjustment screw and wrapped a piece around my torx head screwdriver shaft just above the torx head and put an alignment mark on each - that way, I knew I’d adjusted by exactly one complete (360 degree) turn when the alignment marks lined up after adjusting. I adjusted mine in my garage, and I marked the beam position on the wall before starting so I could;

a) be certain the beam height had changed
b) check I’d adjusted the height up rather than down
c) check the beam height adjustment was the same for both headlamps.

I’ve never had oncoming cars flash their headlamps at me, so the amount I’ve raised the dipped beam height doesn’t cause any dazzling issues to other drivers.
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by RUM4MO »

I have spotted the link rod on the rear of my wife's Polo, but I don't think that there is one on the front, I'd guess that is all VW Group would fit to these cars as the plan wold be to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, and compression of the front springs would not cause that in the way that compression of the rear springs would. I'll have a look in my official workshop manual to see how it is done.
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by RUM4MO »

Okay, the front white plastic adjuster is for the main beam only height setting, the next towards the rear small white plastic adjuster is for the dip beam only lateral setting, the height adjuster for the dip beam is just behind and below its lateral setting - according to the official VW workshop manual.
spartacus68
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Re: Adjusting Polo LED headlight range

Post by spartacus68 »

Sorry about the delay in coming back about this. I blame work commitments.

You need a long shaft cross head screwdriver to do it. It was around 4.30pm, and I live north of the wall, in November, so getting dark. I added tape on the garage door with the lights on so I could see the difference. I added two full 360°turns on both headlights on dipped beam to lift them. Seems to have made a difference tonight in the village, but the proof is in the pudding on a dark motorway at 70mph.
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