Raise headlight on 2016 CX-5 with Tech and i-Activsense?
- Thread starter GAXIBM
- Start date
There's a translucent/clear plastic cap on the back of each headlight housing, with what looks like a gear behind it. Pop the cap off and use a phillips screwdriver between the gear and black plastic to adjust.
It should be noted you'll blind other drivers if you raise them much more than they are stock. May as well just run around with your high beams on, these LED lights are bright.
It should be noted you'll blind other drivers if you raise them much more than they are stock. May as well just run around with your high beams on, these LED lights are bright.
We live out in the country and it gets very dark at night. Here is a video I took of the low 'curtain-like' shadow when the low-beams are on. It was very uncomfortable driving since it appeared that I wasn't seeing as far as I needed. This is my husband walking toward the vehicle while I was parked. If I was driving and a deer darted in front, I wouldn't have seen it in time.
I showed this to the dealership and they stated that the headlights were set at the factory level. However, they were very concerned with the video and they agreed to raise them just a bit. Worked wonders and I have not been flashed since June.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5QNAN7fpOZzem1jQXFZWTFJMFk/edit
I have the same problem. 2016 with Tech and iSense. Both lowbeams and highbeams are too low. I live out by the country and it's very dark with lots of animals on the roads. My wife's RDX is much much higher without actually blinding any oncoming drivers. The RDX lights are stock with no modifications.
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- 2014 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech
How to adjust the headlights has been covered a few times in the forum.
For example: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123830060-Headlight-Allignment&highlight=headlight+adjust
For example: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123830060-Headlight-Allignment&highlight=headlight+adjust
Except the 2016 with teck has led, different...
I'm currently at the dealership getting my scheduled service done and asked about the headlight aim and if they could be adjusted up slightly. Their very scientific way of testing headlight aim was to park my car next to another non-LED cx-5 and shine the headlights on the garage door in front of them. There was also a large drain between the cars causing them to be very unlevel. The tech who was looking at said, and I quote "dude, I don't even think these cars have adjustable headlights, I'm not sure though. I guess we could put some washers under the front to try to raise the lights".
Are you friggin Judi g me!!!! The Mazda techs at the Mazda dealerships don't know for sure if the headlights can be adjusted? Don't they have manuals to reference?
Speaking of manuals does anyone know how to get a 2016 factory service manual?
Has anyone found a way to adjust the LED headlights?
Are you friggin Judi g me!!!! The Mazda techs at the Mazda dealerships don't know for sure if the headlights can be adjusted? Don't they have manuals to reference?
Speaking of manuals does anyone know how to get a 2016 factory service manual?
Has anyone found a way to adjust the LED headlights?
Ride92 I finally figured out what was wrong with my low beam 2016 Tech lights. The load sensing adjustment that lowers the lights when the rear is pressed down with a load was installed 180 degrees out of phase and was lowering the lights when empty and raising them when loaded. The way to check is park at night with your lights on low beam about two or three car lengths away from a wall or garage door. Open the trunk and watch the light cutoff on the wall as you put your weight on the back bumper. The light should go up the wall with your weight and then the load sensor should kick in and bring the cutoff back down to near the starting point, you should be able to hear the electric motor adjusting the lights. Take you weight off the bumper and the light cutoff should go down the wall and then the sensor should walk it back to the original cutoff. (I weigh 250 so you may need extra weight. I had to leave the engine running to keep the lights on and ended up having to go through the trunk when walk away locked me out so open the trunk before you walk away with the engine running and it will not autolock - I did not think to use the key in my remote). If your lights go up with load and not down your dealer should fix it.
On my FWD there is a 10 mm nut on a variable resistor just above the left rear lower wheel arm with a small link to the lower arm. As the car is loaded the arms go up towards the body and turn the resistor. I took the small arm off the resistor with a 10mm socket and turned the resistor to make it fit the arm in a position that it would lower the lights under load instead of raising them so that at the empty position the light cutoff is almost level with the lights ahead instead of dropping towards the ground at distance.
On my FWD there is a 10 mm nut on a variable resistor just above the left rear lower wheel arm with a small link to the lower arm. As the car is loaded the arms go up towards the body and turn the resistor. I took the small arm off the resistor with a 10mm socket and turned the resistor to make it fit the arm in a position that it would lower the lights under load instead of raising them so that at the empty position the light cutoff is almost level with the lights ahead instead of dropping towards the ground at distance.
This was done at the Mazda factory? Inexcusable! Good headlights are important, I can only imagine the negligent person who installed that backwards had no idea the danger and risk their negligence caused. I spend a lot of time in areas with no houses, no streetlights, no traffic signals and plenty of winter darkness. In other words, if there are no clouds, when people from the city look up, they are blown away. People who have never left the 24/7 glow of the city may not realize just how important headlights are to those of us who travel in truly dark (and often rainy) environments.
If Mazda had even one employee who was installing 50% backwards, even if only for a week, they need to send out recall notices. At least the proper installation can be verified visually without needing to remove anything (or even without putting the car on a lift). I imagine this explains a number of people who have complained of a cut-off that was too low. Good thing it's a simple fix!
+1 +1 +1 This is important. In the country, headlights are right after tires as safety requirements. I urge everyone with self leveling headlights to check them. OK, Everyone with headlights should check them.
That's a good question.
On a long straight but steep incline, you still want your headlights aiming to the same angle relative to the road. On cars without self-leveling headlights, the headlights would aim slightly farther down the road due to weight transfer to the rear of the vehicle (caused by the steep grade) and, conversely, would project a shorter distance when descending.
Unless the self-leveling system disables correction on steep grades it would compensate for this effect. I suspect it does compensate even on steep grades.
A first level how to check them.
Find a level surface and a vertical wall or garage door. Park the vehicle close to the wall and, using the masking tape, mark the low-beams' horizontal centerlines.
Mark the vertical centerlines of each beam and the center of the vehicle with masking tape. Marking the vehicle centerline is helpful to determine side to-side alignment, or lack thereof.
Move the vehicle 25 feet straight backwards. Turn the horizontal-vertical adjusting screws to position the low beam hot spots two inches below and to the right of the taped centerlines
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/o/article-how-to-aim-headlights
Find a level surface and a vertical wall or garage door. Park the vehicle close to the wall and, using the masking tape, mark the low-beams' horizontal centerlines.
Mark the vertical centerlines of each beam and the center of the vehicle with masking tape. Marking the vehicle centerline is helpful to determine side to-side alignment, or lack thereof.
Move the vehicle 25 feet straight backwards. Turn the horizontal-vertical adjusting screws to position the low beam hot spots two inches below and to the right of the taped centerlines
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/o/article-how-to-aim-headlights
Self leveling needs a bit of explanation. Self leveling headlights adjust them selves to compensate for the car sitting level or being low or high in back (example, car full of people gas and luggage or car with only the driver). BUT They only adjust themselves with relation to where they were set or adjusted by you or the dealer. Put another way. The headlight brain doesn't know if the headlight assembly is level or if the light from them is lighting up the sky. All they know is they were set here and it has input to move them to there. There needs to be an initial setup to point them in the right direction just like any other headlight.
I know we are talking LED here..but I think this has been a requirement for Bi-Xenon HIDs since inception. Early versions had manual control IIRC.
I assume this is the same on the '16. Here is the load sensing adjuster on my '15. This is on the left rear suspension.
