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[jjleonard]

Long time since I've been on here...

After a minor prang in Jan, leaving a broken nearside headlight, dented wing and bumper, I trusted my car to the insurance companies' recommended bodyshop.

BIG mistake.

I have my car back (after three weeks!) and the new nearside headlight points to the ground. Main beam and dipped are both low on that side only, so I know the self levelling is fine. It's a xenon unit, but I assume the bodyshop didn't adjust the light after fitting it.

I don't want to take it back - it's the last time I go near that place - so want to do the basic adjustment myself.

A close examination shows two allen screws on the top of the unit - from other posts it would appear these are up/down and left/right adjusters.

Is this the case for the xenon units? which one is which? anybody remember which way they turn to adjust up/down and left/right? I don't want to be messing around with them for ever, and knowing my luck i'll break the adjusters if i'm not careful.

Any help? Thanks in advance.

[biggriffin]

you should take it back as a bodyshop should gurrantee all insurance work and the car should be returned in A1 condition if not phone your insurance company and kick off. normally  works. but dont take NO for answer.

[jjleonard]

yeah - been thinking about kicking off with the bodyshop first - but i need the car for work and can't afford to have it off the road again.

Probably best if I ring them and offer them the chance to fix it, then kick off at the insurance company if they screw me around again.

what a pain in the arse.

[Cliffo B]

Could it be that they have already broke the adjusters? and then might try a bodge up. Serves the insurance co right if you complain. They after all forced you in the direction of what would appear to be incompetant repairers,hope you get it sorted ok

[feeutfo]

i would not touch it, if you take it back later cause they left a plug off the level motor or something and see that you fiddled with it they may take the oppertunity to void any waranty saying you broke the adjuster your self, they are very brittle. Make them sort it out, if they brake the adjuster its down to them, imo anyway. Apreciate your position though, i refuse to use thier approved repairers, numptys on the whole.

Check its a genuine light, my lot fitted a depo copy instead of genuine to save costs, cheaky tinkers.

[Bionic]

  Firstly - do not try to do it yourself, the warranty from the repair shop will be invalidated! The repair shop were legally obliged to return the car to you in a raodworthy condition as part of their contract with your insurance company so what I did and be safe. Ring the repair shop first and tell them that you need the car for work. They should then tell you to pop in at a set time and do it while you wait. If they argue or try the foboff routine tell them you are reporting the matter to your insurance company immediately. Stand back and watch them backpedal! My repairers were Nationwide and as a result of a few more customer complaints my insurers no longer use them.

[jjleonard]

Rang the bodyshop this morning - they've said they'll check it whilst I wait. Discovered this morning that my nearside door mirror - which was electrically adjustable and heated when I left it with them - is no longer adjusting or heating.

Thanks for the advice, guys - next stop is the insurance company if they mess me about any more!

[Marks DTM Calib]

The CORRECT procedure for setting the HID based auto leveling lights is to first reset the system with tech2 and then to adjust the headlights as per normal lights.

In reality, you can just adjust the headlights without carrying out the Tech2 reset.

I bet they have swapped the leveling motor over and not engaged it properly in the headlight internal linkage....and then not bothered to adjust the headlights anyway!

[jjleonard]

I reckon - given the price that they mentioned they were charging the insurance company - that they replaced the headlight entirely.

I mean, £1400 for a headlight, wing and front bumper? (plus headlight washers) - REALLY?

If I ever bump it again I'm not using the insurance companies' recommended crowd, that's for sure.

Now all I have to do is wait for the snow to stop falling and i'll get it over there again. sigh.....

[Marks DTM Calib]

The headlamps when new do not come with the leveling motor fitted....

So even if they fitted a new motor they would need to fit it to the lamp assembly. 

[jjleonard]

The headlamps when new do not come with the leveling motor fitted....

So even if they fitted a new motor they would need to fit it to the lamp assembly. 

Aha! They've clearly not bothered to align it properly when fitting it - the most cursory check (i.e. switching the headlights on) would have showed them that it was wrong, as it lights up the ground directly in front of the car. stupid b'stards.

[feeutfo]

same parts for my bump. £900 but with a pattern headlight and re used motor. Motor is easy to miss align... i suppose.

 And yes you do get that "sigh" feeling. i rememder it well.

[markfree]

Had exactly the same prang  - wrecked headlight bumper and n/s wing.

Decided to diy as the car isn't worth much and the insurance co. would have certainly wriiten it off and probably would have given me peanuts for it (£350 excess).

So far I have spent a grand total of £250 on bumper, headlight (HID), fog-lights, n/s wing and arch liner - all got from scrappy/ebay.

Looks like I may do a better job than a garage as I'm taking my time (waiting for primer to dry on bumper n/s wing).

Only problem is the inner wing got pushed back about an inch or so - so I will have to either pull-it-out or have another inner-wing welded on which might cost a bit  but I guess I'll be only spending around £500 tops

[jjleonard]

I did consider that route myself, but I don't have a garage or respraying equipment and I needed the car for work.

As it turned out, the car was off the road for three weeks whilst they waited for backordered parts, and I ended up moving appointments to places I could get to by train, or taking the bus to work. (NEVER AGAIN).

All this from a 15mph slide on the A41 at 11.30 at night, when it was snowing last. I was nice to work colleagues and waited for them to finish drinking, so I had three of them in the car all p*ssed as farts, yelling at me to go faster. Slid off the road into a crash barrier - once the car wanted to slide, I couldn't stop it.

Whilst I waited for my car to go into the bodyshop - another 2 weeks - I found a deserted carpark on a sunday morning and practiced my car control on snow until I was comfortable handling it when it slid around. Turns out turning OFF the traction control and not standing on the brakes makes it a lot more steerable when it starts sliding!

Judging from the maniac drivers in stevenage this morning, a lot more could do with the practice too.

I have since gained great pleasure from turning work colleagues down flat when they want a lift anywhere now - the excess was £450 and the cheap b'stards haven't offered me a penny.