Hi all, done a search but no joy.

I have two Octavia's now, both are fitted with xenon headlights.

When I turn on the headlights on my 2008 Scout they self level, I can see them adjust down and then back up. This happens every time they are turned on.

I've only had my 2007 vRS for a few days now so only had two dark early morning starts, however I have noticed that the xenon's aren't doing their 'dance'. They do appear to be aligned OK though...

Any ideas or is this a dealer only diagnostic?

They only do this when the engine is first started and you'll only see it if the lights are on. They wont do this again.

Are the ones on the 2007 definitely factory fitted? If you turn them on, then start the car, do they self test/level?

Are the lights turned on with the vRS before you turn the key? (Does it have Auto/Tunnel Lights?)

I'm pretty sure the levelling dance happens everytime you start the car whether the lights are on or not.

If you turn the engine and then turn the lights on you may well have missed the dance, whereas in the Scout the lights are on the moment you turn the key so you'll see it?........

Just a thought.

Niall

They only do this when the engine is first started and you'll only see it if the lights are on. They wont do this again.

Are the ones on the 2007 definitely factory fitted? If you turn them on, then start the car, do they self test/level?

That makes sense, I only ever see the Scout xenon's level first thing on a morning.

Start engine, sidelights on, headlights on, I then see them self level.

Same start up procedure on the vRS (xenon's are factory fit) see's the xenon's flash on and then brighten slightly as they warm up but no self levelling...

Edited 11 October, 201114 yr by silver1011

They only do this when the engine is first started and you'll only see it if the lights are on. They wont do this again.

Are the ones on the 2007 definitely factory fitted? If you turn them on, then start the car, do they self test/level?

If they weren't factory fitted there'd a levelling adjustment wheel in the cabin?

Niall

Are the lights turned on with the vRS before you turn the key? (Does it have Auto/Tunnel Lights?)

I'm pretty sure the levelling dance happens everytime you start the car whether the lights are on or not.

If you turn the engine and then turn the lights on you may well have missed the dance, whereas in the Scout the lights are on the moment you turn the key so you'll see it?........

Just a thought.

Niall

Hmmmm, maybe.

The Scout has tunnel lights, the vRS doesn't.

I never leave the light switch on Auto. When I turn the lights on in the Scout and its dark I turn them from 'O' to 'Auto' and then witness the dance.

On the vRS I move quickly through sidelights to the headlight position - no dance.

Before I bought the vRS I checked the xenon's in the reflection of the car in front without the engine running, they lit up fine but didn't dance, I just assumed that it was because the engine wasn't running.

Seems I may have a problem :'(

If they weren't factory fitted there'd a levelling adjustment wheel in the cabin?

Correct, no manual adjustment wheel next to the 'cabin illumination brightness' wheel.

It has the headlight washers too which on the vRS are only fitted with the xenon's (unlike the Scout which gets them regardless - as you'll know ).

Someone with VCDS can check for you. You can try putting into learn mode starting, then back to normal. This fixes some level issues.

even if you switch to second stage on the ignition no engine you should hear them move i do in mine everytime its probably about the only thing that works so far although the lights need realigned but grudge paying £56 for 20 mins work.

Thanks guys, it's at the dealers on Friday to have all four injectors and the loom replaced so I'll ask them to reset the xenon's too.

Well, after plugging the car into their diagnostics there were no faults logged or showing for the xenon headlights.

I am convinced there is a problem, mainly down to the very fact that the same headlights on my Scout can be seen to self-level every morning and I can see them leveling over a couple of large speed humps near my house.

The one's on my vRS light up and are aligned perfectly but there is no noticeable up and down movement at all, ever.

Does anyone know if this type of fault would register on the car for the dealer to see? It just seems to me that if their computer says everything is fine then they are not willing/able to do anything else...

Find someone local with VCDS to look at the lights for you. They should also be able to check the levelling motors with the adjustment setting.

Thanks gadgetman, I've already exhausted my VCDS options local to me so I may well be looking to travel further afield.

As I wasn't happy with DM Keith's diagnosis I contacted Skoda UK by email and got a phone call back from John Good asking me for some more details. They are going to check with Technical Support and get back to me next week

Now I wonder if there is a fault whether my aftermarket warranty (Autoguard) will cover it. What's the chances that there will be some small print excluding headlights!?

Had the call back from Skoda Auto this morning.

They have checked with Technical to confirm that my vRS does have xenon's with the self levelling feature, confirmed by checking my cars PR codes.

However I was told that not all xenon headlights do the automatic self level check each time the engine is started. He wasn't able to tell me which do and which don't other than the fact that my particular vRS doesn't.

Still seems strange to me when my (all-be-it 12 month newer) Scout does do it but I have to take Skoda's word for it that they are working as they should be.

I'm sure I can also see the Scout's self leveling over some speed humps near me if I go slow enough but wasn't able to see them move on the vRS under the same circumstances.

I can't help getting the impression no one really knows, but I'm still not convinced.

Still they are aligned correctly and passed the MOT so will have to leave it at that!

Does your Scout have the AFS II xenon headlights? Maybe the VRS has the older xenons that don't have the cornering feature and so the self check on start up is not so obvious?

No I don't think it does, at least not that I am aware off. My Scout is a 2008 pre-facelift.

I always thought AFS II was only available on the facelift xenon headlights? I've certainly never noticed the headlights cornering with the steering?

It is however possible that the vRS does have 'older' xenon's fitted as it is 12 months older than the Scout.

I'm trying to think of an obvious way to test the self leveling on the vRS, if it isn't self leveling then this would prove something is amiss...

for the xenons to do the "dance", u need to have either afs (bending/dynamic) or afs2 (bending/highway/city/highbeam-assist etc etc) xenons.

the "dance" is effectively the headlight electronics stretching its legs on startup. kinda like a self-diagnostics.

traditional (older) xenons simply level up/down according the load of the car. i don't believe they did the dance.

Hmm, not so sure, if that is the case then my Octavia Scout either has AFS or there is something wrong with it's headlights too.

The reason I say this is that the Scout definately self levels when the lights are turned on. The lights are turned on, the beam lowers, then raises to a fixed height. As I drive up the road over two large speedhumps I can see them trying to compensate as the nose pitches up and down.

My 57 plate vrs does do an up and down dance when turned on, sometimes!

It always self corrects on un even roads though.

I don't know what makes it decide to dance!

Cheers UglyVrs,

Others have mentioned that they are supposed to self level each time the engine is started regardless of if the headlights are turned on or not.

I only notice them self level on the Scout when I turn them on, they do this each and every time the headlights are turned on.

Are you saying that you don't notice them self leveling every time you turn them on, only once every so often?

May be I should try starting the engine with the headlights already on. May be mine are self leveling but doing their dance before I am able to turn on the lights...

Yes, they don't self test every time, I park on a down slope at home and they just move to the right position if the car was parked with the lights off, it seems to remember the position if you park with the lights on.

Leaving work last night it did a self test, up then down then to the right position this was on the level after using the lights in the morning.

Hmmm, sounds like Skoda were telling porkies then

Hmmm, sounds like Skoda were telling porkies then

No dancing for me tonight, leaving work tonight they just flipped up to the right position.

Even that is more than I am getting. I've seen no evidence of self leveling, not even the upwards adjustment you saw tonight.

Local dealer - no idea

Skoda Customer Care - no idea

Skoda Technical Support - no idea

My lights have leaving home function on them so turn on when I press the key fob remote. When I get in I turn the lights to on and then start the engine. At this point my lights do the up and down dance and settle on their level. Mine is a pre-facelift car.

Ian