Adaptive Xenon Question

[me1357]

Hello all

Just received our new A4 Allroad on the 1st of march which we ordered with the adaptive lighting option.On first glance everything seemed to be ok as it obviously had xenons fitted with the led daytime running lights.

This weekend was the first time the car been driven in total darkness and the lights dont seem to swing at all.Our previous car bmw 1 series had this option and it was very easy to see the lights swing side to side as you drove on winding roads and several videos on youtube show it's very obvious to see on Audi's as well.

Now the lights are made by Automotive Lighting and have a serial number of 8K0 941 003 Q and 8K0 941 004 Q.The build sticker that also comes with your service book doesn't have the code 8Q5 = Headlight-range adjustment, automatic/ dynamic with dynamic bending light (AFS 1) but has 8Q3 = Automatic headlight-range adjustment dynamic (self-adjusting while driving) and 8BP = Bi-functional headlight with gas discharge lamp.

Has anyone any information as to whether the above is correct or not as i dont want to go to the dealer without some knowledge so they dont fob me off , as the whole buying experience of audi has not exactly been smooth.

Thanks all
Mark

[Bratty]

When the adaptive lights come on at night and you are parked against a wall the lights will move up and down and from side to side, the adaptive light only function in a specific speed range. mine were definetly noticeable on a windy country road or if you swing the steering wheel quickly from side to side.

If they are not functioning you should get a warning light.

Dunk

[Bratty]

My Spare Uk Bi-xenon Adaptive lights are 8KO 941 029H (Left) and 030H (Right).

Dunk

[me1357]

When you start the car the lights only go up and down there is definitely no side to side movement.

It looks as if they have fitted normal xenon's even though that is not even an option in the brochure.

Time to see what the dealer says I think

Thanks
Mark

[Bratty]

Just a word of caution Mark! DEMAND! your "factory" build spec sheet print-out and compare it with your order, they WILL!!?!! NOT!!?!! want to do it but its worth getting for reference.

And do not accept the "option" price difference as compensation as it would cost them a LOT! more to correct their mistake ie. complete new set of headlights, new adaptive light modules, steering sensor(?) and re-programming.

When they twist and turn to get out of the situation because the cost is so much, remind them that they are able to retain the original xenon headlights to offset the costs:approve:.

Dunk

[ScottyUK]

When you start the car the lights only go up and down there is definitely no side to side movement.

The side to side movement is as clear to see as the up down so if you don't see it then I'd suggest you don't have them :(

It seems like they've misbuilt it or the adaptive component is simply not enabled or is faulty.

Get back to them asap.

[troc]

Hmm, reminds me I keep meaning to check the adaptive lights on my car as I've never really noticed any side-to-side movement.

I'll park it up facing a wall tonight and see what happens when I switch the lights on. The up and down movement as the lights fire up I do notice every time.

[me1357]

Thanks for all the replys , have phoned the dealership today but couldn't get hold of the sales man , he's supposed to be ringing me back :rolleyes:

It's quiet foggy here at the minute so waiting for it to get dark just to make sure , as i remember with the bmw it's easy to see it move in the fog.

Will let you all know how i get on :beerchug:

[Bratty]

Remember "Owners Manual" page 61 "The system is active at speeds from approximately 10 km/h to 110 km/h";);).

My car was incorrectly specced and I found dealing with the dealership was a very difficult experience (hopefully yours will be a little less arrogant and condescending), and "this" experience did not allow me to feel like the car was as special as I had hoped and i found myself selling it ! (even though it was and still is a super looking car, (one of my collegues bought it from me so I see it often:approve:)).

Hope your vehicle is actually as per your order and it is just a technical hic-cup, Good Luck :beerchug:.

Dunk

[me1357]

To be honest i'm not to bothered about the adaptive bit the main reason for specing the xenon's was for the led running light's.

I dont think i would be to happy about them taking apart my car to try and retrofit this option as i think there would be a very high chance of damage and possible problems latter on.

That's not to say i will let them away with it as it was a £1105 option.

[ScottyUK]

Popping headlights out etc is hardly major. It's four bolts.

Get 'em to do what ever's needed :beerchug:

[me1357]

Just back from a long drive in heavy fog and winding roads , very easy to see light beams and guess what , No adaptive control :aargh4:

Hoping now that it may just be a tick on vcds as i've seen a screen grab with adaptive lights fitted needing activated.

[me1357]

Popping headlights out etc is hardly major. It's four bolts.

Get 'em to do what ever's needed :beerchug:

If that's all there is to it then that would be great but i believe there are steering sensors and yaw rate sensors to fit aswell.

[Rusk]

I guess this won't make you feel better but I got this feature without knowing :D

Bought mine secondhand and adaptive wasn't listed. I was driving around and noticed the beams moving. I read on here about the on turn on the beams move down side to side them up again if you have it. Tested and I do have it :beerchug:

I don't think I would have spec'd this feature but now I have used it out in the countryside in the black of night it is worth it! If you spec'd and it doesn't have it make a big scene at the dealership and don't give up. You never know you might get another new car out of it :p

[Johnboy48]

Hi, I have been reading this post with interest. I bought a B8 A4 second hand 2 years ago and in the manufactures sheet that comes with it it states that the car has Xenon Plus headlights - is this the same as adaptive lights?. I know it has headlamp washers but have never noticed the lights going side to side although they go up and down when i start the car. Any help would be appreciated







A4 2.7tdi, Deep Sea Blue, Sat Nav, Xenons, B&O, Sports Seats, Leather, Audi Drive Select, Phone Prep High, 18" Alloys, Towbar, Interior Light Package

[Rusk]

Hi, I have been reading this post with interest. I bought a B8 A4 second hand 2 years ago and in the manufactures sheet that comes with it it states that the car has Xenon Plus headlights - is this the same as adaptive lights?. I know it has headlamp washers but have never noticed the lights going side to side although they go up and down when i start the car. Any help would be appreciated

All cars with Xenon have to have washers by law and they also must self level which is why they go down and back up when you start the car. If, when starting the car, the lights go down then back up without moving side to side then you do not have adaptive lights.

Hope all that waffle helps :p

[me1357]

Hi, I have been reading this post with interest. I bought a B8 A4 second hand 2 years ago and in the manufactures sheet that comes with it it states that the car has Xenon Plus headlights - is this the same as adaptive lights?. I know it has headlamp washers but have never noticed the lights going side to side although they go up and down when i start the car. Any help would be appreciated

From what i believe xenon plus means adaptive.

On my order sheet it mentions adaptive lights but on the confirmation sheet it calls it xenon plus only so maybe this is were the problem lies with mine.

Another way to check is the factory sticker that should be stuck on the first page of your service book.The code for adaptive lights is 8Q5 and the codes for normal xenons are 8Q3 , 8BP.

[me1357]

I guess this won't make you feel better but I got this feature without knowing :D

Bought mine secondhand and adaptive wasn't listed. I was driving around and noticed the beams moving. I read on here about the on turn on the beams move down side to side them up again if you have it. Tested and I do have it :beerchug:

I don't think I would have spec'd this feature but now I have used it out in the countryside in the black of night it is worth it! If you spec'd and it doesn't have it make a big scene at the dealership and don't give up. You never know you might get another new car out of it :p

Where i live i need to travel for 10 miles on a winding B road which is not lit so adaptive lights are very usefull in this situation.

Anyway it turns out that its been confirmed that the car only has normal xenons and not adaptives , which is impossible to order as on the Allroad you can only spec adaptive xenons.Dealer is sure that there side is right and it's the factory in germany that has made the mistake , so e-mails have been sent to germany to see what has gone wrong and to see what the solution is.

[Johnboy48]

All cars with Xenon have to have washers by law and they also must self level which is why they go down and back up when you start the car. If, when starting the car, the lights go down then back up without moving side to side then you do not have adaptive lights.

Hope all that waffle helps :p


Thanks, i didn't realise that

[Johnboy48]

From what i believe xenon plus means adaptive.

On my order sheet it mentions adaptive lights but on the confirmation sheet it calls it xenon plus only so maybe this is were the problem lies with mine.

Another way to check is the factory sticker that should be stuck on the first page of your service book.The code for adaptive lights is 8Q5 and the codes for normal xenons are 8Q3 , 8BP.


Well thats that sorted then, the codes in my service book are 8Q3, 8BP:(
Thanks for the quick response

[troc]

Took the car out once it was dark last night and watched the lights carefully when I started up. I'd noticed the up/down movements before but never noticed the side to side shuffle!

I've still not noticed the lights moving whilst driving though but maybe that's just because I was concentrating on other stuff :)

[satsu]

I've still not noticed the lights moving whilst driving though

I think that's because they track your natural eyeline as you go through a bend i.e. they do a good job of pointing where you're looking.

[troc]

That's pretty much what I thought too - probably easier to see if you are a passenger :)

[me1357]

Ok the saga continues , it now turns out that the dealership was supposed to use the codes px1 and 8q5 for the adaptive xenons instead of just px1.The code px1 then should have been flagged by the ordering system as just this code alone is not a option , the system then allows the order to go to germany who then build the car even though this combination is not possible with a uk order.

So it would seem there was a failing in three possible places to correct this error.

Now adaptive lights are not possible to retrofit as it's more complex that you would think , so as a gesture of goodwill as the salesman put it they would offer me £500.

As you can imagine this was rejected immediately and i said that i wanted the car i had ordered and just waited 7 months for or alot more money than £500.

Any way he phone's back asks what exactly i want even though i had told him 7 hours early in the day.So i tell him who much money i want as his goodwill gesture and he say's "that's ridiculous" :D

Any advice as in what to hold out for money wise as they seem to be skirting round the idea of a new build car , i have an idea but want to see the opinions of you guys out there to see if my figure seems ok.

Thanks all
Mark

[Bratty]

As I said before, the Audi dealership will not take it on the chin! I had a similar problem with Highland Audi whos answer (even though I told them before the car was built that it was incorrectly specced´) was that they know better!!?!! It cost them!

You have to put YOUR! priorities into perspective, Do you want a scene Or a solution!

I would say that asking for a replacement car of the correct spec would not be unreasonable, as long as you get to keep the car you have until the other vehicle is ready!

More Expensive than 500 pounds!

Dunk

[me1357]

The perfect solution would be new car to be ordered with correct spec and finance cancelled on current car and restarted when new car arrives with the same finance rate etc.

This would nice but as the first car took 7 months to come i dont really want to wait that long for the other car with the possible risk of damage or other problems with the new one.

This is were a money insentive may be the best solution and i'm prepared to take it , but it's trying to guess how much building a new car and then been left with my car will cost them compared to what my payoff may be.

[ScottyUK]

You haven't taken delivery of what you ordered so you are within your rights to reject the car ...although I believe this would be impacted by the length of time you've had the car (not sure how long you've had it).

In my situation (missing quattro), I got a new car built and I staying in the misbuild until it was ready....but it wasn't a walk in the park to get that.

Of course you may decide that instead of demanding the correct car that you can be appeased by settling with a finacial reimbursement which covers the potential loss come resale and the inconvienience and loss of the option. That value is for you alone to decide on.

If the dealer won't play ball with what you're after then reject the car. It's their **** up so they'll need to keep you mobile. If may not mean you staying in the car you've taken delivery of though.

[me1357]

You haven't taken delivery of what you ordered so you are within your rights to reject the car ...although I believe this would be impacted by the length of time you've had the car (not sure how long you've had it).

In my situation (missing quattro), I got a new car built and I staying in the misbuild until it was ready....but it wasn't a walk in the park to get that.

Of course you may decide that instead of demanding the correct car that you can be appeased by settling with a finacial reimbursement which covers the potential loss come resale and the inconvienience and loss of the option. That value is for you alone to decide on.

If the dealer won't play ball with what you're after then reject the car. It's their **** up so they'll need to keep you mobile. If may not mean you staying in the car you've taken delivery of though.

The car was delivered 1st march and has around 1000 miles on it now.My only concern is as you say come resale time whether this would impact greatly on the car or if any audi dealer would even notice it was wrong.

As it's only the adaptive part thats missing i'm willing to live with it if they come up with serious cash , but i'm not sure what a fair amount would be £1000 , £3000 ,£5000 that's the problem.

If like you it was the quattro part was missing then it would be no question , new car all the way.Some people may look at the adaptive part being missing as fairly trivial and not put a high price on it's value.

[Bratty]

You haven't taken delivery of what you ordered so you are within your rights to reject the car ...although I believe this would be impacted by the length of time you've had the car (not sure how long you've had it).

In my situation (missing quattro), I got a new car built and I staying in the misbuild until it was ready....but it wasn't a walk in the park to get that.

Of course you may decide that instead of demanding the correct car that you can be appeased by settling with a finacial reimbursement which covers the potential loss come resale and the inconvienience and loss of the option. That value is for you alone to decide on.

If the dealer won't play ball with what you're after then reject the car. It's their **** up so they'll need to keep you mobile. If may not mean you staying in the car you've taken delivery of though.

If you have just realised and MORE IMORTANTLY! you have informed the dealership that the order has been wrongly ordered then fundementaly there can be no difference (the person who did the PDI should get Both Barrels).

Dunk

[ScottyUK]

Some people may look at the adaptive part being missing as fairly trivial and not put a high price on it's value.

That's why I said only you can put a figure on it. The dealer will obviously point to the brochure and say it's worth £330 (the option on an A4) but at the end of the day if its missing then it's not what you've paid for. i.e. Would you accept a jigsaw puzzle with a peace missing ?

If it doesn't mean much to you then the figure may not be too high. Of course ruining the "new car experience" has a cost which they should make good on.

If you don't progress very well with the dealer, get on to Audi Customer Services or simply reject it. Either way do it very soon.

[me1357]

Audi customer service are calling next week sometime as i dont believe the dealer has a power to make any decisions.

[ScottyUK]

They do.

If they ****** up as a business then they can decide how much they help. Of course they could just decide that it's not worth it and just give you a full refund and take the car .... but they won't as then they'll lose on the price to resell it.

[me1357]

Funny enough he only mentioned customer services after i said i wanted either a new car or £5000 back :biglaugh:

[ScottyUK]

The risk is they think you're just trying it on to get some money. It may be worth ensuring you're clear that you simply want the car as specified.

You're paying good money for a new car and it should be prefect. The new car experience has already been ruined for you and now you're looking to them to make it right. Ask them what they're suggesting.

Don't get fobbed off as down the road you're left with a car where this missing feature may bug you (or maybe not) and then come resale it may (or may not affect you). I love the adaptive lights and wouldn't want to be without them. If they order a new car now then you'll not need lights to much as the days will be longer ;)

[Bratty]

With my dealership "problems" I was astounded that they had the sole power to administer compensation and Audi customer services had to literally go cap in hand to them and ask (advise!) them to revue there position, its was ridiculous and protracted the situation which in the end had me pick the car up at Audi HQ (some 450 miles from the dealership) whilst being chaperoned by head of fleet sales to make sure that the handover went as planned (it did not?).

With your problem Mark, I would say "What do you want to happen?" and if the answer is feasible then do not settle for anything less, but it will cost you in terms of time and stress, which will eat away at your Audi buying experience.

A retrofit is possible!! And that is how I would calculate my end compensation figure.

Dunk

[me1357]

You guys are right a new ordered car is what i would like but i dont think i could put up with the wait again and then there's probably the hassle of sorting out the finance which is with audi aswell , as i'm not carrying on paying for a car that i dont own.

This is why the money figure i have asked for may seem high to them but not to me.

[lozzermo]

I doubt not having this option will make a material difference when you come to sell the car making the long term financial impact negligible. So, per previous posts, it comes down to how you feel about being stitched up by the dealer. In theory they are in breach of contract as you have not received the goods you have ordered. My guess is that the dealer has a margin of 15% and will have given you some of that when you bought the car. I would ask for the balance of his margin plus the cost of the option. That way he does not profit and you do not pay for a part you did not get. Still leaves you with that tarnished car feeling, but at least you can feel satisfaction that the dealer did not profit.

[me1357]

I doubt not having this option will make a material difference when you come to sell the car making the long term financial impact negligible. So, per previous posts, it comes down to how you feel about being stitched up by the dealer. In theory they are in breach of contract as you have not received the goods you have ordered. My guess is that the dealer has a margin of 15% and will have given you some of that when you bought the car. I would ask for the balance of his margin plus the cost of the option. That way he does not profit and you do not pay for a part you did not get. Still leaves you with that tarnished car feeling, but at least you can feel satisfaction that the dealer did not profit.

I bought it on a special offer deal with a dealer contribution of just under £3000 and then it was delayed till feb so they had another £750ish on top of that again for the vat.

So with a 15% margin of the retail price that works out to be £5700 and the option cost is £1105.

So if the contribution and vat come off of the 15% margin that leaves £1950 + option cost = £3055.

Do you think that sounds about right.

[Bratty]

I bet the dealership will not move much on their offer! So be prepared for a planB! Try haggling with Free servicing plan and extended warranty and roofbars and roofbox (the biggest one!) and a childs plastic toy car AND!! The MONEY:approve:.

Does the UK Spec Allroad normally come as standard with Adaptive lights?

Dunk

[me1357]

I bet the dealership will not move much on their offer! So be prepared for a planB! Try haggling with Free servicing plan and extended warranty and roofbars and roofbox (the biggest one!) and a childs plastic toy car AND!! The MONEY:approve:.

Does the UK Spec Allroad normally come as standard with Adaptive lights?

Dunk

Allroad comes with halogen lights as standard and the only other option is adaptive xenons.

Already have the toy car , that was part of the deal too :D

[hughfh]

Hi all

This is my first post so PLEASE forgive me if I'm stating the bleeding obvious but no-one has mentioned it yet so here goes..... Am I not correct in saying that the adaptive side to side motion is only functional when the light switch is in the "auto" position i.e. if you are using the lights in the standard "on" (non-auto) position, the adaptive system does not work? I am happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.

If you knew this already, no harm done. If not, well then maybe you and the dealer have been saved a lot of hassle for no reason!!

[Bratty]

Hi all

This is my first post so PLEASE forgive me if I'm stating the bleeding obvious but no-one has mentioned it yet so here goes..... Am I not correct in saying that the adaptive side to side motion is only functional when the light switch is in the "auto" position i.e. if you are using the lights in the standard "on" (non-auto) position, the adaptive system does not work? I am happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.

If you knew this already, no harm done. If not, well then maybe you and the dealer have been saved a lot of hassle for no reason!!

If the headlights are on (Dipped) irrespective of the switch position then the adaptive function (if you have the option fitted) will be working at speeds between 10kmh and 110kmh, there is no function to select it or deselect it. If the system is malfunctioning ie. adaptive light control module then you get a warning on the dash.

Dunk

[me1357]

Hi all

This is my first post so PLEASE forgive me if I'm stating the bleeding obvious but no-one has mentioned it yet so here goes..... Am I not correct in saying that the adaptive side to side motion is only functional when the light switch is in the "auto" position i.e. if you are using the lights in the standard "on" (non-auto) position, the adaptive system does not work? I am happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.

If you knew this already, no harm done. If not, well then maybe you and the dealer have been saved a lot of hassle for no reason!!


The car has been confirmed by germany and by checking the built sticker , as being mis-built.

On going discussions maybe coming to a conclusion soon ;)

[me1357]

A quick update on the situation , i have agreed to the sum of £1430 which is the adaptive headlight option on the allroad £1105 plus the adaptive light option if you allready have xenons £325.

Also have the extended 4year warranty thrown in aswell.

Although this will probably not seem alot to most , i couldn't be bothered with all the phone calls and letters and also the time it would probably have taken to get more out them.

What i will say is it only took 2 phone calls to get the money and warranty so there's is probably alot more room for negotiation if anyone finds themself in a similiar situation.

[Bratty]

I think that is not a bad outcome:beerchug:.

Remember I have a set of adaptive xenon lights spare, that if you were to cross my palms with 175 pounds could be yours:p.

Dunk

[ScottyUK]

A quick update on the situation , i have agreed to the sum of £1430 which is the adaptive headlight option on the allroad £1105 plus the adaptive light option if you allready have xenons £325.

Also have the extended 4year warranty thrown in aswell.

Although this will probably not seem alot to most , i couldn't be bothered with all the phone calls and letters and also the time it would probably have taken to get more out them.

What i will say is it only took 2 phone calls to get the money and warranty so there's is probably alot more room for negotiation if anyone finds themself in a similiar situation.

I reckon that's pretty good. It's certainly not worth £1430 + warranty to have the adaptives so I'd say that's a deal ! :beerchug:

[J_B204]

If you are happy then it's a good deal!

To be honest, getting that lot with just a couple of calls seems like it was no bother at all. Yes I guess you could have held out for more but a quick and easy resolution means your faith in Audi (and the dealerships) is restored.

I'd have settled for something similar too I think, there is a balance between holding out and settling.:approve:

[SunnyBard]

It's certainly not worth £1430 + warranty to have the adaptives

Yeah, but bear in mind that £1105 of that is just his money being returned, so £325 plus the warranty (which might end up costing them nowt) is an OK deal, perhaps they could have been pushed for a few auid more, or to actually deliver what was ordered ... but sometimes life's just too short.

[me1357]

Yeah, but bear in mind that £1105 of that is just his money being returned, so £325 plus the warranty (which might end up costing them nowt) is an OK deal, perhaps they could have been pushed for a few auid more, or to actually deliver what was ordered ... but sometimes life's just too short.

I can see your point but i still have xenons so it's £1430 back for them not being adaptive.

[me1357]

I think that is not a bad outcome:beerchug:.

Remember I have a set of adaptive xenon lights spare, that if you were to cross my palms with 175 pounds could be yours:p.

Dunk

That would be a good deal Dunk but i have been told that it's not possible to retrofit.

Thanks to everyone for the replies , maybe it's not a bad deal after all , though i let it go a bit cheaply.