So I have the factory HIDs and I've noticed that the left light is really low, and the right one is pretty low as well.

How would I go about aligning these headlights as it seems the automatic headlight levelers are not functioning at all.

There is no permanent way to realign the auto-level headlights.
You can level it, but they'll just drop back down (ask me how I know).
This (in my case) was caused by a known flaw with moisture entering the sensor through the harness and causing corrosion.

If you're still under warranty, take this TSB to the dealer:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/rx8/bulletin/09-008-07-1729a.pdf?bcsi_scan_4B3822EAEF26C5CF=0&bcsi_scan_filename=09-008-07-1729a.pdf

I just did mine. You have to make sure the phillips grabs the teeth of the screws and turn right to raise, left to lower. It won't look like it's moving but take it out on a test drive and you'll see the difference.

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=13042&d=1080031511

AJ

AJ is Partially (mostly) correct....

My shop manual says that for the HID's you first have to ensure that the front and back sensors are set to zero before adjusting the housings....


**all this assumes that the sensors are working correctly**

Sensors, shmensors. lol:uhh:

My shop manual says that for the HID's you first have to ensure that the front and back sensors are set to zero before adjusting the housings....


**all this assumes that the sensors are working correctly**

Correct... but if the sensors/motor assembly are working properly, you won't need to adjust it manually.
Let the car correct itself... like I said above, you change it and the angle is off (to what the car thinks), it'll move the headlights to where it wants them.

so how do I correct this (the sensors thinking it's wrong)? I compared this against my brother's golf GTI who's light pattern is a good 6" higher than mine at the same distance, he also doesn't have a severe drop in his left headlight beam against the garage.

I already got the TSB for the moisture in the sensors.

How do I set the sensors to 0?

and why does the left one dip much more than the right one?

and why does the left one dip much more than the right one?

Its normal to have the "Z" pattern where the left is lower than the right.
This is to keep you from blinding incoming traffic.
If you are still under warranty, let the dealer inspect the sensors.

When my sensors started failing, they slowly started to get lower and one night they suddenly dropped and I could only see ~10' in front of me (which was scary doing 70MPH).
The dealer even tried to adjust the level manually for me until they could get the new sensors in, but the motor kept fighting them and wanted the beams lower than it should.

Oh what I mean by the left light is lower, that when you look on the pattern on the ground, the left headlight actually shines a much shorter distance than the right...

This (in my case) was caused by a known flaw with moisture entering the sensor through the harness and causing corrosion.

What year do you have that this is a known problem? 2004?

And let me add my two cents about headlight aiming. I used to own a 7th gen civic ex. Not ricer, just nice mods like Acura leather seat swap, and HIDs. Let me be more specific, an HID RETROFIT, not a swap-out-and-blind-people half-ass 5 minute install with 50,000,000,000K deep dark blue/purple BS (gross exaggeration), it was 4300k which looks oem. Aiming the lights after I installed my retrofitted projectors was nightmarish to say the least. At the time I was away at school with limited tools and no where to aim the lights at. I had to drive from my house to a nearby parking garage, check how level the lights were, drive back, and adjust (guess and check and guess again method). Eventually I went home, draped a white sheet on an outside wall, and aimed and it took like 5 minutes. Perfectly level, very clean, even had people ask me if the car came with those lights stock. Just remembering the old days, I love my RX-8 way more than the Honda, but I can sympathize with how annoying improperly aimed HIDs can look.

What year do you have that this is a known problem? 2004?

I have on '04, but this is a (potential) problem with any RX8 built before Nov 15th 2006.

mine are not automatic so i just turn the screw

Correct... but if the sensors/motor assembly are working properly, you won't need to adjust it manually.
Let the car correct itself... like I said above, you change it and the angle is off (to what the car thinks), it'll move the headlights to where it wants them.

I don't think so, at least that's not how it worked for me on my '04. The manual adjusters worked separately from the automatic adjustment. They still automatically move up and down, but the manual adjustment is superimposed, for lack of a better word. The pic AJ posted is out of the 2004 shop manual. The instructions work.

I don't think so, at least that's not how it worked for me on my '04.

I have no reason to lie about my experience... just sharing.
If it works for you guys... great!
I wasn't so lucky and had to wait for my sensors before it would stay level.

yea my alignment is low by quite alot...compared to my brother's gti at like 20 ft its like 2 ft lower at least.

You shouldn't measure the beam height against another car, the headlight is designed for the rx8's height and lamp structure. Every car is unique.

^it's a good comparison because his car shines MUCH further and higher than mine, and I've noticed it's much lower than it should be.

Anyways I'm unsure how to get to the adjustment screws without having to remove the airbox and other parts =/ Maybe I'm looking at it from the wrong angle?

I did this myself... you almost can't see where the adjuster is... you need a looooooooong skinny phillips screwdriver.

Passenger's side:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/robxcore/A%20new%20era/driverssideheadlightadjuster.jpg

Driver's side:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/robxcore/A%20new%20era/passsideheadlightadjuster.jpg

I have no reason to lie about my experience... just sharing.
If it works for you guys... great!
I wasn't so lucky and had to wait for my sensors before it would stay level.

I believe you, and sure if your sensors are bad it's going to mess things up.

But if the sensors are working, it doesn't necessarily mean your headlights will automatically aim themselves correctly. The sensors try to compensate for the weight distribution of the vehicle. But they react to this by adjusting up or down from whatever the basic aim of the lights is already set to. That is, the sensors don't know where the lights are pointing, they just say "move them a little bit down" if you have people in the back seat, etc...

I believe you, and sure if your sensors are bad it's going to mess things up.

But if the sensors are working, it doesn't necessarily mean your headlights will automatically aim themselves correctly. The sensors try to compensate for the weight distribution of the vehicle. But they react to this by adjusting up or down from whatever the basic aim of the lights is already set to. That is, the sensors don't know where the lights are pointing, they just say "move them a little bit down" if you have people in the back seat, etc...

I agree... I think some people misunderstood or maybe I wasn't clear what I was getting at.
If the sensors are OK, you should have no problems adjusting them.
Like I mentioned above, me and the dealer did manually adjust them (meaning I agreed that they can be adjusted), but with my bad sensors the light level kept dropping.
Glad we got that straightened out. :)

so if the sensors are working properly the HIDs will adjust automatically to the position specified by the manufacturer, even when one might have tampered with them?
I just replaced the bulbs in my Factory HIDs and I'm not entirely sure they are adjusted--I didn't check them before the swap--and I don't have a completely evenly flat surface to park the car and inspect the projection light pattern against a wall.
also, how do I know if my car comes with the self-adjusting headlight? it's 2006 RX8 shinka and did came with factory HIDs, however, I have never seen the projectors move like--perhaps I haven't noticed--in some Lexus vehicles.

I just did mine. You have to make sure the phillips grabs the teeth of the screws and turn right to raise, left to lower. It won't look like it's moving but take it out on a test drive and you'll see the difference.

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=13042&d=1080031511

AJ

my driver's side is also dangerously low. i want to adjust it but want to be sure i don't screw it up or strip something. in the workshop manual, the added note is sort of confusing. it seems contradicting. loosen the bolts first but always turn the screws in the tightening direction? are they calling it the same thing? screws are different than bolts. i don't even see any bolt or screws. it looks like metal teeth that i will be moving up or down by rotating the tip of the screwdriver. all i want is to raise my driver's side headlight up a little.

in the workshop manual, the added note is sort of confusing. it seems contradicting. loosen the bolts first but always turn the screws in the tightening direction?
You want to make sure you tighten the adjustment screw even if you turned it counter-clockwise to adjust it.
Reason for this is to keep the screw from loosening itself while driving.
And you only need to make very fine adjustments, like a 1/4 turn of the screw and then see how that works.

NOW REMEMBER... the driver's side light is supposed to be lower than the passenger side (you want the "Z" pattern).
This is so you don't blind incoming traffic.

i don't even see any bolt or screws.
Last time I adjusted mine I took this pic that shows the screw:
150301
Its that off-white plastic screw.

do you really have to peel the plastic back or remove it entirely just to make an adjustment to the headlight? that's outrageous.

Don't know why you feel its outrageous.
Not like removing a tire and a few fasteners is really that difficult.

no, it's not. i just jacked it up a little, cranked the steering wheel and entirely removed the plastic cover. then it was just a matter of adjusting it to my preference with an 8mm nut driver. i just think the screw should be a little easier to get to. anyway, now it's dialed.

So you were able to get a nut driver in there even with the tire installed?
That's good to know.

do you really have to peel the plastic back or remove it entirely just to make an adjustment to the headlight? that's outrageous.

No you can reach it easily from the engine bay with a long phillips screwdriver. See post 18 of this thread for pics.

phillips? mine was slotted for a flat blade screwdriver but the 8mm nut driver worked better. the slot in the screw was not very deep and i was worried i'd strip the head.

So you were able to get a nut driver in there even with the tire installed?
That's good to know.

yeah, i made an adjustment with the lights 10 ft. away pointed at the garage door. i left the plastic cover off and took it for a test drive to see how they really shined on the road. i still had that annoying z-pattern so i whipped in a parking lot and raised the driver light up more. i know the z-pattern is for safety of oncoming traffic but if i can only see half my lane that's not very safe either. my other 04 rx-8 had xenons and i never noticed the level of the level of the lights being uneven. i kept turning the screw counter-clockwise, a 1/2 turn at a time and then tightening it 1/4 turn, trying to get the driver light to project at the same level as the passenger. after a few times it didn't seem to be getting any better. i still had a slight z-pattern. so i called it a night.

phillips? mine was slotted for a flat blade screwdriver but the 8mm nut driver worked better. the slot in the screw was not very deep and i was worried i'd strip the head.

You must be going after a different screw. The service adjustment isn't quite a screw, it's more like a gear cog that is meant to engage a large Philips screwdriver from the side, and is reachable from standing over the engine bay. Here's another pic. See the teeth?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/spyderwizard/Headlights/IMG_1328.jpg

mine are all screwed up....cant I just remove or unhook the stupid sensors and then manually adjust?