Dear Gilly,

I have read with interest many of your helpful replies to the multitude of questions that all of us ML owners have, and now I myself have one for you:

I own a 2000 ML 320 with about 20,000 Miles on it and I suspect that the front headlamps are out of adjustment. Two reasons for this:

First, when driving down a dark street, there is very little light that shines more than about 2 car lengths in front of the car, and in general the headlights just look very "dim" when on low beam. My other car (the ML is my wife's) is a 2003 5 Series with Xenon lights and the difference in illumination area (not brightness) is astonishing. The ML has very little coverage area compared to the BMW.

Second, when I put the hood up and look at the top of each of the headlamp housings, there is a small level with a bubble in it and a bunch of little black lines, ranging from "up" to "O" and then "down". The bubble in each of the levels is as far forward (ie: towards the bumper) as they can go within the level, and are definitely not in the middle or "O" location. Seems to me if they were levelled correctly, then the bubble in each level would be in the middle, where the "O" is.

I have owned the car since it was new and to my knowledge it has never had the headlamps adjusted since I purchased it.

What are your thoughts ?

Thank you in advance,
Hans from Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Home of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games

If the bubbles are at the "front" of the tubes, that means they are aimed too high.
Actually the best info you can get in regards to aiming the headlamps is located in the owners manual. Look in the "Practical Hints" section, it should show where the vertical adjusting screws are (they are plastic 10mm hex shaped, located on the back-side of the headlamp assembly). If you can at least get the truck parked on a level surface, you can adjust the vertical adjustments until the bubbles are centered or maybe just a slight bit aft of center and see how you like that.
Or else just take it in and have them adjusted using a headlight aimer.

Gilly

PS if you have the truck dealer-maintained, I believe at least the B service is supposed to include "check/adjust headlight aim" so you could say "hey, what's up, didn't you check my headlight aim?"

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Gilly,

Thank you for the feedback. I had consulted the owner's manual, but did not want to try messing with the adjustment screws myself. I will take the car into the shop in the next few days and see what they have to say. Appreciate the heads-up about the "B" service, which I had done not too long ago !

Cheers,
Hans