Model Year 22/23 DIY Matrix (MXB) headlights calibration

[Pepcox]

Hi, I’m trying to calibrate the retrofitted Matrix headlights on my Cupra Formentor. I don’t have the factory tool (VAS 621 001) for measuring the Matrix beam angles, but I think it can be easily measured manually.

The procedure I made for that is following:
I aligned the car perpendicularly to a wall and measured the distance between the wall and Matrix beams. Based on the reference segment for each Matrix light, I measured the light dispersion from the centre of the reference light by the headlight to the outer edge of the projected light on the wall, which allowed me to calculate the light dispersion angle. I measured -1.983° for the left headlight and 0.661° for the right one, which corresponds to -119' and 39' in angular minutes.

Reference image:


The problem is that when I tried to input these values into the 4B control module using the basic settings function, it accepted the left headlight values but not the right one. I discovered that the threshold value for the angle is around 70 minutes. This leads me to my question: How can I physically adjust the Matrix beam in these headlights?

I checked the factory manual, and it seems that the adjustment screws only adjust the horizontal position of the low beam lights, not the Matrix beams. I tried adjusting the headlights by rotating them on their mounting points, but it didn’t help much. Comparing the data with other Formentors that have factory-fitted Matrix headlights, it appears the angles are around -200' for the left headlight and +200' for the right one.

Adjustment screws from manual:


This leads me to two possible conclusions: either the Matrix beams need to be manually adjusted somehow, or I made an error in my angle measurement procedure.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[cairus]

Did you just replace the headlights or did you adjust the 4B as well? My thought is that the 4B may need a different data set. Apart from all the others, please have it adjusted by a specialist.

 

[Pepcox]

Dont worry about the retrofit itself. Its all done and working properly. Its just about the calibration because I think it could cut the vehicles in front of the me more precisely. I tried to reach out some garages but none of them had the OEM tool for measuring it so thats why Im trying to do it by myself.

 

[cairus]

It's understandable, the equipment is very expensive. The process is very difficult for untrained personnel. I would advise against calibrating it yourself, more happens with the guided function than you think.

 

[Pepcox]

Actually, the process is pretty simple, in my opinion. But let's put that topic aside. The main question here is whether there is a possibility to physically adjust the matrix beams horizontally on these headlights or not. Here are the headlight part numbers: 5FG 941 035 B and 5FG 941 036 B

 

[East Yorkshire Retrofits]

Did you just replace the headlights or did you adjust the 4B as well? My thought is that the 4B may need a different data set. Apart from all the others, please have it adjusted by a specialist.

4B isn't installed on MQBevo without MXB, headlights go directly to 09

 

[East Yorkshire Retrofits]

Actually, the process is pretty simple, in my opinion. But let's put that topic aside. The main question here is whether there is a possibility to physically adjust the matrix beams horizontally on these headlights or not. Here are the headlight part numbers: 5FG 941 035 B and 5FG 941 036 B

If it was easy/reliable to do against a wall with a tape measure, a piece of paper and a pen, do you think dealers would unnecessarily spend thousands on equipment?

I'm unsure about your local costs, but in the UK it's around £100 for an MXB calibration at the main dealer..

 

[Pepcox]

If it was easy/reliable to do against a wall with a tape measure, a piece of paper and a pen, do you think dealers would unnecessarily spend thousands on equipment?

I'm unsure about your local costs, but in the UK it's around £100 for an MXB calibration at the main dealer..

I just said that it's easy enough, but definitely not a pleasure to do. It's much easier and more reliable to do it with the proper equipment, for sure. I just want to avoid going to the dealer, not because of the cost, but because the car is still under warranty, and I don’t want to risk voiding it by bringing the car in with retrofitted equipment.

I also checked the calibration factory manual for these cars, and it doesn't mention anything about 'manually adjusting the matrix beam.' So, I doubt they would do anything about it. But I still think it might be somehow adjustable because, right now, it works fine, but it still seems like the left and right matrix beams are overlapping a lot (due to the small dispersion angle). It also seems too narrow when it turns on... So, in theory, adjusting the horizontal angle to make them light more to the sides (increasing the horizontal dispersion angle) could widen the high beam light dispersion. That's just my theory, though. Maybe overlapping the beam lights in the center of the viewport is actually intentional after all...

Does anyone have a factory-fitted matrix light and could post a photo against a wall showing how the light is distributed?

 

[cairus]

your warranty/guarantee for the components concerning the conversion has already expired anyway... I will see if I can organize a photo