I brought an Outlander GT V6 3.0L (2012) from the USA. In order to registry it in the UK with its original Mercury-Xenon 85V-35W D2S (part#: MU820005) it requires according the IVA manual a “Headlight self-leveling mechanism”. I would like to ask for help to members of this forum by way of providing comments to this topic.

My GT lights setting do not need washer jet because the height from the ground to the centre of the Xenon lamp is less than 850 mm. It also does not require a washer jet if the lumens emitted by the mercury-xenon setting release 1925 lumens (which is less than 2000 lumens) of luminosity. The IVA UK regulation goes further than the ECE Regulation 98 and ECE Regulation 48 where it is established that if both conditions above are true then there is no need for a self-leveling system. The UK IVA manual makes it clear that if both conditions above are true it still needs the self-leveling mechanism to pass the IVA test as far as the headlights are concerned.

The self-leveling mechanism I think is very similar to the behavior of the Tire Pressure Monitor System, (TPMS) widely used in America. There is a sensor attached between the wheel and the tire (rubber). When the sensor senses a drop of pressure in the tire the sensor emits RF waves which are read by a receiver somewhere in the car and this activates a light that is shown in the instrumentation panel and sets a code in the ETACS-ECU of the vehicle This can be erased when the faulty tire is inflated again to proper values using the MUT III scan device.

A self-leveling mechanism, I assume has sensors positioned in the rear suspension, e.g. rear suspension link (and in the front), which will emit RF signals when the car is not perfectly horizontal to the road. The signal is read by a receiver somewhere in the car, and it activates a servo-mechanism (miniature motor) to move the xenon bulbs up or down. When the car regains again its horizontal position the sensor in the rear suspension emits a RF signal to position the xenon light in the front again into normal position.
All the narrative above is OK but I indeed want to know if I can order parts and what these parts are called to do a project that eventually will provide me with the use of my vehicle xenon lights and obtain a IVA pass to start driving my car.

Once the applicable sensors and ancillaries are installed in the proper place in the rear suspension, the next step is to instruct the ETACS-ECU (Using the MUT III) to recognize the setting already installed in the rear suspension (and front).

I installed a TPMS in a fifth full size wheel because I have done a lot of off tarmac road adventures. I ordered the TPMS valve for my vehicle (which I assume is just a transmitter) for the fifth wheel. Took the wheel to a tire garage and they did not even questions my TPMS fitted on it. With a bit of apprehension I went to a Mitsubishi dealer and ask them to instruct my vehicle ETACS-ECU that will be 5-tires instead of 4-tires. The dealer charges me $100 for the job (for using the scan on my car). I have checked the suitability of the fifth tire by using it on the road and everything is normal, i.e. my vehicle ETACS-ECU has accepted the fifth tire with gusto.

Two xenon lights for my vehicle will cost around £3000 and two-halogen will cost around £1000. Each of these lamps has to be approved by the ECE and these can be demonstrated by the “E”-mark scribbled on it. Obviously I will not have to incur this cost if I can modify the xenon lights already on the vehicle.

Please help with your comments

 

It will take a trip to a Mitsu parts dept to find all the oieces necessary to make the lights self-leveling.

Possibly a Citroen or Pugeot Outlander-clone will have a kit available to do this , as they are the same vehicle, and the French clones could have them as standard equip. The parts would be more readily available.

I've got the same Outlander as you and was thinking of trying this, but I really don't want to spend that much money for an option that I would rarely use.

 

Australian Outlanders with HID headlights have both high pressure washers and self levelling. The self levelling ECU is wired to front and rear level sensors attached to suspension arms. The ECU also connects to the vehicle CAN bus to obtain vehicle speed (I imagine so it only attempts to adjust the headlights when stopped).

 

Yesterday (21/08/2013) my Outlander GT 2012 managed to pass the stringent headlamp requirement of IVA UK test of conformity. This was good news that in some way may confirm that the only way to do this was to replace the OEM HID (Xenon) headlamps with OEM Halogen headlamps. I spent a lot of time trying to use halogen bulbs inside the housing of the xenon lamps but although some bulbs produced close results to pass the test, these were not good enough for the IVA testers.

In order to replace the OEM xenon lamps with OEM halogen lamps I had to disassemble the front bumper. The headlamps cannot be released without taking the bumper off. For an inexperienced person this is a big task. Mitsubishi dealers asked $350 to do the job, which I thought was expensive. I paid to an auto electrician $75 to help me with the job and we managed to make the replacement successfully after 2-hours of solid work.

In order to take the bumper off and replace the headlamps the following were done:

1-Take the front 2-tires off. This will provide space to dislodge the edges of the bumper from the splash shield.
2-Take the 4-bolts/screws of each lamp off to release any attachment to the bumper (if any)
3-Dislodge gently the top of the bumper from the vehicle. There is a bolt (in the middle) that still keeps the bumper attached to the vehicle.
4-To access this bolt the engine undercover has to come off. Take the bolts and fasteners off and the undercover shield will come off.
5-Undo the bolt
6-Carefully detach rest of the bumper once the central bolt is off and put in a safe place to protect it from being scratched.
7-Take the xenon lamps off carefully
8-Once the xenon lamps were off, the halogen lamps were in.
9-All worries about the male connector of the halogen lamps not fitting onto the female connector of the xenon harness of the vehicle vaporized when the connectors fitted nicely to each other.
10-The vehicle harnesses (female) has 2-connector. The OEM halogen lamps only one connector. So one connector was left without a partner. This connector is responsible for providing DRL functionality to the American vehicle. This connector was left hanging but protected with insulation tape.
11-The halogen lamps were tested before being screwed onto the vehicle to check functionality. All was OK.
12-The lamps were screwed and everything that needed to be torqued was torque
13-Everything was then put back, bumper undercover etc.

In summary, 3-things have to be fulfilled to gain UK number plate:
a-Rear fog light (solved using unique wireless own design) - $30
b-Headlamp conformity with European regulations (solved replacing xenon lamps by halogen lamps) - $1500
c-Take off all the accessories that do not have the letter “E” required by the European Union.

European regulations v American regulations is an ongoing struggle that goes for decades.