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DS headlight motor has a mind of its own - tips on fix?

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Old Jan 14, 2015 | 02:51 PM
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DS headlight motor has a mind of its own - tips on fix?

Whenever I operate the headlights lately, the driver's side typically goes up and down 5-10 times before stopping in the correct position. The passenger side works perfectly. The last time I tried to operate them, the DS lamp hung up in the "up" position with the headlamp switch in the "off" position (and the headlamps off). At some point later on the lamp went down on its own.

I checked the relay in the front of the car but no corrosion and it seems like a problem there would affect both sides.

Any ideas on what to check next? Thanks in advance for any help!
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Old Jan 14, 2015 | 04:24 PM
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I have the same problem and would like to know how to fix it
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Old Jan 14, 2015 | 04:25 PM
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I have the same problem and would like to know how to fix it
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Old Jan 15, 2015 | 11:30 AM
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To elaborate on this a bit, I would like to know if there is any chance that the headlamp motor can be repaired or if I just need to replace it.

OTOH, although I can't imagine an external electrical issue that could cause just one headlamp lift to fail in this manner, I don't have any experience with this issue so I could easily be mistaken.

I can imagine that this problem is not so rare so I am hoping that someone can point me in the right direction - HL motor or some other electrical issue. Since motors are over $200 if is is repairable without the purchase of a new motor it would be great to know. Thanks!
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 08:56 PM
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Thought I would close the loop on this in case others are having the same problem.

In my case, the problem was simply a defective headlamp lift motor. I installed a new part and the system has been working perfectly for several months now. The motor assy I removed had a visible crack in the plastic cover (how do these things happen, anyway???), and I image that there was some degradation of the electrical contacts as a result. I pulled it apart, and could not find any obvious issue but it was wonky nonetheless. It made a nice "clunk" sound as it hit the bottom of my trash can...
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