Aiming Headlights Properly For Safe Night Driving Having your headlights properly adjusted is important for the safety of the driver and others on the road. If the lights are aimed too high, you run the risk of blinding other drivers. Having the headlights aimed too low and you can't see very well down a dark road. Either of these situations will increase the chance of an accident. There can be many causes for headlights to go out of alignment; newly installed headlamp assemblies, sagging suspension or even new bulbs. Headlight aim doesn't last forever especially if the lamp assembly loosens or shifts. Depending on the model of the vehicle there might be a bubble level indicating the aim of the lights. This makes checking the verticle aim a breeze as long as the ground is level. Before you begin aiming your headlights you need to locate the adjustment screws on the back of the headlight assembly. You will need to have the proper tool to adjust the screws. The standard procedure for checking proper headlight alignment is as follows: Make sure the vehicle is on a flat level surface facing a wall that is free from peripheral light. Check that the tire pressures are within the factory recommended specs (There will be a sticker on the door indicating specs). Confirm that the vehicle is sitting level by using a carpenter's level on the car. Use a flat area of the car such as a door frame with the level. The car should be parked exactly 25 feet from the wall to the front of the headlights. Measure the distance from each headlight with a measuring tape. You will want to jostle the vehicle to ensure the suspension is settled to its normal position. Now you will have to do some careful measuring to find the exact center of each headlamp. Most headlights have a small dot in the center making this step easier. You can mark them with tape in a cross pattern once you find the center. You now have to make the
corresponding alignment marks on the wall. At the wall you will need to measure from the ground up to mark the areas with tape. Make sure the marks are at the same height and distance apart as the center of the headlights. This can be made simpler by parking the car as close as you can to the wall. Now make a cross shaped mark on the wall with tape. You want the tape marks big enough to see from a distance while adjusting the lamps. Once you have the marks on the wall you can take the tape off the headlights. Now with the car exactly 25 feet away from the wall you can make the adjustments. Next you need to locate the headlight adjusters. They are located at the back of the assemblies. With any luck there will be plenty of room behind the headlights to work, but there may be a battery or windshield reservoir in the way making things interesting. Once you have the adjustment screws located, turn on your low beams only. You will want to block the light from the headlight you are not adjusting, but do not completely cover the assembly as it could get hot enough to melt the plastic. You could ask a friend to stand a few feet in front of the headlight to block the light or drape a coat over the back of a chair. 12voltledlights.net
Now look at the light pattern on the wall. For the vertical aim, the top of the most intense part of the light beam should be at or just below the centerline of the horizontal tape mark. For the horizontal aim, the most intense part of the beam should be just to the right of the vertical tape marks on the wall. This ensures you can see as far ahead as possible on the road without blinding other drivers. If you need to make adjustments, first jostle each side of the front to stabilize the suspension. Turn the adjuster a quarter of a turn and look at the beam. Repeat as necessary. A good setting is to have the beam between 2 to 4 inches to the right of the vertical marks. Repeat the steps on the other headlight if adjustments are required.