How to Adjust Headlights?
2 Answers
Here are the steps to adjust headlights: 1. Turn on the high beams and stand in front of the headlights with your feet as close to the headlights as possible. Observe where the high beams hit your feet, locate the hotspot (the brightest spot of light projected by the headlight), and remember its position. 2. Then move straight to a wall (without deviating) and mark the hotspot position on the wall based on where it was on your feet. 3. Use a screwdriver to rotate the adjustment gear of the headlight, ensuring the hotspot aligns with the mark you made on the wall (the vertical deviation should not exceed 10 cm). 4. You can slightly raise the hotspot (generally no more than 5 cm higher). The reason is simple: an unloaded car sits higher, but when passengers are added, the car will lower slightly. Raising the hotspot slightly allows for this adjustment. 5. Adjusting vertically will show obvious movement of the hotspot. If adjusting horizontally, the hotspot movement is less noticeable. Don’t worry if you don’t see the hotspot moving sideways—keep turning the screwdriver until the hotspot aligns with your mark. 6. Once both headlight hotspots are aligned with the marks, stand in front of the car (a bit further away) and check whether the light beams projected by the headlights are straight forward.
Adjusting car headlights is actually quite crucial, especially when driving at night. Having driven for over a decade, I know improper lighting can cause trouble—like being too bright and blinding others, or too low and making it hard to see the road. The basic method is simple: Park on level ground facing a wall, about seven or eight meters away. Turn on the low beams and observe the position of the light beam's center point. If it's too high, lower it; if too low, raise it. For manual adjustment, open the hood, locate the screw or gear mechanism behind the headlight assembly, and turn clockwise to raise the beam or counterclockwise to lower it. After adjusting, ensure both lights are aligned to avoid one being higher than the other. Don’t forget to check regularly, especially after replacing bulbs or an accident. Safety first—good lighting can prevent nighttime accidents.
