How to Align Your Car Headlight Beams?
Before looking at the detailed process involved in adjusting the headlights, let's take a look at the reasons behind a car’s headlight losing its alignment.
Your headlight beams may go out of line due to the following reasons.
You have recently changed the headlights.
There’s been an accident resulting in a front-on collision.
You are carrying more weight in your car than usual.
To realign the headlight beams of your car, you need a screwdriver or a ratchet that goes with your car’s headlight adjusters. The location of the headlight adjusters differs from one car to another. Hence, the owner’s manual may come in handy throughout. Apart from a screwdriver or a ratchet, you will need the following tools.
The Process of Adjusting the Car Headlights
When your headlight beams need realignment, you would want to take care of them immediately. Below are the steps to adjust your car’s headlights.
See to it that the tires of your car have enough air pressure. Try to have between ¼ and ¾ tank of fuel, as it will help adjust the car’s positioning. If you travel light, get rid of all the excess weight from your vehicle. If you travel with heavy equipment in your car, make sure to put them back inside the vehicle.
Mark the centre of each headlight (call it the headlight axis) with the help of a dry erase marker.
Park your car against a levelled wall (could be your garage wall)—you may park the car at a distance of 10 to 15 feet from the wall.
Bounce the car on all four sides to level shocks absorbers. Also, measure the ground-to-headlight distance to make sure that the car suspension itself has settled.
Mark the garage wall vertically with the help of a painter’s tape corresponding to the centre of your car. Precision is, however, not required here.
Make sure to turn on the headlights and not the high beams or the fog lights.
Take the painters tape and flag both the horizontal and the vertical centre lines of the headlight beams on the garage wall. It would look like the letter “T”. Repeat the same for the other headlight beam. Ensure they are in line by positioning a carpenter’s level between the two flagged centre lines. The centre lines should not be more than 3.5 feet from above the ground. If there is any discrepancy, use a tape measure to get the lines right.
Reverse the car exactly 25 feet away from the garage wall. You can take the help of a measuring tape if required. At this point, turn the headlights off.
Locate the adjusting screws by removing the trim ring from around the headlights. You will have to adjust one headlight at a time. Therefore, cover the other headlight you are not working on with a jacket or a thick cloth. Do not lean on the car as it may adversely affect the alignment. Once you locate the screws, mark both the vertical and the horizontal adjusters. In most cars, the screw on top of the headlight is for vertical adjustment and to the side of the headlight is for horizontal adjustment. Ask someone to be in the driver’s seat as you may need the person to turn the headlights on and off when required.
Turn the upper screw or the bolt clockwise if you need to raise the light. Alternatively, turn the screw anti-clockwise to lower the light. Once done, notice the light pattern on the wall. The cap of the most potent part of the beam should either be at par or just below the centre of the tape line you have put up on the wall.
Rotate the screw on the side of the headlight (clockwise or anti-clockwise) to get the same result as above. The powerful part of the light should be cast either right or left (if you drive on the left side of the road) of the vertical line you created on the wall.
Go out on a drive and check if the alignment is okay. Readjust if required.
Your car's headlights need to light your path correctly. Unaligned headlight beams question your safety on roads. Hence, taking the cue when the headlights aren’t perfectly aligned and getting those fixed at the earliest should be your priority. And knowing that setting them is not difficult, why wait for a mechanic to get it done for you? Not to forget that accidents may occur anytime, even when you take all the precautions. It is always better to get your car insured with reliable digital-first insurers like ACKO..
Frequently Asked Questions
