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Parked 3 ft away from my garage driver side light beam is pointing strait ahead the passenger light beam is pointing down about 8 in don't understand why
There should be a little screw to turn to adjust the head light. This will be in the head light assembly itself on top. If you have a manual they tell you in that also - but you should be able to find it any way. Some cars use a screw driver and some use a special type of screw driver you may have to buy.
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How to Adjust a Headlamp Beam on a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier...
When you replace the headlamp assembly in the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, you must also adjust the headlamp beams. Like most vehicles, there are two screws located on the headlamp assembly that control the vertical and horizontal direction of the headlamps. Proper adjustment is necessary for adequate visibility during nighttime driving; bad adjustment can make it difficult for you to see or make it difficult for oncoming drivers to see, creating a potentially dangerous situation. You can adjust the headlamp beams yourself with a screwdriver in about 15 minutes. Park the Chevrolet Cavalier on a flat surface facing a wall or garage door approximately 15 feet away. Park the Car so that it is perpendicular to the wall.
Lift the hood and remove the plastic trim panel above each of the headlights. There are three plastic fasteners that secure the trim panel; pry the fasteners out using a flathead screwdriver. Lift the trim panel up to remove. There are two adjusting screws beneath the trim panel, one on the top of the headlamp assembly and one along the outer side of the headlamp assembly.
Turn the headlights on so that they shine on the wall. Ensure the headlights are on the "dim" setting.
Adjust the vertical bolt, located on the top of the headlight assembly near the center of the vehicle to raise or lower the headlight, using a crosspoint screwdriver. Turn the screw counterclockwise to lower the headlamp beam; turn the screw clockwise to raise the headlamp beam. Adjust the headlamp so that the beam is below a driver's eye level.
Adjust the horizontal bolt, located on the outer side of the headlamp assembly to move the headlamp beam right of left, using a crosspoint screwdriver. Turn the screw counterclockwise to move the headlamp beam right; turn the screw clockwise to turn the beam left. Adjust the headlamp so that the beam shines straight ahead or slightly toward the center of the vehicle.
Replace the plastic trim panel and fasteners and close the hood. Warning: raising the lights too high can make it difficult for other drivers to see you.
There are usually 2 hex screws on each lens. The State Vehicle inspections govern how headlights are suppose to be aimed if you live in a State requiring Annual inspections.
For this reason, I would suggest looking at Youtube videos or finding a CD at an autoparts store which include this process.
In general, you would park between 20 or 30 feet from a wall or garage door and shine your low beams on the surface. Get a piece of tape to use as a marker for each beam to mark the starting point from the brightest point of each beam.
Then measure the height of the center of each headlight and compare to the tape mark and how high it is on the door or wall. If the center of the headlight is higher than the mark on the wall, GOOD.
What you want is the drivers' beam to point away from oncoming traffic and farther forward on your direction of travel not to become cross-eyed with the passengers' beam. Seek to not have a dark spot in the center of your travel. The passenger beam usually shifts to the curbside and up because of parked cars and no one to blind with your lights.
Personally I like to adjust my passenger headlamp beam to highlight the lane markers and center my car in my lane on the Interstate. This is particularly useful in foggy or rainy driving conditions and around curves.
A body shop or collision shop can probably do this for you for a reasonable price as replacing the front sheet metal of a vehicle can require reaiming the lights.
Wahoo do is pop the hood, and there should be two-three screws around the headlamp assembly. These adjust the light directions. But you'll need to pull the vehicle away from a solid wall by about ten feet I think it is, and mark off a little area to adjust the lights at the correct level. You will be able to find this at you
ocal auto parts store. I usually go to Advance Auto, or Auto Zone. They have the little kit that helps you get all the marks on the surface you are using.
Follow these steps to adjust low beam light on your 389 Peterbilt:
1. Park on a leveled ground, at least six feet away from a garage door or a wall
2. Use tape to mark the vertical centerline of the beam on the wall or garage door
3. Backup about 25 feet
4. Now use the provided vertical/horizontal screws to adjust the light. Aim it - two inches below the tape -and to the right side of the tape
5. Remember to check the state laws on headlight beams before making any changes
In the U.S. the type,
adjustments, and illumination factors of all automobile lighting devices
are regulated by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. The
headlights must function and be adjusted correctly. Your high beams must
disperse their beams straight forward and low beams down and to the
right while safely providing illumination without too much or too little
glare. It is wise to check the headlight adjustment on your Mercedes at
least every year. Doing it yourself will save you time and money. It
will also make driving safer for you and others you may meet on the road
at night. All it takes is time, some basic tools and a little patience.
Other People Are Reading
2
Remove components if necessary to allow access to the
left/right and up/down adjustment knobs. They are on top of the rear
side of the headlight. The upper knob adjusts the beam to the left and
right. The lower knob controls up/down adjustments.
3
Park with the passenger side of the car parallel to a solid
fence or wall and about four feet from it. When there is dim light or
darkness, turn on the lights and use your screwdriver to adjust the
up/down knob on the passenger-side headlight until the light beam is
parallel to the ground (you can see the beam of light against the
surface of the wall).
4
Turn the car so that it faces the wall approximately one car
length away. Adjust the up/down knob on the driver-side headlight until
it is at the same level as the passenger side headlight. Then adjust
both sides until the small groove on top of the beam cutoff is directly
in front of the light.
5
Reinstall any components that you removed. Close the hood.
Tips & Warnings
This is method is generic for Mercedes models. Some may differ, as there are many models out there.
older vehicles have adjustment screws accessible thru trim on front of headlights, newer vehicles have adjustment screws in engine compartment on or near each headlight assembly (usually requiring a torx screwdriver) one screw will adjust side to side and the other will adjust up and down. park vehicle level with lights on & aim at vertical flat surface 20 feet away. Cover headlight you are not adjusting so it doesn't interfere with aiming the one you are working on. Driver's side- just below height of light on vehicle and to the right of straight, Passenger side- just below annd straight ahead. Adjust at low beam. Law enforcement and DMV prefer you have this done by shop.
Park your vehicle on level ground with the headlights near a garage door or wall. A good distance is 2-3 feet away from the wall or door. The location must be perfectly level and flat at a distance of 10 to 25 feet away from the door or wall. Switch on the low headlight beams and mark the horizontal and vertical centerlines of each headlight beams on the wall using masking tape. This will mark the center of each beam with a +. The marking will tell you where exactly the headlight beams should be centered from a distance. Move the vehicle back about 10 to 25 feet away from the garage door or the wall.
Keep the headlights on the low beam setting. Use the markings you made on the wall or garage door to, check where the light shines and see if the centerlines still match up with the masking tape marks. If the centerlines of the two beams do not align with the tape marks, you can adjust one or both sides as needed.
Make the necessary adjustments with the lights still on while watching the light beams on the wall and your marks. Turning the top adjusting screws in a clockwise direction will raise the beam while counterclockwise turn will lower it.
Turning the side adjuster screws will adjust the lights to the left or right.
Continue the adjustments until the center of the light beams are aligned with the tape marks. Then adjust the vertical alignment of both beams slightly below the marks on the wall. This will assure that the lights are tilted slightly downward so they won’t blind approaching motorist.
The will align bot lights, the high and low sine both are connected to the same headlight!!
Ford Requires a special tool to adjust headlights, you can buy from ford or Mac or snap-on tools. Car must be level and you need it to be slightly dark outside so you can see what your doing. Adjust driver head light on low beam, as you are turning adjustment screw turn the screw for raising the head light and raise the head light up or down till it is 30 feet in front of you. you can take steps and measure it this way which would be 10 steps or ten yards on a normal person that is 5.8ins tall. then adjust the side adjuster so that when looking at the head light spot on the ground it is pointing to the passenger car side about one foot away from straight on. Meaning if you were going down the highway that the light would point down and slightly to the right not on the center road painted lines. Next adjust the passenger side to where it is the same height as the driver side, then hit your high beams. it should be aimed so that the lights do not shine into on com-ming drivers eyes. If you have a garage or a building that you can get thirty feet away and the car is level it will make it easier for you to see what your adjusting. Afterwords you may have to make a minor adjustment to both lights. I like to set them so that the passenger is slightly higher and a little to the right so you can see going down the road at night an avoid or see a deer or person to the right side of the road. Some states requires that a certified light mechanic to do this so be sure you are not voilating any laws when doing this. Thanks for using fix-ya and rate if this was helpful.
There are adjusting screws on the headlight mounts, three of them I think. You may need a torx or allen wrench. Shine your low beams at the garage door or something and make the adjustments. Be careful not to let the low beams shine in other drivers' eyes. When you think it is right, park at night where you can walk in front of the car 100 feet or so and see that the low beams are not too high. The driver side light should point straight ahead, the passenger side light somewhat to the right.
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