How to Adjust Your Car’s Headlights

Before adjusting your headlights, make sure the car is level. This means checking the tire pressure and removing any excess weight from the cargo area or trunk. It’s also a good idea to adjust the headlights when your gas tank is half-full. If possible, have someone sit in the driver’s seat to mimic the weight that would be present when you’re on the road driving at night. Position the car on level ground by parking 10 to 15 feet from a dark garage door or wall with the headlights aimed toward the wall. Bounce the car on all four corners a few times to level out the shocks, then measure the distance from the ground to each headlight to make sure they’re level.

Now that the car is level, turn on the headlights. Just use the low beams, not the high beams or fog lights, as those can give you an inaccurate reading. Mark the headlight beams vertically and horizontally on the wall with masking tape. This should create a cross. Using the taped marks, measure the lines (cross) to check that they’re even. If they’re uneven, note the difference in measurements and lower the highest center line marker to the same height as the lowest center line marker. Make sure these center lines are no higher than 3.5 feet from the ground.

Use a tape measure to make sure you back the car exactly 25 feet from the wall. Turn off the headlights. It’s now time to make your adjustments. Remove each headlight’s trim ring and locate the headlight adjustment screws. You should notice marks for both the horizontal adjuster and vertical adjuster. If you’re having trouble finding any of these features, refer to the owner’s manual. You can then adjust each headlight separately using a screwdriver in and the adjustment screws. Remember to block out the light from one headlight while adjusting the other using a heavy fabric or object; having both headlights shining against the wall can make it difficult to distinguish between them.

If you can enlist an assistant, have someone sit in the driver’s seat to turn the lights off and on as you make your adjustments. When turning the vertical field’s screw or bolt, turning clockwise typically raises the lights while turning counterclockwise lowers them. Your model, however, might work differently, so check the owner’s manual. When adjusting the headlights, the most intense part of the beam should hit at or just below the center tape line you created on the wall.

Do the same thing with the horizontal field as you did with the vertical one. Turn the side screws or bolts carefully until the most intense part of the headlight beam is just to the right of the tape’s vertical line. You can then check to see if both headlights line up close enough to the tape marks you’ve created on the wall. Continue to make any necessary adjustments until they look right.

After making any headlight adjustments, test the alignment on the road at night. Simply take the car for a test drive and note any problem areas. You can then readjust as needed. Adjusting your car’s headlights is a straightforward job. Adhere to recommended instructions and test the alignment as you go to ensure your beams are precisely where you need them to be.