hi all,

I know this has been covered before but i cannot see the right/useful answers.

I have a couple of queries RE headlight adjustment.

I have had my lights replaced over the years due to damage and they would appear to be aiming all over the place. They highlight the signs well but not really the road although i very rarely get flashed.

I have the standard Halogen bulbs with the cut-offs and 'kick-up'. i know how to adjust them using the screws on the back of the fittings, however i do not know how high/low and wide these should be aiming. does anyone have a picture or a workshop manual inidcating the width/height positioning of the light.

As part of this i will also have to adjust the main beam aswell, so any setting info for these would be brilliant.

Somebody did post last year a link to the MOT specification for headlight beam adjust, based on the height they are and the distance from the wall you are using showing the kick-up etc. So probably buried in one of the threads somewhere.

In theory it is possible to mark out the limits using this, but it is quite prone to error.

Probably a dealer/MOT test station would not charge that much to adjust.

Here is the link to the MOT manual, which has the text and a basic diagram for what the headlights should be adjusted to (section 25):

http://www.dft.gov.u... 2012 (Web).pdf

Edited 5 November, 201213 yr by gsp

when i have a bit more time tomorrow ill draw a diagram and explain how i did mine, it was only a rough guide though

Anyone??

Just take it to a MoT station and pay them £20 to do it properly with the beam aligners - then you know it is 100% spot on.

I need to get mine done as the manual adjustments against a wall aren't very accurate to say the least.

If you want to have a go yourself you need a level surface with a wall. Drive the car right up to the wall and mark the centre lines of the lights on the wall - vertical and horizontal - with chalk - all 4 lights

Now reverse in a straight line about 15 feet and adjust the lights so that the dipped beams kick up at the centre of the cross you made for the dipped beams, and the lower horizontal bit is very slightly below the centre line - it is only a 0.5 degree dip so if it is a cm or two below the line it is near enough for now.

For the main beams the centre of the beam needs to be at the centre of the cross you made for the main beams, or very slightly below.

This will be near enough, but no substitute for a proper job.

Any Swiss motorway rest area has a mini wall of white painted concrete for you to align your headlamps....

sorry about the delay ive been busy and havent been on for a few days.

i cant remember where i found it, but what i did was measure from the centre of your car to the middle of the dipped bulb, then measure from the floor to the middle of the bulb. park your car 3m from a wall or garage door.

mark on the wall a centre line at the height of the bulbs then the distance from the centre to both bulbs , then align your headlights so the flick up on the light pattern is on the marked point for both headlights that gives you your horizontal alignment, then for vertical just drop them slightly below the cross so they are pointing slightly down.

this is only a rough guide to how i have done mine , when it goes for a service next month i will get it checked properly.

i hope that sounds ok (ive just finshed nightshift)

Edited 9 November, 201213 yr by furn

sorry about the delay ive been busy and havent been on for a few days.

i cant remember where i found it, but what i did was measure from the centre of your car to the middle of the dipped bulb, then measure from the floor to the middle of the bulb. park your car 3m from a wall or garage door.

mark on the wall a centre line at the height of the bulbs then the distance from the centre to both bulbs , then align your headlights so the flick up on the light pattern is on the marked point for both headlights that gives you your horizontal alignment, then for vertical just drop them slightly below the cross so they are pointing slightly down.

this is only a rough guide to how i have done mine , when it goes for a service next month i will get it checked properly.

i hope that sounds ok (ive just finshed nightshift)

Sounds sensible, so from the DFT MOT document, based on 3m away the vertical drop down would need to be between:

0.005 x 3= 0.015m (0.5% point)

and 0.02x3=0.06m (2% point)

so at least 1.5cm drop, but no more than 6cm

Assuming the lights are less than 85cm from the ground, which I guess they are, if not then it is 1.25% and 2.75%.

Go without saying that your drive must be flat and the car unladen, and for halogen the cockpit headlight adjust to normal position.

Thanks all will see how bad mine our later.

I assume the main beam just has the 'hot spot' dead centre on the cross??

Don't think there is a requirement for main beam alignment as it is about seeing far ahead so dazzle doesn't matter. So yes dead centre spot would make sense, but I suspect that may be tricky to see as the main beam spreads a lot.

sorry about the delay ive been busy and havent been on for a few days.

i cant remember where i found it, but what i did was measure from the centre of your car to the middle of the dipped bulb, then measure from the floor to the middle of the bulb. park your car 3m from a wall or garage door.

mark on the wall a centre line at the height of the bulbs then the distance from the centre to both bulbs , then align your headlights so the flick up on the light pattern is on the marked point for both headlights that gives you your horizontal alignment, then for vertical just drop them slightly below the cross so they are pointing slightly down.

this is only a rough guide to how i have done mine , when it goes for a service next month i will get it checked properly.

i hope that sounds ok (ive just finshed nightshift)

Pretty much what I said really but better put :-)

Just had mine done at the local MoT place for the price of a pint and they were a fair way too low after the suspension and HID upgrades. Can't see the point of doing it yourself, took them 5 minutes tops to do.