How to Adjust Your Car’s Headlights
While we may not think of it as an oil change, making sure your vehicle’s headlights are correctly aligned is an important part of routine maintenance. One or two headlights pointing in the wrong direction not only make it difficult to see the road and your surroundings when driving in the dark, but also make other drivers safe.
You’ve probably been in a position where someone’s off-center headlights were shining directly into your eyes, temporarily blinding you. Well, you don’t want to do this with someone else. In an article for The Drive, Chris Teague explains how to adjust your car headlights at home. Here’s what you need to know.
Why can’t the headlights stay in place?
All vehicles will need to adjust their headlights at some point, Teague said, including those with unusual features such as the ability to change the position of the headlights from inside the car. Basically, he explains , your headlights fail due to perfectly normal day-to-day driving conditions such as bumps, bumps in the road and the like.
How to adjust your headlights at home
Of course, the details will depend on the make and model of your vehicle, but here’s a (very) quick and simple summary, courtesy of Teague:
You will need to adjust the headlight assemblies that are closed and installed on either side of the nose of your vehicle. Modern headlight covers are detached from the body of your vehicle and are secured with screws. The headlamp units also have adjusting screws that allow for vertical and horizontal adjustment. Using a fixed point on the wall, vehicle owners can direct their headlights with adjusting screws and some simple measurements.
No, these are not complete instructions – you need to read his full article for them, and there are many steps. But, as a rule, his directions are clear and easy to follow, even for those with minimal experience with cars.