How To Aim Your Headlights?

Ever noticed those cars on the road at night, with one headlight shining towards the sky? Perhaps that is your car. If you have problems with the direction of your headlights, you can aim them with only a little effort. Aiming your headlights properly will give you better vision and illumination at night, giving you a safer drive.

There are several ways to aim auto headlights. Each manufacturer has their own preferred method. A simple glance under your hood will let you know what design your vehicle uses. For instance, some Honda and Acura models use a bubble level to help you out. However, it's not usually that simple on other makes, or even on late model Hondas and Acura's.

What You'll Need:

• Flathead or Phillips screwdriver; this will depend on your vehicle. Some vehicles use star or hex adjusters in place of standard screw types.
• A flat surface. No, really, find somewhere flat and check it with a level.
• A vertical wall, slightly wider than your car
• A tire pressure gauge
• A roll of masking tape
• A helper (optional)

Installation Steps:

1. If your vehicle is equipped with bubble levels, simply adjust the level until the bubble is centered. Make sure that your vehicle is perfectly flat, that your suspension has settled and that your tires are all at the recommended PSI.
2. If you don't have a bubble level in your vehicle, it gets more difficult at this point. Pull your vehicle a few feet away from the vertical wall and turn on the headlights.
3. Make sure that your tires all have the recommended PSI. This is actually quite important; low tire pressure, high tire pressure and unequal pressures can all throw off your headlight beams.
4. Make sure that your suspension has settled. You can do this by bouncing the front end of the vehicle a few times.
5. Again, make sure that the ground is level under the entire car. If necessary, use a carpenter's level to gauge it.
6. Look at the location of the light on the wall and determine where you would prefer the light to be. Remember, the higher you aim them, the more likely you are to blind passing drivers; that's considered bad form, by the way.
7. Mark the location where you want the light to be with a piece of masking tape. You can also mark the starting location of the beam with tape, so you can gauge your progress. Place the tape roughly in the center of the beam.
8. Pop the hood and locate the adjusters. Most of the time, these will look like screw heads, surrounded by lines in the metal. Quite frequently, they are in out of the way places, which must be accessed through a small hole in the chassis. Don't worry; they can all be accessed from above. There are two types of adjusters, vertical and horizontal. Many vehicles only have vertical adjusters. If your lights are out of alignment in the horizontal plane, the only thing you can do is shim the housing and hope for the best. Most of the time, this is not necessary.
9. With the headlights on, turn the vertical adjuster while watching the headlight beam location on the wall. Continue turning the adjuster until the tape you placed on the wall is in the center of the beam.
10. For vehicles with a horizontal adjustment, the process is the same. Simply turn the adjuster until the light from your headlight falls in the desired location.

Notes and Important Tips:

1. Try to get someone to help you. The added weight behind the steering wheel will help you get a better idea of where your headlight beams actually fall while you are driving.
2. Heavy loads can throw off your headlight beams. If you are loading down your vehicle, you may consider adjusting your headlights. The more weight there is in the back of a vehicle, the higher the headlight beams will shine.
3. If you cannot find the adjusters, visit an auto parts store or hit the Internet. There is a vast amount of information online.
4. If you don't have a carpenter's level to gauge the level of the parking surface, you can use a plastic zip-lock bag filled halfway with water.
5. If you simply cannot adjust your own headlights, visit a mechanic shop. Some of them will adjust your headlights at no charge, especially if you get an oil change while you are there.

I hope this has been helpful. You should check out our replacement headlight bulbs, led tail lights, and auto driving lights pages for a great selection!