Contents: Preparation ⇓ Adjustment ⇓
Note: Holts Amber Lamp is useful for changing the colour of headlights to comply with regulations used in continental Europe.
It is important that the headlights are aimed correctly. If they are not adjusted correctly, they will blind oncoming vehicles and could cause a serious accident or seriously reduce your ability to see.
The headlights have two springs tensioned by adjusting screws, one at the top, acting for up and down adjustment in the direction of travel, and one at the side, acting for left and right movement.
There are several methods for adjusting headlights, the simplest is to use a screen or blank wall 3 meters in front of the car on a flat horizontal floor.
Preparation
1. Park your car on the site at a distance of 3 meters from the screen or illuminate a light wall.
The car must be placed at a distance of three meters from a vertical screen or light-colored wall
2. Use tape to mark the vertical position on the screen relative to the car and center the lines on the center of both headlights.
Note: If the vehicle has a four headlight system, then the four vertical lines plus the vehicle center line will be used.
3. Place a horizontal line of tape across the center of all headlights.
Note: It may be easier to place the tape on the screen with the car parked a few tens of centimeters away.
Adjustment
4. Adjustment must be made with the vehicle parked on a level surface, with the fuel tank half full and someone sitting in the driver's seat.
5. Let's start by adjusting the low beam, aim the highest intensity zone so that it is just below the horizontal line and five centimeters to the right (in a car with a steering wheel on the left) or to the left (in a car with the steering wheel on the right) from the vertical line of the headlight. Adjustment is made by turning the adjusting screws.
Location of headlight adjustment screws |
Adjusting a headlight with an incandescent bulb |
6. When the high beam is on, the high intensity zone should be concentrated vertically exactly in the center and five centimeters below the horizontal line.
Note: It may not be possible to position the high and low beam headlights precisely; it is advisable to find a compromise, keeping in mind that the low beam is used more often and the driver's safety depends more on it.
7. As an alternative to the procedure just described, the light can be adjusted at the service station using optical equipment.