How to Know if your Headlight is Properly Aligned

Your headlight is one of the most essential parts of your car. Not having a good headlight could cause you to be fined by the authority. It will be obvious to you that your car lights are not well aligned when oncoming vehicles flash their light towards you telling you. You are blinding them with light when the high beams are not even on. There are steps you can take to make sure your headlight is well aligned.

How to Check a Proper Headlight Alignment

• To be sure your headlights are aligned correctly, make sure to park your vehicle on a smooth surface as about 8 meters away from the wall, these can be done in a garage or a parking ramp.
• Ensure that all four tires are pumped and well gauged to it proper (PSI). The Gas tank should almost be full and there should be someone sitting on the driver’s seat. All protocol has to be taken in other to obtain an accurate measurement of vehicle weight and the condition of the driven vehicle for proper alignment.
• Push down and up all four sides of the vehicle in other to acquire an accurate suspension and level of the vehicle.
• Bring a tape rule if you have one, measure the light from each side of both headlights to the ground, there might be a difference not less than an inch from both sides. These results simply means that your suspension is quite OK and not bad.
• Turn low beam headlights onto the wall and use marking tape to mark or outline center-lines of the light, this should be done vertically and horizontally.
• The difference between both center-lines shouldn’t be higher than 1 and a half meters from the ground cross-check center-lines and make them equal if they are not.
• Turn headlights on, take measurements of the lights exactly 8 meters away from the wall

After all have been done and the headlight has not been perfectly aligned, You can also align headlight by yourself. Here are ways of adjusting your vehicle headlight by yourself.

How to Adjust it at Home and by yourself

Most vehicles are manufactured with a bubble vial that looks like a carpenter’s level as part of the vehicle’s headlight setting. This has made the headlight much easier to be set. Before beginning, you have to find your headlight adjusting screws, Horizontal and vertical.

1. Find the position where the adjustment screws are located, you can find them by the side and top of the headlight
2. It’s compulsory that you adjust each headlight individually and close the other light to avoid incorrect test results.
3. Adjust the vertical screw at the top of the headlight. Move it towards the right to the light and turn it to the left to lower it. The brightest part of the light should be at the center of the marked part on the wall.
4. Adjust horizontal screws by adjusting them just like the steps been taken in no 3 the part. The more beam should be at the left vertical line or probably on the right-hand side depending on the driving part on the road.
5. Before hitting the road for a test cross-check. Your adjustments using your vehicles guard for specifications to ensure the screws were coupled at their right places.
6. Drive your car on the road to test if the headlights were properly aligned or it still needs a little adjustment

After all these have been done and you still find it difficult to aim the headlights in the right position, it’s advised to take your vehicle to a professional mechanic for proper alignment.