How To Set Up The Headlights

[IWANTACIVIC]

Tools you will need are:

A 6 mm Allen key ideally a screw driver handled one, because it's a bit tight in there:

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Method

All you need do is turn the headlamp adjustment bolt that's on each side of engine bay just behind the full headlamp cover.

LEFT SIDE

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RIGHT SIDE

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Its even marked to show you which way is up and down. 5 mins job to do, makes 200-300% improvement.

I started by marking a line on the wall where my lights were then adjusted then 0.5 turn, then took quick test ride to check height of lights, then went back and adjusted then a bit more, until I was happy with the height of the lights. But don't get then too high, so you don't annoy people you're following or meeting. If done right you should not get anyone flashing you, but should have greatly improved lights and use full beam a lot less.

(quick draft copy if someone wants to edit this for good spelling and grammar go ahead pic to follow later not easiest to show at 5am )
Has anyone looked at the front of there car and thought how crap the side lights look ? might be just people with hid or just me, nice blue/white lights of HID'S but crap yellow sidelights. so Ive changed my sidelights for some nice blue led sidelights looks lot better. Then when full beam bulbs fail ill put my ice whites in then will look sweet all whitish blue.

[Meino]

Good job.
Think the pictures finishes the howto..

[kamshaft]

Ive just re-adjusted my hid's because they were set to low.
On the lights there is another headlamp adjuster with L and R (an arrow inbetween the L & R). Dose anyone know what that ones is for as i turned it quite a few times by mistake thinking it was the main headlam adjst.
Ceers

[3rd Honda]

L & R = Left and Right??

[donald17]

Originally Posted by kamshaft

Ive just re-adjusted my hid's because they were set to low.
On the lights there is another headlamp adjuster with L and R (an arrow inbetween the L & R). Dose anyone know what that ones is for as i turned it quite a few times by mistake thinking it was the main headlam adjst.
Ceers

I think that this adjuster is if you drive on the left or on the right side of the road..some countries have different ways of driving.it might adjust the left or the right light to light a little bit higher the one from the other.if i have wrong correct me..

[FWH]

Originally Posted by 3rd Honda

L & R = Left and Right??

Yes.

There is a thread about replacing sidelights with LEDs.
Big differance.

I have also done the HID "up" tweak and added the sidelights LEDs.
Very worthwhile.

[Deemon]

Yea nice post I adjusted my lights a while ago because they were too low, when the car went in for it's first service about 6 months later the service guys moved the lights even higher make me wonder why they don't check these things before allowing ppl to drive the car away

[Munro]

A very useful how to as the winter months approach, Thanks.

My headlights were also too low on dip beam and needed adjusting.

I have added pictures of the type R set up which looks similar.

One tip to help with the adjustment is to shine the headlights against the garage door and pencil mark the present top of beam on the door. That way you can see how much you are adjusting as you turn the allen key. (I needed 3 complete turns of the allen key). Keep the engine running while the headlights are on to avoid a flat battery.

The dipped lights are much much better after adjustment. The main beam was brilliant anyway.

[anka1976pa]

Originally Posted by Munro

A very useful how to as the winter months approach, Thanks.

My headlights were also too low on dip beam and needed adjusting.

I have added pictures of the type R set up which looks similar.

One tip to help with the adjustment is to shine the headlights against the garage door and pencil mark the present top of beam on the door. That way you can see how much you are adjusting as you turn the allen key. (I needed 3 complete turns of the allen key). Keep the engine running while the headlights are on to avoid a flat battery.

The dipped lights are much much better after adjustment. The main beam was brilliant anyway.

Can you please mesure the height (of your lights)from the ground,because i think that 3 complete turns is too much.Thank you.

[Munro]

Originally Posted by anka1976pa

Can you please mesure the height (of your lights)from the ground,because i think that 3 complete turns is too much.Thank you.

I checked by looking at the beam while driving - ie making sure the dip beam was below a level that would dazzle oncoming drivers. It is easy to see because the beam has a very sharp cut off on dip. You can fine tune the level with the dial on the dash board. The number of turns is dependent on how far out it was to start with.

The other way to do it is as they do it in the garage (I have not tried this myself). See this thread and the link provided by NH Dan for UK set up:

How to Aim Headlights

DVTA Vehicle Testing - View Test Stages: Stage 2

" Headlamp Alignment Testing Criteria

The most common type of headlamps fitted to vehicles are those known as European type headlamps which are checked for aim on the dip beam.

These headlamps have an asymmetric dipped beam pattern with a distinctive horizontal cut-off on the right, and a 15 degree wedge of light above the horizontal (the 'Kick up') towards the left.

Any of the following points will result in the vehicle being refused a certificate:

• The beam pattern blurred and does not show a distinctive cut-off point.
• The beam 'kick-up' is to the offside, i.e. The headlamp dips to the right.
• The image break point is not between the vertical -2.0% line (blue vertical line) and the vertical 0% line (black vertical line).
• Headlamp centres not more than 850mm above the ground. The beam horizontal cut-off line (pitch) is not between -0.5% and -2% line (red lines).

OR

• Headlamp centres more than 850mm above the ground. The beam horizontal cut-off line (pitch) is not between -1.25% and -2.75% line (green lines). "