Over time, the lights you rely on to light the road can become out of whack, dim, or just plain weak. And for many, it’s usually in the form of a blown headlight bulb or something getting on the lens itself. However in some cases, your headlights might need an adjustment to work properly, and bringing it somewhere to pay money seems foolish. Below are a few ways you can adjust your headlights in your driveway, and how to work out a potential fix.
Positioning
The first thing to do is make sure you’re parked in front of a flat surface that you can project the lights onto. This can be a wall, garage door, or something similar. This will help you determine where your headlights will beam and if they’re even between the two. Once this is done, move to the next step.
Locate The Bulbs
In many cars, your headlight bulbs should be accessible by popping the hood and locating where the wires are that lead to the lamp. From here, you’ll be able to either remove a rubber protecting cap, and inspect that the bulb itself is correctly seated and in working order. Sometimes this means you will have to remove and re-install the bulb to ensure that it’s in the area it needs to be.
Projectors
A new trend for some car manufacturers is a projector headlamp, which can be manually adjusted to your liking. If your car has these, you may need an allen key or a screwdriver to adjust. By twisting the screws around the bulb or at the top of the light casing, it will move the projectors and allow you to align it in a way that benefits your line of sight the best.
Once this has been completed, attempt to step back and get into the car, looking at the lights on and projecting onto the surface. If things look even, great! If not, head back out and make the adjustments necessary to appeal to OEM spec or your liking.
Southport Automotive is Fairfield County’s premier service station for all things Automotive. In business since 1981, we’ve helped get thousands of Connecticut residents back on the road faster, and for longer. To learn more about how we can help your vehicle stay in its best shape, please give us a call at 203-259-3839. For more tips and tricks, make sure to like us on Facebook!