{"id":47987,"date":"2022-06-23T18:32:13","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T23:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.emanualonline.com\/blog\/?p=47987"},"modified":"2022-06-23T18:32:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T23:32:13","slug":"how-to-adjust-headlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.emanualonline.com\/blog\/how-to-adjust-headlights","title":{"rendered":"DIY Guide: How to Adjust Headlights At Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever been driving at night and had someone flash their lights at you for what felt like no reason? Chances are, the reason was that your headlights are misaligned. While this may not sound like a serious issue, it can actually put you (and the drivers around you) in danger.<\/p>\n

Proper headlight adjustment isn\u2019t just essential for lighting your way during night hours and adverse weather conditions. It also has a huge effect on drivers around you, and misaligned headlights can blind people in oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, many car owners are unaware that their headlights may not be adequately aligned with the road ahead of them.<\/p>\n

Knowing how to adjust headlights could save your life. Here\u2019s what you need to know about adjusting headlights at home.<\/p>\n

What Is a Headlight Alignment?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s no secret that over time, your vehicle will experience wear and tear. And it\u2019s not just the noticeable bumps and bangs of daily driving that can knock your headlights out of alignment. Headlights can slowly become misaligned over time, or if you recently had one or both replaced, they could have been installed incorrectly. Other common causes of headlight misalignment are frontal collisions, driving over potholes, damage to the housing, or a scratched lens diffusion disc.<\/p>\n

The obvious problem is that if you\u2019re aiming headlights in the wrong direction, you\u2019re limiting your line of sight in the dark and potentially reducing your reaction times. You\u2019re also risking blinding other drivers on the other side of the road. In fact, drivers with misaligned headlights can unwittingly cause accidents around them.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that all headlights will need to be adjusted at some point, even on the most expensive of cars or most advanced systems. For example, even adaptive and self-leveling headlights will eventually need to be adjusted manually.<\/p>\n

Signs It\u2019s Time to Adjust Headlights<\/h2>\n

The signs you need to learn how to adjust headlight height are pretty obvious, but many neglectful car owners don\u2019t notice the obvious signs. The most obvious answer: if other drivers are regularly honking or flashing their lights at you, then your lights are too high. It\u2019s a surefire sign that you\u2019re blinding other people or causing discomfort on the road.<\/p>\n

Another way to tell that it\u2019s time for a headlight adjustment is by assessing where your lights are shining. Are your lights only illuminating approximately 20 feet of the road in front of you? Then they\u2019re too low.<\/p>\n

What You\u2019ll Need to Adjust Headlights<\/h2>\n

Adjusting headlights is undoubtedly a tedious process. Every vehicle has its own system for adjusting the headlights, so you\u2019ll need to consider the make and model of your car.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need to adjust headlights at home:<\/p>\n