My right headlight beam is slightly to low and not level.

Going to the dealer means taking time off from work and that's too much hassle for a minor issue. It's gonna be awhile before I need my car serviced again so I'd just like to adjust it myself until then.

I've popped the hood and seen that there are slots on the headlights to adjust them but has anyone adjusted they're headlights before? Any tips?

 

If you think your left headlight is properly aimed, you can pull up to a building on level ground, back away from the building 25 feet, then *on the building* measure from the ground to the top of the beam that's shining on the wall. Compare that measurement to the right side, then using a 2P screwdriver adjust the up/down accordingly. With the pattern our headlamps have, it should be easy to get a real clear line to measure to left - right.

 

It's worth noting, of course, depending on whether you're talking about right from the driver's seat or facing the front of the car, that the left light (from the driver's seat) is angled down by design. This is to reduce the impact the headlight has on oncoming traffic. This is clearly visible when you pull up to a wall. The line running across to the two headlamps will step down slightly to the left roughly halfway across.

 

PointQ is right. The cutoff on the passenger headlight is always supposed to be slightly lower than the driver's side.

 

The cutoffs on the headlights are the same - it's just that within EACH headlight, the cutoff plate is lower on the driver side, hence the "bumped" look.

 

Thanks,
Yeah I am aware of the "bumped" look and am fine with that. It's just that after I had a headlight assembly replaced, noticed that the beam is not level. So I messed with the adjustments last night by following everyone's tips. The visibility an night is much better but I have no idea if they are level or if I'm gonna blind incoming traffic. Haha. And that's just the Up/Down adjustments, I'm totally clueless if the Left/Right adjustments are correct.

It'd be nice if there was some sort of level gauge on the headlamps like there is on my Honda Accord. Oh well, I'll just have to wait and get them back to factory setting when I visit the dealer.

 

Does anyone know how to adjust the headlights? My driver's side headlight is aimed a little to low. I understand the concept of the staggered alignment so that you don't blind oncoming traffic, but they are aimed too low, especially at highway speeds. I've looked in the owner's manual, and it says something like, 'The headlights have already been aligned at the factory. Consult a dealer for further adjustment'. There has to be an easier way. I did see 'U and D' with an arrow on the top of the headlight, but it seems to be for the high beam and not the low beam. I also saw a hole in the plastic above the headlight towards the fender, but I couldn't see anything inside (even with an LED flashlight). If anyone knows, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

The OP stated the 'right' was lower, not the left, I was thinking about that, though.

Also noteworthy is the JDM headlamps (ahem, Derwood) the refractors are the opposite of our cars for the reasons y'all listed above.

Asaldworth, PM me for a diagram if you still need it.

 

Thanks for the offer, but I figured it out. There is an unmarked dial / gear looking thing directly behind the projector (Also has a hex head bolt facing the passenger compartment). Use a long Philips head screwdriver (you will see where to put it) and when you spin the screwdriver, it moves the gear. It was really easy, I don't know why they didn't put that in the owners manual. I can't wait to try them out tonight.

 

They don't put headlight aiming in the owners manual because the average screwball should not mess with headlight alignment, especially with HID's. The possibility of significantly blinding oncoming drivers is serious.

If you don't have the exact measurements for headlight aiming then you should not do it. Guess and hope methods are not acceptable here. HID's are too bright to mess around with.

I live in an area of Pennsylvania with a lot of 2-lane roads (1 in each direction for those that are road challenged) and have been on the otherside of improperly aimed HIDs and it is horrible, you can loose sight of the entire road.

I know I am being negative but soo many people try this on their own and don't know what they are doing.

On the other hand, good luck.