How to adjust headlights properly?
Headlights are an indispensable part of a car, they help drivers have a wider and clearer view when driving at night.
What are car headlights?
Car headlights are a lighting device, like conventional lights, they can also be used to illuminate and help drivers have a wider view. However, unlike other types of lights, headlights can create a strong and concentrated beam of light, capable of illuminating from 100m or more, helping drivers to observe well, easily detect obstacles or vehicles traveling in the opposite direction. To increase the ability to illuminate optimally, headlights can be used in combination with low beam lights - near beam lights.
The effect of car headlights
Headlights are located in the eyes on the front of the car, so they can shine farther and higher with high light intensity, helping drivers to easily observe obstacles on the road. When traveling on the highway, drivers need to use headlights.
In addition to the lighting function, headlights in some cases also function as a “signal horn”. When the driver presses the flash button, the light will shine on the rearview mirror to signal that the driver wants to pass so that the person in front can give way.
Currently, there are four most popular types of car headlights on the market today: Halogen lights; Xenon - HID lights; LED lights and Laser lights.
How to adjust car headlights properly
Many drivers still do not adjust their headlights properly, causing safety for themselves and others around them when moving. Accordingly, experts have instructed on how to adjust headlights properly as follows:
For Xenon headlights:
For some cars equipped with Xenon lights can automatically adjust the light beam according to the load and speed of the car. Therefore, these cars are often equipped with a rotary knob to adjust the headlights with control buttons from 0 to 4. To adjust, the driver just needs to control from 0 to 4 depending on the desire.
For Halogen headlight adjustment:
For Halogen headlights, the driver can adjust with the 3-point screws behind the light with the symbols U - D and L - R.
When screw U – D is pressed, the headlights will point up or down.
When L - R is pressed, the headlights will shine to the right or left.
Steps to adjust car headlights properly
Balance the vehicle by inflating the tires evenly and cleaning the lenses.
Before adjusting the car headlights, you need to ensure the balance of the car by pumping the tires just enough, not too tight or too loose. Thus, adjusting the headlights will be accurate.
In addition, after placing the vehicle in a balanced position, you need to clean the outside lenses, only then will you be able to observe and align the light beam most accurately.
Locate the light beam
To accurately determine the position of the headlight beam, you need to perform the following operations:
Park the car on a flat, level ground. Keep a distance of about 5m to 7m from a wall or barrier to test the lights.
Implicitly draw a vertical line down the center, perpendicular to the base (or floor) on the wall or diaphragm.
Align the vehicle's centerline so that the vehicle's centerline is opposite the line just drawn above to accurately determine the headlight beam position.
Measure the distance to the center of the car light
To align car headlights properly, you cannot skip the step of measuring the distance to the center of the light on the car and the height from the ground to the center of the light.
Cut-of line
On the wall or screen, you draw an out-of line. The height of this line must satisfy the requirement that it is lower than the height of the lamp by about 1-2 inches, equivalent to about 2.56-5.08cm.
Adjust the height of the beam and the lamp heart
Start the car at idle speed, turn on and adjust the lights according to the instructions so that the beam angle and height are correct. The beam height must be equal to the height of the headlight bulb on the car and the beam angle should be about 10-15 degrees.
Adjust the side light beam so that the height and beam angle meet the standards.
Next, adjust the driver's side light beam. This adjustment also needs to be adjusted so that the height and angle of the light meet the standards.
After adjusting the light beam of each side, turn on both lights and observe if the two light beams have the same height and light beam convergence. If the two light beams are equal, it is okay.
Some notes when adjusting car headlights
When aligning car headlights, it is necessary to adjust the light's convergence to low beam mode.
When checking the driver's side headlight, cover the passenger side headlight. Conversely, when checking the passenger side headlight, cover the driver's side headlight.
To use the headlights most effectively, you should regularly check the lights for damage or burned bulbs to replace or repair them promptly. You also need to clean and wipe the lights to ensure that the brightness of the lights is not obscured by dirt.
Headlights should be used on highways, avoid using them on two-way roads as they can sometimes blind people going in the opposite direction, making them unable to see the road, causing unnecessary accidents or obstructing the vision of people moving in the opposite direction.
