How to Adjust, Align, and Aim Headlights and Fog Lights PERFECTLY, by ChrisFix on YouTube. 13 min 1 s.
- Video length
- 13 min 1 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Park on level ground about 25 feet from a flat wall, facing it. Check tire pressures and remove heavy loads so the car sits normally.
Measure from the ground to the center of each headlight and write the number down. Measure to the center of each fog light too if you plan to aim those.
Put tape on the wall at those heights directly ahead of each light. Add a vertical center line for each lamp.
Open the hood and find the adjustment screws near each headlight. Check the owner's manual if they are hidden; usually one screw adjusts up and down and one adjusts left and right.
Turn on the low beams, not the high beams, and stand behind the car. Note where the top edge of the beam hits the wall compared with the tape.
Turn the vertical adjuster to bring the top of the low beam about 2 inches below the headlight center mark. Keep the beam level from side to side.
Adjust the horizontal screw so the beam points straight ahead, with the bright hot spot centered on the vertical line. Repeat on the other headlight.
For fog lights, aim the top edge about 4 inches below the fog light center mark. They should sit lower than the low beams.
Turn off the lights, close the hood, and test drive on a quiet road. Fine tune if you see too little road or oncoming drivers flash you.
Tips and common mistakes
Do this in a quiet parking area off public roads, and never adjust lights while standing in traffic.
Adjust one light at a time and cover the other with a towel if the beams overlap and make the marks hard to read.
Clean the lenses first so you can see the beam pattern clearly on the wall.
Do not aim low beams too high; about 2 inches below the center mark at 25 feet is a safe starting point.
Questions
How high should headlights be aimed?
At 25 feet, the top of the low beam should sit about 2 inches below the center height marked on the wall. Fog lights should sit about 4 inches below their center marks.
Do I aim the high beams or low beams?
Use the low beams for adjustment. On most cars the high beams follow the low beam pattern and are not aimed separately.
Can I adjust headlights without a wall?
A flat wall and level ground give the best result. Without them you may get uneven aim and blind other drivers.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
