How to adjust headlight aim in Kia Sportage, by WheelsJoint on YouTube. 4 min 29 s.
- Video length
- 4 min 29 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Park the Sportage on a level surface facing a wall or garage door about 15 feet away. Check the tyre pressures and remove heavy cargo so the car sits at its normal weight.
Measure from the ground to the centre of each headlight. Put a strip of masking tape on the wall at that height for each side, and mark the centre line of the car.
Open the hood and find the vertical and horizontal adjustment screws behind each headlight. The vertical screw changes beam height and the horizontal one moves the beam left or right.
Turn the headlights on low beam. Cover or block one headlight with a cloth or cardboard so only one beam hits the wall at a time.
Turn the vertical screw on the uncovered headlight until the top edge of the beam sits just below the tape line. Keep the beam roughly centred on the car's middle line.
Use the horizontal screw to point the beam straight ahead, not toward the kerb or oncoming traffic. Small quarter turns are enough.
Uncover the first headlight, block the second and repeat the height and side adjustment on that side.
Take a short test drive on a dark road. Check that you can see the road clearly and that oncoming drivers are not flashing their lights at you.
Tips and common mistakes
Adjust in small quarter turns and recheck the wall line after each turn, because a little screw movement shifts the beam a lot.
Fill the tank to at least half and sit a normal load in the car before measuring, since weight changes the beam angle.
Clean the headlight lenses first so dirt does not make the beam edge hard to read on the wall.
If the screws will not bring the beam into line, the housing or bulb may be damaged and needs a mechanic.
Questions
How far should the car be from the wall?
About 15 feet, or roughly 4.5 metres, on level ground. Closer makes the beam pattern harder to compare with the tape line.
Where should the beam sit on the wall?
The top edge of the low beam should fall just below the tape mark at headlight height. That keeps light on the road without dazzling other drivers.
Do I need to disconnect the battery?
No. The headlights need to be on for the adjustment, so leave the battery connected and just block one lamp at a time.
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.
