How to Aim and Align Your Headlights, by Headlight Revolution on YouTube. 8 min 34 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 34 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Park on flat ground about 25 feet from a plain wall. Make sure the car sits level with normal tire pressure and no heavy load in the trunk.
Find the vertical aiming screws on each headlight housing. Check your owner's manual, since some cars use a Phillips screw and others a Torx bit or socket.
Measure the height of each headlight center from the ground. Mark that same height on the wall with painter's tape in front of each light.
Turn on the low beams and note where the top edge of each beam hits the wall. The cutoff should sit slightly below your tape marks, roughly 2 to 3 inches lower.
Cover one headlight with a cloth or unplug it so only one beam shows at a time. Adjust that light's vertical screw until the cutoff lines up with the target.
Repeat on the other headlight. Then check the horizontal aim so both beams point straight ahead and slightly toward the road edge.
Take the car for a short night drive on a quiet road. Fine tune the screws if one beam looks high or the pattern looks uneven.
Tips and common mistakes
Aim after any bulb change, since a new bulb can sit differently and throw the beam off.
Keep the beam cutoff below the tape line to avoid blinding oncoming drivers.
Do not aim against a sloped driveway or uneven ground, or your marks will be wrong.
Check local rules before fitting LED or HID bulbs, as some are not legal for road use.
Questions
How far should the car be from the wall?
About 25 feet works well for most cars. A shorter distance makes the beam pattern harder to read.
Where are the aiming screws?
They sit on the back or top of each headlight housing. Your owner's manual shows the exact spot and the tool needed.
Do I need to aim both headlights?
Yes. Adjust each one separately so both beams match and point at the same height.
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.
