When it comes to knowing how to do a basic inspection of the car, there are different aspects that must be assessed, being necessary to keep the car in good condition. In addition to knowing how to change the car’s oil or filters, it is necessary to know how to regulate the car’s headlights. This is necessary since lighting is essential on the road to be able to drive safely in low visibility conditions.
The role of the headlights is key to being able to enjoy greater safety at the wheel, mainly when driving at night, in adverse weather conditions or when in tunnels or places with poor visibility.
However, in order for the headlights to fulfill their function perfectly, they must be in good condition, both in terms of their condition and their adjustment. For this reason, it is necessary that you know how to regulate the headlights of the car to avoid that the adjustment is not adequate and the result is not adequate.
The regulation of the headlights is important for the driver of the vehicle but also for the rest of the road users, since they can affect their driving.
It is important to regulate the headlights of the car since it has been mandatory since 1990. Correct visibility is key to having good visibility on the road; and at the same time, the rest of the drivers must see us without any type of complication.
If the car’s lights are too low or too high, they will have negative consequences on visibility, lighting up less of the road or dazzling other drivers than driving in the opposite direction, respectively.
Instructions for adjusting car headlights
The steps to follow if you want to know how to regulate the headlights of the car are the following:
- First of all, you must place your vehicle 30 cm from the wall, and then turn on the headlights. In doing so you will have to measure the distance that exists from the center of the headlights to the ground. At this point it will be necessary to stick the adhesive tape horizontally on the wall; and using two strips in a vertical position, a «T» will be formed that will be the center of the spotlights.
- Now we will have to move the car backwards to leave it at a distance of 10 meters from the wall. In the event that there is not enough space, it can be placed at 5 meters, although this will make it necessary to correct the calculations later to adapt them to this distance.
- Once the above is done, it will be time to place another line of adhesive tape in a horizontal position. In this case, it will be necessary to calculate the distance to the first line according to the angle of inclination of the lighthouse, and the distance to the wall. You will be able to know the angle of inclination according to the information that appears on the sticker that includes the lighthouse. In the event that the angle of inclination is 1.2º, at a distance of 10 meters from the wall, it means that the line The correction line should be 12 cm below the first marked line. If with the same inclination we are at a distance of 5 meters, the line will be 6 cm below.
- The next step is to turn on the headlights 10 meters away, which will make the center of the light cone touch the horizontal correction line. On the other hand, the main light beam will have to be placed between the two marked vertical lines.
- Now it is time to adjust the headlights, a process that is carried out by turning the adjustment screws that the headlights have on their rear. One of the screws is responsible for regulating the height of the vehicle’s lights, while the other is responsible for the horizontal inclination of the headlight.
How to regulate Xenon, halogen and LED lights?
If you want to know how to regulate the headlights of the car and these are Xenon, halogen and LED, you should know that the adjustment is different. This means that, given its characteristics, only a basic adjustment can be made.
The complete adjustment for this type of headlights must be carried out by professionals in a mechanical workshop; and it is that the adjustment of the electronic control must be made from the computer integrated in the vehicle. If it is necessary to adjust an LED headlight or power has been lost in some Xenon headlights, it is necessary to go to the workshop so that they can adjust them.
In any case, it is a fast and low-cost process. In fact, in some cases there are even workshops that perform this type of adjustment for free.
What do you need to regulate the car headlights?
To know how to regulate the headlights of the car you need:
- roll of adhesive tape
- Measuring tape
- screwdrivers
- Gloves
