headlight adjustment

[jdunmyer]

If I have a full load, IE: 4 adults, oncoming traffic flashes their lights at me; from reflections on buildings when I turn a corner shows why. The low beams are aimed too high. With only 2 people in the car, the adjustment appears to be JUST low enough.

Where is the adjustment, and which way do you rotate it? I'd like to give it a bit "lower" setting.

Am I the only one with this problem?

 

[djhodny]

I had the same issue. Thankfully, adjustment is really easy. There is a white plastic Philips head adjustment screw under the hood behind each headlight. They're just behind the metal frame piece that runs diagonal, behind where that diagonal frame pieces are connected to the sides / fenders. They have a Philips head recessed within a hexagonal head - I think for using an Allen wrench. Turn counter clockwise to lower the headlight.

 

[GernBlanston]

One of the complaints that Consumer Reports or some such had was headlight glare. I was getting flashed occasionally at night, so I lowered mine. Parked 25 feet from the hangar door, put 2 pieces of painter's tape up so that the bottom of the tapes touched the top of the light spots on the door,then lowered each headlight exactly one inch. Wow. I can see better at night (all those photons are on the road instead of out in space) and haven't been flashed once since then. I am a headlight geek and think more about, and spend more on, headlights than I probably should (put E-codes and leveling motors on my '03 Golf, and finally settled on Osram all-weather bulbs.)
Sorry, forgot to measure the height of the tapes before I threw 'em out, but one inch lower than they were from the factory.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I am a headlight geek and think more about, and spend more on, headlights than I probably should

This, plus your signature, is a new one to me. Hey, there are much worse things to geek out about. Headlights are probably one of the most underrated parts of a car. Being able to see well at night can literally mean the difference between life and death!

 

[GernBlanston]

I am a headlight geek and think more about, and spend more on, headlights than I probably should

This, plus your signature, is a new one to me. Hey, there are much worse things to geek out about. Headlights are probably one of the most underrated parts of a car. Being able to see well at night can literally mean the difference between life and death!

Yeah, they're fairly important.

 

[boltage]

One of the complaints that Consumer Reports or some such had was headlight glare.

It was IIHS that said that the headlamps made too much glare.

 

[GernBlanston]

One of the complaints that Consumer Reports or some such had was headlight glare.

It was IIHS that said that the headlamps made too much glare.

I stand corrected. Lower 'em an inch and see what you think.
They are odd for HIDs in that they have a little lump in the middle rather than
the razor-sharp, arrow-straight cutoff that you usually see. That's the issue I think.

 

[Zarugby]

Thank you for the great advice, last night was the first time I was driving at night with my Volt and had three people flash me. I have just now adjusted the lights about 1” down, and... wella!

 

[SlyPig]

So I got my Bolt in November 2020. I noticed that I was getting flashed at by cars coming the other way quite often. When the dealership asked me to bring in my car for it's 1st free service (whatever that means) I asked them to check the lights and see if they were too high and adjust down a little. I think the tech went too far the other way because now, when I'm on a unlit road, my lights are too low and I can barely see far enough ahead to be safe.

I'd like to know what the height should be. Can someone with the correct alignment and height stand in front of their car on level surface and measure and report back what they find?

 

[SparkE]

I googled : how to align headlights on a car

Read these :

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a257/how-to-adjust-lights/

https://www.championautoparts.eu/news/how-to-check-headlights.html

 

[jaybird1944]

I have just the opposite problem, the low beams are aimed too low - the cut off is on the ground around 100 feet ahead.

 

[ClarD]

I am a headlight geek and think more about, and spend more on, headlights than I probably should

I used to live out in the country. It was important to light up the road to spot the little critters, and about shoulder high to get the glint from eyeballs on high beam. I taught my daughter to keep an eye out for the warning "reflectors" in the ditches alongside the road. She amazed her boyfriend by slamming on the brakes when he could see nothing. She had spotted a moving set of eyes coming toward the road that became a deer out in front of her stopped car.

Moving to the city, we got a Mercedes C-300. In the city, you don't need headlights most of the time, and I didn't notice how low they were. On the freeway, we really couldn't see without the high beams on.
I had a mechanic do the adjustment. He said he brought the left headlight up 3", and the right up an inch.
Tada! We could see!
Our 2023 Bolt EUV seems fine.
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California law says, "The correct mechanical aim for high beam headlamps at 25 feet is 0 vertical and 0 horizontal. The mechanical inspection limits for high-beam headlamps shall be 10 cm (4 in) up to 10 cm (4 in) down and 10 cm (4 in) left to 10 (4 in) right."
"The nominal vertical aim position on lower beam headlamps shall be 0", Inspection Limits Vertical 4" up, 4" down."

"After each adjustment, being careful not to damage the vehicle, pound the fender lightly with the fist to settle the aiming springs. The aim should then be rechecked."

The accompanying visuals show the high beam centered at 0", and the low beam top of the bright cut-off area at 0", and to the right of the headlight centerline.

The pages noted by @SparkE say to adjust the low beam.
My dad said to adjust the high beam on a two headlight system. I used to have a four headlight system, so I needed to do both.

If you don't have a level driveway, you can run a string from the bottom edge of the front and back rims to the aiming wall. Measure up from that point to the same height that you measure at the car (less the height of the string).