Or, why does my driver’s side headlight look like it’s pointing off to the left?
2017 Toyota RAV4. Sometime back over the summer I noticed (when seeing a reflection of my front end in a window) that my left headlight was out. So I bought a replacement and swapped it out and everything seemed OK.
I don’t usually do a lot of night driving, but now that it’s getting dark when I’m driving home from work, I’ve noticed that it looks like my left headlight is now pointing sort of outwards rather than straight ahead. I remember back in the old days that there were set screws for horizontal and vertical headlamp alignment, but do modern vehicles have any way to adjust? I assumed if I replaced the lamp and locked the socket back into the headlight assembly that everything would be pointing the same way it was before. But it looks like maybe not?
Assuming you got the bulb squarely in the mechanical socket that holds it and also got the socket module back square on the headlight assembly the beam ought to point straight.
So good bet there was some unnoticed grunge in there and one or both of those alignments are wrong but the plastic is flexible enough you could make it fit without too much grunting.
It only takes a teeny misalignment of the light source to send the beam veering off in a weird direction. If you have access to a garage it’s easy enough to put the car in it, fiddle with the alignment, then turn the garage lights off & close the door to check where the beam’s going in the dark. Lather rinse repeat until you’re happy.
Good point! At least some cars have headlights that pivot with the steering. If that feature goes haywire … .
OTOH, it’s a pretty obvious feature. One would be hard pressed to own a car, drive it after dark, and not be aware it does that. Even if one never cracked the owner’s manual or cares about “car stuff”.
I park in the driveway at home, and it seems pretty noticeable when the headlights are shining on the garage door. I’ve also noticed it when going through drive-thrus where it looks like the headlight is lighting up the side of the building. I’ll pop it out tonight when I get home from work and look for any gunk that may be causing it to not line up correctly.
My car is a 2017 Chevy Spark. It has adjustable headlights, but they have to be manually done in the housing with a screwdriver. There are screws in each housing to adjust the aim both vertically and horizontally.
My headlights seem pretty straight though, so I haven’t had to worry about it.
How to Aim Headlights Correctly for Safety, Visibility, and Compliance – Hawkglow Understanding Headlight Height & Beam Measurements
Getting your headlight alignment right isn’t just about pointing the beams forward—it requires an understanding of both beam angle and height relative to the road and other vehicles. Misalignment by even a few degrees can lead to poor visibility or dangerously blind oncoming traffic.
Headlight Height Standards
Most headlights should aim their low beam light so the top of the beam hits just 2 to 4 inches below the headlight centerline at a distance of 25 feet. This ensures a downward tilt that lights the road ahead without dazzling others.
Some manufacturers also provide headlight aiming specifications in the owner’s manual. If you’re unsure, start by measuring the height from the ground to the center of your headlight and use that as your baseline when marking the wall.
Beam Pattern and Symmetry
An even beam pattern is essential. The right headlight beam typically points slightly lower and to the right to reduce glare for oncoming traffic, while the left headlight should aim straight ahead but stay below the horizontal tape line.
Good news is modern “bulbs” are often life-of-the-vehicle items. Now whether a 2016 Jeep Cherokee is “modern” is a different question. I have my doubts.
At a minimum there should be one or two set-screws on the headlight assembly that adjust the vertical and horizontal aim. On a previous car one of those screws got stripped and the whole headlight assembly had to be replaced. You can usually find specific instructions for how to aim headlights, typically involving a measured distance from a surface like a garage door. I had a spec sheet for the previous car laying out the precise measurements.
Do you mean LED bulbs or modern halogens? It’s surprising how often I see one-eyed cars with LED headlamps. There’s obviously some vulnerability with those things.
Between my wife and I we have had eight cars since 1994. We’ve owned each one for 7-10 years from new. Neither of us have ever replaced or adjusted a car light. It’s possible that during regular maintenance the dealer or shop adjusted or replaced them. But we can’t remember being charged for it or if ever being mentioned.
I thought cars had long ago transitioned to light components that were modular without replaceable bulbs.
Have we just been very, very lucky.
I do remember changing bulbs in my parents’ cars in the late 80s or very early 90s.
Maybe not. The adjustment screws I was referring to were the ones on my late beloved 2005 Chrysler Sebring. I have no idea about my current car, but I would think that being able to make small adjustments if things get out of whack for any reason would be a desirable feature.
Rightfully so but, unfortunately, it is rarely if ever done in Chicagoland. I’m routinely on the verge of blindness from approaching cars with maladjusted headlights or from high beams that are totally unnecessary in an urban/suburban environment.
It’s worse than that. Nowadays the intense blue-white glare of LED headlamps is blinding even when they’re on low-beam. Those things should be illegal, yet they’re now standard equipment on new cars.
I once got a new car (in the UK) where the lights did not seem very good but I couldn’t work out what it was and just assumed it was the way it was.
Eventually, when it had its first MOT (a UK mandatory safety check) I was told the passenger side headlight was for a Left Hand Drive car, the headlights were essentially cross-eyed.
