Headlight alignment - why no more?

[trimacar]

In the old days, there'd be the headlight alignment tools complete with lenses and mirrors (smoke too?), and it was always a big deal to get your headlights aligned correctly.

When did this go away? Are cars built to such exacting specs now that no alignment is needed?

[keiser31]

Nowadays, there are adjustments to the bulbs inside the plastic lenses.

[trimacar]

Ah-ha! The old sealed beam system had three adjusting screws, so there were infinite positions to be out of adjustment.....

[CarlLaFong]

Nowadays, there are adjustments to the bulbs inside the plastic lenses.

Ummmm....are you sure? I've replaced a number of bulbs in late style lamps and they just snap or twist in. Most are so deeply buried that there is scant room for any adjustment mechanism.

[keiser31]

Ummmm....are you sure? I've replaced a number of bulbs in late style lamps and they just snap or twist in. Most are so deeply buried that there is scant room for any adjustment mechanism.

I should have said, "some" headlamps. I see the ones on my Viper sofa are adjustable.

[NTX5467]

Although the newer composite headlight assys have "snap in" bulbs, the "aim" of the bulbs is adjustable via "external torx" studs on the top of the lens assy. As they are black, they are sometimes easy to miss. Some other variations have a scale and marker for reference purposes, both for horiz and vert aim settings.

The whole idea of the "T3" headlight bulbs was their three mounting "pads" to which the clamp-on headlight aimer could be securely and accurately attached for proper aiming. Otherwise, it was the other type of roll-around tester which had to be matched to the height of the bulb and such, BUT also had a much higher margin of error in getting the tester oriented to each individual light.

Headlight aim is still important! But as in earlier times, once it's set, it should not change.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Restorer32]

In Pennsylvania an "Approved Headlight Aiming Device" is still required equipment in Inspection Stations but I can't remember the last time I actually saw someone use one.

[trimacar]

Gee, as I get older, my pc filter just seems to have holes in it.

In the old days, and that wasn't that long ago, we all wanted our lights aimed, on low, away to the lower right.

Hmmmmm.

Do we just not care that much anymore? Do we just assume that what we see is what we get?

I remember once researching polarization of headlights. There's such a simple fix, yet no one could agree on how to make it happen.

Polarized headlights without glare

Not a big thing, figure if my Pierce lights make someone steer slightly away from me, that's a good thng...

[Matt Harwood]

My Audi allroad station wagon has headlights that automatically re-aim themselves. I know the standard A6 has headlights that can be manually adjusted, but thanks to the allroad's adjustable suspension and HID headlights, a one-size-fits-all adjustment wouldn't have been legal. There's almost six inches of difference between the lowest ride height setting and the highest, so the headlights had to be able to move to keep from blinding drivers. So every time I turn on the headlights, they do a cool little up and down dance, like swiveling eyeballs, then align themselves properly. Don't know how it works to find the correct level, but apparently headlight alignment is still important to the OEMs.

Surely it's a cool feature that will someday break expensively, but everyone remarks about it when they see it for the first time--cool points awarded!

[trimacar]

The automatic control of lights reminds me, ever seen the dance that a Citroen will do? I had a DS-21 Break (station wagon) that I got from Marty, with the hydraulic suspension, it would lay on the ground or raise 20 or so inches.

Once, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, a guy was somewhat gone on the street corner (drunk, we used to call it "three sheets to the wind"). I'd gotten pretty good at hitting the level control lever with my left knee, so with both hands on the wheel and staring at the drunk, I lowered the car, then raised it.

"Shay, buddy, did that car jush go down, and then back up?"

Uh, no, what are you talking about?

You could also remove one rear wheel, and drive the car (front wheel drive, the hydraulics would suck the rear wheel mounting up in the wheel well) on level ground. I won a $50 bet like that once.

One of the best handling, most comfortable cars I've ever driven........

[NTX5467]

Seems like the old Texas State Inspection spec for headlight aim, on low beam, was 1/4" down per ___ feet in front of the vehicle. This was enough to get rid of the "glare" and also keep the lights out of the inside rear view mirror of the car in front of you. It also keeps the headlights of bigger trucks (before the uniform headlight height was legislatively mandated) from causing problems with vehicles ahead of them.

Low beam headlights are designed to "go toward the shoulder" anyway. It's their designated beam pattern. High beams are more straight ahead. USA beam patterns are or have been legislatively-mandated, which is one reason the USA lighting standards are OR have been somewhat behind European standards. As time has progressed, the USA specs have tended to more follow European orientations as to the sharper, horizontal light cut-off beam pattern plus having a beam that's biased toward the shoulder area but also better illuminates the center of the traffic lane--i.e., a more tightly-controlled beam pattern.

I knew we've had low beams that would pivot sideways as the steering wheel was turned (as in some 1970s+ Citroen models). HID lights that use a solenoid to use one light source for both high and low beams . . . the solenoid physically moves the light source to affect the low beam and high beam . . . on many GM vehicles. But the Audi deal, as mentioned, is something that you'd have to own a vehicle with that self-leveling headlight system and very neat!

In the prior mounting method of headlight "capsules", there were many variables for possible build variances on the vehicle's sheet metal. Therefore, the headlights needed enough "aim adjustment" to compensate for these sheet metal build indiscretions. In more modern times, everything's laser this and that so build quality has increased very much from what it used to be. This also includes dimensional integrity. Therefore, the composite light assys can be "factory pre-set" and probably will be greatly within specs due to the precision of how the other parts have been built . . . parts to which the headlight assys are attached.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

Edited August 21, 2011 by NTX5467 (see edit history)

[Guest Old48Truck]

It was a joke here in NY State. whenever you brought a car in for an inspection, a headlight was almost always out of adjustment, so there was something to charge you for, other than the inspection itself. Oddly, if there was some other work needed, the headlights were fine.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Apparently, the goal for modern headlight aiming, is to have the beam "up, and in the eyes of on-coming motorists, with the brightest, obnoxious blue bulbs you can find."

Or am I being grumpy again ?

I love how the auto-industry "regressed" about 20-some years ago, replacing the efficient, reliable, decades-proven hermetically-sealed "Sealed-Beam", with these sexy "composite headlights"... you know, the ones that turn a dull yellow, and often are about half-full of green water sloshing around.... ?

With replacement headlight "capsules" running between $100 & $200 each for AFTERMARKET units...

Yep; that's real progress for you...

Wonder if cops pull anybody over for "blinding, mis-aimed headlights " ?

[Guest bkazmer]

this isn't going to help your grumpiness, but auto aligning biXenon headlights are more like $700 - 1000 a side.

[jbbuick22]

I think all Audi cars with HID lighting use a automatic adjusting system, using suspension sensors front and rear. HID lights can be blinding if not adjusted correctly.

Cars with standard lighting have adjustable reflectors similar to sealed beam.

Sealed beam had two adjusters one for vertical and one for horizontal.

JB

[junkyardjeff]

I bought a head light aiming kit a few years ago but did not have any instructions,its been so long since I used one and will have to find instructions.

[rocketraider]

I picked up a Hoppy aimer kit at a swap meet some time back, but I can't remember if instructions came with it or not. Right now I can't even remember exactly where it is.

Seems like half the cars I encounter at night have at least one headlamp out, off aim, or the driver doesn't know what a dimmer or fog lamp switch is for.

You can usually tell when someone has tried to replace a halogen bulb themselves not knowing how the capsule worked. They've tried to take it out using the aimer screws and managed to get the aim way off, and usually right where it blinds other drivers. I can't tell you the last time an inspection station checked my headlight aim.

[NTX5467]

In the somewhat "olden" days, there was a manual procedure to determine headlight aim, but it took a flat floor with the car about 20 feet or so away from a wall. It might have taken a while, at night, to do this deal, but then you knew where things were in the real world.

When I converted one car from the sealed beams to some E-code Cibie 7" headlights, I had to readjust things significantly as the OEM lights' aim was definitely "down" too far with the new lights. I used known horizontal landmarks, as bridge rails, to set the horizontal low beam adjustment, then just a hair down. With the more defined beam pattern, I could then set the horizontal adjustment dead ahead, then a little to the right.

At one time, I had a set of Cibie Z-Beam lights in the car. They had a reverse-Z upper beam cutoff, which you could easily see. When aimed properly, the upper side of the Z would be farther to the right than the inside rear view mirror of the car in front of you. This was the substitution for the right hand "flare" upward which normal E-code lights tended to have. Pretty neat!

With the lights set as mentioned, for low beam, there's no real need to use high beams in metro freeway driving. But with them set this way on a 2 light system, it results in the high beams being really high, but they'll illuminate anything in front of you. If I'd set the high beams first, then the low beams would have been too low and pretty worthless.

The OEM HID bulbs have been somewhat engineered to take the blue out of their light color, usually, but there are aftermarket bulbs which have too much blue in them. There are also some aftermarket bulbs which have a cad-plated effect to them, a gold tint as you might first see them, then a blue tint as you get closer, then a bright white light as you come to be more "on-axis" with the main light beam. Highly distracting, to me.

A bright bulb is one thing (as long as it doesn't cause any harm to the vehicle wiring harness or blows the headlight breaker inside of the headlight switch), but a poorly-aimed bulb of any brightness is a totally different situation.

Once, a new Cavalier came in with the complaint that the DRLs don't work. When the tech investigated, he found some of the then-popular blue bulbs installed. They were NOT the correct bulbs to fit the car, so the young owner (or friends thereof) stuck the bulbs in the hole and secured them with duct tape. As the bulbs were not positioned correctly for the reflector, there's no telling where that beam ended up being! But the bulbs also had more current draw than the BCM liked, so it shut down the DRLs. Once factory-production bulbs were installed, everything worked as designed.

Regads,

NTX5467

[Luv2Wrench]

My Audi allroad station wagon has headlights that automatically re-aim themselves. I know the standard A6 has headlights that can be manually adjusted, but thanks to the allroad's adjustable suspension and HID headlights, a one-size-fits-all adjustment wouldn't have been legal. There's almost six inches of difference between the lowest ride height setting and the highest, so the headlights had to be able to move to keep from blinding drivers. So every time I turn on the headlights, they do a cool little up and down dance, like swiveling eyeballs, then align themselves properly. Don't know how it works to find the correct level, but apparently headlight alignment is still important to the OEMs.

Surely it's a cool feature that will someday break expensively, but everyone remarks about it when they see it for the first time--cool points awarded!

My Mercedes E350 has the auto alignment 'feature' and one night while driving it freaked out and rotated straight down. Fortunately I was able to pull over and turn the car off and back on. The lights re-aligned and everything was fine. I took it in and it was replaced under warranty. While I absolutely love my car, I made a mental note to get a new one before the warranty expires.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

My Mercedes E350 has the auto alignment 'feature' and one night while driving it freaked out and rotated straight down. Fortunately I was able to pull over and turn the car off and back on. The lights re-aligned and everything was fine. I took it in and it was replaced under warranty. While I absolutely love my car, I made a mental note to get a new one before the warranty expires.

Well, THAT inspires confidence in modern uber-cars... :eek:

( This sort of malfunction is the sort of thing that REALLY scares me about 21-st Century concepts like "electronic steering".... )

Why not just add a MARS-light from a locomotive or fire-truck ?

I think I'll stick with my un-exciting but very reliable Sealed-Beams or the Twolite headlamps on my Model A...

[ChazA]

I picked up a Hoppy aimer kit at a swap meet some time back, but I can't remember if instructions came with it or not. Right now I can't even remember exactly where it is.

Seems like half the cars I encounter at night have at least one headlamp out, off aim, or the driver doesn't know what a dimmer or fog lamp switch is for.

You can usually tell when someone has tried to replace a halogen bulb themselves not knowing how the capsule worked. They've tried to take it out using the aimer screws and managed to get the aim way off, and usually right where it blinds other drivers. I can't tell you the last time an inspection station checked my headlight aim.

Glenn, have you used it? Just curious on how easy they are to use. Have seen these at the swap meets also. Thanks!

[ChazA]

I picked up a Hoppy aimer kit at a swap meet some time back, but I can't remember if instructions came with it or not. Right now I can't even remember exactly where it is.

Seems like half the cars I encounter at night have at least one headlamp out, off aim, or the driver doesn't know what a dimmer or fog lamp switch is for.

You can usually tell when someone has tried to replace a halogen bulb themselves not knowing how the capsule worked. They've tried to take it out using the aimer screws and managed to get the aim way off, and usually right where it blinds other drivers. I can't tell you the last time an inspection station checked my headlight aim.

Glenn, have you used it? Just curious on how easy they are to use. Have seen these at the swap meets also and was thinking of picking up a set. Thanks!

[Guest Garfield]

No sweat- I get to re aim the lights on my Cord every time I use them- just turn the cranks to wherever I want them

Edited August 24, 2011 by Garfield
typo (see edit history)