BUICK REATTA HEADLIGHT ADJUSTMENT

[Guest BELLADONNA]

I have a 1990 Buick Reatta and need to adjust the driver side headlight as it shines upward and towards the passenger side. Does anyone know if this is an easy fix that I can do myself?

[Guest WEB 38]

Go to the Reatta fourm. They will be glad to help you. Bill

[NTX5467]

I suspect the adjustment will be very similar to other headlamps, even if they are on retractable mountings. There should be a "nut" with a Phillips head on the outboard and upper sides of each lamp. The "one on top" is the vertical adjustment. The one "on the side" is the horizontal/lateral adjustment. I usually try to get the vertical adjustment just at or a little downward from "level". The lateral adjustment should be headed toward the rh side of the road. It might be that you can just lower the offending light and things might be fine.

Proceed with caution, though, especially in the vertical adjustment. I believe the TX inspection law used to mention a 1/4" drop for each 25' of distance from the vehicle. If you have "Euro" beam headlights, replacing USA DOT sealed beams, you'll find that adjustment will put things "wayy low" for normal low beam driving, although on a two-light system, the high beams seem to be about right . . . but I don't like to use high beams in a metro freeway environment, so I raised the low beams enough, with sufficient drop, to do that successfully.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467