The safety of the driver of the car and its passengers depends on correctly adjusted headlights. Also, the safety of pedestrians and other road users depends on properly configured optics. Let's see how to adjust the headlights yourself in your garage.
When do you need to do this?
The need to adjust the operation of lighting devices on a car is determined by the mass of various factors. The optics of the new car are tuned at the factory, and after acquiring, there is no need for any adjustments. But during the operation of the car for various reasons, the installation angles change and you have to adjust the luminous flux.
It is recommended to carry out the adjustment of lighting devices at least once a year. But also the lighting adjustment should be done before undergoing a technical inspection, before making structural changes to the optics, when repairing or replacing the front of the body, installing or dismantling additional lighting devices. Experts recommend performing this operation before long trips.
The tilt angles of the headlights relative to the road, as well as the lighting area, can change when loading the machine. Therefore, in preparation for long trips, when the car is fully loaded, it is recommended to adjust the headlights on the car.
On your own or in the service station?
Modern cars are equipped with efficient and bright block optics. Incorrect adjustments can cause an emergency. Qualitatively adjust such optics and adjust the fog lights can only qualified professionals using equipment.
But far from everywhere there is such equipment. When deciding to contact the service station, you must first find out if there is a device for adjusting the headlights. If an ordinary stand is used for work, then it makes no sense to spend money. This procedure can be performed independently.
And it’s a completely different matter if the station has special equipment. But not the fact that in addition to the equipment there is a specialist who knows how to work with such devices.
Adjustment methods
There are three ways to adjust the headlights. This is the method described above with a car service and special devices. It is also an adjustment on special stands and manual adjustment adjustment.
Many are confident that such work will not be possible to do on their own, since without skills and knowledge it will be difficult to prevent mistakes. With the help of knowledge of the rules of adjustment, everything will work out.
Experts say that there are three stages of tuning optics. This is the production of marking according to the schemes on the wall of the garage or any other suitable wall. Next, marking the position of the lamps in the headlight. Finally, the third stage is the setup itself.
Before making any adjustments, it is recommended to check the tire pressure, check the suspension for serviceability, as well as how the load on the chassis is distributed.
If the car has one of the above problems, that is, there is a risk of adjusting the headlights at the wrong angle - the correction will be incorrect. Sometimes it turns out to do even worse than before.
What is needed for the operation?
In order for everything to work out well, some requirements must be observed. For work, you need the most straight wall in front of which you can put the car. The distance to the wall from the car should be at least 7-8 meters. You should also prepare chalk or scotch tape - this is necessary for marking.
Before adjusting, you must carefully mark the wall. In this case, you need to be guided by the individual parameters of a particular machine. You can use universal parameters that are suitable for most modern passenger cars.
Markup
Before you adjust the headlights of your car, you must mark the wall. The optics tuning process is responsible, but not complicated. First of all, it is necessary to put the car against the wall so that the distance to it is about 2 meters. On the wall mark the centers of the axes of the lamps. Then they move away from the wall by about 7.5 meters.
The points that indicate the centers of the lamps are connected horizontally by a line. Then this line is complemented by a vertical one. The latter will connect with a point denoting the central part of the car. You will need to draw another additional line. It should run parallel to the line connecting the centers of the lamps. It can be placed below.
Setup process
The marking is completed, and now we learn how to adjust the headlights ourselves. To begin with include dipped beam. You need to get the right light beam - turn the adjustment screws until the light becomes perfect. Screws can be found under the hood of the car. Most often they are on the back of the headlights.
Ideally, when the light is lower than the point at which the center of the lamps is marked. In the same way, the lamps with combined light are adjusted.
If the main and dipped beam are switched on separately, then they need to be adjusted separately according to different schemes. Therefore, the markup will be different. How to adjust the dipped headlights, we already know - you can use the above scheme.
The main beam adjustment is carried out in such a way that a beam of light hits the center of the markings on the wall. But I must say that without instruments manually to achieve this will be difficult.
DIY optics on a VAZ
Let's see how to apply this instruction. We will consider how to adjust the headlights on a VAZ using the example of a VAZ-2110 car.
Before setting, the headlights must be thoroughly cleaned and washed. Sometimes, precisely because of the dirt, the stream of light cannot find its way out. In all other cases, the cause of low-quality light can be various defects on the glass.
After the headlights are cleaned, check the surface. If there are any defects, chips, or cracks, then adjustments cannot solve the problem - you must first replace the glass. It is also recommended in this case to change the reflector.
How to adjust the headlights with your own hands? Find a flat and large area in front of which is a high and flat wall. Then the car is placed about 5 meters from the wall. It is advisable to conduct this event with an assistant. He should sit behind the wheel and have about the same weight as the owner of the car.
After that, draw lines on the wall that should go through the center of the headlights symmetrically to the line of the axis of the car. The first additional line should go where the center of the headlights. At the same time, measurements are taken from the floor. The second line will be 6 centimeters lower than the first.
Turn on the dipped beam on one headlight, and close the other with cardboard or something else. Check that the light matches dots and lines. If they match, then everything is configured correctly. If not, you will have to turn the adjusting screws on the headlights.
Let's see how to adjust the headlights with screws. On the back of the headlamp there are adjusting screws. The first (near the radiator grill) corrects the light beam in a vertical plane. The screw on the right of the headlight adjusts the beam in a horizontal plane. They are rotated until the light matches the markings on the wall.
If the headlights direct the beam of light down, they are lifted. Such a work of optics is fraught with the fact that you can’t see a pedestrian, especially if he is dressed in dark clothes. If the headlights shine up, then drivers driving towards can be blinded.
Adjust the fog
Let's see how to properly adjust the fog lights. You can customize them by rotation. The optical element is rotated in two planes. The car is placed at a distance of 5 meters from the wall.
Then markup is carried out and the fog lights are adjusted so that the light spot is 1 cm lower than the center points.
Conclusion
In order not to blind the oncoming drivers and to see the road well in the dark, it is not necessary to visit the service station. Now we know how to adjust the headlights. So, you can save money on this.