How do I align the headlights?

[Terry Field]

Is there a reliable way of aligning the headlights without having to get a garage to do it? It would need to be accurate enough to pass the MOT.

 

Terry

 

1700XF - Team Lotus with flares.

[Drumster]

Terry,

 

You could try matching them with your tin top's lights facing a wall or something, but to be honest I don't recall it ever being a problem on an MOT on the basis that most garages seem to realise that within 5 minutes of driving off they'll be out of alignment again

 

Chris Alston

C7CAT 1800 Supersprint

Drive it like you stole it! but don't tell my pupils that 😳

 

[Mick Day]

It takes about 30 seconds.

1.Arrive at MOT place with big nut under headlights slightly loose.

2.Let them use the big boxey thing to check allignment.

3. Wait for them to say they're out a bit .

4. Point out they were fine before & they must have become loose.

5. Oh yes they say as they position the beam correctly.

6. Suggest they do up the big nut so they don't get loose again.

7. Offer to pay for the allignment. As it only took them 30 seconds it might cost nothing.

 

1. When you get home position the car (after dark) in front of a wall or garage door about 1 car's length away. If you have a tandem double garage use the inside of the garage door.

2. Mark the position of the front wheels.

3. Shine the dipped beam on the wall/door & mark the postion of the beam on the wall/door. You now have a reliable way of checking it for neaxt time.

[Colin Mill]

I just mark the height of the centre of the headlights on a length of timber and use that to make sure the top of the beam is slightly (about an inch) below this height at about 15 ft in front of the lights. So far this has always got me through the MOT. Without self-levelling lights anything more accurate is a bit of a waste of time.

 

Colin

[Sheds Moderator]

Park the tintop 2-3 yards away from a wall. Using chalk, mark the position of the car's lights on the floor and the beam cutoff point on the wall. Move the car and put the 7 in the same place, set the lights the same. This should pass the Mot, take the tools to fix it if it doesn't. Most places will let you twiddle the lights while they do other stuff. I once had a tester pass me a screwdriver and say "turn that adjuster until that lines up with that, tell me when you've finished".