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Aiming Your Headlamps
Set the height on low beam. The goal is to line up the top edge of the light with your tape mark.
Follow your headlamp and vehicle instructions if they specify a different aiming height from the example shown here.
Bring TheseTape measure · masking tape · level · the correct headlight-adjustment tool. A freestanding board can help separate overlapping beams.
1
Park on Level Ground
Face a vertical wall straight on and park close to it. The ground must be level from the car to the wall.
Check tire pressures, use your normal driving load, and let the suspension settle. The headlamps must sit level and stay firmly in their buckets before you adjust them.
2
Measure Ground to Lens Center
Hold the tape measure vertically from the ground directly below the headlamp to the center of its front lens. Measure the left and right headlamps.
Put the top edge of horizontal tape on the wall at that same height. Keep the tape level.
Add a vertical tape mark directly ahead of the center of the left headlamp, and another directly ahead of the right. If a lamp has a marked aiming center, use that point for your measurement.
3
Back Up to 25 Feet
Reverse in a straight line until the front of the headlamp lenses is 25 feet from the wall. Set the parking brake.
4
Match the Light to the Tape
Turn on low beam. Both lights can stay on. Adjust the left headlamp, then the right. If the patterns overlap and you cannot tell them apart, block the other beam with a freestanding board kept away from the hot lens.
Use the vertical adjuster to move the beam up or down. Match the top edge of the light on the right to the top edge of the tape.
This light-to-dark edge is called the cutoff. “Right” means your right as you face the wall. If the edge has a step, use the flat part to the right of that step.
Turn the correct adjuster a little at a time and watch the beam move. Turning direction varies by vehicle.
5
Check Both Sides and Both Modes
Remove the board if you used one. Look at both low beams together and confirm their light edges meet their tape marks.
Switch to high beam, then back to low. For a headlamp that provides both modes, keep the aim you set on low beam. If your car has separate high-beam-only lamps, center those beams as shown below.
Something Doesn’t Match?
Can I Aim Both Headlights with Both Lights On?
Yes. Leave both on, but turn one headlamp’s adjuster at a time so you can see which beam is moving. Only block a beam if the overlap makes it hard to see the other one.
What If My Car Has Four Headlights?
On a typical four-headlight setup, aim the outer low/high lamps on low beam first. Then switch to high beam to aim the inner lamps that only come on with high beam.
At 25 feet, center the brightest part of each inner beam on its own tape cross: the height of that inner lamp’s lens center, directly ahead of that lamp. Aim both straight ahead rather than pulling both spots toward the center of the car.
If your wiring runs all four lamps on low and high beam, set all four using their low beams and keep that aim when you switch to high.
Why Is My Light Tilted, or Why Won’t It Stay Aimed?
The headlamp may be sitting crooked in its bucket. Older buckets, retaining rings, adjusters, and springs can wear or loosen, letting the lamp tilt or move.
Check that the lamp is seated correctly. Adjust or repair the bucket and worn hardware so the lamp sits level and stays firmly in place. Fix the fit first, then aim it. A loose lamp will not hold its adjustment.
I Cannot Find Level Ground or a Clear Light Edge.
Have the setup checked with headlight aiming equipment. A sloped driveway or an unclear beam edge will not give you a reliable height check.
Need a Second Set of Eyes?
Send Dapper Lighting a photo of the beam on the wall and how your headlamps sit in their buckets.