Aiming your headlights
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 26
Aiming your headlights
i just wanted to ask if anyone here has made an attempt on aiming their HIDs. i've noticed my right headlight points a little lower than the driver's side. it's quite noticeable and i haven't had a chance to take it in to the dealership yet. just bought the car a month ago, and because its not such a huge deal, i was gonna wait until my first scheduled oil change. but i thought in the meantime, i'd try to fix it myself.
i looked under the hood, but couldn't find anything to aim/level the headlights. you'd think a car with this much technology would have self or auto-levelling headlights, specially with projectors.
i looked in the owner's manual but no luck there.
any help would be appreciated. thanks
i looked under the hood, but couldn't find anything to aim/level the headlights. you'd think a car with this much technology would have self or auto-levelling headlights, specially with projectors.
i looked in the owner's manual but no luck there.
any help would be appreciated. thanks
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 943
From: Denver, CO
Its strange that your passenger side is lower than the drivers side... it should be the other way around (to better illuminate road signs, etc, without blinding oncoming traffic)... someone (can't remember who) posted some instructions for aiming headlights, but if you aren't in a rush I'd probably have the dealer do it under warranty...
Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 283
From: San Antonio, Texas
Originally Posted by Monotaur
Its strange that your passenger side is lower than the drivers side... it should be the other way around (to better illuminate road signs, etc, without blinding oncoming traffic)... someone (can't remember who) posted some instructions for aiming headlights, but if you aren't in a rush I'd probably have the dealer do it under warranty...
Is this true that the drivers side is a little higher than the passenger's side? I have a 05 Max and I noticed that the drivers side is slightly higher than the passenger's side. Really noticable if I'm driving behind someone as I can see the bluish glow of the passenger headlight and not the driver's side? Do I need to get them aimed? Let me know if this is true. I have noticed this with other vehicles and I figured the driver's side was mis-aimed...thanks...
Jimbo
Donating Maxima.org Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 217
Are you just seeing it being higher where they meet? Because that will be the case because of how the high beam cover is cut. The light on a garage door or wall should look like this:
____________ ____________
________/ __________/
Because of how the cut it it could make it look like it is higher on the drivers side than the passenger. But it truth it may not be.
Just a thought before you go trying to fix it.
____________ ____________
________/ __________/
Because of how the cut it it could make it look like it is higher on the drivers side than the passenger. But it truth it may not be.
Just a thought before you go trying to fix it.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
crispykid - I couldn't get that link to work.
Strangely enough, I had noticed for months that the top edge of my low beams was just above the inside rear view mirror of vehicles ahead of me. I would prefer it be below that level.
I had already noticed I was sometimes getting flashed on level, straight roads with my fog lights off.
I placed my Maxima on level ground, turned on the low beams, then blocked each headlight while I marked the other's upper limit on the garage wall with masking tape. Ignoring the normal 'slant' of the beams away from oncoming traffic, I still found the left low beam was a foot higher on the wall than the right low beam.
I like where the right low beam is aimed. I plan to have my left low beam lowered next week.
As to doing it myself? I spent an hour trying to get a tool onto the 10mm hex-headed phillips headlight adjustment screw, but the space was just not there. Even with an extension, there is no room to turn a wrench. The only approach was to begin removing parts or let the dealer do it under warranty. I chose to let the dealer do it.
Strangely enough, I had noticed for months that the top edge of my low beams was just above the inside rear view mirror of vehicles ahead of me. I would prefer it be below that level.
I had already noticed I was sometimes getting flashed on level, straight roads with my fog lights off.
I placed my Maxima on level ground, turned on the low beams, then blocked each headlight while I marked the other's upper limit on the garage wall with masking tape. Ignoring the normal 'slant' of the beams away from oncoming traffic, I still found the left low beam was a foot higher on the wall than the right low beam.
I like where the right low beam is aimed. I plan to have my left low beam lowered next week.
As to doing it myself? I spent an hour trying to get a tool onto the 10mm hex-headed phillips headlight adjustment screw, but the space was just not there. Even with an extension, there is no room to turn a wrench. The only approach was to begin removing parts or let the dealer do it under warranty. I chose to let the dealer do it.
Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 283
From: San Antonio, Texas
Originally Posted by lightonthehill
crispykid - I couldn't get that link to work.
Strangely enough, I had noticed for months that the top edge of my low beams was just above the inside rear view mirror of vehicles ahead of me. I would prefer it be below that level.
I had already noticed I was sometimes getting flashed on level, straight roads with my fog lights off.
I placed my Maxima on level ground, turned on the low beams, then blocked each headlight while I marked the other's upper limit on the garage wall with masking tape. Ignoring the normal 'slant' of the beams away from oncoming traffic, I still found the left low beam was a foot higher on the wall than the right low beam.
I like where the right low beam is aimed. I plan to have my left low beam lowered next week.
As to doing it myself? I spent an hour trying to get a tool onto the 10mm hex-headed phillips headlight adjustment screw, but the space was just not there. Even with an extension, there is no room to turn a wrench. The only approach was to begin removing parts or let the dealer do it under warranty. I chose to let the dealer do it.
Strangely enough, I had noticed for months that the top edge of my low beams was just above the inside rear view mirror of vehicles ahead of me. I would prefer it be below that level.
I had already noticed I was sometimes getting flashed on level, straight roads with my fog lights off.
I placed my Maxima on level ground, turned on the low beams, then blocked each headlight while I marked the other's upper limit on the garage wall with masking tape. Ignoring the normal 'slant' of the beams away from oncoming traffic, I still found the left low beam was a foot higher on the wall than the right low beam.
I like where the right low beam is aimed. I plan to have my left low beam lowered next week.
As to doing it myself? I spent an hour trying to get a tool onto the 10mm hex-headed phillips headlight adjustment screw, but the space was just not there. Even with an extension, there is no room to turn a wrench. The only approach was to begin removing parts or let the dealer do it under warranty. I chose to let the dealer do it.
Does anyone have good information on the adjustment screw(s) for the headlights?
Jimbo
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
I decided to have the dealer do mine free. But, like Jimbo, I am interested in whether clockwise or counterclockwise lowers the beam. There is only one visible screw on the headlamp assembly, so that will be the vertical adjustment.
As the screw is on the upper part of the headlight assembly, I would feel that if the hidden (non-head) end of that screw is pushing against the headlight holder, clockwise lowers the beam, but if the screw is actually screwed into the headlight holder, then counterclockwise lowers the beam.
I would guess counterclockwise lowers the beam, but would appreciate confirmation from someone like CanadianMoFo who has done this already.
As the screw is on the upper part of the headlight assembly, I would feel that if the hidden (non-head) end of that screw is pushing against the headlight holder, clockwise lowers the beam, but if the screw is actually screwed into the headlight holder, then counterclockwise lowers the beam.
I would guess counterclockwise lowers the beam, but would appreciate confirmation from someone like CanadianMoFo who has done this already.
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