Headlight Alignment/Adjustment

[bob109]

Had my Discovery in for it's annual Pa. Motor Vehicle Inspection today. Along with the inspection I had the chassis greased and requested the headlight alignment be checked. I personally observed the mechanic use some sophisticated equipment to bring the lights into specs. I was wondering why I was having difficulty seeing when night driving. The driver side HL was aimed high and to the left, while the passanger side HL was aimed low and to the right. The mechanic spent approximately 20 minutes setting up the equipment and aiming the lights. The procedure added $15.00 to the bill, which I thought was a bargin. According to the mechanic, motorhomes are notorious for improper headlight aiming/adjustment If you're having difficulty with you night driving, a headlight check and adjustment my be in order

[Yaj]

Originally Posted by bob109

Had my Discovery in for it's annual Pa. Motor Vehicle Inspection today. Along with the inspection I had the chassis greased and requested the headlight alignment be checked. I personally observed the mechanic use some sophisticated equipment to bring the lights into specs. I was wondering why I was having difficulty seeing when night driving. The driver side HL was aimed high and to the left, while the passanger side HL was aimed low and to the right. The mechanic spent approximately 20 minutes setting up the equipment and aiming the lights. The procedure added $15.00 to the bill, which I thought was a bargin. According to the mechanic, motorhomes are notorious for improper headlight aiming/adjustment If you're having difficulty with you night driving, a headlight check and adjustment my be in order

I re-aimed ours using the big white/orange side of a Home Depot building. I spent about a half hour, used measuring tapes and took my time doing it. They were way off and adjusting them made a world of difference!

[Martind4]

Originally Posted by bob109

The mechanic spent approximately 20 minutes setting up the equipment and aiming the lights. The procedure added $15.00 to the bill, which I thought was a bargin. According to the mechanic, motorhomes are notorious for improper headlight aiming/adjustment If you're having difficulty with you night driving, a headlight check and adjustment my be in order

Your experience with headlight aiming was much better than mine. I took it to a local dealer that advertised headlight aiming as part of their service. After calling and making an appointment, I showed up expecting they would have everything needed to do the job. The tech had me drive the rig into the service bay and turn on the lights, then he told me they had misplaced their aiming tool and that he could do it by "eye". Twenty minutes later I was presented with a $20 bill, which I promptly contested, and they reduced it to $10.

The next night I re-aimed them myself against a building with instructions I pulled from the internet with much better results. Still don't like to drive after dark unless it's really necessary.

[bob109]

[QUOTE=Martind4;881084]Your experience with headlight aiming was much better than mine.

The garage where my inspection and light adjustment was done routinely inspect and repair school buses. In fact, the owner has a fleet of 27 buses which all have Freightliner Chassis. The service area is spotless, well organized and has equipment to handle almost any repair. The mechanics are courteous and will answer any questions one has. Pennsylvania, as other states, has some extremely rigid inspection requirements for school buses which are ultimatley inspected by Pa. State Police mechanics, so all work/repairs must be "top notch".

Check your area for a shop/business which repairs/services school buses and you may be pleasently surprised at what's available

[LSC9901]

Could either or both of you post the link to the online info to align the headlights. I have not had anyone check my headlights during a vehicle inspection in over 35 years. I'm more than willing to do it myself but I just can't find any alignment procedure. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Martind4

Your experience with headlight aiming was much better than mine. I took it to a local dealer that advertised headlight aiming as part of their service. After calling and making an appointment, I showed up expecting they would have everything needed to do the job. The tech had me drive the rig into the service bay and turn on the lights, then he told me they had misplaced their aiming tool and that he could do it by "eye". Twenty minutes later I was presented with a $20 bill, which I promptly contested, and they reduced it to $10.

The next night I re-aimed them myself against a building with instructions I pulled from the internet with much better results. Still don't like to drive after dark unless it's really necessary.

Originally Posted by Yaj

I re-aimed ours using the big white/orange side of a Home Depot building. I spent about a half hour, used measuring tapes and took my time doing it. They were way off and adjusting them made a world of difference!

[Yaj]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Could either or both of you post the link to the online info to align the headlights. I have not had anyone check my headlights during a vehicle inspection in over 35 years. I'm more than willing to do it myself but I just can't find any alignment procedure. Thanks.

I didn't have any info to help with the lights, I just did it by eye. It was very obvious they were way out of alignment as I pulled towards the building. I started about 30ft away, and brought them to where I thought they should be, backed up to about 50ft and played with them a little more. Then I took them on a dark road and made some finale adjustments from there. Some adjustments were a 1/2 turn or less until I got them where I wanted them.
Good luck!

[Theberrys]

YO

Dick

[B52Guy]

Originally Posted by Theberrys

YO

Dick

Thanks!