Safety Warning
DIY auto repair can cause serious injury, fire, or vehicle damage. These guides are for informational purposes only. Always follow OEM torque specs, wear PPE, and consult a certified mechanic if you are unsure. You are solely responsible for your safety.
Section 1034 (Lighting System): Headlight: Adjustment
- HEADLIGHT AIM ONLYΒ
HINT:
- Perform aim adjustment with low-beam.
- Since the low-beam light and the high-beam light are a unit, if aiming on either side is correct, the other side should also be correct. However, check both beams just to make sure.
- Prepare the vehicle by performing the following.
- Ensure there is no damage or deformation to the body around the headlamps.
- Fill the fuel tank.
- Make sure that the oil is filled to the specified level.
- Make sure that the coolant is filled to the specified level.
- Inflate the tires to the appropriate pressure (see INSPECTION ).
- Place the spare tire, tools, and jack in their original position.
- Unload the trunk.
- Sit a person of average weight (68 kg, 150 lbs) in the driver's seat.
- Prepare a piece of thick white paper (draw base lines).
HINT:
- Stand the paper perpendicularly against a wall.
- The base lines differ for "Low-beam inspection" and "High-beam inspection".
- V line (vehicle center position)
Draw a vertical line down the center of the paper to align with the center of the vehicle.
- H line (headlight height)
Draw a horizontal line across the paper so that it is at the same height as the center mark of the low-beam light on the vehicle.
- V LH line, V RH line (center mark position of right and left headlamps)
Draw vertical lines on the left and right sides of the paper so that they line up with the center mark on the low-beam lights on the vehicle.
- V line (vehicle center position)
HINT:
When performing "High-beam inspection", draw an H line, a V LH line, and a V RH line based on the center mark on the high-beam headlamp side.
- Check headlamp aim
- Align the paper and vehicle.
- Make a distance of 3 m (9.84 ft) between the headlamps and the paper. Place the paper against a wall with the H line at the same height as the center mark.
- Align the center of the vehicle with the V line on the paper. Ensure that the paper forms a 90Β° angle to the V line.
- Start the engine.
- Turn on the headlamps and check that the aim is within the specified range shown in Fig 3 or Fig 4 .
- Align the paper and vehicle.
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When to See a Mechanic
Stop DIY work and contact a certified mechanic immediately if any of the following apply:
- β’ You smell fuel, burning insulation, or see smoke.
- β’ Brakes feel soft, pull hard to one side, or make grinding noises.
- β’ The engine overheats, stalls repeatedly, or misfires under load.
- β’ You are missing required tools, torque specs, or safe lifting equipment.
- β’ You are not confident in the next step or safety outcome.