Have you ever experienced this? When driving at night, even without using high beams, you still get flashed by oncoming drivers. Is there something wrong with me or is it intentional?
Actually, there's a possibility that the height of our low beams is too high. Adjusting it is a relatively simple task. Follow this video tutorial, and you'll be able to do it in just 2 minutes. It's worth a try after watching it.
First, find a blank wall in an underground parking lot and park your car about 10 meters away from it with the front facing the wall.
If you don't have a measuring tape, taking approximately 15 steps from the wall should be around 10 meters. Nowadays, most smartphones have virtual distance measuring tools.
Now, turn on your headlights, and you'll see the shape of the low beam on the wall. There will be a tangent line, indicating the height of the low beam.
The adjustment process varies depending on the car model. Some cars require adjustments from inside the engine compartment. Open the hood and locate the serrated area behind the headlight. Insert a crosshead screwdriver and turn it to adjust the height.
Other car models may require a hex key. Prepare the specific tools in advance, but it shouldn't be an issue.
In newer vehicles, there is usually a headlight height adjustment knob inside the car. It's generally located on the lower left side of the central control panel near the steering wheel.
This knob is used for fine-tuning and controls the height of both the left and right headlights simultaneously. You can't adjust only the left or right headlight independently from inside the car.
Therefore, start by adjusting the position in the engine compartment. Set the knob to the middle position, such as 2 or 3 if there are five positions. Then, proceed to adjust the screw from the engine compartment.
What's the appropriate height adjustment? There are regulations, and it's important not to adjust it arbitrarily.
We conducted tests on various vehicles in a parking lot, including sedans, SUVs, and MPVs. After examining over a dozen cars, we found that sedan headlights generally range from 60 to slightly over 70 cm, but they don't exceed 80 cm. SUV headlights are around 70 to 90 cm, and some MPVs even exceed 1 meter.
You can use a measuring tape to check the height of your headlights. For sedans with lower heights, reduce it by about 5 to 10 cm, while for higher SUVs, reduce it by around 10 to 15 cm.
Mark the same height on the wall 10 meters away using a sticker, and then adjust the screw in the engine compartment until the headlights align with the mark.
For the right side headlight (passenger side), you can slightly increase the height by about 5 cm compared to the left side. This won't affect oncoming vehicles, but it will extend the range of illumination.
Once you've completed all the adjustments, you can test the results. Find a relatively dark parking lot and observe the range of the low beam's illumination.
Generally, the low beam's illumination range should reach at least 20 meters ahead for clear visibility at night.
Sit in the car and feel the distance. If it's not far enough, make further adjustments. If the distance is sufficient but the brightness is lacking, it might be an issue with the bulbs.
If you feel like adjusting the height of your headlights and want to give it a try at home, you can refer to this article.