Adjust headlight
 

My mechanic adjusted one of my headlights because it was out of alignment due to some body work to my right fender.

However, only the up/down is adjustable.

I wonder why the right/left is not adjustable?

I seem to recall in the 70s where both adjustment could be made.

Andy

Adjust headlight
 

Year/Make/Model?

Basic info to help us guide you.

Sometimes the adjustment for one axis or the other is just in a really weird location

Adjust headlight
 

On Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 2:02:53 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> Year/Make/Model?
>
> Basic info to help us guide you.
>
> Sometimes the adjustment for one axis or the other is just in a really weird location

Mazda 2009 CX7

Adjust headlight
 

Andy wrote:
> On Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 2:02:53 PM UTC-5, wrote:
>> Year/Make/Model?
>>
>> Basic info to help us guide you.
>>
>> Sometimes the adjustment for one axis or the other is just in a really weird location
>
> Mazda 2009 CX7
>

Nothing but a vertical adjuster on that vehicle. Horizontal is dictated
by the body panels and the way the headlamp mounts. If it is off, the
panels are not correct or the mounting tabs for the light are damaged.

--
Steve W.

Adjust headlight
 

Steve W. wrote:
>Nothing but a vertical adjuster on that vehicle.

Cheaping out on such a simple, basic adjustment, for how much
profit? smh...

Adjust headlight
 

Adjust headlight
 

Steve W:

Provision of X and Y adjustment of motor vehicle
headlights is common sense. I think even as recent
as my 2008 Kia Optima had both.

Adjust headlight
 

On 6/6/20 10:14 am, wrote:
> Steve W:
>
> Provision of X and Y adjustment of motor vehicle
> headlights is common sense. I think even as recent
> as my 2008 Kia Optima had both.
>
Same for wheel alignments but these days you only get to adjust toe.
Caster and/or Camber adjustments often are non-existent. The reason is
that car body manufacture is much more accurate these days and the wheel
alignment will be within tolerances when it leaves the factory. In the
event of an accident that puts the wheel alignment out, it is up to the
body repairer to bring the car body, hence the steering, back to factory
specifications. If it is only the steering that has sustained damage, it
is necessary to replace such components that sustained damage. This is
the way of car manufacture nowadays, get used to it.

As for the headlight aiming, the horizontal setting is fixed because it
generally does not need adjustment except in case of damage. As above,
the repairer needs to ensure this is correct as correct headlight aim is
a legal requirement. The vertical adjustment, however, might need to be
adjusted depending on the vehicle's static load, ie. the load the
vehicle normally carries. A lot of vehicles have a driver adjustable
setting for this anyway and this has been the case from the 70s. It used
to be a lever under the bonnet at each light, these days it is commonly
a rheostat on the dash somewhere that can provide multiple headlight
vertical positions. A few cars I owned had the rheostat, quite a fancy
arrangement. This driver operable adjustment is more critical on FWD
cars since the headlight aim can vary quite a lot between a driver only
laden car and a fully laden car with luggage. A 1972 model I owned had
the simple underbonnet levers so not a new idea by any means.

--

Xeno


Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing.
(with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Adjust headlight
 

On Friday, June 5, 2020 at 7:14:20 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> Steve W:
>
> Provision of X and Y adjustment of motor vehicle
> headlights is common sense. I think even as recent
> as my 2008 Kia Optima had both.

Back when cars had glass headlights, you had both adjustments.

That was when I had a Pinto.

Andy

Adjust headlight
 

Andy > wrote:
>On Friday, June 5, 2020 at 7:14:20 PM UTC-5, wrote:
>> Steve W:
>>
>> Provision of X and Y adjustment of motor vehicle
>> headlights is common sense. I think even as recent
>> as my 2008 Kia Optima had both.
>
>Back when cars had glass headlights, you had both adjustments.
>
>That was when I had a Pinto.

When you had a Pinto, the frames of American cars were slapped together with
hammers and approximate spot-welds and nothing really matched. The doors
didn't fit right, the hood seams were never nice and straight. Because
of that, a lot of precision things like headlight positions required
adjustment because they were relative to a frame and body that were not
straight to begin with.

Now that car bodies and frames are built to rather higher degree of
precision, many adjustments that were once critical are no longer necessary.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."