How to adjust the light. How to adjust headlights yourself

20.07.2019

February 18, 2018

The task of headlights is to sufficiently illuminate the roadway in front of the car without dazzling drivers of oncoming vehicles and covering a narrow lane right shoulder. The first adjustment of the optics is made at the factory, then the position of the lighting devices is adjusted by the owner of the car as necessary. It is not necessary to make a special visit to a service station - do this work yourself, having first studied the instructions on how to adjust the headlights yourself.

When is tuning necessary?

Quality of roads in countries former USSR, especially in the periphery, leaves much to be desired. Long-term operation car in similar conditions leads to a violation of the factory settings of outdoor lighting elements. Gradually the settings get lost, which is why head optics directs beams of light at different sides– up or directly under the wheels of the car.

Consequences of incorrect headlight adjustment:

the driver has to strain to see the unlit part of the roadway;
if the reflectors of the optics are raised at a large angle, passengers of oncoming cars suffer from glare;
insufficient illumination of the roadside can lead to an accident - the driver will not notice an obstacle or a person walking along the edge of the road in time.

Note. Electrically adjusting the lighting devices does not help the situation, since the servos only change the angle of the optics up and down, and both headlights at the same time. Task similar systems– adjust the direction of the light beams depending on the load vehicle.

When you need to adjust your headlights yourself:

if you notice multidirectional light streams (for example, left headlight shines down, the right one shines up);
Drivers of oncoming cars constantly signal about blinding by briefly switching on high beam;
after repair, replacement or removal of front optics units;
after being hit by the front of a car as a result of an accident;
during installation rims or rubber of other sizes;
after replacing the front “sagging” springs;
during installation fog lights(PTF).

If you happen to change burnt out light bulbs, then you do not need to adjust the position of the light fixtures. Another thing is the installation of new types of elements (xenon, LED) instead of standard halogen bulbs. In this case, it is advisable to adjust the low beam headlights.

Preparing to make adjustments

To achieve correct position headlights, the adjustment procedure must be performed under certain conditions. Carry out the following preparatory work:

Find a flat area without a slope adjacent to a vertical wall. One of suitable options– a concreted driveway to the garage; the gate will play the role of a setting template.
Remove unnecessary things from the trunk and interior of the car, leaving only the factory set of tools, first aid kit and spare wheel. The goal is to ensure the curb weight of the vehicle specified in the operating instructions.
Check the pressure in all tires and adjust them to normal if necessary.
Clean the optical glass from dust and other contaminants that block the path of light flow. Do not use solvents, only ethyl alcohol-based glass cleaners.
It is advisable to refill full tank fuel, fill the washer reservoirs to the top and, if necessary, add antifreeze to the expansion tank.

On garage doors or a headlight adjustment diagram is drawn on the wall adjacent to the site. You will need a tape measure, a long straight bar and a marker. The color depends on the chosen background - for a white wall it is better to take a black felt-tip pen, for a dark gate - chalk. The diagram is drawn as follows:

Drive the machine close to the wall. Using body parts or the car brand emblem as a guide, mark a point on the surface that coincides with the central (longitudinal) axis of the vehicle.
Measure 7 m from the gate and drive the car to the specified distance. Draw a vertical line through the marked point.
Take 4 measurements on the car: from both headlight bulbs to the ground and to the center of the car. On models equipped with separate high and low beam optics, the listed measurements are made for all four bulbs separately.
Subtract 50 mm from the number indicating the distance to the ground. Set aside given size on the wall and draw a horizontal line.
From the vertical axis, plot the distances to the centers of the lamps along the drawn line. Place marks in the form of segments. The scheme is ready.

Note. For separate optics, you need to draw 2 horizontal lines, and the second one must clearly correspond to the measurement from the high beam bulbs to the ground. Segments corresponding to the location of the outer lamps are laid out on it.

Before adjusting the position of the optics, it is also recommended to treat the adjustment screws with a penetrating aerosol lubricant such as WD-40, since the connection threads could become soured due to extremely rare rotation. As a rule, the adjustment screws are located on the rear plane of the headlamp housing, facing into engine compartment. Head shape - under Phillips screwdriver, hexagon or special key.

Setup Guidelines

The procedure for adjusting light fluxes must be performed in dark time days. Accordingly, it is advisable to prepare the setting template on the wall before dark. To adjust the headlights yourself, follow these simple instructions:

Open the hood and turn on the low beam. If you want to save resources battery, start the engine, leaving it idling.
Cover one “eye” of the car with a shield. On the second, rotate the vertical adjustment screw until the upper edge of the light beam aligns with the horizontal line.
Adjust the optics in the horizontal plane so that the projection point falls into the crosshairs of the lines, where the light flux begins to deviate upward and to the right at an angle of 15–20°. Repeat the operation on the second headlight.
For separate optics, adjustment is made for each of the four lamps. Only the main beam is set on the top line, and the low beam devices are set on the bottom line.

Important point! If the machine is equipped remote control before adjusting the headlight angle, you need to set the adjusters to the zero position.

In some modern cars manufacturers install elements automatic control lighting devices. The system reacts to the rotation of the steering wheel and wheels, and directs the optics in the appropriate direction, the car seems to “look” around the corner. Car service specialists will help you correctly adjust headlights with automatic drives. garage conditions It is not recommended to configure them.

Adjustment of PTF blocks

Task fog lights– ensure maximum visibility of the car for oncoming traffic and illuminate the section of the road in front of the car when the light is powerful standard devices reflected by a thick veil of fog. Accordingly, the beams should be directed below and parallel to the road surface.

To adjust the headlights of this type, follow this algorithm:

Determine the distance from the centers of the PTF blocks to the ground level and draw a corresponding horizontal line on the wall.
Draw the second line at the same distance above the first. Mark the center axis of the car and both fog lights with vertical lines.
Place the machine opposite the wall, measuring 10 m. Turn on the PTF and, using the adjusting screws, ensure that the centers of the light spots are at the intersection points of horizontal lines with vertical segments.
Lower the beams until the distance from the top borders of the beams to the horizontal line is 10 cm.

During the setup process, it is not necessary to cover the fog lights one by one with shields. This measure simplifies adjustment - excess light does not interfere with accurately determining the outline on the wall.

Every car driver has been blinded by the light of an oncoming car at least once in his life. And what epithets rushed after the idiot who did not bother to adjust the headlights of his car!

But you are certainly not one of those indifferent to your car, which is why you decided to read this article.

What documents regulate the adjustment of car headlights?

Correct headlight adjustment - important point, and a lot of attention was paid to him, which is confirmed by serious documents. First of all, these are the Rules traffic RF (Traffic Regulations of the Russian Federation), Code of administrative offenses Russian Federation (Administrative Code of the Russian Federation), requirements of GOST and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Here are some provisions that any driver needs to know.

Article 19 of the Traffic Rules (more precisely, from clause 19.1 to clause 19.8) establishes standards for the use of vehicle lighting devices when driving, providing General terms, but specifically about adjusting the headlights is not said here, but is given general concept How to use car lighting.

Video - adjusting headlights without a device (part 1):

More specifically, the sanctions that will be applied to a driver who has allowed the headlights to be adjusted incorrectly are stated in the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. In particular, Article 12.20 of the Code says that “Violation of the rules for using external lighting devices... entails a warning or imposition administrative fine in the amount of five hundred rubles."

The punishment may be harsher if, as a result of blinding the driver of another car, an accident occurs. Here, in the case of mild or moderate harm to health, Article 12.24 of the same Code of Administrative Offenses comes into effect. The punishment in the first case is a fine of 2,500 to 5,000 rubles, or deprivation of the right to drive for a period of one to one and a half years, in the second - a fine of 10,000 to 25,000 rubles, or the license will be taken away for a period of 1.5 up to 2 years.

Video - how to properly adjust the headlights according to the device (part 2):

The rules for adjusting headlights in our country are regulated by GOST 8769-75. It was adopted (as follows from the last two digits) in 1975 and is still in effect. Back in 2004, GOST 41.48-2004 was released, taking into account changes in European rules on lighting equipment cars.

There is a lot in the texts technical parameters And detailed descriptions how they should be located lighting, what are their permissible deviations from the norm and other important data.

Last important document– list of UNECE Regulations No. 48. In our country, it has a long name - “Uniform regulations concerning the certification of vehicles with regard to the installation of lighting and light signaling devices.” This is already the basis, the source of all our GOSTs, a kind of Constitution for automobile headlights and lanterns.

For an ordinary citizen, it is not very interesting to read all the parameters and formulas, but it will not be superfluous to know that such a “treatise” exists.

How to properly adjust headlights on a car

To work on adjusting the lights of your car, some preparation is required. If you are doing this for the first time, you will have to tinker for about an hour and a half. First of all, prepare the following items:

a piece of chalk or marker;
ruler, at least 30 cm long;
tape measure, at least 10 m long;
laser level (preferred);
set of automotive tools.

The following conditions must be met in order for the parameters mentioned in the above documents to be taken into account:

Flat horizontal platform, flat vertical wall.
Tire pressure must be as specified in technical specifications car.
If the car has fairly moderate weight items that are constantly in it (tools, spare tire, subwoofer), then let them remain in their places. It is also recommended to fill the gas tank to capacity.

The next stage is to install the car on the same horizontal platform, about 5 meters from the wall. For vehicles with headlights where installed xenon lamps, it is better to choose a larger distance: 10 meters.

Important point: if you are going to make adjustments on the street, then it is better to do it in the dark: the light will fall on the vertical surface of the wall more clearly.

The starting position is taken. First of all, open the hood and look at the label that is now on the flashlight body. There is an image in the form of a profile of a headlight, deflected by a certain angle (let's say 1%). If there is no sticker, you can take the data from the technical documentation of the car.

If you purchased a laser level, it is easy to apply projections of the center of the headlights and the vertical axis of the car (oriented along it) to the wall.

How to adjust low beam headlights

Check the accuracy of the marks: they should be drawn at the same distance from the ground as the centers of the headlights are located from it. Applying a ruler to the wall, try to connect the points with a line parallel to the surface.

So how? Happened? Wonderful! Now let’s remember the label indicating the slope. We take the distance from the wall to the “face” of the car (5 m = 500 cm) and multiply it by 1% (that is, by 0.01). The formula looks like this: 500 x 0.01 = 5 cm. We retreat this amount down from the points projected on the wall from the center of the headlights, put new marks and also connect them with a line parallel to the first.

Video - do-it-yourself headlight adjustment:

We turn on the low beam and watch how the rays fall on the wall. If the left edges of the inverted semicircles touch the bottom line, and the right edges touch the top, then everything is in order. If not, open the hood and begin adjustment using the screws located on the headlight housings, moving the beams in the vertical and horizontal planes.

High beam

The question of adjusting the high beam only arises if its lights are installed separately. The process is the same, starting from marking points on the wall and drawing parallel lines for this type of headlights.

Fogs

Then you can begin operations with fog lights. The main purpose of fog lights is to illuminate the road in front of the car at a distance of 15 meters and the side of the road. According to the standard, they must be at a height of more than 250 mm from the road.

As in the previous case, we mark the projection points of the middle of the fog lights on the wall and connect them with a line parallel to the floor. Then we measure 100 mm down from each point and draw a second parallel line. We turn on the headlights. It is considered normal when the top edge of the light spot of both headlights touches the bottom (second) line, and the centers of each of them are spaced 120 mm apart from each other.

How much does it cost to adjust headlights? Isn’t it easier to turn to specialists?

Of course, the first time the process of adjusting the headlights will seem too tedious and tedious to you. And then it’s very difficult to do this if you don’t have your own garage. It is not immediately possible to find a perfectly flat area, and even with the condition that a flat wall adjoins it.

In addition, try to find a horizontal surface in winter if you are not in the city and all the sites are covered with snow. The best thing, of course, is not to spare money and contact a car service.

Everyone has their own opinion about the concepts of “expensive” and “cheap”.

Eg, average cost adjusting headlights in Moscow car services - 650 rubles. It is recommended to adjust them once every six months. Spread this amount over 6 months, and then think about what you can buy with it now? A bus ride is more expensive!

In addition, in car services, the check will be carried out on special equipment, which guarantees full compliance accepted standards and traffic safety requirements.

When driving out on the road in the evening, you will probably see at least one car with incorrectly adjusted headlights. Remember these unpleasant sensations when you have to squint and endure pain while your eyes try to adapt to an unexpected beam of bright light - and think about whether you would like to create such a nuisance for others. If not, you will need to learn how to adjust them to ensure they are positioned correctly so that they do not interfere with other road users. You need to do this procedure at least a couple of times a year, and if the right approach it takes no more than 15–20 minutes of time.

Preparing for work

You can start regulating only after purchasing everything you need, as well as checking the condition of the car. You will need:

Long ruler (preferably at least 30 cm);
A marker or any other device that draws on any surface;
A piece of cardboard, plywood or other material that can completely cover one headlight.

If you have or will always adjust headlights in a certain place, you can apply permanent markings, for which it is better to replace the marker with permanent paint.

Don't forget to check the condition of your car - the correctness of the regulation process always depends on this. The main thing to pay attention to is that it should maintain constant ground clearance and not create distortions in a certain direction. The electrics responsible for transmitting energy to the headlights must also be in good working order, otherwise their light may be too dim. The last item on the list is the lamps, their fastenings and adjusting screws; if they are damaged, it will not be possible to change the position of the lighting system normally.

Take care of your own safety - it is advisable that the engine and generator are turned off and power is supplied to the headlights. In addition, be sure to use gloves that will protect you from hypothermia of your hands, burns from hot engine components, and from dirt getting on your skin. Finally, study the position of the adjustment screws in advance and consider how to access them without exposing yourself to undue danger.

Adjustment process

There is a lot of debate among drivers regarding which method to use when setting the correct headlight position. It must be said right away that if we are not talking about outright errors in calculations, all methods can be considered correct. The point is that not absolute, but relative values are used, and in fact you can put the car on at different distances from the plane, not forgetting to make the required adjustments.

Let's consider a typical case that is relevant for most. We open the hood and look at the surface of the headlights, which should be equipped with a white or yellow sticker with a pictogram depicting an inclined beam of light emitted by the headlight. It should indicate the standard angle of inclination - in this case we will take it equal to 1.0%. If the sticker is missing or too worn out, you should find the required number in the instruction manual.

We find a flat wall and drive the car close, trying to ensure that its nose is set at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the plane. Now you need to put two points on the wall corresponding to the central points of the headlights, and also draw a line exactly along the vertical axis of the car - for this you can look at the location of the emblem. We connect two points with a line, passing it through the vertical axis. If you are not confident in your artistic abilities, it is better to use a building level to make it strictly parallel to the ground. The preparation should be completed by setting the hydraulic corrector to the zero position.

Now we move the car to a distance of 5 meters (more if desired, which is recommended for owners of cars with other powerful light sources). On the wall we place a second line, which should be 500*1.0%=500*0.01=5 centimeters below the first. If you choose a different distance or the inscription on the sticker contains a different angle, you should substitute these numbers in specified calculation. Turn on the headlights and look at the result obtained - with low beam, the upper boundary of the light beam should pass along the line drawn below, and the rays illuminating the side of the road should not rise above the line corresponding to the centers of the headlights. If the headlight height is incorrect or they deviate to the side, turn the side and center adjustment screws accordingly.

If you want to adjust the light at the same time, you need to draw another line - this time 22 centimeters below the second one. The upper boundary of the fog light beam cannot be located above this third line. If your car has separate high beam headlights, you should adjust them individually - to do this, mark their position on the wall and again draw a line through the centers of the lighting equipment. Above it you need to place another line, spaced 5 centimeters. Upper limit of the light beam high beam headlights should be in contact with it, but not rise even higher.

Easy or difficult?

Practice shows that the first 1-2 times, car owners go through real tests that take them more than an hour. Over time, skill comes, allowing you to significantly reduce the time required for adjustment, but the process still requires maximum concentration. In addition, the driver faces the danger of breaking the adjusting screws, seriously damaging the headlights. If this doesn’t scare you, you should perform the procedure yourself. Otherwise, you can use a professional service, which will be relatively inexpensive.

Driving a vehicle at night is impossible without high-quality road lighting. Good bright light allows the driver to be in full control of the situation. And when driving at night becomes difficult, you need to look for the reason bad work optical devices. Drivers of oncoming cars may notice a malfunction of the headlights before the owner. If in the dark, cars passing towards you often “blink”, you should pay attention to the position of the headlights. Some problems can be fixed by the motorist himself. But often it is not enough to simply wash the glass or plastic lens on the front instruments. Then the car owner has to study the question of how to adjust the headlights. To perform such car maintenance, you do not need expensive tools and equipment. Any car enthusiast will find suitable conditions to adjust the front optics.

The main causes of poor lighting

Not all problems are related to insufficient lighting night road, require intervention in the settings of lighting devices. First you need to inspect the lanterns, in case the reasons for the weak light lie on the surface. And adjusting the headlights will be one of the last steps in troubleshooting.

One of the obvious factors that reduces the illumination of the road surface is the clouding of the lens. The beam of light “gets stuck” in cloudy plastic or glass, resulting in an insufficient visibility area in front of the car. There are two ways to solve the problem. Can be completely replaced car lights or diffusers. However, this will be expensive and labor-intensive. It is easier for motorists to fix this problem by polishing the lamp.
In some older cars, the design of the optical devices does not allow for the desired illumination of the road. In this case, neither polishing nor adjusting the headlights will help. In a possible way increase luminous flux will be the installation of xenon bulbs.
The formation of condensation on the inner surface of the lens has a negative effect on the light of headlights at night. This happens when cracks appear in the glass or plastic, and also when the diffuser is not properly installed. You can try replacing the glass element of the headlight on a car using a special adhesive sealant.
Dim light from car optics can cause alternator malfunction. The battery power is sometimes not enough to glow the light bulbs brightly. Check functionality electrical device possible using a tester.

If these reasons are not found or are eliminated in a timely manner, then the next stage of work will be to adjust the headlights yourself.

Preparatory activities

Experienced motorists advise beginners not to try to adjust headlights without thorough preparation. Otherwise, you will still have to turn to professionals for help.

First you need to create for lighting devices standard conditions car position.

Before making adjustments, remove unnecessary objects from the trunk and interior, leaving only standard set tools, jack, first aid kit, sign alarm, jack.
To ensure that the body position is correct during the adjustment process, it is necessary to check the tire pressure. All tires must have the same performance in accordance with the car manufacturer's recommendations.
Adjusting the headlights can be speeded up by inviting an assistant. It must be in the same weight category as the owner.
It is important to clean optical instruments from contamination. Regular road dust and dirt can be washed away aqueous solution. But oil or glue stains are easier to remove with an organic solvent (white spirit, acetone, solvent).
It is also necessary to find all the adjusting screws; it is better to pre-treat them with WD-40. Then you should loosen the fasteners, and at the same time check that the headlights are securely seated in the niches.
Before you start adjusting the headlights, all you have to do is find a flat area and prepare vertical markings on the wall or poster.

Headlight adjustment process

To fine-tune the front optics, the car owner should find a flat asphalt area with an adjacent wall or fence. The adjustment can also be made indoors, for example, in a spacious garage. An important condition when choosing a location will be the ability to roll the machine 5-10 m. The exact distance can be found in the service instructions specific brand auto. If the work will be carried out on outdoors, then you will have to wait for darkness to come. It will be possible to make adjustments indoors during the day.

Among the tools, the driver will need screwdrivers with a Phillips, flat or figured tip, a ruler and chalk. If the wall is uneven and multi-colored, then you will have to attach a white cloth or paper to it.

Adjusting headlights with your own hands begins with markings on a wall or vertical stand. To do this, the car rolls up to the wall itself with the low beams on. The centers of the light spot of each lantern are marked with chalk or a marker. Using a ruler, both points are connected, with the center between them. Vertical lines are drawn perpendicularly through the same three points.
From each point, a measurement is taken downwards at a distance of 75 mm. A second horizontal line is drawn through the received marks.
The vehicle must be rolled back to the distance specified in the passport. The low beam turns on again.
The motorist must achieve such a position of the light beams that the border of the bright light is at the level of the lower horizontal line. And both points of ascension must fall on the points of the intersection lines. The resulting angle of the light beam is compared with the indicators in the passport.
Each headlight is customizable. For ease of use, the second lantern is covered with a piece of cardboard or plywood. Using a screwdriver, the motorist rotates the screws while looking at the position of the light beam. The headlights are adjusted both vertically and horizontally. Similar actions are carried out with the second device.
In a similar way, you can configure the operation of fog lights. In this case, the bottom line on the marking is drawn 50 mm below the main line.

The final check of the correctness of the adjustment can be done in the dark, driving out onto a flat road.

The technology for adjusting the headlights of a car should not cause any particular difficulties. The car enthusiast needs to consistently do all the preparatory measures, clearly apply markings on the vertical base, and then slowly adjust the light beam. After successful adjustment, driving at night will be comfortable, because the road will be well lit.

As you know, the operation of automotive optics greatly affects the safety of movement at night. But safety is ensured not only by the functionality of the headlights, but also by their correct setting. This material will allow you to learn how to adjust headlights, how to draw the markings correctly, and what mistakes should not be made.

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Ways to adjust headlights

How to improve and correctly adjust the weak light of low and high beams, as well as fog lights on a car?

Adjusting the car's optics settings yourself can be done in several ways:

Using specialized equipment, that is, a stand. Stand for self-adjustment lamps can be found at almost any service station. Naturally, you will need to pay to use the equipment. But it should be noted that this option adjustment is one of the most effective, in particular if the adjustment of the device is carried out by specialists.
You can adjust the optics yourself. If you don’t have a stand or don’t want to pay for adjustments, you can complete this task on your own.

To independently configure and improve the lighting of headlights or fog lights, you must do the following:

first of all, you need to select a scheme for adjustment, on the basis of which you will carry out the markings;
further, in accordance with the selected scheme, marking is carried out;
The final stage will be the actual adjustment.

Carrying out marking

Before you adjust the low beam yourself, you will need to make markings.

To do this, drive the car up to a wall and leave it about two meters away from it, then mark the center of the axles on the surface and drive the vehicle back seven meters.
Then the points that define the center of each headlight - left and right - should be connected to each other with a segment, and then this diagram should be supplemented with another vertical line. This line should be connected to the first point that defines central part cars.
In addition, you will need to draw another line; it will connect the central points of the lanterns; its location should be 5-7 cm lower.

Photo gallery “Markings for adjustment”

1. Diagram for setting up head lighting 2. Scheme for adjusting fog lights

Nuances of optical adjustments

Before you start self-configuration lights, you need to make sure that the main elements and assemblies of the car are working correctly.

Please note that the direction of light is influenced by the following factors:

car tire pressure;
condition of shock absorbers;
the load on the suspension, in particular, we are talking about the distribution of the load on the chassis.

If there are problems in the chassis that affect the direction of the light beam, then most likely the adjustment will be made incorrectly.

Low and high beam headlights

How to properly adjust the lighting flux:

First, you need to drive the car to the wall, which has already been marked.
Make sure that the vehicle tires are properly inflated, also driver's seat The weight should be set to about 75 kg to simulate the driver being in the car. The car should also be rocked from side to side, this will relieve the load on the shock absorbers.
Next, turn on the low beam - taking into account the marking scheme, you need to achieve the most optimal and correct light beam. Rotate to adjust adjusting bolts, which are under the hood, with reverse side headlights Many cars use special correctors located inside the car, usually on the left side of the center console. You need to ensure that the location of the lighting flux is below the center point.
If your car has low and high beam lighting that is not combined, you will have to adjust it separately. In this case, low beam adjustment is performed in the same way. And in the case of long-range lighting, the lighting beam must fall directly on the center of the marking (video published by the Test Lab channel tests Autolamps).

PTF

If we talk about adjusting fog lights, then in the absence of equipment for adjustment, you will need to adjust the position of the headlights themselves. To perform these steps, you will need to apply markings and also loosen the bolts that secure the light housing to the vehicle bumper.

More information on how to adjust the fog optics:

First, the car should be prepared. As we have already said, to do this, inflate all the wheels, put tools and a spare tire in the trunk, and also place a load weighing about 70-75 kg in the driver’s seat.
The car should be parked in front of the marked surface. IN in this case the distance from the vehicle to the wall should be about five meters.
After this you need to enable fog lights. One of the headlights should first be covered with a piece of cardboard. To achieve the greatest glow efficiency, the upper part of the headlight's illumination flux should be located approximately 10 cm from the center of the optics, or rather, from the place where it is projected. The second headlight is adjusted in the same way.