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Aligning headlight without space
ken555 - 23/6/17 at 08:42 PM

Any ideas on aligning headlights without the ability to roll back 25' on a level surface.

I would have about 6-9' inside the garage, otherwise I have a short sloping drive then a kerb down onto the road.

Needed for the MOT so unable to travel too far at night (Also 57° N so darkness is a little in short supply)

gremlin1234 - 23/6/17 at 08:52 PM

just cant be done, best is to ask the mot place to set the headlights before the test
or wait six months, when you will have a surfeit of darkness

[Edited on 23/6/17 by gremlin1234]

Toys2 - 23/6/17 at 09:26 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ken555
Any ideas on aligning headlights without the ability to roll back 25' on a level surface.

I would have about 6-9' inside the garage, otherwise I have a short sloping drive then a kerb down onto the road.

Needed for the MOT so unable to travel too far at night (Also 57° N so darkness is a little in short supply)


I did exactly that, maybe I was lucky, I rolled the car right up to the wall, lights on and on the wall, I marked the centre of the "V"s of the light beams with pieces of tape

Then rolled the car back about 6 foot and adjusted the lights so the "V"s were now slightly below and to the left of before

I was fully expecting for them to need adjusting at the MOT, actually I was expecting it to fail on lots of things, as it had been off the road for a 20 month rebuild
but the examiner said the headlights were bang on and it passed the MOT without issue
I was shocked as my dashboard was still out of the car 10 minutes before the time of the test and I live 30 minutes away!

[Edited on 23/6/17 by Toys2]

Shiggins92 - 23/6/17 at 09:26 PM

should be ok for a short drive at night to somewhere dark to get it somewhere near. Aafter the MOT you can maybe go a little further to get a better angle.

james h - 23/6/17 at 11:09 PM

I'm sure the MOT garage will help you with this, both I've taken my MK to have.

cliftyhanger - 24/6/17 at 06:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Toys2
quote:
Originally posted by ken555
Any ideas on aligning headlights without the ability to roll back 25' on a level surface.

I would have about 6-9' inside the garage, otherwise I have a short sloping drive then a kerb down onto the road.

Needed for the MOT so unable to travel too far at night (Also 57° N so darkness is a little in short supply)


I did exactly that, maybe I was lucky, I rolled the car right up to the wall, lights on and on the wall, I marked the centre of the "V"s of the light beams with pieces of tape

Then rolled the car back about 6 foot and adjusted the lights so the "V"s were now slightly below and to the left of before



This sounds a good solution. I have done something similar using a broom handle which I moved, and the horozontal bit I did by eye. Again, passed MoT.

nero1701 - 24/6/17 at 07:43 AM

I had my MK indy MOT'd a couple of years back, the headlights were way out, MOT guy (take all my cars to him) sorted out the beam for me, wouldnt take an extra penny for doing it.

DW100 - 24/6/17 at 03:20 PM

The Mot requirement is for the headlamps to be 0.5 to 2.75% down.

So as a rough setting if you park your car 1m from a wall the cut off line should be 0.5 to 2.75 cm below the height of the centre of the lamp.

ken555 - 24/6/17 at 05:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by DW100
The Mot requirement is for the headlamps to be 0.5 to 2.75% down.

So as a rough setting if you park your car 1m from a wall the cut off line should be 0.5 to 2.75 cm below the height of the centre of the lamp.


Perfect, thanks.

Off to mark the garage door.

So aim for 16mm / 0.6" ish, would be best.

0

gremlin1234 - 24/6/17 at 06:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nero1701
I had my MK indy MOT'd a couple of years back, the headlights were way out, MOT guy (take all my cars to him) sorted out the beam for me, wouldnt take an extra penny for doing it.

mot manual section 1.8
quote:

Repairs must not be carried out during an MOT test; however, minor adjustments to the headlamp aim are acceptable.

coyoteboy - 24/6/17 at 11:14 PM

Yeah I'm finding this an odd question because my mot place adjusts it without being asked for free.

ken555 - 25/6/17 at 08:35 AM

I guess unlike "modern" cars, it involves unscrewing the outer ring from inside the front clam, then prising off the outer rings to get at the adjusting screws.

So a bit more work than a simple bolt under the bonnet.

I'm adjusting it and leaving the rings off for the restest.