Headlight Alignment Cost
If you’re noticing your lights tend to illuminate everything but the road, it may be time to have your headlights readjusted to ensure proper safety.
As properly aligned headlights will not only help light up the road, allowing you to see at night, they can also help you notice any street signs or animals on the road with ease.
Failing to fix this issue is not only a safety concern and is a danger, you could be putting other people at risk as well.
Average cost of headlight alignment
The costs of a simple headlight alignment often depends on the dealer/mechanic you choose and your geographical location. From our research, it appears the costs to adjust your headlights, when using a professional, can range anywhere from $25 to $60; however, in a lot of scenarios, the headlights often do not need to be adjusted and it will be another problem causing your headlights to aim incorrectly. In most cases, as long as the headlight alignment is the only problem, it will only take a mechanic less than one hour, meaning you will be charged the local shop minimum.
At Pep Boys, for instance, they claim that a headlight adjustment can cost $20 at their local stores.
According to one member on this YellowBullet.com forum thread, he asked if $56 was a fair price for a headlight adjustment as his local mechanic, and according to the responses, most said it was fair, seeing it would be at least a 30-minute job for an experienced mechanic.
The repair process
First, the mechanic will want to determine if the headlight adjustment is the only repair that needs to be performed. In some cases, as we explained above, it could be due to faulty shocks and/or weight issues. If this were the case, then additional repairs will be recommended since adjusting the headlights will not solve the problem.
If an adjustment does need to be made, the first thing he or she will do is find the adjustment screws to remove the light housing. As all vehicles are different, in most cases, these screws will be clearly marked, but with some makes and models, the trim ring or battery may need to be removed in order to access the lights behind the housing unit.
Next, once the adjustment screws are removed, the mechanic will now have access to the headlight bulbs, where he or she can make the necessary adjustments by adjusting the “vertical field” located at the top. By turning the screw clockwise, it will raise the lights, while turning counterclockwise can lower the light. The screw will be continued to turn until the adjustments match the measurements made on a nearby wall the lights are projected on. After the vertical field is adjusted, the horizontal field will then be adjusted, and this is done by adjusting the screw on the far left side of the housing.
Finally, when the adjustments are complete, the mechanic will confirm the exact measurements via your guidelines and will test the results to make sure everything is correct.
The entire process will take less than one hour to complete.
Reasons why headlights need to be adjusted
Reason #1: Weight — One common reason your headlights often need to be realigned is due to the excessive weight found in the cargo space or trunk area. This excess weight, as you can imagine, can pull down the rear portion of your vehicle, essentially pushing the headlights upward, making it seems as if your headlights need to be readjusted. In this case, your headlights will not need to be realigned; instead, you will need to either think about purchasing load-leveling air shocks if you frequently carry heavy loads or consider lightening the load.
Reason #2: Worn-out shocks — Just like traveling with a weighted load, as your shock wear away, it can cause your headlights to aim too high, away from the road. As this part wears away, they will start to sag, and in the case of the back shocks, the front of the vehicle will point higher than it should, again, making it seem as if your headlights need to be readjusted. In this case, adjusting the headlights may fix the problem; however, your shocks will need to be replaced as this can cause more problems in the future.
Reason #3: Accident — An accident can cause quite some damage, and even with the slightest tap, your headlights can become misaligned. In this case, the headlights may have been knocked out of alignment and will need to be readjusted to work again.
How to adjust headlights
How to check the alignment of your headlights
To ensure your headlights need to be aligned, there’s a simple test you can perform, according to YourMechanic. To do so, you need a flat surface, a wall to project your lights on, such as a garage door, a measuring tape, level, screwdriver and masking tape. Also, it’s best to do it at night to help see the lights in a natural setting.
To test, park your car about 15 to 20 feet away from the wall with your lights on, not your fog lights or high beams. Next, while the lights are projected on the wall, you will want to mark the horizontal and the vertical centerlines of the light beams. Once marked, you will then want to measure the centerlines and make sure they are no higher than 3.5 feet above the ground, and to confirm, you can use a level to check the centerline to make sure each headlight is even. Lastly, after marking these centerlines, you will then want to precisely back up 25 feet exactly and make sure the lights still end up with your markings on the wall.
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