525iSE

I just got my headlights replaced along with my M-ASK. When they installed my headlights back, they happen to have not align my headlights correctly, the headlights were so low, I could only see about 1.5 meters away from my car. So I went to adjust it, and accidently messed up the horizontal alignment. Is there any way to get this aligned or something? Any way I can do it myself with some guidlines, etc. I tried the link that Rudy posted about vertical test, but that didn't help me much. Anyone know any more tips? Thanks in advance!

dlevi67

As a rough guide - but it's rough - you can try this:

Take a piece of string, and measure the distance between one headlight centre and the other.

Park the car so that it's on flat ground, about 5-10 meters from a clean, straight wall, headlights facing the wall. You want the car to be as close to 90 degrees to the wall as possible, so start from against the wall, then make sure the steering wheel is absolutely centered, and reverse slowly.

Switch on the headlights, and measure the space between the central beam points (IIRC in Thailand it's LHD, so you should have the beams with a shape like this \_ \_) - the centre of the beam is approximately where the \ and the _ part meet. This should be the same as the distance on the car front, but i t won't be, as you moved them.

Pin the string to the wall, using a spirit level to keep it horizontal so that one end coincides with the centre of one headlight, then adjust the other one until you get the distance OK.

If you know that you only moved one light horizontally, then use the other one as the reference. Otherwise, you'd need to make sure that at least one of the lights is pointing straight forward. I don't know how to do this except by eye!

Alternatively, go back to the dealer and insist that they put it right (they should have a piece of equipment with a big lens and jigs to ensure proper orientation that makes all of this very easy to do). They messed it up in the first place!

HTH

525iSE

In thailand its RHD. Also, my dealer replaced the headlights and claimed to have adjusted it, but thats impossible since I can't even see 2 meters away from my car and its not even close to my original headlights.

Rudy

Is this the post you read?
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=237331

dlevi67

The only thing that changes in my previous post then is that the light pattern instead of being like \_ \_ (LHD) is like _/ _/ (RHD). The same procedure applies.

525iSE

Ok, I've given up on adjusting them. They just won't look like the original no matter what I do. I'm bring them to the dealer tomorrow. Anybody know how they (dealers) actually do vertical alignment? Because thats the only thing thats wrong with my adjustments right now.

PoleApart

In Europe the best place to have it done is a workshop that does the statutory once a year or whatever inspections (MOT in the UK, TUV in Germany). They have a big box on castors with a big lens inside. They position it in front of the light and see the beam pattern on the top and adjust accordingly. Don't know if you have something similar.

The machine looks like this: http://www.norauto.pl/images/stacja_swiatla.jpg

525iSE

But is that how they do vertical alignment? I thought that was just for horizontal alignment?