Replacing Light Assy's; Aiming Needed?

[gavin]

Ok, so my truck is long overdue to get the headlight assy's replaced due to yellowing and whatnot.

What are the chances that, after replacing them, they will need re-aimed? If I don't touch any of the adjustment screws, should I be okay without aiming?

Reason I ask, is because I do not have anywhere I could go to aim the lights. My driveway has a slope, and the garage is not usable.

 

[Bill Kemp]

I have used a grocery store parking lot beside the bldg. Fence in a office parking lot.

In answer to your question...you may have to reaim. No way to tell untill you change the lights.

 

[gavin]

I have used a grocery store parking lot beside the bldg. Fence in a office parking lot.

In answer to your question...you may have to reaim. No way to tell untill you change the lights.

I figured that's what the answer would be, just not the one I was hoping for

 

[Bill Kemp]

Aiming the lights is the easiest part of changing them. And the most important. I would guess that 90% of the cars on the road could benefit from aiming the headlights correctly. Seems most factory aims I have noticed are much lower than is acceptable.

 

[gavin]

Aiming the lights is the easiest part of changing them.

easy if you have a flat ground you could use, maybe

 

[corkey]

use the wall of the local grocery store, or walmart, just pull up to within 30 feet and start adjusting, that is what i did with mine,, now they are much better , they were too low,,
just make sure they are not too high ,. or too much towards the middle of the road,

 

[Lankhimself]

Ok, so my truck is long overdue to get the headlight assy's replaced due to yellowing and whatnot.

What are the chances that, after replacing them, they will need re-aimed? If I don't touch any of the adjustment screws, should I be okay without aiming?

Reason I ask, is because I do not have anywhere I could go to aim the lights. My driveway has a slope, and the garage is not usable.

Yes indeed you will need to reaim them. A few years back when I replaced my headlights up front with the diamond units they were in such bad need of aiming it was unbelievable.

 

[BrettR]

If it is just yellowing..
Try one of those head light lens resurfacing kits...
The ones I have seen ..you just sand/polish the lens and work your way up.
Might be worth a try.

 

[gavin]

If it is just yellowing..
Try one of those head light lens resurfacing kits...
The ones I have seen ..you just sand/polish the lens and work your way up.
Might be worth a try.

yellowing, staining, fogging... all that good stuff.

I did buy a cleaning kit... just haven't taken the time yet.
but figure if I had to remove the dam things anyway, might as well upgrade at the same time

 

[gavin]

well I had bought one of them headlight restoration "kits" a while back (www.myheadlight.com) from Wal-Mart I believe it was.

decided to give it a go today, since it's warm out.

Needless to say, it didn't do a damn bit of good. Atleast, looking at the surface of the headlights, it's still nasty.

sooooo... time to start looking for a new set.

As for aiming, I just thought about it.... even though the driveway is a slope... if I mark the spot on the garage door where the headlight's main focus is before replacing the assy's, then when I swap the new assy's in, aim for that mark. Atleast get me in the ballpark, no?

although I may just try another kit, or something, first. Since I wouldn't be able to afford a new set until late next week at the earliest. Wouldn't hurt to try, anyway.

 

[corkey]

marking a spot on the door will get you at least close,,,than you can go out to a section of road at night and fine tune a bit better,,

 

[Bill Kemp]

You mean to tell me that there are no flat parking lots with a near wall in or around Chugiak? Whos to say that your lights are aimed correctly now?

I guess you could use the side of a glacier and a magic marker.

Just getting a tape measure and some masking tape to stick on the wall at the measured heights is quick & easy.

I had a cop come by one night when I was in a dark pkng. lot and ask what I was doing. When I told him he said he wished more people would aim their lights and even offered to help.

 

[gavin]

You mean to tell me that there are no flat parking lots with a near wall in or around Chugiak? Whos to say that your lights are aimed correctly now?

I guess you could use the side of a glacier and a magic marker.

Just getting a tape measure and some masking tape to stick on the wall at the measured heights is quick & easy.

I had a cop come by one night when I was in a dark pkng. lot and ask what I was doing. When I told him he said he wished more people would aim their lights and even offered to help.

well I guess I could drive up somebody else's driveway and use their garagedoor, but that might be a wee bit suspicious.

and ummm... yeah, there really isn't much around here lol. Sure, I could go to walmart, but they still got ish busted up from expanding to a superstore. Not many buildings around here you can pull up to...

as for how do I know they're aimed correctly now? well... I don't seem to blind people. But no, I've never aimed the lights on this truck. Never felt the need to.

seriously