Adjusting Your Vehicle’s Headlights

Driving at night with poor visibility is dangerous and it can be worsened by improperly aimed or wrongly adjusted headlights. If your vehicle’s headlights are not positioned properly on the road ahead, you can miss upcoming hazards. Once they are properly positioned, you will see a dramatic improvement in your night driving.

How Often Should I Realign My Headlights?

Ideally, you should have your headlight alignment checked at least once every 12,000 miles or before you hit every set of 20,000 kilometres. Changes in your riding height, vehicle load, tire size and even minor fender benders can cause your headlights to lose their aim. While aiming sounds relatively easy, it can easily be messed up, thus causing further hazards while you drive at night or in poor weather conditions.

Why Hire a Professional to Readjust Headlights?

Most auto part stores sell replacement bulbs and even instruct you on how to readjust your own headlights. While tempting, it is best to leave this auto maintenance task to the professionals because:

• Proper headlight aim is critical. If your low-beam cut-off is incorrect, you will not be able to fully illuminate the road ahead and could face significant safety hazards.
• It does not cost much to have a professional do it for you. While you may think you will save money doing it yourself, you could cost yourself property damage or risk permanent damage to your vehicle’s headlights if the adjustment is done improperly.
• You can have your headlights inspected during an oil change. By combining the inspection and adjustment, you can save on labour costs.
• There are specific heights for low-beam and high-beam lights. If you have not adjusted headlights before, you will quickly realize how difficult adjusting the two can be, and it takes patience to get each beam at the right height and distance.

Minit-Tune & Brake Auto Centres offers auto repair in Vancouver, safety checks and assistance around the car. Whether you need to have your headlights adjusted or perhaps cleaned for better illumination, our technicians are here to reduce the hazards you face on the road ahead. Schedule your repair or service in BC—book an appointment today and visit one of our 16 convenient locations.