The headlights must be correctly adjusted. Incorrectly adjusted headlights can blind oncoming drivers and cause a serious accident, or significantly reduce your ability to see the road. The headlights should be checked for correct adjustment every 12 months and whenever the headlights are replaced or the front end is repaired. It should be emphasized that the following procedure is only an intermediate step to ensure that the headlights are temporarily adjusted until they can be adjusted in a specially equipped workshop.
The headlights have two adjustment screws, one for vertical adjustment and one for horizontal adjustment. To access these screws, you may need to remove the grille (see chapter Body).
There are several methods for adjusting headlights. The simplest of them requires a blank wall (or garage door) ten meters in front of the car and a flat floor.
1. Attach the adhesive tape vertically to the wall along a line that corresponds to the center line of the car and is the average for both headlights.
It may be easier to do this if you first position the car a few inches from the wall and then, after making all the marks, move it back to the desired distance.
2. Attach another piece of tape horizontally to the wall along a line that matches the center line of all headlights.
3. Park the car 10 meters from the marked wall (the front edge of the car should be parallel to the wall). Adjustment should be made with the vehicle nominally loaded and the gas tank half full.
4. Start the adjustment with the low beam. Position the zone of greatest intensity so that it is five centimeters below the horizontal line and five centimeters to the right of the vertical line. Adjustment is made by turning the upper adjustment screw clockwise to raise the beam and counterclockwise to lower it. The side adjustment screw is used in the same way to move the beam to the left or right.
5. With the high beam on, place the area of greatest intensity exactly on the vertical line and slightly below the horizontal line.
Sometimes it is impossible to precisely adjust both beams, low and high beam. If a compromise is necessary, remember that low beam is used much more often and is much more important for driver safety.
6. Have your headlights adjusted at your dealer or service station as soon as possible.
[Original publication posted on the website «BMWMan»]