Adjusting/Aiming Low Beam Headlight?

[Danny17]

Hello everyone,

So I recently installed HIDs into my Civic EX. They're a lot brighter than the stock halogens bulbs but when I took it for a test drive during the night I had 2 people flash me. So I wanted to know how exactly I could go about aiming the headlights. The manual didn't say much in regards to this matter and stated to just bring it back to Honda to aim it for you.

Here is what the manual says:

I know that there is a adjustment screw you can spin with a flathead but I am unsure which direction to turn it in order to lower the beam. I've heard some say that you spin the SCREW (not the screw driver) counter-clockwise to aim it down but have heard the opposite from others so now I am not sure.

If I spin the screwdriver clockwise it should spin the adjustment screw counter-clockwise and vice-vera.

If anyone here who has adjusted the headlights could help me out I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

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[Brandons2697]

Not sure how to adjust it, but I'm interested in what kind of HID's you have

 

[Dba12913]

Its the same as adjusting the accord. Take a look here.

 

[Danny17]

Not sure how to adjust it, but I'm interested in what kind of HID's you have

A kit from DDM Tuning 5500K.

Its the same as adjusting the accord. Take a look here.

Thanks that video helped me out and I was able to figure out which way to turn the screw in order to adjust the beam. I think my headlights were not properly aimed from the factory because when I pulled up my car against a wall about 20ft-25ft away, the driver's and passenger's beams had a major discrepancy. One beam was about half a foot higher than the other and I think they were just aimed higher than they should have been in general. I actually had some people flash me even with my stock bulbs but I didn't think it was due to my headlights (since they were stock, what would be wrong with them?) and thought they were probably warning me of some speed trap. I seem to have adjusted them now, they are pretty much even with each other and have been lowered to an appropriate level.

So I went out for a test drive and drove on a road which only had 2 lanes, so the oncoming lane was literally right beside me. This street had no street lights, so the only sources of light were from people's headlights. I had no one flash me which is great.
For my last test which could have been one of stupidest things I could do, was to drive behind a cop. I followed him around for a good 10 mins, keep a distance of about 4 cars. If my headlights were still causing glare to other drivers or were really bad then I'm sure he would have pulled me over.

Just thought I'd let you guys know and in case anyone else was wondering.

 

[danlevy.ny]

@Danny17 Just so you know, many manufacturers intentionally lower the driver-side headlight beam as to cut down on glare from drivers heading towards you on two-way roads. That's probably why you noticed the discrepancy between the two bulbs. My car has the exact same thing

Glad you asked this question though, when I go for the DDM HIDs later down the road I'll likely need to make this adjustment as well. Thanks!

Also, did you go for the 35W or 55W kit?

 

[Danny17]

@Danny17 Just so you know, many manufacturers intentionally lower the driver-side headlight beam as to cut down on glare from drivers heading towards you on two-way roads. That's probably why you noticed the discrepancy between the two bulbs. My car has the exact same thing

Glad you asked this question though, when I go for the DDM HIDs later down the road I'll likely need to make this adjustment as well. Thanks!

Also, did you go for the 35W or 55W kit?

I should have also mentioned this. I swapped out the bulbs the second day. Upon closer inspection the ddmtuning bulb on the passenger's side had a cracked insulator rod. I'm not sure how much of difference this would have made but I decided to swap them out for a pair of Morimoto bulbs I had ordered just in case for a situation like this. Ddmtuning shipping time was already bad enough and I didn't expect the one of the bulbs to be cracked right from the start. I think from now on I'll start avoiding them and purchase kits from xenon depot or TRS even if I do have to pay a bit more.

You're right about that I noticed that on some other cars as well. But I thought the difference might have been too much though. That probably was due to the difference between HiD and halogen bulb. Definitely look into making the adjustment when you pick a kit. Everything is good now, the beam is nicely aimed and no more flashes from anyone. The kit I have is a 55W kit to answer your question.

 

[danlevy.ny]

@Danny17 Thanks for the response. Did you happen to use a harness or just connect to stock wiring as-is?

 

[civicdota]

Reviving an old thread. Which way do we turn the screw driver (not the nut on the headlight) to move the light up/down? Also, how much do we have to turn it before we see it move?

 

[Slade]

@Danny17 Just so you know, many manufacturers intentionally lower the driver-side headlight beam as to cut down on glare from drivers heading towards you on two-way roads. That's probably why you noticed the discrepancy between the two bulbs. My car has the exact same thing

Glad you asked this question though, when I go for the DDM HIDs later down the road I'll likely need to make this adjustment as well. Thanks!

Also, did you go for the 35W or 55W kit?

I knew left-hand drive vehicles have their headlights aimed slightly right to not blind oncoming traffic (and vice-versa for right-hand drive), but I have never heard of one headlight pointing down for that reason. Maybe for an automatic headlight system, but not for one manually set.

 

[xSherpax]

I just installed the Morimoto HID kit and didn’t have to make any adjustments. I thought for sure they would be pointing a little high/low but looks to be perfect (I think) anyone else with the same experience after changing out their low beams?

 

[civicdota]

I lowered mine. The halogen aim looked low but with HID I think it was blasting the car infront (I parked behind my other car and sat in it, and couldn't see sh*t).

 

[xSherpax]

I lowered mine. The halogen aim looked low but with HID I think it was blasting the car infront (I parked behind my other car and sat in it, and couldn't see sh*t).

I actually tried adjusting as I wanted to lower it just in case but as I turned the adjustment nut with a screwdriver the lights were not doing anything? Weird

 

[civicdota]

I actually tried adjusting as I wanted to lower it just in case but as I turned the adjustment nut with a screwdriver the lights were not doing anything? Weird

Do the 25ft thing. If you're close you won't see anything, you have to be relatively far away from the wall/screen before you notice it moving. You won't see it move unless you turn it a few times. It takes a lot of turns to move it a lot, like 20+. Remember, moving the nut clockwise (screw-driver counter clock-wise) lowers it and the opposite raises it.

 

[smikels]

I just installed the 35w morimoto kit myself and had several cars flash me. The light output is amazing. I am going to lower them tonight some.

 

[mvela]

I actually tried adjusting as I wanted to lower it just in case but as I turned the adjustment nut with a screwdriver the lights were not doing anything? Weird

It takes a good amount of turns before you start to see a difference. They move very slowly

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