Aiming Headlights - People flashing me while driving with low beams

[Fitz98]

I have been having many issues while freeway driving with drivers flashing me as if I have my high beams on. It's aggravating and sometimes blinding for me as I am sure it must be for those who are flashing me.
I am thinking that perhaps my headlight aim needs to be adjusted. They are not any special lights that are extra bright, just typical amber stock bulbs on a 03 Suburban.
Does anyone know if there is a standard height to distance standard they should be aimed to so I can check and adjust?

 

[Colt45ws]

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

 

[rubberchicken]

One of three things: Either you really have your high beams, or you are towing a heavy load / carrying heavy load and pushing low beams too high, OR your headlights need adjusting. If it only happens occasionally perhaps its nothing to worry about, but if it happens frequently get them checked.

 

[joekingcorvette]

Some people get a little crazy on the high beam flashes. There is a good chance your vehicle is just fine. You should have someone else drive it at night and while you drive another vehicle and see for yourself what it looks like or have it professionally checked out by a body shop or garage. Older people notice bright lights and are bothered by them more than younger people.

 

[eljefino]

I don't get flashed. Something's wrong.

Saggy rear springs
fogged lenses

I have heard you should park near the garage door, mark the hot spots. Back up 25 feet, hot spots should be 4 inches lower.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted by Fitz98
...They are not any special lights that are extra bright, just typical amber stock bulbs on a 03 Suburban.


You have amber bulbs in your headlights?

 

[HangFire]

Fitz98 said "stock" as well as "amber", perhaps that means not the brilliant blue-white aftermarket bulbs, but standard bulbs that have a more pleasing (to me, anyway) yellow content.

Something as simple as new rear shocks can make the difference between getting flashed and not. I was getting flashed all the time on the Pilot, the rear shocks had no more gas charge. Fresh shocks and the problem went away. (Then I replaced the foggy headlamp assemblies altogether, and found out they are quite easy to aim).

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted by eljefino
I have heard you should park near the garage door, mark the hot spots. Back up 25 feet, hot spots should be 4 inches lower.
That's what I did on my headlights. Pull up as close to the door as possible and mark the center point. Then back up 30' and check the aim. I usually run mine so they match the mark and the drivers side a bit to the right of the spot.

 

[ka9mnx]

The enclosed link is correct but complicated

Originally Posted by eljefino

I have heard you should park near the garage door, mark the hot spots. Back up 25 feet, hot spots should be 4 inches lower.

Basically what I have done for years. Get as close to the wall as you can and mark the x and y centers of the headlight with painters tape (lights turned off). Back up as straight as possible on a LEVEL driveway, etc, about 20 feet (from front of car to wall/door). Turn headlights on and adjust the light so the "hot spot" is in the lower right corner of the of the cross of the tape (top of hot spot touches the bottom of the horizontal tape and left hot spot touches the vertical tape ). Sometimes I have to put a blanket over the headlight I'm not adjusting. Learned this years ago in old repair manuals and works for me.

Tried to make a diagram to clear things up. Probably more confusing!

..........|
tape> | tape
_____|__v_____
..........|XXXXX
..........|X.......X ..........|XXXXX

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by eljefino
I have heard you should park near the garage door, mark the hot spots. Back up 25 feet, hot spots should be 4 inches lower.

Most driveways are sloped (away from the house) so you want to adjust for that. By how much I can't say.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by eljefino
I have heard you should park near the garage door, mark the hot spots. Back up 25 feet, hot spots should be 4 inches lower.

Most driveways are sloped (away from the house) so you want to adjust for that. By how much I can't say.


If it's a straight slope this procedure should work.

 

[Colt45ws]

Only way I can get 25 feet is use Wal-Mart building.

 

[JamesBond]

I noticed a lot of bright lights and signs and roadside reflectors lit up while driving last week. I assumed it was from heavily loaded cars tilting the front ends up.

Check for sagging springs.

 

[Gasbuggy]

So just a though, as the owner of several 00-06 Tahoe/Suburbans. The running lights on these tend to go out, that may be why people are blinking at you sometimes? No one seems to figure out their DLRs are bad on the 00-06s because I believe you need to be running and in gear to see them. I pass guys all the time with one burned out.

 

[mk378]

I usually go to a level empty road or reasonably dark parking lot and just look at what they look like on the road. It is essential to cover up the headlight you are not adjusting. The left light should point some toward the right but the right one almost straight ahead (down the right side line of the road). Both should tilt down so the "cutoff" of the top of the beam hits the road rather than going off indefinitely.

 

[ka9mnx]

Originally Posted by Colt45ws
Only way I can get 25 feet is use Wal-Mart building.

Bingo! My driveway is curved so the back of WalMart works great. Nice, flat, surface too.