Date:         Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:26:04 -0800
Reply-To:     Philip Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Philip Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Subject:      How to aim headlights?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 12:30:36 -0600
From: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>


My broken headlight adjuster's replacement is in and I will be
swapping out the broken this weekend. Suddenly it hit me... how to re-
aim them?

The Bentley shows some goofy-looking mechanism that I don't have and
ain't gonna get. I expected to see measurements there for aiming
against a wall, but I don't see any. I'm looking at 94.5a for
"aerodynamic headlights" (this is for my 90).

All I find in the archives are how to aim SA headlights.

Anyone?
------------------------
Hi Jim,

The D. Stern link will give you the measurements needed to align E-Code
Lamps.
Technically, you need the goofy-looking mechanism to align DOT Lamps.
All those two-letter codes you ask about.... not on a DOT Lamp!

Using the measurements for the E-Codes and aligning your DOT Lamps to
these numbers
will get you pretty close though. The difficulty is the DOT Lamps are
so darn fuzzy
and do not show a clear center of the beam or clear cut-off. You end-up
guessing or adjusting the "blob" of light to a best-fit to the
focus-point on the wall. This is for the low-beams. The high beams are
sharp and clear in beam-pattern and cut-off thus, easily adjusted to
the points on the wall.

FWIW, I adjusted mine to a best-fit using the E-Code numbers and a
wall. Later, paid to have a shop with an appropriate aligning tester do
a headlamp alignment. Pretty darn close, said the Adjuster-guy... had
to "tweak" the lows a bit but your highs were dead-on.

A tip to save your vision and aid in getting the lamps set. When doing
the high-beam setting, all four Lamps are lit, whole wall is ablaze
with light! Pull the fuses on the lights you are not adjusting, allows
you to see the beam better on the one you are adjusting at the time.

Good luck and don't look directly at the lights.... I am still seeing
"stars" when I close my eyes....

Phil Z.
Now sunny in
Campbell River