ALEX 98 1 Cars Posted October 15, 2006 I fitted new lights a few months back and now it's failed the MOT because they're adjusted too high. Anyoneone know how to set these up? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest rick03054 Posted October 15, 2006 (edited) At the side of the headlamps there are adjusters, the knobs have three stages of rough adjustment and there are screws next to the knobs which give you a little bit of fine adjustment. You can set it up yourself by finding a flat bit of ground with a wall at the end. There are figures for the right height up the wall at 10m but I can't remember them off-hand, you could always get another car and see where it's light hit the wall. That's the way I did it and got it to within half a turn of the right level. EDIT: To be honest I'd just pay a garage a tenner to do it for you. Edited October 15, 2006 by rick03054 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
max0 5 Posted October 15, 2006 mine failed a while back on this. all i did was park my mg and 205 next to each other facing the garage doors. Waited till it got dark and adjusted the head lights till they where at the same level on the garage doors. Its just a little screw. 2 min job. If you need a pic of which screw let us know and take one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ALEX 98 1 Cars Posted October 15, 2006 (edited) It's OK I know how to adjust them,I just need to know the position, I'll scan the Haynes see if that tells you how to do it. It' i'll be dark soon I might use my girlfriends Saxo as a refernce point on the garage door. She'll be saying " Whats all these marker pen lines on the garage door" Edited October 15, 2006 by ALEX Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevcomdude 0 Posted October 15, 2006 Did they not tell you which one was out of alignment ? It happened to mine last month and they told me which one it was and which direction it was too much in. As above you just drive upto a wall on a flat patch of ground and then drive back, and adjust after about 10m so they are level. Good luck, its a bugger i know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve@cornwall 100 Posted October 15, 2006 If your tester won't take two minutes to adjust the lights while it's parked in front of the alignment machine with the bonnet up, it's time to change garages! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
feb 47 Posted October 15, 2006 If your tester won't take two minutes to adjust the lights while it's parked in front of the alignment machine with the bonnet up, it's time to change garages! My thoughts exactly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tagy 1 Posted October 15, 2006 If your tester won't take two minutes to adjust the lights while it's parked in front of the alignment machine with the bonnet up, it's time to change garages! yeah I thought they would all do that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B1LLY 0 Posted October 15, 2006 If your tester won't take two minutes to adjust the lights while it's parked in front of the alignment machine with the bonnet up, it's time to change garages! +1 in the past the tester has adjusted them for me -local ats centre Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrainFluid Posted October 15, 2006 Is that all it failed on? Most testers will adjust them for you on the retest rather than straight away unless there are other things that need doing before then. If the car only failed on the Headlights, what a prick its much eaiser to do that than have to do the retest all over again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ALEX 98 1 Cars Posted October 16, 2006 If your tester won't take two minutes to adjust the lights while it's parked in front of the alignment machine with the bonnet up, it's time to change garages! I thought that. I've just moved to Huddersfield so I needed to find a good MOT garage. anyone? It did fail on other items as well though but I thought he was been a bit picky on some things. He failed it on binding rear calipers. I can't find anything wrong with them. My idea of binding calipers is when the brakes rub on the disc enough to generate heat. The pads make a slight rubbing noise when the brakes are released but not enough to stop the wheel from spinning or generate any heat. I greased them up though but they are still the same. The brakes have always been like this though. . If it fails the free re-test I'll be taking it to another garage. £45 for an mot . . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob_the_Sparky 9 Posted October 16, 2006 I've always just found somewhere flat and dark (e.g. a car park at night) and adjusted them 'til they look right. If you are worried about it failing on them then just set them up a bit low. Rob P.S. The lever is NOT officially an adjustment tool. The screw is used to adjust, the lever is meant to be used to dip the lights when there is a lot of weight in the back, although with GTi suspension it is rarely needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrainFluid Posted October 16, 2006 It did fail on other items as well though Well there you go, Dont be to hard the the guy just yet then. They will always give you the chance to sort things like that yourself before the retest... Have a go at it , say you did and if by the time the retest comes up they are still out Im sure he will sort them out for you If not, then he is a real arsehole! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ALEX 98 1 Cars Posted October 17, 2006 I was told by my solicitor to ask if the car would pass an MOT with the damage on the offside rear quarter. Before the test he was humming and arrrring and said it should be ok. I'm wondering if he's had a change of heart and made it fail on things it should have passed on. I'll see after dinner hopfully when it gose in for a retest if it passes. The car gets a lot of attention now, I hate driving it. I'm just waiting for a copper to pull me over saying it's not road legal, hence the MOT station been a bit worried. The car looks a right shed at the moment. Still no news on the claim though. My Solicitor is Still waiting for a reply from the van drivers insurance. They told me they are going for a 100% claim though, so thats some good news I suppose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ALEX 98 1 Cars Posted October 17, 2006 Just an update It's passed . Guy wasn't happy about passing it with the damage though, It was a tough decision for them he said "if you get stopped say it happend after the MOT" I'm trying not to use it though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
